Monarch (君主 / モナーク Kunshu / Monāku) is a scientific organization that first appeared in the 2014 Legendary Pictures Godzilla film Godzilla. Founded as a joint Japanese-American task force in 1946 by U.S. President Harry S. Truman to investigate the 1943 sinking of the USS Lawton by a giant creature, or Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism (MUTO), Monarch soon expanded into an international organization. In 1954, it was involved in attempts to kill Godzilla and the Shinomura with hydrogen bomb detonations at Bikini Atoll. The organization's next breakthrough came in 1973, when Monarch agents attached to a Landsat expedition discovered the incredible ecosystem of Skull Island and the ancient rivalry between its guardian, Kong, and the marauding Skullcrawlers.
In 1999, Monarch assisted in the coverup of a MUTO attack on the nuclear power plant in Janjira, Japan, and studied the creature as he fed on the reactor. The MUTO emerged from his cocoon in 2014 and proved impervious to Monarch's attempts to destroy him. Godzilla intercepted the MUTO in Honolulu, with the ensuing battle revealing the existence of giant monsters to the public. Godzilla ultimately killed the MUTO and his mate in San Francisco and returned to the sea. By 2019, Monarch's existence had become public knowledge as well. The organization subsequently expanded, with at least 67 outposts around the globe. At this time, Monarch's mission had changed from hunting and containing MUTOs to discovering and protecting ancient giant creatures designated Titans, which it believed were essential to the preservation of life on Earth. Titans under observation included Mothra in China, Rodan in a Mexican volcano, and a creature designated Monster Zero frozen in Antarctica.
In addition to its scientific operations, Monarch established a military branch dubbed the "G-Team" in the wake of the San Francisco incident to be prepared to defend humanity from MUTOs by force if necessary. The G-Team recruits from the militaries of member nations that contribute to it and is currently led by former U.S. Army Ranger instructor Col. Diane Foster. In 2024, Monarch organized a joint operation to the Hollow Earth with Apex Cybernetics to retrieve an energy source for a weapon capable of combating the rogue Godzilla when he seemingly turned against humanity. Unbeknownst to Monarch, Apex had its own secret ambitions, and the weapon in question was the colossal machine known as Mechagodzilla, which was actually constructed to destroy all of the Titans.
Background[]
History[]
Formation[]
Monarch was founded in secrecy in 1946 as a joint coalition between several governments in order to hunt and study massive unidentified terrestrial organisms (MUTOs). The first such creature Monarch studied was Shinomura, a deadly hive-minded radioactive creature composed of many smaller composite lifeforms.
One of Monarch's operatives, Eiji Serizawa, also was intrigued by eyewitness accounts of a "giant lizard that walked like a man" that seemed to be chasing Shinomura throughout the islands. Serizawa called this creature "Gojira," after Pacific Island legends describing him. In 1954, Monarch cooperated with the United States military to lure Godzilla and Shinomura to Bikini Atoll, where both were thought to be killed by the Castle Bravo nuclear bomb "test". Shinomura was confirmed to be destroyed by the bomb's blast. Godzilla, however, managed to survive.
Decades later, in 1981, Eiji told his son Ishiro about his experiences and belief that Godzilla was still alive somewhere. After Ishiro's father died, he was approached by Shaw, a representative of Monarch and his father's colleague, who offered him the opportunity to join the organization and continue his father's work. Ishiro Serizawa readily agreed and became a member of Monarch.
Mission: Skull Island[]
In 1973, Monarch and Landsat conducted an expedition to an island in the South Pacific called Skull Island, with William Randa, Houston Brooks, and San Lin representing the organization. At this time, the organization was nearly bankrupt.
After returning from Skull Island, Brooks and Lin debriefed survivors, James Conrad and Mason Weaver, before presenting them with a slideshow, showing four ominous cave paintings, with each depicting a giant creature.
