Monarch: Legacy of Monsters provides an engaging human drama in addition to exciting Titan action, but one of the most important functions of Apple TV+’s companion show is expanding the lore and world of the Legendary Monsterverse. The show provides important context for some of the larger plot points from the movies, and depicts locations and time periods that are as-yet-unexplored.

The most impactful new location is labeled the Axis Mundi, a realm that is completely independent of the surface world or the expansive Hollow Earth. While the flora and fauna are reminiscent of the Hollow Earth, surging energy and mind-boggling time distortion make it a mysterious and unique space in the Monsterverse. We only got a taste of it in season 1, and where it actually exists in context of the other realms requires some explanation.

The Axis Mundi Exists Between The Hollow Earth And The Surface

The Monsterverse has established that the surface world and the Hollow Earth are connected by portals (labeled the “Vile Vortices”), with a Titan required to enter on either side. Axis Mundi lies between the two locations, as an unstable region that draws elements from both the surface and Hollow Earth.

As opposed to the Hollow Earth, which is one cohesive realm (albeit containing multitudes), Axis Mundi is a cluster of pockets connected by tunnels that are below the surface. The tunnels allow Titans like Godzilla to pass through seemingly at will, and Dr. Keiko Miura falling into Axis Mundi from the surface indicates that it acts as a thoroughfare as Titans move between different Vortices on the surface.

The “rifts” between the surface world and the Axis Mundi are marked by surges in gamma radiation, like the ones that Hiroshi Randa was tracking in Monarch season 1. While the rifts are typically unstable, a Titan can stabilize them long enough to pass through, which is how the Randa children, May, and Keiko pass back through (after Godzilla throws the Ion Dragon through).

Time Dilation Occurs In Axis Mundi Due To Gravity

Because it exists between the surface and the Hollow Earth, the Axis Mundi is subjected to gravitational pull from both. The gravitational pull is so significant in the areas between the two locations that time and space are warped, which is why time works so differently in Axis Mundi. Without diving into science too deeply, the extreme pull of gravity yields time dilation, making those in the Axis Mundi experience time differently,

However, Axis Mundi is so unstable that the time dilation isn’t even consistent throughout. Based on Keiko Miura’s experience, one Axis Mundi day is roughly the same as one surface year. However, Lee Shaw’s time there, which was roughly seven days in Axis Mundi, accounted for roughly 20 years on the surface; he went in in 1962 and came out in 1982.

When Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 begins, Lee Shaw is still in Axis Mundi, meaning we will get to explore it further as the modern-day characters deal with the monstrous and terrifying Titan X. What level of impact it has on the greater Monsterverse remains to be seen, but Axis Mundi is an intriguing element of the connected universe with a plethora of possibilities.

Release Date

November 16, 2023

Network

Apple TV

Showrunner

Chris Black, Matt Fraction

Directors

Julian Holmes, Matt Shakman, Mairzee Almas, Andy Goddard, Hiromi Kamata

Writers

Al Letson, Karl Taro Greenfeld, Chris Black, Mariko Tamaki, Amanda Overton, Andrew Colville, Matt Fraction, Milla Bell-Hart

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  Kiersey Clemons

  May Hewitt