While the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DCU tend to be the biggest topics of conversation among shared universes, Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment have had a pretty successful run with theirMonsterVerse. The franchise updates two iconic movie monsters, Godzilla and King Kong, and has created its own mythology recurring characters, as well as long-form plot developments. Different directors have come in and put their stamp on these characters, and audiences have embraced this franchise.
The franchise is still going strong. 2024 saw the lucrative release of the fifth film in the series,Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire,which became the highest-grossing entry in the Monsterverse as well as both theGodzillaandKing Kongfranchises.The Monsterverse franchise has expanded into television with a Netflix animated series titledSkull Islandand a live-actionMonarch: Legacy of Monstersseries on Apple TV+. Due to the nature of variousGodzillafilms out there, including theAcademy Award-winningGodzilla Minus One, it can be confusing to keep track of whichGodzillaandKing Kongmovies are part of the MonsterVerse franchise.
For anybody wanting to immerse themselves in the thrilling franchise or are just looking for a good weekend binge of monster mashups, here is how to watch the MonsterVerse in chronological order or by release order if you prefer.
Update August 07, 2025: This article has been updated following the release of 2024’sGodzilla X Kong: The New Empireand news of an additional sequel being in development.
MonsterVerse in Order of Release
Release Date
July 05, 2025
Kong: Skull Island
August 20, 2025
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
June 01, 2025
Godzilla vs. Kong
June 21, 2025
Skull Island
June 23, 2025
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
August 06, 2025
Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire
June 26, 2025
MonsterVerse in Chronological Order
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Chronologically, the first film in the franchise is the second film released,Kong: Skull Island. The film shows a team working for an organization titled Monarch, which specializes in studying giant creatures and developing a Hollow Earth theory.Kong: Skull Islandtakes place in 1973 (with a prologue set in 1943) and lays a lot of groundwork for the MonsterVerse franchise, establishing Monarch as an organization and how they will come to know about Kong and Godzilla.
Kong & Godzilla Share a Universe
The earlier time period also allows the film to explain how Kong can be big enough to fight Godzilla, as this is a relatively smaller version of the character that is still growing. The film’s end credit sequence fully connects the Kong and Godzilla franchises, showing cave paintings of Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah, as well as a drawing of Godzilla and one of Kong’s ancestors.
The biggest character introduced in this film is Bill Randa (John Goodman), the head of Monarch. Goodman also made a cameo inMonarch: Legacy of Monstersin a scene that takes place during the events of this film, while ayounger version of the character (Anders Holms)played a big part in that series and helped lay the foundation for the organization and the franchise.Rent/BuyKong: Skull IslandonPrime Video
Skull Island (2023)
King Kong Skull Island
The first animated offering in the MonsterVerse,Skull Island,is an eight-part series streaming on Netflix. The series is set in the early 1990s, which means it takes place roughly 20 years after the events ofKong: Skull Islandand several years before the canon comic book seriesSkull Island: Birth of Kong, set in 1995. While both of those entries include excursions planned by Monarch, the events ofSkull Islandcenter around an accidental shipwreck of a crew searching for answers to a long-standing mystery by the team’s patriarch.
An Exploration of the Universe’s Mythology
The series fills in a hole in the MonsterVersetimeline that allows the creative team behind the series to play with the mythology of the wider universe without disrupting the main events of the storyline playing out on the big screen. Yet, due to the nature of being a brief animated series for Netflix, a lot of the plot elements in the series have not been brought up or mentioned in other MonsterVerse films or television series.StreamSkull IslandonNetflix
Godzilla (2014)
1954 Japanese film Godzilla follows Japan’s panic as ships are mysteriously sunk near Odo Island. An expedition discovers a giant monster, Godzilla, whose rampage threatens global destruction.
