The Meaning of the Conclusion of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes for the Future
The conclusion of Kingdom of the Planet Of The Apes not only sets up the future of the series but also wraps up the primary tale for Noa, Mae, and Proximus Caesar. The primary plot concerns Noa's quest to locate the remnants of Eagle Clan following the army of Proximus Caesar destroying their hamlet and capturing its inhabitants as they look for Mae, a human who has gone missing. This takes Noa and Mae to Proximus's kingdom of apes, where they try to unlock a human vault. Mae uses Noa's assistance to enter through a secret entrance while the apes are having difficulty opening the doors.
At the end of Kingdom of the Planet Of The Apes, Mae and Noa's scheme to flood the vault prevents Proximus Caesar from being able to "evolve" by gaining access to the human technology and weaponry within. Despite appearing to have the same objective, Mae and Noa have different drives and differ in what they are prepared to give up to make sure Proximus' kingdom falls. The conclusion of Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes realigns connections, modifies the power dynamics for Earth's surviving species, and paves the way for other Planet of the Apes films that can carry on these plots.
Noa Overcomes Proximus Caesar to Take Command of the Eagle Clan
The conclusion of Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes keeps Noa's story at its center since he has to confront Proximus Caesar. As Noa led Eagle Clan to safety through the flooded vault, Proximus had already made his way there. As a result, Proximus fights Noa for undermining his authority and assisting Mae in her scheme to destroy the vault's contents and the settlement. At first, the new ape king is in control and is prepared to murder Noa when he bows.
With the aid of the eagles, Noa ultimately defeats Proximus Caesar. He starts singing the Eagle Clan's song, which finally gets the other apes to join in, forging a relationship between ape and eagle. This causes the group of eagles to soar overhead, obeying Noa's orders to strike Proximus. He finds himself at the brink of the precipice behind the vault as they continue to peck and claw at him. At this point, Proximus Caesar falls to his death as Noa commands his father's eagle to fly straight into the villain's breast.
Noa takes over as the new Eagle Clan leader after killing Proximus and leads the group back to their ancestral hamlet. As Proximus' army destroys their town, they reconstruct it in the epilogue of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Given that he appears to have assumed his father's duty as Master of Birds, Noa's newfound leadership role is evident. When we last see him, he and Soona are heading back to the remnants of the human city, with a specific destination in mind—the space observatory.
Mae Returns To The Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes' Hidden Human Colony
The last scene of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, when Mae departs from Noa and the apes, fully clarifies her origins. In the last scenes of the film, Mae is riding over the plains toward what appears to be a partially subterranean base. When Mae returns, she is met by another human dressed in a hazmat suit, implying that she came from this covert human colony before Proximus Caesar's forces discovered her and killed the other humans she was traveling with. Mae appears to have been exposed to apes and whatever is left of the Simian Flu virus, therefore she decides against returning to the colony.
The film discloses that a sizable population of sentient humans reside in close proximity to Noa and the Eagle Clan. A significant spoiler for the conclusion of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is Mae's human colony. This proves that there are other humans besides Mae and Trevathan who are still somewhat intelligent and able to communicate. The film discloses that a sizable population of sentient humans reside in close proximity to Noa and the Eagle Clan. The several views of the subterranean community reveal well over a dozen humans. Along with their own goals, Mae and the other humans are inherently hostile to apes because they fear they will take over the globe.
In the epilogue of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, humans restart the satellites.
What Mae wants out of the vault is unclear for a large portion of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. She just claims that the contents will help humanity regain their ability to talk. The conclusion ultimately establishes that her goal is to retrieve a SATCOM key from the vault, not to locate a book. In order to use the key to operate the facility's satellites, Mae returns with it to her human colony. In order to try to get in touch with other virus survivors, humans need the satellites to function.
In the end, the humans are thrilled to learn that the satellites are still operational and are able to make contact with other people because of the SATCOM key. A group of humans from Fort Wayne, Indiana, respond to the colony. The film established that there were other intelligent humans in the globe when it revealed in Kingdom of the Planet of the apes that Trevathan belonged to a separate human group than Mae. Humanity can now speak with one another and create plans for the future as a result of Mae's mission and humans turning the satellites back on. The humans in Fort Wayne, Indiana are a reference to George Taylor, played by Charlton Heston in the 1968 film Planet of the Apes.
What Does Noa Finally See Through the Telescope?
At the end of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the camera pans up to see Noa gazing upwards after once more peering through the telescope at the space observatory. Noa's worried expression makes it obvious that he is worried, even if the film never goes into detail about what he sees. This might be because he uses the telescope to view something in space that could be harmful to both Eagle Clan and himself in the long run. Or maybe he's just starting to worry about whether or not humans and apes can actually live together.
The franchise timeline does not support Noa's claim that she observed George Taylor's spaceship while gazing through the telescope. Still, there's a chance that the new head of the Eagle Clan saw one of the last satellites used by humanity in space. Naturally, Noa would be upset to see anything like that in the sky, especially since he would have no idea what it was or how it may help humanity. It would make sense for Noa's farewell moment to relate to this event since the covert human colony rebooted the satellites.
