Warning: Spoilers for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode 9
A major development in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters confirms that Monarch conducted a secret Hollow Earth mission in the 1960s called Operation Hourglass. Prior to the series, it was understood that humanity knew very little in regards to the Hollow Earth before Godzilla vs. Kong. As it turns out, though, the government was actively engaged in attempts to explore the Hollow Earth years before the concept was first mentioned in Kong: Skull Island.
In Kong: Skull Island, Bill Randa and Houston Brooks set out to prove the Hollow Earth theory, which postulated that giant monsters used a network of underground tunnels to traverse the globe unseen. The idea evolved into something more in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which saw Monarch follow Godzilla into a Hollow Earth tunnel, which housed an ancient, abandoned city. Godzilla vs. Kong was yet another step forward for humanity, as it saw its human characters step foot into a thriving ecosystem hidden beneath the planet’s surface. But according to Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Monarch secretly sent people to the Hollow Earth decades earlier.
Operation Hourglass Was A Product Of Bill & Keiko Randa’s Titan Discoveries
In the 1956 flashback storyline featured in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode 8, Wyatt Russell’s Lee Shaw asked Monarch scientists Keiko Mieura and Bill Randa to put together all their Titan-related research. This wound up including the pair’s ideas about the Hollow Earth. In 1954, Randa accounted for the limited Titan sightings with unfounded theories of teleportation, but went in a different direction when he watched a bug pass through a hole in a map he was studying. Seeing the insect resurface through another hole elsewhere on the map helped Randa come to the realization that Titans of the Monsterverse are traveling from place to place via an underground realm.
To preserve their government funding, Lee Shaw handed over this research to General Puckett. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode 9 revealed that while it took some time, Monarch did act on the information Bill and Keiko provided. In 1962, the government spearheaded a mission called “Operation Hourglass,” which was designed as an expedition to the Hollow Earth. The plan was to enter through a Hollow Earth entrance they found in Kansas at an unspecified point in the Monsterverse timeline. Apparently, much of the project sprang from the mind of Dr. Suzuki, as noted by Puckett.
Monarch’s Plan To Bypass Hollow Earth Rifts Explained
The biggest obstacle to entering the Hollow Earth world isn’t the distance; rather, it’s the massive barriers of energy Monarch calls “rifts.” In Godzilla vs. Kong, it was explained that Monarch failed to get past one safely, resulting in the death of Nathan Lind’s brother. A highly advanced APEX vehicle was required to get around this issue and arrive in the Hollow Earth world safely. Surprisingly, it’s now known that Monarch already had a way of reaching the Titans’ world, albeit a much more dangerous one. Operation Hourglass’ Hollow Earth exploration plan hinged on attracting the attention of a monster.
As Pucket explained, the tunnels are too “unstable,” hence why the unintentional help of a Titan is needed for them to become “passable.” Similar to their plan to lure out Godzilla in 1954 with plutonium, the government used radiation as “bait” to get a Titan to briefly pass through a rift. When a Titan passes through the rift, it “stabilizes” it just long enough for a team of humans to essentially piggyback off the Titan and make their way to the Hollow Earth in a large, ball-shaped device.
As for how this could work without risking mass destruction to Kansas, it was stated by Puckett that they would drop the bait through the tunnel after alerting the Titan. The purpose of this strategy was to discourage the creature from completing its passage to the surface. This strategy explains how Lee, May, and Cate ended up in the Hollow Earth in 2015. They accidentally followed the insect Titan after it came through the rift in Kazakhstan.
What Happened After Operation Hourglass
Presumably, there wasn’t another excursion to the Hollow Earth after Operation Hourglass until after Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Partially, that was because it was perceived as a failure. After following a Titan that could be identified as the Monsterverse’s Ion Dragon, the entire human team aside from Lee Shaw died in a crash. Monarch assumed there were no survivors, unaware that Shaw would return to the surface in the 1980s, unchanged by the passing of time. During his absence, Puckett relayed the news to Randa that Monarch was losing its funding due to the lives lost during Operation Hourglass and Monarch not being able to find a solution to the problem.
The aftermath of Operation Hourglass outlined by General Puckett fills an important gap in Monarch’s Monsterverse history. Though once depicted as a resourceful organization with the trust of the government, Monarch was shown to be on the verge of collapse in 1973. Bill Randa had to go to great lengths to procure the government’s help in sanctioning the trip to Skull Island. Based on what happened in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode 9, Operation Hourglass is what crippled Monarch ahead of the events of Kong: Skull Island.
