Monarch: Legacy of Monsters reveals that Lee Shaw has been to the Hollow Earth, making him one of the first people to enter the realm.
Before Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, it was understood that humans traveled to the Hollow Earth for the first time in Godzilla vs. Kong.
However, the Apple TV+ show throws a new twist by disclosing that Lee has visited and came back alive from Hollow Earth.
Operation Hourglass
After losing Keiko in Kazakhstan in 1959, Monarch conducts Operation Hourglass in 1962, hoping to enter a realm that possibly exists beneath the surface of the Earth.
Operation Hourglass takes place before humans go to the moon. Lee is one of the four people who ride the ship that is sent into a rift, the gateway to the Hollow Earth.
General Puckett brags a lot about the operation, calling it the culmination of two decades of Project Monarch’s work.
He thinks the project will discover a territory that will redefine their understanding of the entire planet and ensure the welfare of all humanity.
Puckett says Kennedy can have outer space; they are going to plant their flag in the territory they are about to discover.
Unfortunately, Operation Hourglass goes horribly wrong and costs lives. The Department of Defense further decides to stop allocating funds to Monarch.
Lee’s return
Among the four people who are sent into Hollow Earth, only Lee survives and returns to the surface world 20 years later, in 1982.
Meeting a grown-up Hiroshi confirms it. Lee is kept at a Monarch Medical Facility. His age is the same as the day he went into the Hollow Earth.
Lee describes his experience to Hiroshi. They had a rough landing on the surface of Hollow Earth.
Though they did begin working near the landing site, a MUTO attacked them. Lee called for an immediate evacuation.
However, local phenomena made things difficult for them. Lee got sucked into what looked like a rift. The next thing Lee remembers is that he is back on Earth.
Lee plans to figure things out, but he has no one by his side. Bill and Keiko are dead, and Hiroshi is reluctant to chase this.
Hence, Lee is sent to the assisted living facility, where he grows old for years.
Also Read: Lee Shaw’s Hollow Earth plan in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters explained