Awakening in 2014[]
In 1999, Ishiro Serizawa and his assistant Vivienne Graham were sent by Monarch to the Philippines to investigate the cave-in of a mine. There, they discovered the skeleton of another member of Godzilla's species that died long ago and two parasitic spores, one of which had hatched.
The creature that hatched from the spore arrived at the nuclear power plant in Janjira, where it attached itself to the reactor to feed. Monarch quickly quarantined the city of Janjira to study the creature, codenamed MUTO. In 2014, the MUTO burst free from its cocoon and destroyed Monarch's facilities and flew away. Serizawa and Graham then assisted the U.S. military in tracking and studying the MUTO and Godzilla once he emerged to hunt it.
Timeline[]
Beginning on June 21, 2017, social media pages for Skull Island began to post weekly videos detailing Monarch's timeline of events from the years 1915 to 2016. While certain timeline events have been named, the full descriptions of said events have not been revealed as of yet.
1915 - Splitting the Atom[]
Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity ultimately leads to the splitting of the atom and the dawn of the Atomic Age. This epoch-defining stage in human evolution will act as a beacon that awakens ancient superspecies sustained by nuclear energy.
1943 - The U.S.S. Lawton Incident[]
In 1943, William Randa was serving on the U.S.S. Lawton when the ship came under attack by an unknown Titan. The destruction it brought sunk the ship and left Randa the sole survivor. Haunted by the memory of that day, Randa came to believe that such creatures have no conscience and determined to destroy them, went on to become one of Monarch's foremost operatives, searching for the truth behind the ancient creatures that exist beneath the surface of the world.
1946 - Monarch Founded[]
In the aftermath and cover-up of the U.S.S. Lawton Incident, President Truman unofficially establishes "Monarch Unit", a small, off-book research team established to engage in the systematic study of "massive unidentified terrestrial organisms". Privately, many of Truman's allies question the validity of the group's theories and work to keep their existence a secret.
1952 - The Great Smog of London[]
Baffling meteorologists and defying atmospheric physicists, this unexplained phenomenon saw London's streets overwhelmed by huge clouds of air-polluting smoke. Monarch theorizes that the beating wings of a giant creature could have created an anticyclone that unleashed airborne pollutants across the city.
1954 - Monarch Goes Global[]
1959 - Siberian Mystery[]
At the height of the Cold War, aerial photography taken from a Russian spy plane reveals a huge containment facility established around an ice cap in Siberia. The Monarch symbol can be seen emblazoned across the canopy of the structure.
1973 - Mission: Skull[]
Monarch surreptitiously partners with Landsat and the 1st Aviation Brigade, 3rd Assault Helicopter company to mount an expedition to the mythical "Skull Island" in an uncharted corner of the South Pacific. Encountering the god-like superspecies known as Kong, they soon discover that mankind does not belong here.
1991 - Isla de Mara[]
A covert Monarch team establishes a quarantine zone around the island's dormant volcano, under the guise of "environmental research". Over the coming years, what began as a small scientific outpost will expand to become a full containment facility around the mouth of the volcano.
1995 - Return to Skull Island[]
Monarch security officer Aaron Brooks defies his father, Houston Brooks, and leads an off-the-books mission to Skull Island, to not only determine what has become of Kong since the 1973 expedition, but also for assurance that Kong is on their side.
1999 - Janjira Meltdown[]
Aftwr hatching from a spore in Dagon's fossilized skeleton in the Philippines, the male MUTO traveled to the nearest nuclear site, the Janjira Nuclear Power Plant, thus killing Sandra Brody, and a few other staff members who were with her. The Janjira Power Plant collapsed, having the city around it evacuated and quarantined for safety purposes. Dr. Serizawa and his assistant, Dr. Graham, returned to the site fifteen years later to place an outpost, so they can study the MUTO's cocoon.
