While high-concept science fiction epics like For All Mankind or Fallout frequently turn to digital de-aging or elaborate prosthetics to bridge the gap of decades, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters adopts a more visceral approach. Returning for its second season on Apple TV+ this February 27, the series leverages its sprawling timeline by casting real-life father and son Kurt and Wyatt Russell to portray the various eras of Army officer Lee Shaw.
“Artificial intelligence has shifted the landscape, but it can’t manufacture a genuine emotional pulse,” Wyatt Russell explained during a recent conversation with Polygon. “That human element is central to the series; it’s a narrative about our shared history, our relationships, and the way those connections ripple through time to shape both the present and the future.”
The show’s 1950s segments follow the younger Lee Shaw (Wyatt) as he safeguards the nascent Monarch organization during their global pursuit of the Titans. By the 1960s, Shaw’s journey leads him into the surreal depths of Axis Mundi—a subterranean realm where the laws of physics and time warp. Fast-forward to 2017, and the elder Colonel Shaw (Kurt) emerges as a seasoned mentor to a new generation, grappling with a world transformed by monsters while clashing with the modern bureaucracy of the agency he helped build.
Wyatt notes that while mirroring his father’s distinctive mannerisms comes naturally, the production team works meticulously to harmonize their appearances. “I’ve often been mistaken for my father by my own family,” Wyatt admitted. “Yet, when we’re side-by-side, the physical disparities actually become more apparent.”
Much of that contrast stems from their physical builds. Wyatt, a former Division 1 hockey player, stands at 6’1”, whereas Kurt, who has a background in professional baseball, is 5’9”. Wyatt jokingly suggests he’d need a few vertebrae removed to truly match his father’s stature. Beyond the physical, the most striking difference lies in the temperament they bring to the role across different life stages.
“The elder Shaw is far more unpredictable and, frankly, unhinged compared to his younger self,” Wyatt observed. “It’s a fascinating evolution; seeing the weight of his experiences manifest as a sort of erratic instability in his later years adds a lot of texture to the character.”
The Russell legacy within the Monsterverse is set to expand further with an upcoming spin-off series. This project, which begins production this spring, will delve deeper into Wyatt’s portrayal of Shaw during the height of the Cold War. Kurt Russell, meanwhile, remains captivated by the sheer scale and design of the creatures his character faces.
“The creature designs are staggering,” Kurt told Polygon. “They are visceral and genuinely unsettling. They eschew the sanitized ‘Disneyfication’ often seen with animals in media; these aren’t dinosaurs or something familiar. They represent a terrifying unknown that we simply cannot comprehend.”
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 debuts on Apple TV+ on February 27. New episodes will be released every Friday through May 1.
Source: Polygon
