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Created by Marvel video game writerMatt FractionandChris Black(Severance),Monarch: Legacy of Monstersdebuted on Apple TV+ on Friday, November 17, releasing the first two episodes of the 10-episode series. Episodes will bereleased every week on Wednesdays, with the first two episodes directed byWandaVision’sMatt Shakman. This series will be the fifth installment in the MonsterVerse, following the success of the 2021 filmGodzilla vs. Kong. Starting with the 2014 filmGodzilla, which starredAaron Taylor-Johnson,Bryan Cranston, andElizabeth Olsen, Legendary’s MonsterVerse now has four films, includingKong: Skull Island,Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and, of course,Godzilla vs. Kong.
Currently, 36 films are in theGodzillafranchise and 12 in theKing Kongfranchise. This series comes as a product of a joint-venture collaboration between Legendary Television, Safehouse Pictures, and Toho as a part of the shared fictional universe. As the massive franchise expands, there’s certainly no shortage of new names and faces to familiarize yourself with. This article will tell you everything you need to know about the cast and characters who star inMonarch: Legacy of Monsters.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
Set after the battle between Godzilla and the Titans, revealing that monsters are real, follows one family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to Monarch.
Anna Sawai as Cate Randa
Cate Randa is played byAnna Sawai,the New Zealand actress who isbest known for her performances inPachinkoandF9: The Fast Saga.She was also featured as a lead character in the crime drama seriesGiri/Hajiand will be appearing inthe upcoming Hulu series,Shogunas Lady Mariko.
We are introduced to Cate in the first episode as a survivor of the San Francisco “G-Day” incident that occurred in the 2014 film,Godzilla. As a former teacher who had witnessed a school bus full of her students fall off the edge of a precipice, she struggles with internal trauma in the aftermath. We also learn that she lost her father, Hiroshi Randa, around the same time and is traveling to Tokyo, Japan to settle hisaffairs… Soon after her arrival, she learns that her father had an entire second family living in an apartment under his name. With the help of her newfound half-brother, she is determined to get answers about who her father was, and the extent of his involvement with theMonarch organization.
Ren Watabe as Kentaro Randa
Ren Watabemade his acting debut in the 2020 film461 Days of Bentobefore joining the cast ofMonarch: Legacy of Monstersas Kentaro Randa, the half-brother of Cate. Equally surprised by her sudden appearance in his and his mother’s apartment, he joins Cate in their quest to find out who their mysterious shared father was, and what his involvement with Monarch entailed. He leads Cate to a satchel containing multiple tapes containing encrypted data and introduces her to May, a former girlfriend of his who has the technological ability to open the files within the tapes.
Kiersey Clemons as May Olowe-Hewitt
Kiersey Clemons, best known for her portrayal of Iris West inZach Snyder’sJustice LeagueandThe Flash, plays May inMonarch: Legacy of Monsters. She has also provided voice work for theanimated comedy seriesPraise Petey, as Eliza. As an American ex-pat, May makes a living in Tokyo as a technology expert. With her help, Cate and Kentaro can view the many files that they found stored in their father’s safe, discovering their paternal grandmother’s involvement with discoveringGodzillain the 1950s, which is shown through a series of flashbacks in the first episodes of the series.
Wyatt Russell as (younger) Lee Shaw
As the series bounces back and forth between timelines,Wyatt Russellplays the younger version of Lee Shaw. We are first introduced to him as an Army Lieutenant when he is sent on a military excursion to escort Dr. Keiko Muira to investigate abnormal radioactivity that was detected in a remote forest of Kazakhstan in 1953. He initially starts off on the wrong foot with Muira because he assumes that she is simply the daughter of the “Dr. Muira” that he was sent to escort. They soon come to an understanding as they travel to the site and are introduced to a young Bill Randa along the way.
Wyatt Russell is one of many celebrities who have been accused of being a “nepotism baby,” thanks to his famous parents,Kurt RussellandGoldie Hawn. To compound these claims, he is the grandson ofBonanza’sBing Russelland is half-sibling to Hawn’s children,Kate HudsonandOliver Hudson. However, despite his highly connected relatives, Russell initially went on to become an ice hockey player for numerous amateur, collegiate, and professional teams before having to retire due to injuries. Shortly after, he took up acting and starred in movies such asOverlord,22 Jump Street, andCowboys & Aliens. He has also appeared in several major television series, includingUnder the Banner of Heaven,The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and ahorror-centric episode ofBlack Mirror.