2005 - A Mysterious Mercenary[]
Former British Army Colonel and MI-6 agent Alan Jonah is locked up in Pakistani prison after an encounter with Monarch agents. Alan and his band of mercenary accomplices were caught trying to breach the walls of a subterranean M.U.T.O. dig-site.
2009 - Temple of the Moth[]
Mythographic studies of Chinese temples lead Monarch to the high-altitude jungles of the Yunnan province. Dr. Emma Russell and her team follow a mysterious bio-acoustic signature to a previously undiscovered megalithic temple, within which lies a gigantic cocoon. A quickening heartbeat is detected inside.
2012 - Message in a Bottle[]
Days before retirement, Monarch veteran Houston Brooks receives an encrypted recorder bearing a message from his son. His unauthorized mission to Skull Island has resulted in the death of the whole crew (except himself) and revealed dramatic new information about Kong's origins, his role on the island and how Skull Island had evolved since his dad's "visit".
2014 - The Battle of San Francisco[]
The existence of giant superspecies is revealed to the world as Godzilla clashes with two MUTOs in the center of San Francisco, unleashing devastation upon the urban center. The world watches as Godzilla defends our world and restores balance to the natural order. The time has come for Monarch to step out of the shadows.
2016 - Monster Zero[]
When Monarch discovers an extraordinary superspecies sealed beneath the Antarctic ice sheet, Dr. Vivienne Graham leads the effort to build a covert containment and research facility around the dormant creature. Her classified field notes contain a mysterious footnote: "The devil has three heads."
Notable members[]
- Douglas MacArthur
- Eiji Serizawa (deceased)
- Leland Shaw
- Zamalek
- Ishiro Serizawa (deceased)
- Vivienne Graham (deceased)
- Mark Russell
- Emma Russell (deceased)
- Ilene Chen
- Ling Chen
- Rick Stanton
- William Randa (deceased)
- Houston Brooks (retired)
- San Lin
- James Conrad
- Mason Weaver
- Aaron Brooks
- Walter R. Riccio (deceased)
- Evgenij Medov (deceased)
- Evelyn Matemavi (deceased)
- Helen Karsten (deceased)
- Cejudo (deceased)
- Singh
- Sam Coleman
- Diane Foster
- Jackson Barnes
- Lauren Griffin
- Anthony Martinez
- Tim Mancini (deceased)
- David Lind (deceased)
- Nathan Lind
- Ilene Andrews
- Guillerman
Notable paraphernalia[]
While much of Monarch's paraphernalia is relatively unknown, it is known that Aaron Brooks used a special recorder that featured military-grade bubble memory (which kept the files intact) and password protection.
It is shown to be capable of being plugged into a computer through a cable similar in size to an audio cable (for unlocking the password), and like most military paraphernalia, the recorder also features a serial number related to the owner in question. The audio speaker is located on the back of the recorder, and it appears to feature dual microphones on top. It is also capable of producing a mayday signal.
The password can be selected by the owners as well, in the case of Aaron's, the password is "Gjallarhorn" (due to his father, Houston, reading him Norse mythology as a child, and it became a shared password between father and son).
Monarch also uses Kevlar "float bags" (most notably, Aaron used one to send his recorder out to sea akin to a "message in a bottle"); while the purpose of said bags is not spoken by the workers, writing on the bag shows that the primary purpose is to contain (and aid in the disposal of) extremely hazardous materials.
As stated by Aaron Brooks, Monarch has its field manual. Additionally, as seen in Godzilla, they have hazmat suits and Geiger counters for highly-irradiated environments.
Military[]
During the 1990's, the "Monarch Field Manual" stated that "If you must resort to weaponry, in all likelihood, you've already made a mistake." which implies that Monarch personnel were initially encouraged to approach and resolve situations with a cautious and non-lethal solution. Indeed, during the organization's early years, Monarch relied entirely on the armed forces of major nations to assist in its operations, primarily the U.S. Military.
