Season 2 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is back, bringing back favorite characters and introducing new ones. The first season ended with hints of big things to come, not just for the show itself, but for the entire MonsterVerse. Monarch is helping to connect the dots and expand the story within the MonsterVerse timeline, building on what we’ve seen in the movies.
Reviews for season 2 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters show the show is successfully addressing a common problem with the MonsterVerse films: underdeveloped human characters. While the movies have often struggled to create compelling characters, Monarch seems to have found a solution.
What truly sets this show apart is that the characters are just as compelling as the epic monster fights – something many monster movies fail to achieve. The talented cast and their engaging performances, including some clever self-aware roles, are a big reason why. Here’s a list of all the actors – both returning and new – and the characters they play in season 2.
Kurt Russel & Wyatt Russell as Lee Shaw
Dates of Birth: March 17, 1951 & July 10, 1986
- Active Since: 1962 & 1987
Kurt and Wyatt Russell share a unique acting connection: they both play the same character in the series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, but at different points in his life. Kurt Russell, a veteran of Hollywood with a long and impressive career, is famous for roles in films like The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China, Tango and Cash, and Escape from New York – and that’s just a small selection of his work.
Wyatt Russell, son of Kurt Russell, was born in Los Angeles, California. He first gained recognition for his role as Zook Haythe in 22 Jump Street. Since then, he’s appeared in films like Everybody Wants Some!! and Thunderbolts, as well as Avengers: Doomsday, following another notable performance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
| Kurt Russell’s Notable Movies & TV Shows | Wyatt Russell’s Notable Movies & TV Shows |
|---|---|
| The Thing | 22 Jump Street |
| Stargate | Thunderbolts* |
| Backdraft | Avengers: Doomsday |
| Tombstone | Lodge 49 |
| The Hateful Eight | Under the Banner of Heaven |
In Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Kurt and Wyatt Russell both play the character of Lee Shaw. Wyatt Russell portrays Lee as a young soldier with the organization in the 1950s, while Kurt Russell plays him decades later in the 2010s, attempting to make amends for past mistakes.
Anna Sawai as Cate Randa
Date of Birth: June 11, 1992
- Active Since: 2004
Anna Sawai is a Japanese actress originally from Wellington, New Zealand. She moved to Japan when she was ten and started acting in local shows and the film Ninja Assassin. She gained international recognition for her role in AppleTV+’s Pachinko, and followed that with appearances in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Her leading role in Shōgun has truly established her as a well-known actress.
Notable Movies & TV Shows
| Movies/TV Shows | Role |
|---|---|
| Ninja Assassin | Kiriko |
| F9 | Elle Lue |
| Pachinko | Naomi |
| Monarch: Legacy of Monsters | Cate Randa |
| Shōgun | Toda Mariko |
Sawai portrays Cate Randa, a teacher from San Francisco who saw Godzilla’s initial appearance in the 2014 film Godzilla. Haunted by the trauma of that event, Cate embarks on a quest to find her missing father. This search reveals secrets about him and the Monarch organization, and these mysteries will continue to unfold in the second season.
Kiersey Clemons as May Olowe-Hewitt
Date of Birth: December 17, 1993
- Active Since: 2010
Kiersey Clemons is an American actor originally from Pensacola, Florida. She first gained recognition in the 2015 film Dope, and has since appeared in movies such as Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and The Flash. On television, she’s been in shows including New Girl, Angie Tribeca, and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
Notable Movies & TV Shows
| Movies/TV Shows | Role |
|---|---|
| Dope | Cassandra “Diggy” Andrews |
| Zack Snyder’s Justice League | Iris West |
| The Flash | Iris West |
| Angie Tribeca | Maria Charo |
| Monarch: Legacy of Monsters | May Olowe-Hewitt |
Clemons portrays May Olowe-Hewitt, who goes by the alias Corah Mateo. Corah used to be a coder at Applied Experimental Technologies, but she left that world behind to become May, a freelance coder and game designer. She becomes involved in the events of Monarch when her ex-boyfriend, Kentaro, asks her to decipher files connected to both his and Cate’s father.
Ren Watabe as Kentaro Randa
Date of Birth: March 6, 1999
- Active Since: 2020
Ren Watabe is a Japanese actor who gained significant recognition for his role in the 2023 show, Monarch. Before Monarch, Watabe had only appeared in a minor role in the Japanese drama 461 Lunch Boxes. This makes Monarch his first major acting credit and a key step in launching his Hollywood career.
