Monarch

**Monarch** is a secret scientific organization that first appeared in the 2014 Legendary Pictures Godzilla film, *Godzilla*. Founded in 1946 by American President Harry S. Truman to investigate the sinking of the U.S.S. *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 military of member nations that contribute to it and is currently led by former U.S. Army Ranger instructor Col. Diane Foster.

## History

### *Godzilla* (2014)

Monarch became active in the South Pacific in 1954, following the U.S.S. *Nautilus*' discovery of Godzilla. Working with the United States military, it participated in the hydrogen bomb attack against the monster in Bikini Atoll the same year, along with the subsequent coverup. Since Godzilla's death could not be confirmed, the organization spent the following decades searching for him and studying the data it had already collected

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.

"The Godzilla Revelation", a featurette on home video releases of *Godzilla*, indicates that the world learned of Monarch's existence shortly after the events of the film, with an individual calling themselves MonsterTruth leaking classified videos and documents to the press.

### *Kong: Skull Island*

In 1973, with Monarch in danger of losing its funding, William Randa and seismologist Houston Brooks lobbied U.S. Senator Al Willis to join a Landsat mission to the mysterious Skull Island. He dismissed their hopes of encountering monsters, agreeing to fund them for the sake of getting ahead of the Soviet Union, which had yet to discover the island. Randa and Brooks were joined by biologist Lin San, former SAS tracker James Conrad, anti-war photographer Mason Weaver, and a U.S. Army helicopter escort. The mammoth ape Kong, angered by the seismic charges the helicopters dropped onto his home, soon attacked the expedition, downing all of its aircraft. The survivors headed to the north shore of the island for extraction. Along the way, they encountered the Iwi civilization and Hank Marlow, an Air Force pilot stranded there since 1944. Marlow told them of a vicious subterranean species he called the Skullcrawlers, which seemingly confirmed the hollow earth theory that earned Brooks a place at Monarch. One of these creatures devoured Randa during a battle around the skeletons of Kong's parents. Colonel Preston Packard, the leader of the Army escort, attempted to kill Kong to avenge the men he lost in the earlier attack, only to allow a much larger Skullcrawler known as the Skull Devil to surface. After Packard was killed, the remaining survivors reached the north end of the island to make their escape but were intercepted by the Skull Devil. Kong arrived shortly afterward and fought the Skull Devil, successfully killing it and saving the expedition members. Following their escape from the island, Brooks and San brought Conrad and Weaver to a Monarch facility, where they showed them ancient cave paintings of Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah. "Kong is not the only king," Brooks concluded.

### *Godzilla: King of the Monsters*

By 2019, the U.S. government was threatening to shut down Monarch and have the military take over jurisdiction of the many Titans under observation by the organization, with much of the public demanding the Titans be destroyed following the 2014 San Francisco attack. At this time, Dr. Emma Russell was stationed at Outpost 61 in China's Yunnan Rainforest, where the Titan designated Mothra was under observation. While Mothra's egg had been consistently dormant for some time, it suddenly became active and Emma was quickly called to the chamber housing the egg. She, her daughter Madison, and the other staff there witnessed the larval Mothra hatch from her egg. Mothra became distressed and lashed out at the personnel trying to contain her, with Emma using her sonar device the Orca to pacify her. Just then, the Outpost was assaulted by armed attackers who killed most of the staff but captured Emma, Madison, and the Orca. Doctors Ishiro Serizawa and Vivienne Graham were alerted to this event during a hearing before several U.S. Senators and were forced to leave. Accompanied by Dr. Sam Coleman, the doctors traveled aboard an Osprey to the home of Dr. Mark Russell, Emma's estranged husband and a former member of Monarch. They explained the situation to Mark, who was angry Monarch continued work on the Orca, a device he felt was so dangerous it shouldn't exist. Nevertheless, Mark accompanied the scientists to Monarch Outpost 54 in Bermuda, a.k.a. Castle Bravo. They attended a briefing with Monarch's other chief scientists and members of its military G-Team, where it was explained that Emma and Madison were taken by eco-terrorist Alan Jonah. Mark interjected that he felt Jonah and his men were not after Mothra, but rather a much bigger "prize." Now that they had the Orca, they had access to all of Monarch's observed Titans. Not long after, Godzilla approached the Outpost, which raised its shields and Maser Turrets defensively. Mark told G-Team to stand down to signal that they were not a threat to Godzilla. Serizawa agreed with Mark and the turrets and shields were lowered. Godzilla seemed to calm down before storming past the Outpost toward Antarctica, the site of Outpost 32.