As of the events King of the Monsters in the year 2019, Monarch is seen to have been heavily militarized with several different service branches akin to a conventional military. Its Air Force was comprised of numerous Bell Boeing V-22 Ospreys, Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, and most notably the organization's mobile headquarters, the USS Argo. Pilot Audrey Burns was part of a squadron of experimental fighter jets designed to combat Titans. In terms of ground forces, a special forces group dubbed "G-Team" was created for battles involving the Titans, with many of its members being pulled from the ranks of the United States Military.
By 2024, Monarch is seen to command a modest naval fleet comprised of numerous cruisers, destroyers, at least one aircraft carrier, one modified cargo freighter, and at least one battleship. Because battleships have been phased out of most of the world's modern-day naval forces by the end of the 20th century, this implies that Monarch purchases decommissioned warships.
Headquarters[]
As revealed in King of the Monsters, Monarch has outposts around the globe that were constructed to study Titans that were located there.
- Outpost 14 - Mindanao, the Philippines (Male and Female MUTO hatch site)
- Outpost 32 - Antarctica (Ghidorah)
- Outpost 33 - Skull Island (Kong)
- Outpost 49 - Loch Ness, Scotland (Leviathan)
- Outpost 53 - Stone Mountain, Georgia (Tiamat)
- Outpost 54 - Castle Bravo, Bermuda (Godzilla)
- Outpost 55 - Sedona, Arizona (Scylla)
- Outpost 56 - Isla de Mara, Mexico (Rodan)
- Outpost 57 - Machu Picchu, Peru (Quetzalcoatl)
- Outpost 58 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Behemoth)
- Outpost 61 - Yunnan Rainforest, China (Mothra)
- Outpost 65 - Cairo, Egypt (Sekhmet)
- Outpost 66 - Manpupuner Rock Formations, Russia (Amhuluk)
- Outpost 67 - Munich, Germany (Methuselah)
- Outpost 68 - Volubilis, Morocco (Baphomet)
- Outpost 75 - Jebel Barkal, Sudan (Mokele-Mbembe)
- Outpost 77 - Devil’s Tower, Wyoming (Abbadon)
- Outpost 91 - Mount Fuji, Japan (Yamata no Orochi)
- Outpost 92 - Angkor Wat, Cambodia (Typhon)
- Outpost 99 - Uluru/Ayers Rock, Australia (Bunyip)
- Outpost 236 - Skull Island (Kong Dome)
- Unnamed Indian Ocean Outpost (Na Kika)
- Unnamed Janjira Outpost (Male MUTO)
- Kong Monitoring Station (Hollow Earth)
Potential Titan locations shown in King of The Monsters.[]
A map in the movie showing possible compromised locations of both known and unknown Titans can be seen. There is a point that looks close to Hoboken, New Jersey, where Queen MUTO was hibernating and later awoke. One of the only confirmations of Titanus Na Kika’s outpost outside the novelization also seems to be shown.
- A dig site in Bosnia.
- A dig site in Pakistan.
- Hoboken, New Jersey. Confirmed location. (Queen MUTO)
- Unnamed Mexican Outpost.
- Unnamed Columbian Outpost
- Unnamed Israeli Outpost
- Roswell, New Mexico (mentioned in Godzilla vs. Kong by Bernie Hayes).
Bunkers[]
In King of the Monsters, it's revealed that Monarch established bunkers around the world to shelter humanity if Titans should pose a serious threat to the planet.
- Bunker 08 - Detroit, Michigan
- Bunker 09 - Boston, Massachusetts
- Bunker 10 - Washington, D.C.
- Unnamed Hong Kong Bunker - Hong Kong, China
Monarch Museum[]
It is revealed in Godzilla: Awakening that Monarch has possessed a museum with several MUTO exhibitions since 1940.
