Natalia Verdugo
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SPOILER WARNING: This article may contain major plot and/or ending details. Proceed at your own discretion. |
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Listen. I know that the events of G-Day–they rocked the world. A world where everything that we love, everything that we hold dear–it just could be gone in an instant. Now, let me tell you as a mother, I share your fear. But this is now the world that we live in. Monsters are an inescapable reality, a constant threat, that we must learn to survive. And I believe we can. Together, I believe we will. That is my commitment to you. And that is Monarch's commitment to you.
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„
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— Natalia Verdugo ("Will the Real May Please Stand Up?") |
Deputy Director Natalia Verdugo is a supporting character in the 2023 Monsterverse television series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. As Deputy Director of Monarch, Verdugo oversaw multiple situations unfold following G-Day, though her tenure in the position came under increasing scrutiny as many desired a more proactive approach from Monarch in response to the Titan threat. Verdugo met an untimely end in 2017, slain by Titan X on Skull Island after Cate Randa accidentally unleashed it from Axis Mundi.
History
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (TV 2023–2026) [episodes 1, 3–13; mentioned in episode 1, indirect mention in 12, stock footage in 13]
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
In 2015, Monarch agents Tim and Michelle Duvall attempted to recover Bill Randa's classified data tapes that had been discovered by Cate Randa, Kentaro Randa, and May Olowe-Hewitt in Tokyo, only to bungle their efforts, allowing the trio to escape and free Colonel Lee Shaw from a Monarch-controlled resting home in their own pursuit for answers in their family mystery. Tim and Duvall's superior, Deputy Director Natalia Verdugo, met them at an airport and immediately admonished them both for carrying out an unauthorized operation in Tokyo; her efforts to clean up their mess caused her to miss helping her daughter move into her college dorm, and she did not hesitate to vent her frustrations. Verdugo was dismissive of the significance of Bill's notes until Tim pointed out Shaw's interest in them. Verdugo nevertheless ordered Tim to get on the plane with her to avoid further trouble, but Duvall convinced her to let Tim join her in assembling a tactical team to capture Shaw. "Secrets and Lies"
Later, at Monarch's headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, Verdugo answered a call from Dr. Barnes, an agent stationed in Utah, who alerted her to gamma radiation spikes she detected in Alaska similar to those released by black holes, in amounts they haven't seen since 2014 when Godzilla arrived. Verdugo later shared these findings with a collection of experts, who debated their next steps, concerned that another Titan emergence may be imminent. "Parallels and Interiors"
After Tim and Duvall located and detained Shaw, Cate, Kentaro, and May, Verdugo travelled to Monarch's Alaskan command post. Duvall reported to Verdugo that Cate and Kentaro knew nothing of Monarch. Tim remained incredulous, citing their heritage as their grandfather Bill, grandmother Keiko, and father Hiroshi all worked for the organization. He voiced his desire to recruit the Randas, viewing Monarch as their legacy. Duvall instead suggested that they allow the Randas and May to go free to allow them to continue their search for answers related to Hiroshi while Monarch kept a watchful eye on them, though Verdugo did not want to free Shaw, believing he was her problem. After the others were freed, Verdugo entered Shaw's cell and unlocked his handcuffs.