Mari Yamamoto as Dr. Keiko Muira
Perhaps one of the most central and pivotal roles in the series, Dr. Keiko Muira is played byMari Yamamoto. The character is introduced as a fierce female protagonist on the verge of a major discovery with no time for casual sexism within her profession. As the paternal grandmother of Cate and Kentaro Randa, it’s to be assumed that she and Bill eventually become romantically involved, resulting in the birth of Cate and Kentaro’s father, Hiroshi Randa. Mari Yamamoto is a Japanese actress, writer, and producer, most prominently known for her role as Hana inPachinko, alongsideMonarch: Legacy of Monstersco-star Anna Sawain. She also served as a writer and consultant forHBO’s recent drama seriesTokyo Vice.
Kurt Russell as (older) Lee Shaw
Introduced in the second episode of the series, Kurt Russell plays the aged version of his son Wyatt’s character, Lee Shaw. He alone has the answers to the multitude of questions that Cate and Kentaro have regarding their father, Hiroshi, and his connection to the mysterious Monarch organization. Kurt Russell is perhapsone of the biggest names involved inMonarch: Legacy of Monstersseries, with a stacked resume of acting experience ranging fromJon Carpenter’sThe Thing,Quentin Tarantino’sThe Hateful Eight, andOnce Upon A Time in Hollywood, to taking on the role of Saint Nicholas himself in the recent family-friendly holiday film,The Christmas Chroniclesand its effervescent 2020 sequel.
Anders Holm as William “Bill” Randa
Given his last name, Bill Randa is perhaps one of the most enigmatic characters of the series. As the (assumed) paternal grandfather of the show’s lead characters Cate and Kentaro Randa, he meets Shaw and Dr. Muira as they are on their way to research radioisotopes that are being emitted from Kazakhstan. His appearance is heavily scrutinized by Shaw initially, but he is soon accepted into the troupe as they venture further into the forest, thanks to his military background. This isn’t the first time the character has popped up in the MonsterVerse;Bill Randa first appeared in 2017’sKong: Skull Island, played byJohn Goodman.
This younger version of Bill Randa is played byWorkaholics’Anders Holm. Holm has also appeared inThe Intern, co-starring withAnne HathawayandRobert DeNiro, theNetflix docu-drama seriesInventing Anna, and the 2016 romantic comedyHow To Be Single, as Tom, the “helpful” bartender and friend toDakota Johnson’s newly-single character, Alice.
Christopher Heyerdahl as General Puckett
General Puckett makes his first brief appearance in the second episode, but it remains unclear whether his character is benevolent or problematic for the Randa half-siblings. He will continue to make his presence known in at least 5 more episodes of the series, but his character will likely have more of an antagonistic role as Cate and Kentaro struggle to decipher the information left behind by their late father. Puckett is played byChristopher Heyerdahl. The award-winning Canadian actor has recently been seen asDr. Shoenheiss in the cold opening sceneof the first episode ofThe Last of Us. Since then, he has also starred in the true-life survival movieThe Boy In The WoodsandRobert Budreau’s horror film,The Queen of Bones.
Qyoko Kudo as Emiko Randa
Emiko Randa is Kentaro’s mother, played by Japanese actressQyoko Kudo. The two of them are introduced to Cate when she enters their apartment, using the key she found inside a drawer of her father’s desk after his death. Although she doesn’t speak much English and struggles to find answers to her own questions about Cate regarding Hiroshi, she is able to provide as much information as she can while Cate and Kentaro investigate their father’s involvement with Monarch. In addition to her role as Emiko, Kudo has also appeared in other major films, such asBabel,The Wolverine, andPeople Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan.
Joe Tippett as Tim
Tim is a well-intentioned supervisor within the Monarch organization. When it is first brought to his attention that someone has accessed the encrypted data that Hiroshi Randa left in his safe, his first thoughts are about how he can bring fame and glory to his name at his workplace. Not wanting to cause concern for the higher-ups within the organization, he sets out to find Cate, Kentaro, and May in Tokyo, accompanied by the more experienced field operative, Duvall. Tim is played byJoe Tippett, a veteran of Apple TV+ shows with a large role inThe Morning Show, starringJennifer AnistonandReese Witherspoon, and is probably best known for his role as John Ross from HBO’s hit series,Mare of Easttown. He also appeared as Owen in the Apple TV+ holiday movieSpirited, starringRyan ReynoldsandWill Ferrell.
