After Kingdom 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 modern Planet of the Apes has yet to rework. In 2024, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes became the fourth installment in the contemporary Planet of the Apes film series. It centers on Noa, a young ape who is forced into action when his community is destroyed by another clan of vicious apes. The movie introduced many exciting elements to the franchise, but one of the greatest was a potential human uprising.

At the end of Kingdom 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 mᴀssive, decrepit satellites. There, she makes contact with other intelligent humans who are trying to revive technology to 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

Considering how Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes ended, it only makes sense that Mae will return in the next movie. Historically, the modern Planet of the Apes movies 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 pᴀssion for humanity make her far more compelling than any other Planet of the Apes human. Plus, because she connected with other humans, it would be logical for this story to continue into the following movie.

Planet of the Apes has introduced a number of compelling human characters over the years, but Mae is especially interesting. One reason for this is that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is one of the first modern Planet of the Apes movies 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 for Planet 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. From Rise of the Planet of the Apes to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, there are several mᴀssive time jumps. In the first three movies, audiences see Caesar go from a young ape to an adult to 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 ᴀssumed that the human characters were struggling to survive.

This Planet of the Apes trend 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 Malcolm to 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 Apes was 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 next Planet of the Apes movie. Arguably, she is exactly what Planet of the Apes needs. On the cusp of more ape vs human conflict, it is important to have a character who can see both sides.

Regardless of whether Mae really does return in the next Planet of the Apes movie, 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 this Planet of the Apes trend to make the next movie even better.