The two argued over the state of Monarch, with Shaw declaring modern Monarch's specialty was doing nothing while the Randas and May had already accumulated more Titan experience than most of the organization's field agents. Verdugo suggested that the trio already revealed information to Monarch, but Shaw laughed the threat off, saying he made sure they didn't know much. She switched tactics, asking whether Hiroshi really intended for his kids to follow in his footsteps at Monarch; Shaw had the same question and planned to ask when he met Hiroshi again, believing he was still alive despite his presumed death. Though Verdugo was unwilling to let him leave, he deduced that she had reached a dead end. Verdugo agreed with Shaw that Monarch treated him poorly after his years of service, although he countered that she did nothing to change his situation. Pressed to explain why he made his first escape attempt in decades, he answered that Monarch had 60 years to prepare for Titans appearing in a populated area, but had nothing to offer besides advice to "let them fight", questioning what would have happened if the MUTOs had defeated Godzilla. Verdugo continued threatening Shaw, but he ultimately dismissed the interrogation as a waste of time that neither of them can afford and spoke directly to the agents watching him through a security camera, bluntly stating that the organization has been misguided for years. "The Way Out"
Shaw soon escaped custody with help from Duvall, who had grown tired of Verdugo and Monarch's reluctance to take a more proactive approach to the Titan threat. Verdugo and Tim continued to keep tabs on the Randas and discovered that they had visited Hiroshi's San Francisco office. They promptly ventured into the desolate city, though were unsure what they were looking for. Tim pointed out that while Hiroshi's office offered an incredible view of the city, he would have sat at his desk with his back to the window, deducing that Hiroshi preferred to stare at whatever was on the opposite wall. He took note of a flag push pin nearby, then the many tiny holes in the wall, finding a pattern in them. He asked Verdugo why Monarch exiled Hiroshi, as his file was sealed. She reluctantly explained that he illegally retargeted deep-space satellites to inspect locations on Earth, searching for gamma rays in particular. Tim linked this to the high gamma ray readings they detected in Alaska. He redrew the map on the wall, explaining that the individual marks represented locations that Monarch had visited, while clusters likely indicated areas with intense gamma radiation. As she requisitioned the satellite logs, Tim questioned why Hiroshi would pursue the gamma ray readings in Alaska rather than follow Godzilla out to sea after G-Day. Verdugo realized the Randas went to Alaska in search of Hiroshi, evidently also believing he was still alive. Tim narrowed down their next destination to three possible candidates, including the Algerian Desert, where they located Shaw and the others. "Terrifying Miracles"
Tim contacted Verdugo to update her on the disastrous mission in the desert, where his team encountered Godzilla. Their helicopter collided with Godzilla, leaving Tim as the sole survivor of the team. After Verdugo pressed him for more details, his frustration and sarcasm prompted her to suspend him, pushing him to press his luck further by scolding Verdugo for treating Cate and Kentaro like criminals and thus motivating them to team up with Shaw. Tim also asked about May, who had since disappeared while the Randas believed Monarch had kidnapped her; though she denied that Monarch had any involvement in May's disappearance, Verdugo asked if Tim told the Randas the truth about May, who they discovered had several forged identities.
Dr. Barnes later contacted Verdugo to inform her that Shaw had recently taken over Monarch's Alaskan base. Before she could deal with him, another situation unfolded in Seattle where citizens suddenly received alerts from Monarch's new warning system of an impending Titan attack on their phones, sending the city into a panic. Verdugo received the same alert, which she recognized as Tim's work with barely-contained fury. Monarch tracked Tim, Cate, and Kentaro to the headquarters of Applied Experimental Technologies, where agents forced them into a van to find a waiting Verdugo, who reprimanded Tim for using the Titan alert. Tim updated her on May's situation, revealing May was in trouble with AET. Cate offered her help Verdugo deal with Shaw in exchange for securing May's freedom. Verdugo and Monarch subsequently secured a deal with AET, which rebranded itself as Apex Cybernetics; though the details of the arrangement were not made public, May was freed. In the aftermath, Tim proposed to Verdugo that Monarch should take advantage of the Titan alert as an opportunity to step out of the shadows. Verdugo ultimately agreed and recorded a message revealing Monarch's existence and purpose to the public, explaining the Titan alert in Seattle was a false alarm. She declared that the organization would steer humanity through unprecedented dangers. "Will the Real May Please Stand Up?"