Monarch and G-Team boarded the flying flagship the USS *Argo*, bound for Antarctica. Aboard the flight, Serizawa and Graham explained that the Titan in containment, codenamed "Monster Zero", was likely another apex predator that rivaled Godzilla. The *Argo* arrived at its destination and sent the scientists and soldiers to the Outpost aboard two Ospreys. G-Team entered the Outpost and was ambushed by Jonah's men. Seeing his wife and daughter on a monitor, Mark rushed in after G-Team and made his way onto a catwalk where he came face-to-face with Emma and Madison. Rather than come to Mark, Madison stayed behind with her mother, who warned Mark to run before activating the detonator for charges planted in the ice. Jonah escaped with Emma and Madison in the ensuing chaos, while Mark stayed behind to help G-Team escape. As Mark and G-Team fled the crumbling Outpost, Emma used the Orca to awaken Monster Zero. The three-headed Titan promptly vaporized many of G-Team's soldiers with his gravity beams and gave chase to the survivors. Emma momentarily activated the Orca to prevent Monster Zero from destroying the Osprey Mark fled to before her Osprey escaped the area. Godzilla soon erupted from the ice and fought with Monster Zero, their battle knocking one of the Ospreys into a crack in the ice. Dr. Graham stayed behind to help Mark escape while the rest of the craft's occupants quickly fled. As Mark and Graham ran toward the others, Monster Zero bit down on the ice with one of his heads, swallowing Graham whole. The *Argo* arrived soon after and bombarded Monster Zero with missiles, prompting him to retreat.

Back aboard the *Argo*, the members of Monarch debated whether Emma truly was the one who pressed the trigger at Outpost 32. Mark confirmed it was her, and as if on cue the *Argo* was contacted by Emma, who explained her actions. With Monarch on the verge of being shut down and the Titans all set to be exterminated, releasing them was the only way to ensure they could restore balance to the nature that mankind has destroyed and prevent the end of the world, she claimed. Serizawa and the others accused Emma of meddling with forces beyond her control and risking billions of lives, but Emma maintained her resolve. She warned the others to seek shelter before signing off. Monarch learned that Emma was not at Outpost 56 in Isla de Mara, Mexico as they had previously believed, but rather bouncing her signal off of Monarch's satellites and hiding in an unidentified location. However, she still had the ability to disable the containment field at Outpost 56 and release the Titan inside, so G-Team headed to the nearby village to evacuate it. Emma activated the Orca and awakened the Titan known as Rodan, who burst from the crater of the island's volcano. Monarch found that Monster Zero, who had previously disappeared within a tropical storm, was now heading directly to Rodan's location, no doubt drawn by the Titan's cries. Colonel Diane Foster decided to lure Rodan away from Isla de Mara and into the path of Monster Zero. Fighter jets opened fire on Rodan and he quickly gave chase after them and the *Argo*, leveling the buildings beneath him simply by flying over them. Rodan wiped out the fighter jets and closed in on the *Argo* before colliding with Monster Zero. As the two Titans clashed, Mark was able to open the hangar doors to the *Argo* to allow an Osprey laden with civilians to land inside. However, Monster Zero had defeated Rodan and was now closing in on the *Argo*. Luckily, Godzilla leapt from the water and dragged his foe under just before he could reach the craft. Monarch had been contacted by Admiral William Stenz, who ordered the *Argo* to withdraw before the military's experimental Oxygen Destroyer impacted the water and killed everything in a two mile radius. Godzilla had taken the upper hand and managed to sever Monster Zero's left head just before the weapon impacted. Godzilla was severely weakened and seemingly killed by the Oxygen Destroyer, while Monster Zero simply flew out of the water none the worse for wear. The creature perched atop the Isla de Mara volcano and regenerated his missing head in a matter of moments before emitting a deafening cry that awakened all of the dormant Titans around the globe.