Notable Movies & TV Shows
| Movies/TV Shows | Role |
|---|---|
| 461 Lunch Boxes | N/A |
| Monarch: Legacy of Monsters | Kentaro Randa |
In the movie Monarch, Watabe plays Kentaro Randa, who is the half-brother of Cate, played by Sawai. Cate and Kentaro didn’t know about each other until Cate started investigating her father’s disappearance. Once they learned they shared a father, they teamed up to find out what happened to him.
Mari Yamamoto as Keiko Miura
Date of Birth: February 4, 1986
- Active Since: 2014
Mari Yamamoto is a Japanese actor and journalist who gained recognition for her role in Pachinko, alongside Anna Sawai. This success led to both actors being cast in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Since then, Yamamoto has appeared in several American productions, including Rental Family and Assassin’s Creed: Shadows.
Notable Movies & TV Shows
| Movies/TV Shows | Role |
|---|---|
| Pachinko | Hana |
| Kate | Kanako |
| Monarch: Legacy of Monsters | Keiko |
| Rental Family | Aiko |
In the series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Yamamoto portrays Keiko Miura, a member of Lee Shaw’s team studying monsters in the 1950s. Keiko is Hiroshi Randa’s mother, making her the grandmother of Cate and Kentaro. The first season of Monarch ends with the surprising reveal that Keiko is still alive and living in Hollow Earth, hinting at a larger role for her character in season two.
Anders Holm as Bill Randa
Date of Birth: May 29, 1981
- Active Since: 2006
Anders Holm is an American actor and comedian from Evanston, Illinois. He first gained recognition for his role in the sitcom Workaholics, which he also co-created. Since then, he’s appeared in several other television shows, including The Mindy Project, Champions, Inventing Anna, and Monarch.
Notable Movies & TV Shows
| Movies/TV Shows | Role |
|---|---|
| Workaholics | Anders Holmvik |
| How to be Single | Tom |
| Champions | Vince Cook |
| Inventing Anna | Jack |
John Goodman originated the role of Bill Randa in Kong: Skull Island, and Corey Holm continues the character in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Randa is an expert in mysterious creatures and a key researcher for the Monarch organization, working with Keiko and Lee in the 1950s. He eventually marries Keiko and becomes a stepfather to Hiroshi, playing an important role in the show’s ongoing story.
Joe Tippett as Tim
Date of Birth: March 1, 1982
- Active Since: 2006
Joe Tippett is an American actor originally from Washington, D.C. He built his career with various roles before gaining wider recognition in the TV series Rise and Mare of Easttown. This success led to appearances in films like Spirited and A Complete Unknown, and more television work including Monarch and American Primeval.
Notable Movies & TV Shows
| Movies/TV Shows | Role |
|---|---|
| Rise | Sam Strickland |
| Mare of Easttown | John Ross |
| Monarch: Legacy of Monsters | Tim |
| A Complete Unknown | Dave Van Ronk |
Joe Tippett portrays Tim in the show Monarch. At first, Tim works for the Monarch company and is tasked with finding Cate and Kentaro. However, he begins to question Monarch’s motives, defects to a competing organization with ties to May, and positions himself for a significant role in the second season of Monarch.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Supporting Cast & Characters
Photo courtesy of Apple TV
Takehiro Hira plays Hiroshi Randa, a key figure in the central mystery of Monarch. Randa vanished, leaving his family behind. Hira is a well-known Japanese actor who has also appeared in American productions like Shōgun, Captain America: Brave New World, Gran Turismo, and Rental Family.
I always found General Puckett, played by Christopher Heyerdahl in Monarch, to be a really interesting character. He’s Shaw’s boss, but often feels like an obstacle because he just sees the Titans as things that need to be destroyed, not understood. Heyerdahl is a familiar face, though – I’ve seen him in a bunch of other great stuff like Stargate: Atlantis, the Twilight Saga films, Supernatural, and even Under the Banner of Heaven.
Amber Midthunder will join the cast of Monarch season 2 as Isabel, a businesswoman who appears to have connections to the show’s central organization. Midthunder is an actress known for her work in projects like Prey, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Legion, and Novocaine.
Dominique Tripper plays Brenda Holland, who used to be May’s boss and runs Apex Cybernetics. She shows up near the end of the first season of Monarch as a helper to Hiroshi and Kentaro, hinting at a bigger part in the second season. Tripper is also known for her work on The Expanse.
Season two of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters will also feature returning cast members Cliff Curtis, Curtiss Cook, and Camilo Jiménez.
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2026-02-27 13:25