Highlights

• Ape characters in the Planet of the Apes franchise showcase a range of intelligence levels and moral compasses, leading to complex storylines.
• Intelligent and cunning characters like Maurice and Dr. Zaius play pivotal roles in shaping the outcomes of conflicts between apes and humans.
• The franchise explores themes of manipulation, intelligence, and morality through characters like Caesar, Koba, and Proximus Caesar.

The Planet of the Apes franchise is one of the longest-running series in cinematic history, and with the new release of Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, there are even more characters that have appeared across the franchise. With so many shifts in time periods throughout the films, there is a lot of turnover in characters, both ape and human.

With such a variety of faces in the series, it is no wonder that the Planet of the Apes films have featured some highly intelligent apes. Though many characters on both sides are blinded by hatred, many characters have shown their intelligence throughout the films, and more could be shown if the franchise were to continue expanding.

8 General Aldo

Almost Foiled Original Caesar

• Played By Claude Akins
• Appears In Battle For The Planet Of The Apes

There have been several apes throughout the franchise that prove themselves incapable of seeing the good in humanity, just as there have been humans incapable of seeing the good in apes. General Aldo appeared in the final film of the original series, a gorilla incapable of accepting peace with humans, even after the apes had proven themselves the dominant species.

The intelligence of Aldo was in his manipulations. He managed to set apes and humans against each other in a climactic battle by attacking and mortally wounding Caesar’s son and turning the apes to his cause by convincing them humans had done the deed. However, Aldo couldn’t see past his hatred, a blindness that showed ignorance despite his cunning, which led to his demise.

7 Maurice

Intelligent Without Modification

• Played By Karin Konoval
• Appears In Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes & War For The Planet Of The Apes

One of the few apes in the prequel trilogy that wasn’t shown to be much of a fighter, Maurice, was an orangutan who was already capable of sign language before any of the apes, besides Caesar, was capable of much intelligence. This showed a lot of capability, and Maurice was an important and loyal advisor to Caesar.

Despite not being a fighter, Maurice was a wise, kind figure who could make connections with anyone from either race and was always ready to give peace a chance. Such a wise, lovable, and kind figure has not often been seen in the series, but Maurice was a special and fascinating case who set himself apart.

6 Proximus Caesar

The Great Manipulator

• Played By Kevin Durand
• Appears In Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

The latest entry in the franchise, Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, showed a whole new world where tribes of apes have their own separate societies, and act as a ruling class over humanity. Proximus Caesar was a tribal leader who managed to twist the original teachings of Caesar to his own gain, a genius move considering the Messiah-like status achieved by Caesar.

This is a very realistic sort of villain. Proximus showed once again the surprising ways in which the Planet of the Apes films can have parallels to real events by showcasing the dangers of charismatic leaders such as Proximus Caesar, who was smart enough to know that finding old human technologies was the way to take further control of a broken world.

5 Dr Zaius

Cruel Genius Scientist

• Played By Maurice Evans
• Appears In Planet Of The Apes & Beneath The Planet Of The Apes

The original Planet of the Apes movie saw an ape society ruling over an enslaved human race. When astronaut George Taylor landed on the planet, it was Dr Zaius, a member of the ruling class in Ape City and an intelligent scientist, who was the foil to them. Zaius lobotomized Taylor’s surviving crewmate and tried to deny that there had ever been a human society with intelligence on the level of the apes’ current one.

However, it was later revealed that Zaius knew the whole time about the history of humans and the role apes had played in that society. Zaius managed to manipulate an entire civilization in hiding this information, requiring a lot of intelligence, although his blindness to the realities of what war could do to both races helped directly lead to the destruction of the entire Earth.

4 Koba

Ingenious But Blinded

• Played By Christopher Gordon/Toby Kebbell
• Appears In Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes & Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes

One of the most intelligent and fascinating villains in the Planet of the Apes movies is Koba. This character began as an ape being tested on, and his lust for vengeance was made apparent by the end of Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, but this manifested itself into betraying Caesar and his kind by starting a war with the humans in the sequel.

Koba was smart, and conniving, and had to be to pull off such a cruel plan. What’s worse is that, unlike other characters in the franchise, Koba’s planned war came to fruition even after his death, and resulted in the destruction of most of much of what remained of humanity, even as it led to huge losses for the apes.

3 Caesar

Able To See Past Hatred

• Played By Andy Serkis
• Appears In Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes & War For The Planet Of The Apes

Intelligence is difficult to define, but by any measure, Caesar is definitely one of the smartest. He grew up with incredibly intelligent humans who taught him well. He was the first ape to speak, and he became the leader of an army as well as a tribe. All of this shows the perfect blending of understanding both species, how to lead, and general intelligence.

Caesar had it all, and most impressive of all, he was able to hold himself together through incredible pain, both physical and mental, through the many losses of those close to him during the wars against humankind. Caesar was the strongest and one of the smartest apes seen throughout the series and the very best of the rebooted films.

2 Dr Cornelius

Genius And Kind-Hearted

• Played By Roddy McDowall
• Appears In Planet Of The Apes & Escape From The Planet Of The Apes

The original Planet of the Apes film saw some of the futuristic race being kind to the humans that crash-landed on their planet, including Dr Cornelius. Alongside his wife, Cornelius worked to try and understand humans better, and later to help George Taylor when they learned of his intelligence.

Despite their failures to save their planet, Cornelius was able to help his wife fix Taylor’s spaceship so they and their unborn child could escape, and after crash-landing in 1970’s Earth, the pair were also able to realize quickly the danger they were in from the distrustful humans of the time. Cornelius was a true genius like few seen from either race in the series.

1 Dr Zira

Smart Enough To See What Was Coming

• Played By Kim Hunter
• Appears In Planet Of The Apes, Beneath The Planet Of The Apes & Escape From The Planet Of The Apes

While it is difficult to say for sure who is the more intelligent out of Cornelius and Zira, there was one moment that made it clear Zira was the more cunning of the pair. Together, they were both involved in helping George Taylor, and Zira also helped Brent, who followed Taylor, in the sequel.

Together, they repaired Taylor’s ship, escaped their Earth, and landed in 1970s Earth. Together, they ran from the humans when they proved untrustworthy, but it was Zira who gave birth to their son, who would later become Caesar, and she was smart enough to understand they weren’t going to make it. As a result, she switched her baby with another chimp at the zoo, ensuring her son would survive. Zira was smart enough not only to achieve great things and kind enough to see the good in humans and apes but also wary enough to understand that the humans weren’t going to let them go unless they thought all of her family was dead.