Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes ending explained

With Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes in cinemas now, here’s everything you need to know about the ending of the movie, as well as who dies and if there’s a post-credits scene. 

Director Wes Ball’s Planet of the Apes movie is set 300 years after the reign of Caesar, centering on Noa (Owen Teague), a young chimpanzee who is forced to embark on a journey after his clan comes under attack. 

If you’re a fan of the long-running sci-fi franchise, the new movie is well worth checking out. As we said in our four-star review, “epic visuals, a compelling narrative, and excellent performances” make this a “summer blockbuster you won’t want to miss.”

There’s a lot going on in the narrative, so if you need a breakdown of everything that happens, here’s the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes ending explained. Warning: Major spoilers ahead!

How does Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes end?

At the ending of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Proximus Caesar is defeated, Noa and his clan are free, and Mae brings a key piece of technology back to her people, allowing them to power up a series of satellites and communicate with other humans like them. 

At the start of the movie, Noa and his community live peacefully in the luscious oasis Caesar led his fellow simians to. They’re known as the Eagle Clan, as a long-running coming-of-age tradition is for chimps to obtain an eagle egg; when the bird is born, it’s the owner’s responsibility to train the eagle as their companion and hunter, calling them back with a unique chant. 

Initially, Noa and his besties, Anaya (Travis Jeffery) and Soona (Lydia Peckham) are on their egg hunt. But their peace is disrupted when the clan is attacked in the middle of the night by a group of bad primates called “Masks.” While some are killed, the rest of the clan – including Noa’s mother and best friends – are kidnapped. 

He goes on a quest to find his community, meeting a friendly orangutan named Raka (Peter Macon) along the way. Raka remembers the teachings of Caesar as they were supposed to be remembered, and educates Noa about his strength and compassion for both primates and humans. 

One night, while taking a rest, a young female human who’s been following Noa turns up. They nickname her Nova (a reference to the character of the same name in War for the Planet of the Apes). They give her food and shelter, assuming she is a primitive human like the others. 

This all changes during a conflict with the Masks when “Nova” jumps out to warn Noa of impending danger. He and Raka later learn that she’s like them — she’s intelligent, she can talk, and her name is Mae (Freya Allan). Mae explains that she knows where the Masks have taken his clan, as it’s where she’s headed too: a human settlement. 

Along the way, it’s revealed that a tyrannical bonobo named Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand) has twisted the teachings of the great ape leader. He’s been gathering up fellow primates to capture as his slaves, forcing them to be his kingdom’s subjects and carry out his biddings.

Noa and Mae are captured and taken to a coastal area (the visual effects are incredible here) where there’s a silo containing advanced human technology. Proximus forces his captors to try and break into the vault; he wants his hands on the technology, claiming humans can’t be trusted. But Mae isn’t going to let that happen. 

Mae, Noa, and co. work together to set up an explosive device in a bid to destroy the vault. Before they set it off, they get into the silo first. Inside are military vehicles and weapons, as well as books that confirm something Noa didn’t believe before: humans used to be the more intelligent beings, until the Simian Flu hit. 

The main reason Mae is there is to retrieve what appears to be a modem. Once she finds it, they open the vault door and trigger the bomb to destroy the contents and avoid having them snatched by Proximus. However, when the entrance opens, they’re confronted with the evil king and his henchmen. He forces Noa to make a choice of who to kill: Mae or Soona.

But Mae intercepts by shooting the primate holding Soona and setting off the explosive, causing a dam to break and the seawater to flow through. Chaos ensues as they all run into the silo, with Noa encouraging his clan to climb. Following the conflict, Noa manages to escape to the top of a cliff, where he finds his terrified clan and Proximus Caesar. 

Proximus proceeds to beat Noa, and initially, it looks like he’s winning. But after noticing his community’s eagles circling, he starts to chant. His peers start chanting with him and their eagles attack Proximus, causing him to fall off the cliff. 

In their final interaction, Mae arrives to say goodbye to Noa, but she’s secretly holding a gun behind her back, showing that she still doesn’t trust the apes. And the feeling is reciprocated after her actions nearly get his clan killed. But Noa remembers what Raka taught him about Caesar.

“If Raka were here, he would tell us his Caesar would have much to say on this. Was he right? Can ape and human live together?” he asks, to which Mae replies, “I don’t know.” Noah gives her the necklace Raka previously gifted him, featuring the original Caesar’s emblem. 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has a happy ending for Noa, who helps to rebuild his home with his mother, friends, and his new girlfriend Soona.

Meanwhile, Mae returns to the human settlement with the modem (remember that?), and herein lies the twist: there’s a group of intelligent humans who are working on rebooting an old satellite system. Using the device Mae retrieved, they’re able to fire up the satellites and make contact with another group of humans just like them. 

The ending could very well segue into a sequel; perhaps the humans will come together to re-establish their population, causing tensions between them and the apes and driving conflict once more. We’ll just have to wait and see. 

Who dies in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes?

Alongside Proximus Caesar, the main character deaths in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes are Eagle Clan elder and Noa’s father Koro, and his pal and Caesar scholar Raka. 

The first to go is, tragically, Noa’s dad. A strong and respected leader, he passes the traditions and knowledge down to the generations below. When the Masks attack their home, Koro (Neil Sandilands) sets his eagle free so it can fly to safety, before risking his own life to save his son. In the aftermath of the attack, Noa discovers that his father didn’t make it. 

Next is one of the toughest deaths of the new movie, which unfolds as Raka, Noa, and Mae are on their travels, trying to make it to the settlement. They come to some white rapids and must cross a bridge, but before they make it to the other side, they’re intercepted by a group of Masks.

When Mae falls into the water, Raka goes to save her, and during a scuffle, the rope he’s holding onto is cut and he gets pulled away by the rapids, never to be seen again. Of course, he might have survived, but he’s assumed dead for the rest of the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. 

Last but not least is the aforementioned death of Proximus Caesar, who gets driven off the cliff edge by the Eagle Clan’s flying warriors. 

Is there a post-credits scene in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes?

No, there isn’t a mid- or post-credits scene in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, meaning once the credits start rolling, you’re free to leave the theater if you wish. 

Filmmaker Wes Ball told Dexerto that he and the team have “hopes and desires” for making more Planet of the Apes movies, and that they have a “bunch of ideas.” The chances are that Kingdom is the start of a new trilogy, but until this is confirmed, it makes sense that there’s no tease for the next story at the end of the film. 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is in UK cinemas now, and will be dropping in cinemas across the US on May 10. For more, check out the best movies of 2024 so far, as well as the biggest box office hits of the year.