The first film released wasGodzilla,and the existence of giant monsters is unknown to the general public in the film. The film sees Godzilla emerge to fight off ancient creatures identified only as MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms) that are wreaking havoc and threatening the planet. The main character,Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), does not return in future installments, but characters like Dr. Ishirō Serizawa (Ken Watanabe), Dr. Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins), and Admiral William Stenz (David Strathairn) all return inGodzilla: King of the Monsters.
A Massive Turning Point in the Epic Franchise
Godzilla and the MUTOs' giant battle in San Francisco in 2014 is very much the turning point for the franchise, as major character development and plot points in bothMonarch: Legacy of MonstersandGodzilla: King of the Monstersare set up here. This is the moment when humans learn about the existence of these massive creatures (who will later be called titans), and it will also affect many characters moving forward. Former Monarch husband and wife duo Dr. Mark and Emma Russell lose their son in the battle of San Francisco, putting them on separate paths that lead to the events ofGodzilla: King of the Monsters,while the immediate aftermath of Godzilla’s emergence is explored inMonarch: Legacy of Monsters.Rent/BuyGodzillaonApple TV+
Biggest Monster Battles in Movies From the 2000s
Monsters got bigger and better in the 2000s as movies' special effects and big budgets paved the way for these great monster movie battles.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023)
Monarch: Legacy of Monstersstrays away from the usual carnage of large Kaiju warfare to tell a more compelling, grounded story where the human factor plays a more significant role in shaping a story that chronicles how humanity has faced the menacing presence of monsters in our world and the forces that work behind the scenes to keep the people safe.
The father-and-son duo of Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell, alongside Kiersey Clemons, Joe Tippett, Anna Sawai, Elisa Lasowski, and Ren Watabe, tell a story that spans multiple decades, where we learn about the dealings of Monarch, their secrets, and the numerous covert operations taking place across the planet to keep the monsters in check. It is set in the immediate aftermath ofGodzillaand will lead into the 2019 sequel, filling in the gaps between the five years that take place in the universe.
Apex Cybernetics' Backstory Is Revealed
Cate Randa (Sawai) is the granddaughter of Bill Randa fromKong: Skull Island,who adopted her father, Hirisho Randa. Cate is also on the bridge that Godzilla destroys in the 2014 film, resulting in the death of many of her students. Apex Cybernetics, the company inGodzilla vs. Kongthat creates Mechagodzilla, origins are revealed in this series, as well as how the technology massively leaps forward from the grounded 2014Godzillato the futuristic hover vehicles inGodzilla vs. Kong.
Monarch also became a public organization that the world knew about by the time ofGodzilla: King of the Monsters, which is explained here, and when the MUTO terminology changed to Titans. The season’s final episode takes place in 2017, just two years before the events ofGodzilla: King of the Monsters, and hints at how much the world is aware of the existence of Skull Island.Critics have highly praised the series, and it is yet another strong entry in what has become one of the best-shared universes of all time.StreamMonarch: Legacy of MonstersonApple TV+
Back to Top
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Godzilla: King of the Monstersblows the door open on the franchise with more monsters and expands the mythology of the world. The monsters are now theorized to be thelegendary titans of myths, the world has now learned more about their existence, and Monarch has become a more public organization. The film introduces legendary Godzilla mainstays like King Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mothra to the franchise.Monarch: Legacy of Monsterscertainly explains a lot of the in-universe changes in the relatable, grounded story of Godzilla to a tone and style closer to the beloved Toho Godzilla films.
A Mash-Up of Legendary Monsters
The film’s villain, Ghidorah, ends up having major repercussions for the series as the storms he generated end up causing the storm surrounding Skull Island to increase and submerge much of it underwater, and one of his decapitated heads eventually becomes the basis for Mechagodzilla. The mid-credits scene of the film also introduces Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler) andMadison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown), two characters who will return inGodzilla vs. Kong. Joe Morton appears as Dr. Houston Brooks, a character fromKong: Skull Islandwho was originally played by Corey Hawkins.
