One of the most acclaimed yet somewhat under-discussed science fiction franchises in film history is the Planet of the Apes saga. Set predominantly on a post-apocalyptic Earth where humans have fallen out of power and apes have become the superior, intelligent species, these films have examined themes such as race relations, animal cruelty, and even what it means to be human in the first place.

While the original films have remained classics of 60s-70s sci-fi, the most recent films, beginning with Rise of the Planet of the Apes and continuing most recently with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, have brought the franchise back in a big way. They have predominantly done this with one important element: the apes themselves are often the most interesting and surprisingly relatable characters. The apes in the Planet of the Apes films are such well-rounded characters that they make the audience forget how absurd the idea ofchimpanzeess, gorillas, and orangutans walking, talking, and dressing like humans truly is.

10 General Thande

Portrayed by Tim Roth

While the Tim Burton remake is regarded as the worst of the Apes films by fans, one cannot deny that it had some good qualities. Noteworthy among them is perhaps the most bloodthirsty of all the ape soldiers: the chimpanzee General Thade (Tim Roth). Despising the human race, he seeks to obtain approval from the head ape council to exterminate all humans currently living. Despite this aspect dominating most of his personality, he is shown to have some heart when around his loved ones, specifically his niece (Deep Roy) and father, Zaius (Charlton Heston).

The apes in the Tim Burton remake behave far more outright animalisticly than the apes in the original films. While that leads to some questionable and even laughable moments, when it comes to Thade, that portrayal honestly works. That animalistic behavior gives Thade a far more menacing, aggressive, and unpredictable demeanor, like he’s waiting to kill every human in the room at any moment. This helps make him a memorable villain, even if the twist ending where he’s changed Earth makes no sense.

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9 General Ursus

Portrayed by James Gregory

In some respects, General Ursus (James Gregory) serves as the Boba Fett of the Planet of the Apes franchise. He has an interesting appearance, we see him carry himself well in action, and he has enough of a reputation and personality that he stands out among the other gorilla soldiers. But he does not get as much screen time compared to the other apes in the series, yet he is still one of their most merchandised characters.

But one can argue he has a greater sense of character compared to even Boba Fett. Serving as the main antagonist of Beneath the Planet of the Apes, he shows a militaristic and fanatical worldview, seeking to push his soldiers into a holy war that will conquer the forbidden zone (post-apocalyptic New York). He carries his plans with a devotion that makes even Dr. Zaius nervous. After all, while Zaius wants to keep the status quo in check, Ursus wants to push ape superiority to the point where he overtakes the status quo entirely. Ultimately, his actions lead his delusions of grandeur to ruin when he unwittingly becomes responsible for the destruction of the Earth.

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8 Blue Eyes

Portrayed by Nick Thurston

Blue Eyes (Nick Thurston) is Caesar’s oldest son, born and raised between Rise and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. While Caesar had a loving relationship with his son, Blue Eyes had a more reckless streak compared to his father, causing some friction between the two. This led him to look more towards Koba as a mentor, as the latter always had more of a cool uncle attitude toward Blue Eyes’ decisions. But that also allowed Blue Eyes to become open to Koba’s more sinister manipulations. It resulted in the attempted murder of his father, the destruction of his home, and even the death of his best friend Ash (Doc Shaw).

Even when Blue Eyes knew things weren’t going right, even when he knew it went against what his father stood for, he still allowed it to happen because of his insecurities and fears. Blue Eyes didn’t get a chance to completely grow before his life was suddenly cut short in War, but his arc in Dawn shows the price of inaction and the disastrous consequences that come from it.

7 Bad Ape

Portrayed by Steve Zahn

Bad Ape (Steve Zahn) is the closest the modern films have come to having an outright comic relief character, but even he has a rather tragic past. Originally on exhibit at the Sierra Safari Zoo, this old and slightly kooky chimpanzee was called a bad ape so many times by his human handlers that he believed it was his name. But as the Simian Flu began to spread, while humans got sick and died, Bad Ape and his fellow apes got smarter. Fleeing for his life once the humans started killing the now-intelligent apes (including his own wife and child), he eventually joins Caesar’s crew on their quest to kill the Colonel (Woody Harrelson).

Bad Ape is a character whose dim-witted antics would become irritating if he were in any other movie. But his dark, mysterious backstory and the bleak, unrelenting tone of War for the Planet of the Apes make his antics welcome instead of invading. Not to mention his mere presence hints at the impact the Simian Flu had on the rest of the apes worldwide, apart from Ceasar’s group.

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6 Proximus Caesar

Portrayed by Kevin Durand

In Kingdom, 300 years after the fall of man, many ape tribes have grown, many forming their morals on the teachings and lessons of Caesar’s journey. But there are some, much like other religious followers in the real world, who twist those morals and teachings to give themselves power or to make others bend to their will. Enter Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), a bonobo who may fashion himself after Caesar but has the morals and corruption of Koba.