Appearances[]
MonsterVerse[]
Godzilla (2014)[]
Kong: Skull Island[]
Godzilla: King of the Monsters[]
Godzilla vs. Kong[]
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters[]
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire[]
Printed Media[]
MonsterVerse Comic Books[]
Godzilla: Awakening[]
Skull Island: The Birth of Kong[]
Godzilla: Aftershock[]
Kingdom Kong[]
Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong[]
MonsterVerse Novels[]
Godzilla: The Official Movie Novelization[]
Kong: Skull Island - The Official Movie Novelization[]
Godzilla: King of the Monsters - The Official Movie Novelization[]
Godzilla vs. Kong - The Official Movie Novelization[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- According to Godzilla: Awakening, Monarch was the first mixed Japanese-American government unit created since World War II.
- In Godzilla, Vivienne Graham tells Ford Brody that Monarch was founded in 1954, but Godzilla: Awakening, Kong: Skull Island and the official Monarch timeline contradicts this saying Monarch was founded in 1946.
- It is entirely possible that since President Truman "unofficially" established Monarch, they were never considered an "official" group (on the level of groups such as the CIA or the FBI) and as a result, they were never given proper funding for their projects (as they were nearly bankrupt around the time of "Mission: Skull"), and that Monarch was "officially" founded in 1954 as a true group (as the timeline states they "went global" in 1954).
- In Skull Island: The Birth of Kong, it is heavily implied that Monarch is ahead of everyone else technologically, as Aaron's recorder looks exactly like a Zoom H4n (albeit with minor differences), a digital recorder released in 2009, but Aaron had it in his possession during his off-the-books expedition to Skull Island circa 1995.
- Monarch Sciences revealed that Monarch has three clearance levels: Green, Amber, and Crimson.
- Asked to design a Monarch logo that looked like an "M", a warning symbol, or a butterfly, Godzilla title designer Kyle Cooper came up with a combination of all three.
- Monarch's logo also resembles the dagaz rune from the Anglo-Saxon rune poem, though this may be unintentional.
- In a Godzilla draft dated June 6, 2012, Monarch was a United Nations organization called the Special MUTO Unit. During filming, they were simply called "M.U.T.O.", as evidenced by the MUTO Research viral site, and finally became Monarch at some point in post-production. The word "Monarch" is only spoken four times in Godzilla.
- According to Godzilla: Awakening, Monarch was the first mixed Japanese-American government unit created since World War II.
- Monarch has appeared in every canonical Monsterverse installment except the television series Skull Island and the comic Godzilla: Fight or Flight.
- In Godzilla, Vivienne Graham tells Ford Brody that Monarch was founded in 1954 in the wake of Godzilla's discovery, although Godzilla: Awakening, Kong: Skull Island, and the official Monarch timeline all cite 1946 as the year of the organization's formation. This discrepancy is likely an act of retroactive continuity.
- In Godzilla: Awakening, General Douglas MacArthur briefs the founding members of Monarch in 1946 and gives the order to target Godzilla and Shinomura with a hydrogen bomb in 1954. In real life, MacArthur was relieved of his command by President Truman in 1951. This suggests that MacArthur was either never fired in the world of the MonsterVerse or retained in secret to oversee Monarch.
- References to Monarch in the script of Kong: Skull Island, establishing a previously-unannounced connection to Godzilla, played a major role in the film's move from Universal to Warner Bros.
- The numerical designations of the Monarch outposts are direct references to the years in which their corresponding monster first debuted on film:
- Outpost 14 - Godzilla (2014)
- Outpost 33 - King Kong (1933)
- Outpost 54 - Godzilla (1954)
- Outpost 56 - Rodan
- Outpost 61 - Mothra
- Outpost 32, which holds King Ghidorah, is a double reference. 32 is half of 64, with 1964 being the year when Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster was first released. The name also evokes Outpost 31, the setting of the 1982 sci-fi horror film The Thing, which also involves an extraterrestrial creature discovered in Antarctica.
- Outpost 55 in Arizona, built above Scylla, references the 1955 movie Tarantula!, in which a giant spider menaces a small town in the same state.
External Links[]
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