The Monsterverse has shown that Skull Island is populated with all manner of strange and dangerous creatures, and the second season ofMonarch: Legacy of Monsterscould show off more of them in-depth. Theseason one finale ofMonarch: Legacy of Monstersleft the main cast on Skull Island working on a research base for Apex Cybernetics, the company responsible for the creation of Mechagodzilla, several years before the robotic Titan would activate. This leaves the door open for all sorts of creatures to appear in the next season.
The new Skull Island setting sets up the possibility for monsters featured in bothKong: Skull Islandand theSkull Islandanimated series to show up once more (or even for the first time) in theseason 2 ofMonarch: Legacy of Monsters.While dead major titans such as the Sea Monster Kong fights inSkull Islandare unlikely to return, the more common megafauna of the region and the few living named creatures could make another appearance. Skull Island’s jungles are bristling with new threats for Keiko, May, and Cate to face off against.
10Kong
The king of Skull Island himself
Obviously, Kong himself is the biggest monsterMonarch: Legacy of Monsterscould include for a second season set in Skull Island, both literally in terms of his size and in terms of his importance in the story. Kong even receives a brief cameo in the season 1 finale, shown bounding through the jungles of Skull Island. Kong could very well end up being crucial to season 2 ofMonarch: Legacy of Monsters.
Kong could serve a similar role in season 2 as Godzilla served in season 1, showing up in a handful of cameos before eventually getting a smallone-on-one monster battle. It’s also important to remember that season 2 would be showing Kong as he appears in 2017, the year that Keiko, May, and Cate have emerged in the Monsterverse timeline, meaning he might be a good deal smaller and less experienced. Surely Apex Cybernetics has nothing good in mind for the simian titan.
9Skullcrawlers
Kong’s ancient enemy
The primary monster antagonists ofKong: Skull Islandare the Skullcrawlers, so named by the marooned World War II pilot Hank for their ferocious appearance. Skullcrawlers resemble giant serpents with bony, skull-like faces, skinny maws of razor-sharp teeth, and two muscular arms that they use to further constrict their prey. Kong takes out a particularly large Skullcrawler at the end of his debut Monsterverse movie, but there are plenty more of the ophidian nightmares slithering about Skull Island before and after.
Godzilla vs. Kongalready confirmed that Apex Cybernetics used Skullcrawlers for their titan research, having captured at least one of the beasts for testing against Mechagodzilla. It could be that season 2 ofMonarch: Legacy of Monstersexplains how the company was able to capture these feral beasts in the first place. Not only that, but the creatures make for thrilling threats that the main cast could find themselves up against in a desperate bid for survival.
8The Hawk Monster
Kong’s loyal and steadfast ally
Not every othergiant creature on Skull Islandis an enemy to Kong. In fact, one particular monster, given no official name bySkull Island,appears in the series as a loyal and dedicated ally that helps him find food. The giant hawk monster with pink feathers shows up multiple times inSkull Island,acting as a sort of scout for Kong while also occasionally bringing him food. The loyal beast would even perch itself on Kong’s arm, demonstrating a clear bond and trust between the two titans.
It’s unclear what exactly happened to the hawk monster by the time of Kong’s first modern-day appearance in the Monsterverse inGodzilla vs. Kong.It could very well be that the avian ally was an unfortunate casualty of Apex Cybernetics' experiments on the creatures of the unique island’s biome. Whatever the case, season 2 ofMonarch: Legacy of Monsterswould be a great place for the franchise to acknowledge theSkull Islandanimated series again.
7The Sharehunter Ants
An unseen menace
Season 2 ofMonarch: Legacy of Monstersalso has a unique opportunity to finally show off several creatures that have yet to actually appear on-screen in a Monsterverse property. One of the more intriguing monsters that are mentioned but not seen inKong: Skull Islandare the whistling Sharehunter ants. Hank Marlow points out when one of these creatures sings off-screen, describing them with terror. Luckily, the whistling ants remain out of sight for the rest of the film.
These oversized bugs are described in more detail in the tabletop gameKong: Skull Island Cinematic Adventure, which reveals that the species has several casts of deadly ants that all serve a single titanic queen. Though the majority of the colony exists underground, these huge eusocial insects are allegedly quite threatening to human life. It would be amazing to see Hank’s line about them pay off years later inMonarch: Legacy of Monsters.
6Mother Longlegs
Another terrifying anthropod
While the Sharehunter ants may remain off-camera for the entirety ofKong: Skull Island,the same can’t be said for the deadly Mother Longlegs. These colossal arachnid creatures resemble huge, spindly spiders with long, slender legs that blend in to the bamboo jungles of Skull Island, effectively camouflaging them despite their size. These creatures are among the deadliest megafauna to inhabit the island due to their ferocious appetite. Interestingly enough, their name comes from the fact that every individual Mother Longlegs is a female.
