Warning! Major spoilers ahead for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes introduces a new generation of apes many years after the death of Caesar, and the franchise’s new protagonist has many similarities with the legendary ape who kicked off apekind’s rise to dominance. In the movie, Noa is confirmed to be the son of his clan’s leader, and by the ending of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes he has become the clan’s leader himself. While his clan doesn’t seem to know much at all about Caesar, Noa discovers the true meaning of his teachings and begins to live by them.

Given how much time has passed between Caesar’s death and the events of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, it’s clear that Caesar has become a mythological character more than a real ape. With no real way to record history, the apes of the different clans obviously interpret the legend of Caesar differently. The lack of records also makes it unclear what the origins of each of the respective clans are, and whether Noa is actually a distant relative of Caesar himself.

Noa Is Not Confirmed To Be Caesar’s Relative In Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

The new movie never confirms his lineage

Despite sharing Caesar’s compassion, physical appearance and even a birthmark on his chest, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes never confirms whether Noa is a blood relative of the original Caesar. Noa is a member of the Eagle Clan, and while the practices of their culture are different from those of Caesar’s society, there are common threads of community, kindness, and respect. Their way of life is directly adjacent to that of Caesar and his family, which implies that their ancestors may have been a part of Caesar’s original society, and passed down the spirit of his teachings, if not the exact words.

There aren’t any precise indicators of where Noa’s clan is located, although its proximity to what looks like the west coast of the United States indicates they probably aren’t far from the home of Caesar’s original society. Caesar’s clan branched out from the settlement that Caesar led them to at the end of War for the Planet of the Apes, but there is no indication of how far they may have spread. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes never dives into the specific history of the ape clans seen in the movie, thus Noa’s lineage is unknown.

How Noa Could Be Related To Caesar In Planet Of The Apes

Caesar’s son survived the events of War for the Planet of the Apes

While Caesar himself died at the end of War, his son Cornelius notably survived, and was theoretically raised by the close friends of Caesar who knew him best, like Maurice and Rocket. That means that while Caesar’s ideas and beliefs were certainly passed down, his actual bloodline most likely survived too. Cornelius could have followed in his father’s footsteps and led his own faction of apes to start a new colony elsewhere, spreading Caesar’s influence further by the time of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

The Eagle Clan could have directly descended from Cornelius, in fact. As Noa’s father is the Master of Birds, and the leader of the clan, it would make sense that they could be Cornelius’ descendants, assuming leadership would pass from father to offspring. While there are a wide range of ape species that have survived the centuries, a majority appear to be chimpanzees of different appearances. Noa looks incredibly similar to a young Caesar in several different ways, from facial features to fur color and cover, further indicating he could be a relative.

Why Noa Being Caesar’s Descendant Is Unlikely

Noa’s clan seems to have no true knowledge of Caesar

There have been many generations born between Caesar and Noa, and apes have clearly spread out geographically as well. It seems highly unlikely that, with so many possibilities, Caesar’s descendant would happen to be as influential as the original Caesar. Making Noa a direct descendant of Caesar seems as though it would be too on the nose, bordering on corny and unbelievable. It’s much more likely that Noa is simply a spiritual successor to Caesar as opposed to a direct relative.

Raka, on the other hand, could be a direct relative of Caesar’s original clan. Kingdom opens with a flashback to Caesar’s death, and pays special attention to his closest friend, Maurice the orangutan. Raka has in-depth knowledge of Caesar, and even places high value on books; Maurice memorably discovered the purpose and value of books with Kodi Smit-McPhee’s character Alexander in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. While Noa himself may not have been a relative of Caesar, he could still be the one to ultimately carry on his legacy after Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.