A sequel to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is already being planned, and here are 10 classic villains from the franchise who could return in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 2. Throughout the Planet of the Apes franchise, all kinds of iconic villains have been introduced, each with their own plan to take over Earth for humankind, apekind, or mutantkind. Since there are only four movies in the modern Planet of the Apes saga, plenty of classic villains still haven’t returned, but they could finally appear in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 2.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is finally here, with the highly anticipated continuation of the beloved modern Planet of the Apes trilogy now available to watch. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes‘ timeline takes place around 300 years after the end of War for the Planet of the Apes, long after the apocalypse and the death of Caesar. This time, the film follows Noa, an ape who goes on a journey to take down an ape tribe. The film is the start of a new Planet of the Apes trilogy, meaning that some more villains will be needed.

11

Proximus Caesar

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Of all the villains to bring back in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 2, Proximus Caesar is the most obvious choice. The villain was first introduced in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, with Proximus Caesar being the authoritarian leader of the coastal ape tribe. Proximus Caesar conflicted with Noa and the human Mae, with him attempting to kill the duo as the human vault was being flooded. However, Proximus falls from a great height near the end of the film, with him presumably dying.

Interestingly, Proximus Caesar’s dead body was never seen in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, meaning that he very well could be alive. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 2 could reveal that Proximus survived his near-death experience, with him hunting down Noa and Mae for ruining his kingdom and his plans.

10

Sylva

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Another obvious villain to bring back in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 2 is Sylva, the gargantuan gorilla who faces off with Noa several times throughout the film. Sylva is one of the military leaders in Proximus Caesar’s coastal ape tribe, with him being one of the most powerful characters in the film. However, Sylva’s greatest strength is also his greatest weakness, with Noa using Sylva’s size to trap him underwater and leave him for dead.

Much like Proximus Caesar, Sylva’s death was only implied to happen, with the offscreen implication meaning that he could return in a Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sequel. If Proximus Caesar returns, it would only make sense for Sylva to return as well, continuing the duo’s evil plans to use human technology to advance their reach.

9

Dr. Zaius

Planet of the Apes

Dr. Zaius is the most iconic villain in the Planet of the Apes franchise, so it would only make sense to bring him back in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 2. It is a massive survive that a character as beloved as Zaius still hasn’t been introduced to the modern Planet of the Apes series, as his role in the original films is where much of the conflict and social commentary comes from.

In the original Planet of the Apes series, Dr. Zaius is the main antagonist, with him being a strict upholder of ape doctrine. This leads Dr. Zaius to shut down investigations into the origins of George Taylor as well as evolution as a whole, with Zaius instead pushing society to follow his religious ideology. Brining back a lawgiver to Planet of the Apes would make perfect sense, and naming this character Zaius can fulfill the role from the first film.

8

The Mutants

Beneath the Planet of the Apes

Another possible group of villains that can be introduced to the modern Planet of the Apes series in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the mutants, who were first introduced in Beneath the Planet of the Apes. In the original series, the mutants were an underground society of mutated humans who had gained psychic powers, with them using these abilities to take down the apes.

It was strongly believed that the mutants would appear in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes prior to the film’s release due to the story’s connection to concepts like the Forbidden Zone. While a society of underground humans were revealed to exist at the end of the film, these are not mutants, meaning that the group of villainous human descendants can still be introduced in one of the sequels.

7

Méndez XXVI

Beneath the Planet of the Apes

If the mutants do appear in the new Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes trilogy, then it would only make sense to introduce Méndez XXVI alongside them. In the original series, Méndez is the leader of the mutants, with him ruling over the underground society in Beneath the Planet of the Apes.

Even if the mutants aren’t introduced to the modern franchise, there is still a way that Méndez XXVI can be used in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 2. The sequel could simply reveal that the leader of the underground group of humans is named Méndez, with this allowing the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sequel to use the character without having to perfectly recreate his storyline. The other modern Planet of the Apes movies have pulled off similar tricks in the past, so it would only make sense to do it again here.

6

Governor Kolp

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

Another easy villain who could be introduced in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 2 is Governor Kolp. In Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Kolp starts out as the leader of a group of humans, although things quickly change for the villain. Eventually, Kolp becomes the leader of a group of mutants, with him and his mutant army fighting against the apes in the later installments of the original series.

Much like Méndez, it would be easy to simply give one of the underground humans from the end of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes the name of Kolp, adding this character to the modern series. His role as their evil leader could be easily adapted into a Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sequel, setting him up as the main human antagonist of the new trilogy.

5

General Aldo

Battle for the Planet of the Apes

Moving away from human villains, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 2 could also bring back a classic ape villain in the form of General Aldo. Aldo is the villain in Battle for the Planet of the Apes, with him being a military official who is jealous of Cornelius and Caesar. Thus, Aldo takes over Ape City and rules it with an iron fist, putting the apes back in the antagonist position for the final film in the original series.

Proximus Caesar already introduced the idea of evil ape leaders to the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes series, and if the trilogy wants to continue expanding on this idea, General Aldo is a great pick. General Aldo is one of the fiercest villains in the original series, and since his name can be given to any gorilla antagonist in the new series, he would be an easy addition to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 2.

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3

General Thade

Planet of the Apes (2001)

General Thade was a villain first introduced in Tim Burton’s poorly-received 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes, with him being one of the biggest changes to the film. In the remake, General Thade is an ape villain who is obsessed with human technology, with him getting his hands on a human spaceship and using it for evil. This allows Thade to turn into a time-traveling villain, throwing the Planet of the Apes timeline into all kinds of chaos.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes heavily hinted that space travel will be introduced in the new trilogy, with all kinds of references to space being made throughout the film. If this is the case, an ape like General Thade could become obsessed with unlocking the secrets of human space travel, with this leading to the reintroduction of Tim Burton’s original villain.

2

Koba

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sets up an interesting way for Koba to return, although it probably isn’t in a way that most viewers would think. Koba was the main ape villain of the modern Planet of the Apes trilogy, with him being the dark reflection of Caesar. Although Caesar doesn’t appear in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, his legacy is carried on by a group known as the Order of Caesar, setting up Koba’s return.

It is possible that an Order of Koba could be introduced in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 2, with these apes preferring Koba’s more violent means of revolution to Caesar’s more peaceful ones. This would be a great way to parallel the story of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes while also carrying on Koba’s legacy, as he was arguably as significant of a figure as Caesar in the history of apes.

1

George Taylor

Planet of the Apes

Although it would be a massive twist, it is possible that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 2 could reintroduce George Taylor – but this time as a villain. George Taylor is the protagonist of the original Planet of the Apes film, with him crash landing on a future version of Earth and being kidnapped by apes. Throughout his time on Earth, he does everything he can to destroy ape society, with him eventually blowing up the planet in Beneath the Planet of the Apes.

Since Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes takes a much more sympathetic look at the story of the apes, if George Taylor were to be reintroduced in the sequel, then he would most definitely be framed as a villain. The sequel could follow Noa as he attempts to prevent George Taylor from destroying ape society, with this setting up an exciting and unique remake of the original film in the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sequel.