What Happened to Lee Shaw in the MONARCH Season 2 Premiere

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At the end of the first season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Col. Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell) fell into the Axis Mundi to allow Cate (Anna Sawai), May (Kiersey Clemons), and Keiko (Mari Yamamoto) to get away. Although trailers showed the older version of Shaw would appear in season two, it was unknown if or when the characters would be able to save him. The season two premiere began to answer those questions.

What Happened to Lee Shaw in Monarch Season 2 Premiere?

Time flows very differently in Axis Mundi, the realm between the surface world and the Hollow Earth. For young Lee Shaw, just one week there felt like twenty years had passed on Earth. Even a few hours for Cate and May translated to two years back home – it’s a huge difference! Now, lost in the strange and shadowy forest of Axis Mundi, Shaw faces dangerous creatures and a difficult journey.

However, that’s not quite accurate. The first episode largely focuses on Cate’s determined push to bring Monarch back to Skull Island, even after Kong’s destructive attack. Her goal is to reopen a pathway and save Shaw. It seems they likely spent a day or two preparing and traveling before finally returning to the island and opening the rift, knowing it was dangerous.

By the time the rift reopens and the pod reaches Shaw, he’s likely only been alone in Axis Mundi for about half an hour. That’s hardly enough time to do much more than defend himself against a large, strange creature. Actually, it’s the return to Earth that causes the real trouble for our heroes, and really upsets Kong. (By the way, The Consternation of Kong would be a great title for the next movie!)

The opening of the rift brought forth a colossal, squid-like creature – likely Titan X, and possibly the same being worshipped by islanders in the 1950s. This explains why Kong was so determined to sabotage Monarch’s technology, regardless of the consequences. Cate’s impulsive and dangerous attempt to save Shaw resulted in the death of Monarch’s second-in-command, Verdugo (Mirelly Taylor), and unleashed a new danger upon the world. Shaw’s sarcastic remark – “you probably shouldn’t have rescued me” – feels justified given the outcome.

Find out what happens next in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, with new episodes every Friday on Apple TV.

Editor’s Note: TopMob is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks

Kyle Anderson is a Senior Editor at TopMob and the host of the weekly podcast, Laser Focus, where he explores pop culture in detail. He also writes film and TV reviews, and you can find him on Letterboxd.

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2026-02-27 11:05