The Mother Longlegs' ferocity and unique biology, even among giant monsters, would make them a prime specimen for Apex Cybernetics to study in season 2 ofMonarch: Legacy of Monsters.These monsters have a particularly brutal method of hunting, impaling their prey on their sharp legs before carrying them away with several tendrils that extend from the main body. A particularly large specimen in the Kong prequel comic even rivalsthe strongest Godzilla kaijuin size.
5Trapdoor Crabs
Terrifying hidden threats of the Skull Island coast
One of the scariest monsters introduced in theSkull Islandanimated series are the Trapdoor Crabs that apparently litter the beaches of Skull Island’s coasts. These massive crustaceans are ambush predators, hiding away by burying themselves in the sand and lying in wait for a hapless creature to wander too close by. Upon sensing a possible meal, the Trapdoor Crabs burst from the ground, using their massive pincers to dispatch and eat whatever was unlucky enough to wander too close.
The Trapdoor Crabs are some of the first monsters to appear inSkull Island,nearly killing Charlie and Mike after they’re shipwrecked on the mysterious isle. Their nature as hidden threats could make for a brilliant jumpscare to incorporate partway through an episode ofMonarch: Legacy of Monsters.It would also be thrilling to finally see what these horrifying sea creatures look like rendered in a live-action artstyle.
4Dog
One of the few Skull Island residents to get alone with humans
Skull Island is home to more mammals than just Kong himself, with the lovable kaiju Dog being another standout example. Also introduced inSkull Island,Dog is a huge, hulking beast that looks like a cross between a typical bulldog and a grizzly bear. This creature is shown to be quite intelligent, positioning itself as the protector and close friend of Annie. The intelligent monster is capable of understanding human speech, and even if it might not be the friendliest towards humans outside of Annie, it serves as a valuable ally.
Dog or another member of his species could make an appearance in season 2 ofMonarch: Legacy of Monsters.In fact, there’s nothing to say that an older version of Annie herself couldn’t show up inthe Monsterverse timelineonce more, with Dog in tow. Dog proves that even the most terrifying of beasts on Skull Island might be able to co-exist with humans peacefully.
3Sker Buffalo
A rare peaceful beast in Skull Island’s food chain
Huge, intelligent hunters like Kong and Dog aren’t the only shaggy mammals populating Skull Island. A rare instance of a creature that poses no inherent threat to humans is the striking Sker buffalo, a huge buffalo-like superspecies inhabiting the island’s inner swamps. Named after skerries, or small islands that form too small for human habitation, these beasts are fond of submerging themselves in the cloudy waters of Skull Island, grazing underwater so that their huge backs appear as moving pieces of land.
The Sker buffalo are covered in algae and moss which give them a distinctive overgrown look. Their massive, intimidating horns might be scary, but the passive animals are unlikely to attack unless violently provoked, making them one of the few monsters on Skull Island that are safe for humans to observe close-up. If nothing else, the Sker buffalo would make for some great set dressing in season 2 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
2Psychovultures
Horrific demons plaguing the skies of Skull Island
Back to Skull Island’s regularly-scheduled programming of vicious carnivorous monsters, the aptly-named Psychovultures are some of the most frightening creatures to inhabit the location. These flying hellions resemble pterodactyls with long, serrated noses similar to those of a sawfish. These monsters are single-handedly the reason that Skull Island stayed hidden for so long, ravaging any planes that happen to pass over the island.
Another version of these flying creatures, called Leafwings, appear among themonsters of the Hollow EarthinGodzilla x Kong: The New Empireas well, where they’re also revealed to have bio-electric abilities. The nasty flying pests have a broad assortment of other abilities as well, including echolocation, a hypersonic screech, psychoactive stimulant hormones that prod them into a feeding frenzy, and even an anesthetic venom in their beaks that keeps their prey from struggling due to the pain. The Psychovultures would be the perfect villainous monsters to use next.
1Spore Mantis
A stickbug of titanic proportions
One of the most striking things about Skull Island and its denizens is the way the native creatures are consistently able to blend in to their natural environments. Both the Mother Longlegs and Sker buffalo mix flora with their fauna, but no one is as good of a master of disguise as the deadly Spore Mantis. These colossal creatures are like an upscaled version of the humble stick insect, disguising themselves as a huge overturned trunk rather than a tiny twig swaying in the breeze.
Unlike normal stickbugs, that don’t pose much of a threat to humans, the Spore Mantis are some of the most aggressive and violent creatures in Skull Island. Interestingly, the species works in tandem with a slug-like parasite to capture prey, sucking the nutrients out of its hapless victims before leaving behind what they can’t digest as horrific mummified corpses encased in amber. Such droppings would be a delightfully horrific sight for the cast to come across in season 2 ofMonarch: Legacy of Monsters.