He uses his power to subjugate and enslave other ape tribes for his own ends, seeking to recover lost human technology so he can reign over others. Despite his hunger for power, he prefers not to get his hands too dirty, leading most of his plans to be undertaken by gorilla minion Sylva (Eka Darville). Proximus Caesar is among the most human of the ape villains in the saga in the worst ways—physically strong but diabolically intelligent.

5 Zira

Portrayed by Kim Hunter

An animal behavioral psychologist, Zira (Kim Hunter) is one of the kindest apes in the original series. Despite her line of work requiring the dissection and occasional lobotomization of feral humans, she still befriended Taylor (Charlton Heston) even when he couldn’t speak. Along with her husband Cornelius (Roddy McDowall), she willingly defended him in court, helped him escape, and aided his intended rescuer, Brent (James Franciscus). Then, when she and Cornelius were sent back in time to 1973 in Escape from the Planet of the Apes, she and her husband found themselves at the mercy of human civilization.

While Zira was by no means a saint, having a headstrong personality and a prejudice against gorillas and orangutans, she was also one of the few apes in the series who recognized the same flaws in both human and ape society. She served as a reminder that ape society as a whole is not the true enemy, as she actively sought to prevent the arrogance of both man and ape from destroying the future and paid for it with her life.

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4 Maurice

Portrayed by Karin Konoval

Maurice (Karin Konoval) first appeared in Rise as the first of Caesar’s fellow captives to befriend him. A former circus orangutan, Maurice learned sign language, allowing him to communicate with Caesar and teach him the benefits of interacting with apes. Once the Ape revolution and war began, he remained by Caesar’s side as his chief advisor and closest confidant. He always reminded Caesar to keep true to his morals and comforted him in his final moments by informing him that the apes would remember him for what he did.

After years of being raised by, yet isolated from, humans, Maurice was the first person to show Caesar that it was okay to be an ape. In many respects, he’s one of the more quietly kind apes in the newer films, befriending Malcom’s (Jason Clarke) family in Dawn and adopting the mute child Nova (Amiah Miller) in War. Despite being named after Dr. Zaius’ original actor and sharing his species, it’s clear that Maurice is the opposite in terms of personality and morals.

3 Koba

Portrayed by Toby Kebbell

Koba (Toby Kebbell) is the scariest of all the apes in the series, but he carries a compelling backstory with his terror. Despite coming from similar backgrounds, Koba did not grow up around humans the same way Caesar did. While Caesar grew up in a loving, supportive human home, Koba spent most of his life being experimented on by scientists, resulting in a body and soul covered in scars. After Caesar freed him, Koba became his loyal second-in-command and grew to know something about a life of peace. But when humans came back into his life, old wounds began to open, and Koba saw Caesar’s cooperation with humans as a betrayal of his kind.

Koba may have become an outright villain and traitor to his new family, but by that point, we knew exactly why. It’s likely that if humans never came back into his life, Koba could have lived happily among Caesar and his family. But alas, it was not meant to be, and Koba’s death at the hands of Caesar continues to haunt the latter in War and influence the likes of Proximus Caesar in Kingdom.

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2 Zaius

Portrayed by Maurice Evans

Both Minister of Science and Chief Defender of the Faith in Ape City, Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans) is the chief antagonist of the original film. He dismisses the concept of man having any form of understanding, authorizes Landon’s (Robert Gunner) lobotomy while fully intending to do the same to Taylor, and will even put fellow apes Cornelius and Zira on trial if it means maintaining his image of apes as superior to humans. But Zaius does what he does for a reason, as he is one of the few apes who knows that man used to rule the earth but wiped themselves out and is determined to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

He is not quite heartless, however, as in Beneath he is unwilling to gun down a crowd of protesting chimpanzees and is uncomfortable with Ursus’ more extremist views. But when the time comes to help Taylor prevent an oncoming apocalypse, he makes a fatal mistake—assuming that man and ape are completely different in their capabilities for destruction. Dr. Zaius seeks to ensure that man’s downfall will never befall the apes, but his actions only seal that fate.

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1 Caesar

Portrayed by Andy Serkis

Raised by humans, the liberator of apes is hated by some and worshiped by many. Caesar (Andy Serkis) was an orphaned chimpanzee raised by scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) after his intelligent mother was killed. But after a tragic misunderstanding, the poor chimp was sent to a primate facility. After realizing just how poorly the rest of human society treated his species, he decided to steal the drug that made him smart and share it with his fellow apes, help them escape, and lead them to freedom.

Throughout his trilogy of films, Caesar goes from a pet and test object to becoming a revolutionary, husband, father, leader, and even a messianic figure. While he faces many hardships, tragedies, and uneasy choices along the way, he ultimately achieves what he set out to do: create a society where apes can live in peace far from humans. The stunning visual effects and Andy Serkis’ performance make Caesar not only a compelling watch but also the most important and dynamic character in the entire franchise.

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