Is Noa Related to Caesar in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes? (2024)

When fans heard Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes wouldn't directly be tied to Caesar, many were skeptical. They hoped that the fourth movie in the reboot would have his son, Cornelius, carrying on his legacy or at least through another descendant.

Instead, director Wes Ball looked towards Noa for this distant sequel. This new ape has a fresh story, but fans thought the marketing and trailers hid a possible connection to Caesar's dynasty. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes does provide an answer regarding Noa's relationship with Caesar while making him just as important on his own merits.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on August 27, 2024: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is finally available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu, allowing audiences to experience the beginning of the next chapter of the hit dystopian franchise from the comfort of home. Upon a rewatch, fans still have questions about the new Planet of the Apes movie and its main character, Noa, played by Owen Teague.

Throughout Kingdom's nearly 2.5-hour-long runtime, nothing connects the two apes in blood relation. Noa is simply from a tribe of climbers 300 years after Caesar died in War for the Planet of the Apes. Fans may have expected a bombshell revelation after the film opened with Maurice cremating Caesar. But that's just to set the tone and confirm Caesar is now a myth and legend in the new era of this Planet of the Apes canon.

Noa does have a scar on his chest like Caesar, but it's only due to him being electrocuted by the gorilla, Sylva — the same one who kills his father, Koro, and enslaves Noa's family and clan. This puts Noa on a revenge mission, just like Caesar in his three movies when he lost friends and family to various villains, humans and apes alike. In that sense, they are spiritually related rather than through DNA. They have a will of fire and tremendous resilience and know how to be ruthless when the situation demands.

Noa Struggles With Killing, Just Like Caesar

Noa does have another thing in common with Caesar: his moral and ethical code. Caesar suffered from trauma and felt like a hypocrite when he had to kill other apes like the traitorous Koba. He was even haunted by Koba's ghost since he knew he told everyone apes shouldn't harm apes. This was why, when Caesar died, he felt a sense of relief. It was a burden having to kill members of his own species time and time again.

Noa has the same issue. He is taken aback when he sees his human ally, Nova, killing a man so he doesn't snitch to the new villain, Proximus Caesar. He is mentally shaken when dumping the body overboard into the sea. Noa later decides not to kill Sylva when the bunker they're in floods. He leaves it up to fate, with the waters washing the gorilla away. Even after Sylva killed his friend, Raka, he wouldn't sink to that level. It's ironic because Sylva drowned Raka and gloated earlier.

Caesar showed forgiveness of sorts as well with Woody Harrelson's Colonel. He knew the Colonel had the Simian Flu and was losing his humanity, so he left him to shoot himself. It was mercy and these apes taking back control of their lives by letting villains know a hero shouldn't sink to their depraved, monstrous level. These acts washed the red from both ledgers, reminding the apes that in the many moments of darkness, they can look to the light within, and be better without spilling their kind's blood.

Noa Accepts a New Destiny Like Caesar Did

Caesar never wanted to be a leader. He just wanted to flee civilization and form a society — one that would even welcome humans like his mute Nova. In time, however, Caesar realized he had to step up to care for his wife, Cornelia, and his children like Blue Eyes. He had to train them and use other allies like Maurice and Rocket to protect them against spies in their camp, or apes who preferred to seek out power with humans. This turned Caesar into a freedom fighter and symbol.

Raka elaborated on this before his death, admitting he was part of the Order of Caesar. Unfortunately, these followers have died out, which means that when Raka passes, Caesar's legacy seems to die with him. But Noa takes on a destiny that pretty much follows Caesar. He saves his clan, frees other tribes, and rises to the Master of Birds when he has eagles murder Proximus. He has accepted his father's mantle, avenged his death, and is now tasked with rebuilding his village. But as he tells the treacherous Nova in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' ending, he won't stop until he protects all apes. Apes, after all, are stronger together, which was Caesar's mantra.