To uphold their end of the deal, the Randas and May were brought to Monarch's headquarters by Tim, who led them to the control room to find Verdugo and other Monarch agents monitoring an unfolding situation. Verdugo explained that Shaw and his forces destroyed a rift to the Titans' realm in Alaska with his team of rogue Monarch agents, which caused gamma ray bursts from outposts all around the world, threatening another G-Day incident if Shaw destroyed another rift. Kentaro was skeptical they could help, but Verdugo urged them to try and think, as she had few other options and was desperate for any help they could get. While combing through Monarch's files, the group deduced that Shaw would likely be in Kazakhstan to close the rift there, as it was the location where he lost Keiko Randa decades prior. Knowing they were her best chance at talking Shaw down, Verdugo granted them a small team which included Tim. However, the mission went awry as Shaw detonated the charges, with Shaw, Cate, and May having fallen into the rift before it was destroyed while Tim and Kentaro were injured in the explosion. "Birthright"
Kentaro was moved to a Tokyo hospital and was visited by Tim and Verdugo, where they confirmed that the rift had been sealed; Cate, May, and Shaw were all presumed dead. Despite the anguished Kentaro's insistence that they should try to find his sister and friends, Verdugo simply told him his time in Monarch's world was over and advised him to try to move on before she departed with Tim. At Monarch headquarters, Dr. Barnes informed Verdugo of an apparent message embedded in the gamma ray signal coming from one of the Hollow Earth portals, which Tim came to believe was from Cate, May, and Shaw. "Axis Mundi"
Later, Verdugo relayed to Tim that the gamma ray emissions around the Hollow Earth portals had stabilized, though remained high. He asked about Duvall, who was still missing, and the signal Dr. Barnes detected, which Verdugo declared low-priority amidst the current crisis. Tim was outraged, particularly given all that Shaw, Cate, and May knew about their predicament, and believed that if Monarch would not act to save them, then Shaw was right about the organization. Verdugo was unmoved, however, and merely questioned if he was ready to do his job or have his medical leave extended indefinitely. Disgusted by Monarch’s disinterest in helping his friends and Verdugo's callousness, Tim resigned from Monarch and sought help from Apex Cybernetics instead. "Beyond Logic"
In 2017, Apex's rescue mission saw the return of Cate, May, and the unexpected addition of Keiko Randa, albeit at a cost; after the rift was successfully opened on Skull Island, Kong went on an unexpected rampage that resulted in multiple causalities and the destruction of Apex's facility. Off the coast of the island, aboard Monarch's mobile command center, Outpost 18, Tim updated Verdugo on the situation. They attempted to view drone footage of the devastation, only for a Leafwing to disable the aircraft as Tim observed that all the superspecies on the island were agitated, not just Kong. Verdugo asked Brenda Holland to explain what exactly Apex did to provoke them; she coldly responded that they got Monarch's people back and had no idea why Kong became enraged. Verdugo then turned on Tim, who as Monarch's liaison to Apex was meant to ensure they followed all necessary protocols; he too plead innocence. Their conversation was cut short when May angrily pounded on the glass of a holding room above them. She and Cate berated Verdugo for locking them up. Verdugo introduced herself to the disoriented Keiko, explaining that her dizziness was the result of her time in Axis Mundi. Keiko asked when they would return to the realm to rescue Shaw, who stayed behind to allow the others to escape, but Verdugo, fearful of provoking another Kong attack, declared that they had no plans to return right away.
Keiko later made another plea to Verdugo, suggesting that Monarch could use satellite data on Kong to avoid him, but Verdugo again refused to risk any more lives on the island as she showed Keiko security footage of Kong's attack. Keiko quickly noticed a Scarab, a creature she encountered in her past, scuttling past the personnel as they fled, identifying it as the cause of Kong's aggression. Verdugo was then informed that the Randas and May were missing and deduced that they embarked on a rescue mission for Shaw. The exasperated Verdugo told Keiko that she was getting her wish, though Keiko, disturbed by the presence of the Scarab, ultimately sided with Verdugo and realized they had to stop the others from reopening the rift. Verdugo, Keiko, and Tim boarded helicopters to Skull Island to intercept the Randas. Upon arrival, Verdugo urged the Randas to cut their losses before the storm wall closed, though Cate hesitated before opening the rift despite Keiko's pleas. Shortly thereafter, before Shaw could make it through the portal, the massive, tentacled Titan X passed through the rift first. As the rescue party watched the Titan's emergence in horror, one of Titan X's swinging tentacles whipped into Verdugo, killing her instantly before the creature escaped into the ocean. "Cause and Effect"
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