AfterKingdom of the Planet of the Apes’surprising ending, Freya Allen may just be the actress to finally break a long-standing and frustrating trend that the modernPlanet of the Apeshas yet to rework. In 2024,Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesbecame the fourthinstallment in the contemporaryPlanet of the Apesfilm series. It centers onNoa, a young ape who is forced into action when his community is destroyed by another clanof vicious apes. The movie introduced many exciting elements to the franchise, but one of the greatest was a potential human uprising.
At theend ofKingdom of the Planet of the Apes,Mae and Noa go their separate ways, not quite friends, but not quite enemies. Noa returns to rebuilding his village, while Mae wanders into a field of massive, decrepit satellites. There,she makes contact with other intelligent humans who are trying to revive technologyto communicate. In this scene, it is implied that, regardless of how it looks, the apes have not fully taken over the Earth. More than that, the remaining intelligent humans are trying their hardest to regroup, and may potentially rise up against the apes.

Mae Has To Return In The Next Planet Of The Apes Movie After How Kingdom Ended
What Mae Adds To Planet Of The Apes
ConsideringhowKingdom of the Planet of the Apesended, it only makes sense that Mae will return in the next movie. Historically,the modernPlanet of the Apesmovies have included a revolving human cast, with every new movie getting a new cast. However, Mae’s character seems to set up a different pathway. Her anger against the apes and her passion for humanity make her far more compelling than any otherPlanet of the Apeshuman. Plus, because she connected with other humans, it would be logical for this story to continue into the following movie.
Mae & Noa’s Final Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Scene Explained By Director
Exclusive: Wes Ball explains that final scene between Noa and Mae in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and where the characters go from here.
Planet of the Apeshas introduced a number of compelling human characters over the years, but Mae is especially interesting. One reason for this is thatKingdom of the Planet of the Apesis one of the first modernPlanet of the Apesmovies to have far more apes than humans, so this makes Mae stand out. On top of that,Mae brings up several important questions about morality, history, and who deserves what kinds of privilege.Mae is neither a hero nor a villain, which makes her incredibly unique and different forPlanet of the Apes.

Why Planet Of The Apes’ Previous Trilogy Kept Changing The Human Cast Between Movies
The Positives (And Negatives) Of Planet Of The Apes' Changing Cast
Planet of the Apes’tendency to change its human cast may seem strange, but it actually has a very logical explanation. FromRise of the Planet of the ApestoKingdom of the Planet of the Apes,there are several massive time jumps.In the first three movies, audiences see Caesar go from a young ape to an adultto an elderly animal. Because of this, it didn’t make sense to keep certain characters because entire years had gone by. Furthermore, considering the state of the world, it could be assumed that thehuman characters were struggling to survive.
ThisPlanet of the Apestrend has come with strengths and weaknesses. By constantly changing the cast,viewers were able to meet a wide variety of different human characters, from Jason Clarke’s likable Malcolmto Woody Harrelson’s horrible Colonel. However, this also meant that beloved characters were discarded after just one movie and never heard from again.Kingdom of the Planet of the Apeswas especially brutal, since the ape cast changed as well. Because of this, it would be fascinating to see Mae remain in the franchise for more than one movie.

Mae Is Not A Hero In Planet Of The Apes, And That Makes Her Return Even More Exciting
Planet Of The Apes Has An Exciting Future Regardless
The best part of Mae’s potential return is that she is a wildcard character. As previously mentioned, she doesn’t present herself as a hero, because she is more concerned with her own aims than the apes. Yet, she isn’t exactly a villain either, as she forges a bond with Noa. Because of this,Mae could develop in countless directions in the nextPlanet of the Apesmovie. Arguably, she is exactly whatPlanet of the Apesneeds. On the cusp of more ape vs human conflict, it is important to have a character who can see both sides.
Humanity’s Future In The Planet Of The Apes Franchise After Kingdom Teased By Wes Ball
Exclusive: Director Wes Ball comments on what’s next for humanity after the surprising ending moments of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Regardless of whether Mae really does return inthe nextPlanet of the Apesmovie, the franchise is in a very exciting spot. Several generations after Caesar,the ape world has developed in multiple interesting ways, and will only get better as Noa grows into a leader, capable of taking on other ape communities. Plus, the addition of the humans will undoubtedly cause issues and obstacles to overcome. Hopefully, Mae will finally be able to break thisPlanet of the Apestrend to make the next movie even better.

