The Monsterverse Just Took A Big Step Toward One Of The Oldest Plot Devices In Godzilla Movies

A key reveal about APEX Cybernetics in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters brings Legendary’s Monsterverse one step closer to one of the most important plot devices in Toho’s classic Godzilla movies. One of the storylines in the second season of Apple TV’s Monsterverse series functions as a prequel to Godzilla vs. Kong, in that it quietly lays out the precursors to Mechagodzilla’s construction.

Through characters like Brenda Hall and Jason Trissop, the show has offered additional insight into what APEX Cybernetics was up to and what motivates their worldview in the lead-up to Walter Simmons’ using King Ghidorah’s surviving head to power Mechagodzilla.

In Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2, episode 4, Trissop discusses APEX’s plans for “coexistence,” which directly correlate with their decision to activate their mecha-Titan in Godzilla vs. Kong’s ending. Meanwhile, Brenda Hall tells May about what they were doing with the code she created, which actually has implications that could extend beyond the events of Godzilla vs. Kong.

Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters Sets Up Humans Gaining Access To Mind Control Technology

As confirmed by Godzilla vs. Kong, APEX had within their possession several different creatures native to Skull Island. Apparently, APEX has been utilizing them as test subjects for May’s code. According to Brenda, they implemented the code into a neural device that they can use to supress a creature’s natural aggression.

Brenda demonstrated the device’s capabilities on a Leafwing to May, showing it become docile for a period of 30 seconds. Brenda explained that the time constraint is a consequence of May erasing the code, forcing them to work only with what they have. Presumably, May returning to APEX could enable them to fix the flaws in their current system.

Simply put, APEX wants to rid a creature of its natural impulses in favor of a more desirable behavior. If APEX can control the moods of creatures, the organization would theoretically have a way of directing their actions, making a creature aggressive when it suits its interests and peaceful as needed. Essentially, they’ll have their own form of Titan mind control if this works out.

People Controlling Titans Has A Long History In The Godzilla Franchise

People finding ways of making monsters do their bidding is nowhere close to a new concept in the Godzilla franchise. Such an idea dates all the way back to the Showa era of Godzilla films, with the first instance of it occurring in Invasion of Astro-Monster, when an alien race called the Xiliens use their advanced technology to control Godzilla, King Ghidorah, and Rodan.

Since then, multiple movies have employed a similar plot device to engineer its monster fights. Titanosaurus fell victim to mind control in Terror of Mechagodzilla, and Godzilla had to fight his own allies because of it in Godzilla: Final Wars.

Most notably, it was used as a force for good in Destroy All Monsters when the human protagonists sent Godzilla and the many residents of Monster Island to defeat King Ghidorah.

The Monsterverse Has Already Been Setting Up Humans To Use Mind Control On Titans

What Brenda revealed to May in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters furthers the Monsterverse’s existing setup for this longstanding concept from Godzilla’s movies to make its way to the Monsterverse. In fact, there were hints of it already being a weapon in Godzilla and Kong’s world, albeit one that was lost to history.

The messages concealed by the redacted text in Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ credits mentioned that ancient civilizations developed forms of telepathic communication with Titans and also made attempts to control them for the means of conducting war.

Exactly how they tried to control them wasn’t specifically stated, but the previous mention of telepathic communication created the impression that mind control was the root of their plan. It’s possible that their telepathic link to the Titans was their chosen method of weaponizing the Titans.

A new form of Titan mind control was discovered in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. For as long as the Monsterverse’s Skar King possessed a mysterious blue crystal mentally connected to Shimo, the Titan was at his mercy. Shimo was essentially a slave to Skar King until Kong finally destroyed it in Godzilla x: Kong: The New Empire.

So far, modern humans haven’t had access to the same level of control over a monster that the Skar King had over Shimo in the movie. But if they move in the direction teased by Brenda in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, it’s only a matter of time before APEX Cybernetics – or someone else – winds up with a Titan slave of their own.

Theoretically, it could have already happened in the Monsterverse timeline. It’s not implausible that, with May’s help, APEX perfects this technology sooner than expected, and tries out a more advanced version of the device attached to the Leafwing on Titan X.

Titan X becoming a pawn of APEX Cybernetics could be what sets up the final showdown of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ second season, whether its against Godzilla or Kong. Chronologically, that could make Mechagodzilla’s rampage in Godzilla vs. Kong the second catastrophe APEX directly engineered.