What happened to Cornelius, Caesar’s son in ‘Planet of the Apes’?

‘Planet of the Apes’ is one of the most representative sagas of the film industry for decades, with a multitude of outstanding installments and reboots. Created in 1963 by the eminent French writer Pierre Boulle, it became world famous in 1968 with the release of the mythical film starring Charlton Heston, which has one of the most memorable and iconic endings in the history of cinema. Aside from the 2001 film directed by Tim Burton, the most memorable reboot is the one that began in 2011 with ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes,’ which we are going to talk about, with Caesar as the protagonist and his son Cornelius, about whom many people do not know what happened.

The recent release of ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ has led people to believe that Cornelius is the protagonist, but nothing could be further from the truth as the movie takes place 300 years after the events of ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’. In this movie, the last of the previous trilogy, we are shown the great leader that Caesar is now after what happened in the second movie, and despite his intentions of peace, the Colonel, played by Woody Harrelson, leads an attack that kills Cornelia, Caesar’s wife, and Blue Eyes, his eldest son. Only Cornelius, Caesar’s youngest son, survives thanks to his hiding place.

The Fate of Cornelius in Planet of the Apes

The end of “War for the Planet of the Apes” shows us an emotional scene between Caesar and Cornelius, father and son, after the end of the conflict with the apes emerging victorious. Cornelius’ happiness is immense, even though he is unaware that his father is already dying from a mortal wound. A harrowing scene, but one that shows Cornelius as the heir to the legacy and empire forged by his father.