Which Monsters of God Character Are You?

The True Story Behind Monsters of God

Monsters of God pulls back the curtain on one of the strangest criminal subcultures in America: the underground trade in rare reptiles, where a $200 gecko can turn into a six-figure smuggling operation almost overnight. At the center of it all is Hank Molt, the Philadelphia dealer widely credited with building the modern American reptile trade from a garage hobby into a global business, only to watch his own protege turn the tables on him. His story is equal parts visionary and cautionary tale, a reminder that in this world, loyalty is worth less than a healthy breeding pair.

That protege, Tommy Crutchfield, learned everything from Molt before deciding a mentor was just another obstacle. Their falling-out became one of the reptile world's most infamous betrayals, dragging both men into federal courtrooms and cementing Crutchfield's reputation as someone who could smile while quietly plotting his next move. Their rivalry alone could carry a documentary, but Monsters of God goes bigger, connecting the reptile underworld to Miami's cocaine-fueled 1980s through Mario Tabraue, a convicted drug trafficker who built a legitimate-looking exotic animal sanctuary as both passion project and cover story.

Then there is Anson Wong, the Malaysian trafficker so prolific and so elusive that investigators nicknamed him the Pablo Escobar of the reptile underworld. Wong ran an international smuggling network for decades, moving endangered species across borders inside everything from hollowed-out books to modified suitcases, and it took a sprawling, years-long undercover sting to finally bring him down. Chasing him and the rest of this cast was Larry Loveless, the relentless federal agent whose dogged pursuit of reptile traffickers turned an obscure corner of wildlife law enforcement into a genuine cat-and-mouse thriller.

What makes Monsters of God so compelling is how ordinary the beginning of each story sounds. A guy who loved snakes. A guy who loved his mentor's business a little too much. A guy who needed a hobby that could also launder money. None of them set out to become the stuff of a true-crime documentary, and that's exactly why it works. Take our quiz to find out which figure from the reptile underworld your own instincts most resemble.