Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes And X-Men '97 Have One Unexpected Similarity
Spoilers for "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" follow.
Koba (Toby Kebbell) from "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" is the best blockbuster villain of the 2010s. One of Caesar's (Andy Serkis) sapient apes, first introduced in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," Koba was a lab animal in a previous life. The brutal treatment left him scarred (both skin-deep and deeper) and hateful towards humans. In "Dawn," finally in a position to strike back, he attempts to assassinate Caesar so he can lead his misanthropic war.
Koba is much like Magneto, perennial foe of the X-Men, and another figure who believes peace with humanity is impossible because of his past trauma. It's not a one-to-one comparison, though, because Magneto is more noble than Koba. Magneto has done evil, but his goal is the prosperity of mutantkind. For Koba, the violence is the point; he wants humans to suffer, consequences be damned, and apes who don't share his bloodlust are killed too. Even if an alliance between humans and the apes could work, Koba wouldn't accept it. Magneto fights for mutants, while Koba — in Caesar's words — "fight[s] for Koba."
The latest sequel, "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," jumps ahead 300 years and introduces a new villain: Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). Like Koba, Proximus is a bonobo, and I can't imagine that choice was coincidental. If Koba inherited Magneto's painful backstory, Proximus inherited his vision — and his megalomania.
Proximus Caesar twists Caesar's words in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
The previous "Ape" movies explored divisions between these sentient simians, but through the lens of social class. In the upside-down world Taylor (Charlton Heston) finds himself in during the 1968 original "Planet of the Apes," orangutans are leaders, gorillas soldiers, and chimpanzees thinkers. The ape species are not equal, but they exist as a single civilization under one law and god.
"Kingdom" does something different and its intent is laid bare in that title. If apes had become the dominant species across the world, then of course there would be different ape cultures/nations across the land. Proximus leads a more militant and advanced clan that perverts the teachings of Caesar and enslaves the Eagle Clan to which our lead Noa (Owen Teague) belongs. "Apes Together Strong" — so all apes must live together under Proximus Caesar's rule.
The theme in every "Planet of the Apes" movie is that the apes and humans aren't all that different. As the apes evolve, they repeat man's past sins. Conquering your less powerful neighbors and twisting ancient words for your own benefit? That sounds pretty human to me. Indeed, Proximus aspires to be even more human: to beat men at their own game.
Planet of the Apes and X-Men are linked by a theme of evolution
In "Kingdom," apes are still far from humanity's peak. The Eagle Clan, at least, has no system of writing. Proximus craves the knowledge and technology that humans once wielded, so his short-term goal is cracking open a "vault" (the armored door to a derelict military base) he knows holds such secrets.
Proximus explains his ambition to Noa that unless apes evolve further, humans will rise up to restore the old way of the world. If Koba mirrored the part of Magneto who can't let go of his past, then Proximus is the part of Magneto who sees the future. Genosha, the thriving mutant nation wiped out in "X-Men '97," was the culmination of Magneto's vision. Proximus wants to build his own kingdom in that vein for apes.
Mae (Freya Allan) ultimately proves that Proximus' warnings to Noa are accurate. She is part of a group of intelligent humans working to take back the Earth. In their quest to do so, the apes will be their adversary. Both "X-Men" and "The Planet of the Apes" explore a version of evolution where humanity is on the losing end. In both settings, mankind refuses to go down gently and will kill their competitors to stay on top. Noa even tells Mae "Proximus was right" about humans. Perhaps Proximus, too, will get his very own meme.
"Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" is playing in theaters.