Why, when they say goodbye, Mae doesn't shoot Noa
Given that Mae possessed a gun in secret, the movie's conclusion in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes may have gone entirely differently during Mae and Noa's farewell scene. The image of Mae with a revolver under her cloak and behind her back suggests that she is prepared to shoot Noa if necessary. Maybe even orders to murder any notable monkey she came across. It also suggests that she still regards apes with some mistrust or contempt. While Mae might have been prepared to kill Noa, she ultimately decides not to shoot him.
The reason why Mae does not kill Noa appears tied to what happens during their final exchange. Noa questions what apes should do now that they have intelligence and whether it is truly possible for apes and humans to coexist peacefully. Instead of pushing Mae away, he gives her the Caesar necklace that Raka gave him. It is an act of peace on Noa's part, a sign that he shares Caesar's original worldview that apes and humans do not have to be enemies. Now it is up to Mae and Noa to lead humans and apes towards that conclusion.
Every Death In Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes' Ending Explained
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' ending is filled with death, as several major characters meet their end. The movie is quite tragic leading up to this, as Noa's father and Raka are among the significant deaths that come before. The biggest death in the finale comes with Proximus Caesar. The tyrannical leader of the apes who twisted Caesar's teachings is outsmarted by Noa after the vault is destroyed. Noa is also responsible for the death of Sylva, as he traps the gorilla in the vault and watches the army leader drown.
Mae is also responsible for killing a few characters in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. The first casualty to come by her hands is Trevathan. He comes down to the beach when Mae, Noa, Soona, and Anaya are preparing explosives and threatens to expose them. Mae immediately jumps on Trevathan's back and puts him in a headlock until he dies. She then kills again when she pulls a gun on Proximus Caesar's army and kills Lightning to save Soona.
Character | How They Died
------- | --------
Koro | Killed by Sylva in attack on Eagle Clan village
Raka | Drowns in the river after Sylva cuts rope
Trevathan | Choked by Mae
Lightning | Shot by Mae
Sylva | Drowns chasing Noa through the vault
Proximus Caesar | Falls off a cliff after being attacked by eagles
What Happened To Proximus Caesar's Clan After The Flood?
One lingering question that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' ending does not answer is what happens to Proximus Caesar's clan. The new ape king built an entire kingdom for himself by bringing different ape clans together under his rule. Their main base was built around the vault using the beach and ship wreckage, but the group's status by the conclusion is unclear. Proximus Caesar's death means that they are without a leader, while Mae destroys the dam and floods the beach and vault, destroying parts of the base and killing many members.
The Planet of the Apes movie only gives audiences a glimpse into Eagle Clan's future by the end, leaving the future of Proximus' kingdom up in the air. It is possible that the different clans will go their separate ways and rebuild individually. There is also a chance that another member of the kingdom will rise to power and replace Proximus. Since his most trusted allies all died in the flood and conflict, this would only happen if a new character stepped up in Proximus' absence. It is unknown if Proximus' kingdom will return in future installments.
How Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes' Ending Sets Up A Sequel
The final moments of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' ending are used to set up the franchise's future in some very clear ways. Director Wes Ball spends time showing the parallels between Noa and Mae and their lives away from each other. By having Noa ascend to lead the Eagle Clan and showing Mae's importance to the human colony, the two characters are set up to remain pivotal figures going forward. The movie goes as far as having both Noa and Mae look toward the stars in the sky as they ponder what the future holds.
Noa has promised to build Eagle Clan to be stronger and more evolved based on what they've learned. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes shows that Noa is smarter with technology than the average evolved ape, as he manages to fix an electric rod. This could mean that he and Eagle Clan will continue to advance technologically by the time the next installment comes. The fact that humans are reusing technology to mount their own plans makes it likely that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' sequel will continue to explore technology's importance to both sides.
One of the biggest teases for the direction of the new Planet of the Apes trilogy comes with Noa and Mae's endings. The movie ends with them looking up at the sky and Noa's return to the space observatory to look through the telescope. The franchise's future involving space becomes clear then. It is possible that the humans want to go to space to escape from the apes or try and travel back in time to before the apes took over. Since there is no Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes post-credits scene, any additional teases don't come.
The Real Meaning Of Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes' Ending
There are plenty of themes and ideas at play in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, but the ending is all about if humans and apes can truly live in peace. Noa directly mentions this idea to Mae during their final conversation, but it is also something that lingers throughout the rest of the movie. apes and humans view each other as enemies, but Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' ending shows what can happen when they work together, and, importantly, that it is possible.
The difficulty comes with apes and humans still thinking they must do what is best for themselves instead of what is best for all. Mae blows up the dam and floods the vault even know it risks killing members of Noa's clan, including his friends and family. Meanwhile, the apes resent the idea that they are in the wrong because they have evolved to this point. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' ending proves that harmony is possible if all sides agree to work together - but it will be up to the sequels to show if that happens.
