As we eagerly await the release of ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’, which hits theaters on March 29, we thought it would be a good idea to refresh your memory on the MonsterVerse (the fictional universe featuring Godzilla, King Kong, and all of our favorite titans) timeline. With that being said, here’s the chronological order of the MonsterVerse, including the five movies and two television series!
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
The second installment of the MonsterVerse, but first according to the storyline, is Kong: Skull Island, which takes place after the Vietnam War, in 1973. In it, an expedition headed by scientists and soldiers ventures to the recently-discovered Skull Island to search for Kong, a giant ape who protects the island, as well as other prehistoric creatures. Kong is his usual self, terrorizing both humans and creatures alike in an action-packed effort. We also discover that there was knowledge of Kong as far back as 1944, since the opening scene shows two World War II pilots running into the beast. A post-credits scene offers a bit of foreshadowing, as two of the expedition’s survivors, Conrad and Weaver, are told that Kong isn’t the only giant monster out there.
As a Peter Jackson’s King Kong purist, I judged Kong: Skull Island too harshly. I gave it another look and it really nails that Vietnam War aesthetic, throws a ton of monster action at you, and actually handles its human characters in a serviceable way. Consider me won me over! pic.twitter.com/r8AjX1pkva
— Sully Streams (@SullyStreams) February 21, 2024
Skull Island (2023-present)
Skull Island, the only animated entry in the MonsterVerse, tells us about a group of peaceful explorers who, after rescuing a girl adrift in the ocean named Annie, find themselves stranded on Skull Island. The series takes place in the 1990s and focuses primarily on the explorers’ day-to-day survival and ultimate goal to escape the island and its inhabitants, including Kong. The series’ distributor, Netflix, is in the process of green-lighting a second season, which presumably resumes right after Annie wakes up in a hospital at the end of Season 1.
Godzilla (2014)
We then fast forward to 2014, where Godzilla makes his first true on-screen appearance in the MonsterVerse. The majority of the film takes place in the aforementioned year, but there’s brief stock footage shown of Godzilla in 1954 and and a scene where a nuclear power plant is destroyed during a mysterious accident in 1999 (later determined to be caused by the famous kaiju), killing Ford Brody’s (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) mom. Brody, a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, and his father, Joe, try to figure out the cause of the accident while dealing with Godzilla’s resurgence and the arrival of two new monsters, called MUTOs.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023-present)
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is the second series on this list and takes us to 2015, one year after the events of Godzilla. Half-siblings Cate and Kentaro Randa, who just learned of each other’s existence, try to connect to their missing father’s link to Monarch, the organization which holds all information on giant monsters, aka “Titans”. At points, the series shifts through different decades, including 1959 in Kazakhstan and the early-70s, where John Goodman reprises his role from Kong: Skull Island. The twist-filled show also has a storyline with Lee Shaw (played by both Wyatt and Kurt Russell), who founded Monarch and joins the Randas on their journey. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters allows us to learn more about the history of our favorite monsters and why they are connected, all while showcasing plenty of action in the meantime.
This epic moment in Monarch Legacy of Monsters 🔥 I’ll never get tired replaying this scene 👏🏻 #Godzilla #MonarchLegacyofMonsters pic.twitter.com/8Gw1RU8pJe
— Mr. Goji (@mr_goji1954) February 23, 2024
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Set in 2019, Godzilla: King of the Monsters stars Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, and Kyle Chandler as they battle a group of eco-terrorists who want to unleash Monster Zero (King Ghidorah) onto the world. With Monarch’s help, Mothra, Rodan, and Godzilla are awoken to stop King Ghidorah and heal the earth’s ecosystems in the process. Ties to Kong: Skull Island are notable as well, with Joe Morton appearing as an older Dr. Houston Brooks, and an end-credits scene showing Monarch-based research that confirms both notions that Titans are converging on Skull Island and Godzilla has faced Kong in the past.
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
Serving as a sequel to both Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong picks up the story five years after Godzilla defeated King Ghidorah. Monarch is now monitoring Kong on Skull Island, and he’s eventually sent to Middle Earth to find a power source for Mechagodzilla, a secret weapon intended to stop Godzilla’s rampages. This marks the first showdown between the two Titans since 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla, and although that movie isn’t part of this timeline, they’re both similar as they emphasize action and all-out monster mayhem.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
The latest installment in the MonsterVerse timeline, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, is set for its United States release on March 29. While the movie isn’t out just yet, we do know that more history on the Titans will emerge, including details on the peculiar Skull Island and the evolution of human-monster relationships throughout each film. Furthermore, the trailers pointed to new looks for Kong and Godzilla, with an Infinity Gauntlet-esque glove and pink dorsal fins, respectively, and even what appears to be a baby Kong. But Godzilla and Kong might not be the only creatures featured in this flick, as Legendary Pictures mentioned a “colossal undiscovered threat” in the way of both the titular monsters and society as a whole. Needless to say, we can’t wait to see our favorite Titans duke it out on the big screen once again!