Back in China, where Monarch had set up a perimeter around Mothra's cocoon, Dr. Houston Brooks realized that all of the awakening Titans were responding to Monster Zero's call. He tried to inform Dr. Ling about the situation, but found her watching the cocoon, which proceeded to break open and unleash Mothra's imago stage. Aboard the *Argo*, Dr. Ilene Chen managed to piece together ancient records of Monster Zero and concluded that he was not part of the natural order. In other words, he was an alien, an invasive species, changing the Earth's environment to his own liking. This explained his unusual abilities, such as his immunity to the Oxygen Destroyer, his regeneration of his severed head, and the effect he had on the other Titans. Chen reported that these ancient legends referred to the creature as "Ghidorah, the One Who is Many." When the *Argo* returned to Outpost 54, it found the base surrounded by the U.S. Navy. Inside, Admiral Stenz briefed everyone on the situation. The Titans were not taking nuclear weapons as bait like the MUTOs did in 2014, and Stenz described their behavior as "erratic." Chen and Mark explained that rather than acting randomly, the Titans were responding to Ghidorah like a pack. If they could stop Ghidorah, Mark said, they would stop them all. Unfortunately, the military had killed the only Titan capable of confronting Ghidorah. As Mark prepared to leave Castle Bravo, he witnessed a blinding light appear in the sky and part the clouds. The light was being given off by the imago Mothra, who Monarch recorded emitting a sonar frequency. After searching for a response, Monarch detected a faint noise from Godzilla, meaning he was still alive. Monarch split into two groups: one aboard the *Argo* which would combat Ghidorah and Rodan in Washington, D.C., and another composed of Mark, Serizawa, Chen, and Dr. Rick Stanton which would try to revive Godzilla with the nuclear warheads aboard the USS *Scorpion*.

Both teams departed Castle Bravo, with Mothra leading the *Scorpion* to Godzilla's location, her light acting as a beacon. The *Scorpion* was suddenly pulled underwater by a strong current and found itself within the Hollow Earth. There, Monarch witnessed the ruins of an ancient civilization which had coexisted with Godzilla and the Titans. Further within the ruins was a radioactive air pocket in which Godzilla rested on a gigantic altar. Unfortunately, the *Scorpion*'s firing systems had been damaged and it could not fire a warhead. Furthermore, manually arming a warhead inside the pocket would prove fatal to whoever carried out the task due to the heat and radiation. Serizawa did not hesitate in saying he would do the task. Despite protests from his colleagues, Serizawa was resolute. He gave Mark his notes and told him to take care of the others before departing in a miniature submarine. Serizawa reached the altar and climbed it with the warhead, finally reaching the summit and arming it. He removed his mask and approached Godzilla, placing his hand on the monster's face in the waning moments before the warhead detonated. The blast propelled the *Scorpion* to the surface, after which Mark and Chen climbed to the surface to see if Serizawa was successful. Godzilla soon rose from the depths, completely revitalized. Godzilla leaned forward and stared at the humans, with Mark ordering no one to move. Godzilla then turned around and began heading toward Boston, where Madison had taken the Orca.

Mark and the others rendezvoused with the rest of Monarch aboard the *Argo*, which accompanied Godzilla into the city as he prepared for a final confrontation with King Ghidorah. Mark and G-Team took an Osprey to Fenway Park to save Madison, but could only find the damaged Orca. Emma arrived in a vehicle and ordered them to get in with her. As the two drove through Boston, Godzilla took on Ghidorah while Mothra and Rodan dueled in the sky. They realized that Madison was likely hiding in their old home, and found her holed up inside the bathtub. Working together, Mark and Emma repaired the Orca and used it to lure Ghidorah away from Godzilla. As Mark, Madison, and G-Team boarded an Osprey to escape, Emma chose to take the Orca with her and drive away, buying time for the Osprey to take off. Ghidorah gave chase and destroyed the vehicle, but was confronted by Godzilla in his Burning state and subsequently destroyed. The members of Monarch inside the Osprey watched as the other Titans surrounded Godzilla and proceeded to submit to him as their new alpha.