The Planet of the Apes reboot series reimagined the franchise with a mature, realistic take on its dystopian themes, but one twist from the original could take it in an exciting new direction. While the 1968 Statue of Liberty twist is iconic, later sequels expanded the world in fascinating ways that today’s films could revisit.

Ever since Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the reboot series has been sure to include clever nods and references to the much campier films from the 1960s and 1970s. Although many of the ideas explored in those films feel dated today, there’s one fascinating aspect relating to the subjugated human race that should come into play.

Beneath The Planet Of The Apes Revealed The Existence Of Telepathic Mutant Humans

The original 1968 Planet of the Apes was a thrilling retelling of the French satirist Pierre Boulle’s novel of the same name and was a thought-provoking exploration of themes surrounding politics, religion, and social hierarchy. The film was such a success that it kick-started a franchise that first continued with the sequel, Beneath the Planet of the Apes.

Following directly from what came before, Beneath the Planet of the Apes told the story of the astronaut Brent (James Franciscus), who’s been sent on a mission to rescue the missing George Taylor (Charlton Heston.) With noble intentions, Brent soon learns that the evolutionarily advanced apes are not even his greatest threat.

The iconic twist ending of Planet of the Apes revealed that civilization had been dismantled by nuclear warfare, with the ruins of the Statue of Liberty standing as one of the few relics left from that bygone era. This implied that humanity had been superseded by intelligent apes, and the remaining survivors had regressed into primitive, mute savages.

However, the story was not quite so simple, as Beneath the Planet of the Apes revealed a population of mutant, telepathic humans living underneath the surface of the Earth. These highly advanced humans were descendants of the survivors of a nuclear holocaust who worship an ancient nuclear bomb.

While these humans claim to be peaceful, they are seen using mind-control techniques and illusion on their enemies. When the mutant humans find themselves in conflict with the apes, these telepathic enтιтies detonate their ‘Divine Bomb’ as a last resort, even holding a quasi-religious ceremony in the process, and the film ends with the destruction of the planet.

The Franchise Has Mostly Ignored The Mutants’ Existence In Later Entries

The inclusion of these mutated humans was a strange anomaly in the Planet of the Apes film franchise, and the series has mostly ignored their existence moving forward. Later films in the original series refocused its attention on the chimpanzee scientists Cornelius and Zira, with the next sequel seeing them flee their timeline to travel back to 20th-century Los Angeles.

The lack of further exploration of the mutant humans in subsequent Planet of the Apes films is understandable, as the movie ended with the destruction of Earth, leaving little room for further stories within that timeline. The only way the series was able to continue was by going back to the past and seeing the apes arrive in contemporary times.

While the films have ignored the mutant humans ever since Beneath the Planet of the Apes, they did reappear in the Marvel Comics four-issue series Beware the Planet of the Apes. This miniseries was set just before the original film and expanded upon the mutants’ existence, and it was a satisfying way to revisit this dangling plotline.

The Reboot Series Should Bring Back This Long-Forgotten Piece Of Lore

The reboot film series has cataloged a sprawling reimagining of how apes became the dominant species on planet Earth. As the most recent installment, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was set many generations after the death of the revolutionary Caesar and is the first film set after primates have truly taken over.

This leaves the franchise in a difficult place moving forward, as new conflicts need to be introduced to keep things engaging and prevent the reboot series from becoming repeтιтive. One clever way to do this would be to integrate the long-forgotten lore of the mutant humans into the series and give the ape-led society a new threat to face.

How The Inclusion Of Mutant Humans Would Impact The Current Planet Of The Apes Series

Bringing mutant humans into the current Planet of the Apes series could reshape the franchise’s idenтιтy. While elements like telepathy and telekinesis might seem out of place in its grounded tone, the franchise’s history proves they aren’t unprecedented. Their return would expand the lore in bold new ways while staying true to the series’ roots.

While the next Ape film has yet to enter production, it is in development and set for release in 2027 (via Hollywood Reporter.) Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes ended with the question of whether humans and apes could coexist peacefully, and adding mutant humans as a new threat could bring these factions together with a common aim.

By revisiting the mutant humans, the Planet of the Apes reboot could move past the simple human versus ape narrative and add in complex themes relating to evolutionary advancement, technology, and even artificial intelligence. This risky move could also be very rewarding, as it honors the franchise’s idenтιтy while giving a new direction in which to evolve, pun intended.