By the end of the movie, Godzilla has defeated King Ghidorah and is now the new king of the monsters, with every other titan bowing before him…except for one. The movie’s end credits scene shows how the world is adjusting to a new status quo, and one headline emphasizes various titans converging on Skull Island, setting up the title match of the franchise.StreamGodzilla: King of the MonstersonMax
Should Legendary’s MonsterVerse Feature Kaiju-Sized Offspring?
Godzilla and King Kong fans are wondering what the future holds for Legendary’s MonsterVerse.
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
Godzilla Vs King Kong
The epic next chapter in the cinematic Monsterverse pits two of the greatest icons in motion picture history against one another - the fearsome Godzilla and the mighty Kong - with humanity caught in the balance.
The event film that everyone was waiting for wasGodzilla vs. Kong. Set five years after the events ofGodzilla: King of the Monstersin 2024 (and ten years since Godzilla’s battle in San Francisco), Kong is being monitored by Monarch in a dome surrounding what remains of Skull Island, as most of the island has been consumed by the storm surrounding it.
Two Iconic Foes Spectacularly Face-Off
The humans plan to use Kong to lead them to the Hollow Earth to discover a power source, as Godzilla has started attacking humans for initially unknown reasons. Apex Cybernetics CEO Walter Simmons is using Ghidorah’s severed headto create Mechagodzillato combat and destroy the Titans. This puts Godzilla and Kong on a collision course towards one another, which will eventually result in these two legendary foes putting aside their differences to fight a greater threat.
The film ends with Godzilla going off into the sea and Kong finding a new home in the Hollow Earth, ruling over it.Godzilla vs. Kongwas heavily re-edited and was meant to serve as a possible ending for the franchise, if need be, due to the poor box office performance of the previous Godzilla movie and the rights deal with Toho set to expire. The movie ended up becoming a box office hit and was more impressive due to being released during the COVID-19 pandemic in the early stages of the vaccine rollout. The movie’s success would lead to Legendary and Toho making a new deal for the sequel,Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.StreamGodzilla vs. KongonMax
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Three years after the release ofGodzilla vs. Kong,Godzilla x Kong: The New Empiredebuted in theaters in 2024 (the same yearGodzilla vs. Kongtakes place) and marks the 10-year anniversary of whenGodzillawas released and kicked off the MonsterVerse franchise. In the film,Godzilla and Kong team upto face a mutual enemy who threatens to destroy the entire planet.
Adam Wingard (You’re Next, The Guest) became the first director to helm two entries in the Monsterverse franchise, as he previously directedGodzilla vs. Kong. Kaylee Hottle, Rebecca Hall, and Brian Tyree Henry all reprise their respective roles in the dazzling flick, which follows the powerful Kong and fierce Godzilla as they fight to prevent the mighty, frost-breathing Shimo and tyrannical titan Skar King from wreaking havoc and destruction on the Earth’s surface.
The Fight For Earth Rages On
The rip-roaring installment concludes with Shimo switching sides during the brutal final battle and ultimately helping the two iconic monsters take down Skar King, with Godzilla finally returning to the Colosseum for a long-overdue rest and Kong leaving with Shimo and Suku to Hollow Earth to become their tribe’s new leader.Godzilla x Kong: The New Empireearned a whopping $571.9 million worldwide and became the highest-grossing film in the Monsterverse as well as the highest in theGodzillaandKing Kongfranchises, with its overwhelming success leading to the announcement of yet another exciting sequel.
Kaitlyn Dever, Jack O’Connell, Delroy Lindo,and Matthew Modineare the newcomers joining the lucrative series along with returning star Dan Stevens (Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire), while Grant Sputore (I Am Mother) will be directing and David Callaham writing the new creature feature. Though the plot is largely being kept under wraps, but Legendary has nonetheless teased thatthe story will include"several new human characters alongside the beloved and iconic Titans Godzilla and Kong as they face off against a cataclysmic world-ending threat", with filming for the sequel scheduled to commence in April 2025.StreamGodzilla x Kong: The New EmpireonNetflix
