Warning: Spoilers for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episodes 1 & 2

Summary

• Bill Randa, played by John Goodman, returns in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, shedding light on his life before Kong: Skull Island.
• Randa had prior knowledge of monsters and played a significant role in Monarch's investigations into the Titans.
• Randa's fate in Kong: Skull Island remains unresolved in the series, but his connection to the main characters and his tragic demise on Skull Island are explored.

Despite Bill Randa being a key part of the plot in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, his fate in Kong: Skull Island went unmentioned in the show’s first two episodes. Played by John Goodman, Bill Randa was a key ing character in the Monsterverse’s second installment, Kong: Skull Island. Eight years later, Apple TV+’s Monsterverse series has brought Randa back into focus, revealing more about his life before the events of the 2015 movie.

As evidenced by flashbacks in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ first two episodes as well as conversations that occurred in Skull Island, Randa was aware of the existence of monsters long before stepping foot on Kong’s island. What’s more, Randa played an important role in Monarch’s early investigations into Monsterverse timeline, he’ll make his way to Skull Island. This development was shown in the first episode, which saw Goodman reprise his role. As for what ultimately happens to him, that’s something the series hasn’t addressed.

Bill Randa Encountered A Titan In World War II

In Kong: Skull Island, it was explained that Bill Randa's interest in monsters was kickstarted by a tragedy that occurred during his time as a U.S. soldier during World War II. He was stationed on a ship called the USS Lawton, which Randa claimed was wrecked by a monster, leaving him as the only survivor. At the time, it was heavily theorized that Godzilla was the creature responsible for the sinking of the USS Lawton. Thanks to Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode, the truth has at least been revealed; rather than Godzilla, it would seem that a flying, horned Titan brought it down all those years ago.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters shows Randa coming across the USS Lawton, which had somehow been placed on land in the Philippines. By 1952, the creature was living there. As for what this monster is, that has yet to be explained in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, but it is known that by 2019 (the timeframe of Godzilla: King of the Monsters), Monarch had become aware of the existence of 17 Titans aside from Godzilla. None of the monitor screens in the film indicated there was a Titan based in the Philippines at this time, but it's possible that this creature relocated between 1952 and 2019.

Bill Randa's Hollow Earth Connection & Work With Monarch Explained

Years after the USS Lawton incident, Randa ed Monarch to investigate the Titan phenomenon. The extent of his role within the organization was left open to interpretation in Kong: Skull Island, but Monarch: Legacy of Monsters makes it clear that Randa was integral to its origins. In episode 1, Wyatt Russell's Lee Shaw comments on the fact that Randa and Keiko Mira are holding Monarch together on their own, thus implying that the two were the group's leaders in the 1950s. As episode 1 suggests, much of his work with Monarch involved him traveling with Shaw and Keiko to look into alleged monster sightings and any other evidence that would point to the existence of a Titan.

In episode 2, it's revealed that following up on the destruction of the USS Lawton is how he met Keiko and Shaw. From the looks of things, Randa operated solo as a cryptozoologist, investigating his theories about monsters on his own. It appears that he didn't develop formal ties with Monarch until the 1950s, as it wasn't until 1952 that he encountered the other two characters. Apparently, it was this incident in the Philippines that culminated in Randa becoming part of a team of monster hunters. In other words, their activities together in episode 2 seemingly serve as a precursor to the organization Monarch will become in the Monsterverse timeline.

How long Randa maintained a leadership role within Monarch remains unknown. However, it is known that in 1973, he was still an active member of the organization, working alongside Dr. Houston Brooks to prove the latter's Hollow Earth theory. Decades before the Monsterverse fully unveiled the Hollow Earth world in Godzilla vs. Kong and showed off its tunnels in King of the Monsters, both Randa and Brooks wholeheartedly believed in this concept and convinced the government to fund a trip to Skull Island. They guessed (correctly) that they could find a Hollow Earth entry point on the island.

What Happened To Bill Randa In Kong: Skull Island

Unfortunately, the expedition to Skull Island was a one-way trip for several of the movie's characters – including Randa. Explosives used to advance their Hollow Earth plan triggered a fight between Kong and his species’ hated enemies, the Skullcrawlers, who set their sights on the humans. Consequently, only a few survived the fighting that took place on Skull Island.

Randa became one of the core group’s first casualties when they found a graveyard where Kong’s parents and other of his species were buried. In the midst of marveling at this remarkable discovery and taking pictures of it, Randa was abruptly eaten by a nearby Skullcrawler. With this in mind, Goodman's cameo in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode 1 must have taken place sometime after their arrival on Skull Island and before the graveyard scene.

The only of the core group in Kong: Skull Island to escape the island were Mason Weaver, James Conrad, Houston Brooks, San Lin, and Hank Marlow.

How Randa Is Connected To Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters' Main Characters

It's no coincidence that John Goodman's Monsterverse character shares his last name with Kentaro and Cate. This acts as a hint that Randa is their paternal grandfather. Episode 1 revealed that in 1952, he was in a romantic relationship with Keiko, whom Cate later recognized as her grandmother. In his cameo scene, Goodman's Randa was seen expressing regret to a family member, which may or may not be

As things stand, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ principal characters have no knowledge of Bill Randa's death. However, what happened to him could easily be learned over the course of the series. Some of the people aware of Randa’s death in Kong: Skull Island made it back to civilization. Houston Brooks, for instance, is known to be alive in 2019 via a cameo in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. For that reason, the circumstances surrounding Randa’s fate could be uncovered in one of Monarch’s files, allowing some sense of closure on that front.