Emma Russell

"Our world is changing. The mass extinction we feared... has already begun... and we are the cause. We are the infection. But like all living organisms, the earth unleashed a fever to fight this infection. Its original and rightful rulers... the Titans. For thousands of years... these creatures have remained in hiding around the world. And unless all the Titans are found... our planet will perish, and so will we. They are the only guarantee that life will carry on."

- Emma Russell

Dr. Emma Russell is a scientist who will make her first appearance in the 2019 MonsterVerse Godzilla graphic comic, Godzilla: Aftershock, before appearing in the 2019 Godzilla film, Godzilla: King of the Monsters as one of the two primary antagonist.

Personality
"I'm sorry, but this is the only way."

- Emma Emma is described as being brilliant and independent but somewhat unorthodox. She is passionate for the wellbeing of the planet, stemming from her pre-Monarch days as an environmental activist. Emma is also a dedicated mother to Madison and, feeling a duty to both her and the planet, Emma seeks to prepare her daughter for the post-Godzilla world.

Mark Russell
Before they were recruited by Monarch, Emma and Mark were co-leaders on Project ORCA and leaders in the field of bioacoustics. They grew close with each other through their shared love of the sounds of nature, and the band "The Pixies". After suffering a loss in the Battle of San Francisco, Emma and Mark separated. An element that added to their personal conflict is their opposing views on the Titans. Emma believes humans and Titans can co-exist peacefully, and she wants to figure out how and protect the creatures. However, still reeling from their loss, Mark believes the Titans are destructive beasts that should be destroyed, especially Godzilla, as they have brought his family nothing but trouble and grief.

Madison Russell
For years, Emma took Madison around the world with on assignments and taught her everything she knows about Titans. Despite Madison being gifted in her studies, Emma denied her requests for access to outpost containment units.

Alan Jonah
Emma is a person of interest to Jonah. As a victim of targeted surveillance, Emma was stalked by Jonah around the globe to a number of her labs before he takes her hostage to gain control of her invention the ORCA, as it enables communication with the Titans and can potentially control them as well.

History
From a young age, Emma Williams was considered a "brilliant but rebellious" maverick as she was involved with environmental activism, and she took part in protests that resulted in the occasional arrest. She went on to get her Masters of Science in Biology and Ph.D. in Paleobiology at the University of Rochester and Ohio State University respectively.

In 2005, doctoral candidates Emma and her new husband Dr. Mark Russell caught Monarch's attention when they sent out a sonic pulse wave signal from the greater Boston area, a signal that matched a previously recorded Titan song. Monarch dispatched Dr. Serizawa, Dr. Graham, and a field unit to investigate and found Emma and Mark at MIT working on the prototype for the ORCA, a revolutionary communication device that could potentially change the course of human and Titan co-existence. Together, Emma and Mark's groundbreaking research in the field of bioacoustics revolutionized inter-species communication. Two years later, Emma and Mark were activated by Monarch on May 4, 2007. As a Monarch scientist, Emma often took Madison with her on assignments but forbade her daughter access to the containment units at the outposts.

In 2009, following a strange bio-acoustic signature, guided by Dr. Ilene Chen and her sister Dr. Ling, Emma led a team of operatives to the high-altitude jungles of China's Yunnan province, where they discovered a megalithic temple containing a giant cocoon with a rapid heartbeat detected inside. Five years later in 2014, shortly after Godzilla defeated the MUTOs in San Francisco, Emma and Mark separated because of their disagreements on the implications of the ORCA device, and the loss of their son Andrew in the battle. Emma retained custody of Madison and continued taking her along on assignments around the world.

Films

 * Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Comics

 * Godzilla: Aftershock