Noa will fight back, even against Nova. Little does he know she is stringing together a human coalition to take back the planet. Nonetheless, she fears his might, intelligence, altruism, and how his legend will spread. She can tell this is another heroic Caesar inspired by Raka's words, and she's right. Noa went from trying to impress his father to being a leader who killed a tyrant, and who knows what is needed to keep his species alive: a more vicious edge. He has no ego either, which matches Caesar's humility in life. Both he and Noa watched avarice, vanity, and narcissism create and upend so many thugs.

It stands to reason they want to become the opposite; the antithesis to assist in preserving their people. As a result, what began as a small mission to rescue innocents snowballed into something bigger in both sagas. Caesar didn't ask for this position, and neither did Noa, but both are selfless enough to put their safety second and their people first. This builds tension and a grueling war in the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sequel. Noa and Nova saved each other and came off like siblings. But now, just like Caesar had to make tough calls to hunt his own, Noa has to do the same. Heavy is the head that wears this crown of revolution.

Could Noa Begin a New Order of Caesar?

Noa might not want to be Caesar, but he respects him since he embodies and upholds his values, setting up an intriguing way of keeping the Order alive. If Raka existed, hidden in the woods, new parts of the forest could have other members who passed down Caesar's teachings. Some of these acolytes may have descended from Cornelius' camp, too. With Noa needing allies, he can roam, explore and find these disciples to restart their group by mixing old values with the new.

They can easily see him as the Second Coming of Caesar. It would be tantamount to when Rey became the last Skywalker, proving that one doesn't need that family's bloodline to turn into the Jedi savior in Star Wars. This approach eliminates that monarch vibe, where royal blood is consolidated and power is kept to a select few. The Order and Noa can show that anyone can be Caesar once they are willing to do the right thing. This can also be seen as a Spartacus approach as well.

This way, Caesar's message lives on, Cornelius and his era get their shine, and Noa transcends into something bigger. It's a simple creative strategy that doesn't bog down continuity. It keeps the Order's personality intact and adds character to Noa. Ultimately, Ball's planned trilogy doesn't need a Caesar, but the prospective Planet of the Apes series has a remarkable replacement and spiritual successor in the virtuous Noa.

Who Are Caesar's Real Descendants?

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes takes place around 300 years after Caesar died in War for the Planet of the Apes, leaving plenty of room for generations to come and go until the wise ape leader is little more than a distant legend. In the latest film, a bonobo chimpanzee declares himself the trueborn descendant of Caesar, adopting the title of Proximus Caesar and leading a kingdom of apes in a hunt for evolved human technology. However, it's implied that Proximus is not a descendant of Caesar, but rather a pretender who twists his predecessor's memory for his glory. Nevertheless, Caesar's true descendants are still out there somewhere.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes opens with a flashback to Caesar's funeral. In this sequence, the film makes a point to ensure that Cornelius, Caesar's youngest son, is shown, reminding audiences that the hero's legacy lives on in his descendants. The film never reveals what happened to Cornelius after his father's death, but it can be assumed that he lived to adulthood and eventually fathered children of his own. After 300 years, it might be impossible to determine Caesar's real ancestors. However, as the only surviving son of Caesar, these descendants would have to be sired through Cornelius. The next Planet of the Apes film could reveal who these individuals are, perhaps finally confirming that Noa is indeed a descendant of Caesar after all.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

6

10

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Generations after the reign of Caesar, the apes have established numerous clans and live in a structured society while humans have been reduced to feral survivors. A young chimpanzee named Noa embarks on a journey that challenges everything he knows about his world. As Noa navigates through the complexities of ape politics and human interactions, he confronts Proximus Caesar, a tyrannical leader who seeks to exploit ancient human technology for power. The film explores Noa's internal struggle and the external conflicts that arise as he makes choices that will shape the future of both apes and humans.

Director

Wes Ball

Release Date

May 10, 2024

Cast

Kevin Durand , Freya Allan , Peter Macon , Owen Teague , Eka Darville , Sara Wiseman , Neil Sandilands

Writers

Patrick Aison , Josh Friedman , Rick Jaffa , Amanda Silver

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Franchise

Characters By

Prequel

Cinematographer

Producer

Production Company