Here’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 9’s ending explained with spoilers. Dive into our breakdown and learn what happened in the latest MonsterVerse-centric episode titled “Axis Mundi.”
What happened at the end of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode 9?
Towards the end of episode 9, we find Cate uniting with her grandmother, Keiko, who is still alive within Hollow Earth and looks almost the same as she did in 1959.
Godzilla vs. Kong revealed that Hollow Earth’s gravity acts in reverse of mainland Earth’s gravity. But Monarch: Legacy of Monsters further reveals that time also works very differently in Hollow Earth. The episode introduces the concept of time dilation, hinting that time passes slower in the Hollow Earth realm than it does on the mainland above. This is how the Titans are able to outlive humans for such a long time.
This is also the reason why Lee Shaw didn’t age when he entered and exited Hollow Earth. After entering through the gateway to Hollow Earth, he was there only for a few moments before getting sucked back into another portal. He ended up in Higashizumo, Japan, but 20 years had passed when he returned. So, entering and exiting through Hollow Earth portals is the key to time travel in the MonsterVerse.
How Did Keiko Survive
After getting pulled into Hollow Earth by Endoswarmers in 1959, Keiko managed to fight them off and survive before meeting her granddaughter, Cate.
Ending up in Hollow Earth in 2015, Cate woke up and almost died tussling with a newly introduced Boar Titan. But she was saved by her grandmother Keiko, who looked the same as she did in 1959. It proves that not only does time run differently in Hollow Earth, but the gateways between Hollow Earth and mainland Earth are also portals through time.
On the mainland, 56 years had passed between the time when Keiko entered Hollow Earth and when Cate did. But on Hollow Earth, Keiko could have possibly survived by herself for just a few days.
What’s next for Keiko, Cate, May, Lee Shaw, and Godzilla?
The mid-season teaser of Monarch revealed that May, Cate, Lee Shaw, and Keiko will reunite in Hollow Earth. They would try to escape in the same vessel that Lee arrived in 1962 while Godzilla takes on the Ion Dragon.
Pausing the above trailer at 1:02 showcases May, Cate, Lee, and Keiko in the same transport that Lee used to enter Hollow Earth back in 1962. So, they would use it to travel back to mainland Earth through a gateway. As per the above teaser, Godzilla will take on the Ion Dragon within Hollow Earth, possibly while Lee, Cate, and the others escape.
But it’ll be interesting to see whether they end up in 2015 to set up Monarch season 2, or they’ll end up in the present-day events of the MonsterVerse which tie in with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. It’ll likely be the former scenario as that would allow Hiroshi Randa to reunite with his mother as well.
For more updates, check out all the monsters appearing in Monarch.
