‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ Newest Titan Solves a ‘Kong: Skull Island’ Mystery

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is expanding the MonsterVerse and its assortment of Titans. One of the most interesting new Titans it has introduced is the Ion Dragon, which also happens to solve a Kong: Skull Island mystery.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters premiered on Apple TV+ on November 17, marking the first live-action TV series set in the MonsterVerse. The series follows half-siblings Kentaro (Ren Watabe) and Cate Randa (Anna Sawai), grandchildren of Bill (John Goodman) and Keiko Miura (Mari Yamamoto), who set out to understand their family’s connection to the shadowy organization Monarch. Monarch has been a part of the MonsterVerse since Godzilla (2014) and is an organization that investigates Titans. However, not much is known about its earliest work since it was founded in secrecy or how the Randa family became involved in it.

Viewers will recall that Goodman first appeared as Bill in Kong: Skull Island. He may have made viewers skeptical of Monarch, given that he initially seems more interested in destroying rather than discovering and understanding Titans. However, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters adds more depth to his perspective, and the Ion Dragon plays a significant role in Bill’s past.

What is the Ion Dragon in the MonsterVerse?

In Kong: Skull Island, Bill reveals that his aggressive attitude towards Titans is partially because of what happened to the USS Lawton. Bill was serving the United States Navy on board the USS Lawton when the ship mysteriously sank, leaving Bill as the sole survivor. The government covered up the incident, though Bill firmly believed a Titan had sunk the ship. For years, viewers wondered what it was that destroyed the USS Lawton. Was it Godzilla or something else entirely? Now, viewers finally have an answer.

In the second episode of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, viewers are taken back to 1952, where they meet a young Bill Randa (Anders Holmes). Bill claims to be tracking a draconic Titan. After Keiko joins him, they discover the remains of the USS Lawton shipwreck. As in Kong: Skull Island, he’s still insistent that he saw a Titan during that fateful voyage. Meanwhile, his suspicions are proven correct when the group is interrupted by the Ion Dragon bursting through the ship’s walls to attack them. It seems the Titan had been hiding out in the shipwreck after causing the destruction.

The Ion Dragon is a new Titan in the MonsterVerse. Not much is known about its abilities and history, but if it did destroy the USS Lawton, it may be amphibious like Godzilla. The Ion Dragon also has wings, meaning it can threaten the land, sea, and sky. In an interview with Newsweek, director Matt Shakman explained that the team was tasked with creating the Titan after the script referenced the dragon-like creature. Based on the script, they created a draconic creature, big enough to take down and transport a huge ship and oozing with “nacre” that it used to encapsulate the bodies on the ship. For its teeth, Shakman drew inspiration from the needlelike teeth of an anglerfish.

VFX supervisor Sean Konrad told Newsweek that they didn’t want to “repeat the dragon design that’s been used in other media.” A dragon was the most practical design for a creature that could fly and launch a water-based attack. To differentiate it, the production took inspiration for the wings from “exocoetidae (flying fish)” and adjusted the design to make the ability of flight realistic.

The extent of the Ion Dragon’s strength and abilities likely hasn’t been seen yet. This monster must be incredibly powerful to be able to destroy a ship and carry it across land. Its talons and teeth make it even more deadly. Additionally, it can seemingly easily traverse land, sea, and air, as well as produce large amounts of nacre. Screen Rant hypothesizes that the Ion Dragon can also ionize radiation. This would explain its name and also the rainbow-like patterns Lee Shaw (Wyatt Russell) sees in the sky before the monster’s attack. For now, we know the Ion Dragon is incredibly powerful and that it is the Titan behind the USS Lawton mystery, making it all the more interesting what becomes of this monster and how its power compares to Godzilla, King of Monsters.

(featured image: Apple TV+)