In the 1968 film *Planet of the Apes*, the ending is famously bleak, leaving almost every character in a worse position than they were at the start. The film’s "twist" reveals that the world is not a distant planet, but a post-apocalyptic Earth, which fundamentally shatters the motivations and status of the protagonists.
### **Who ends up worse?**
**1. George Taylor (Charlton Heston)**
* **At the Start:** Taylor begins the film as a cynical but highly capable astronaut. While he has a low opinion of humanity, he is physically free, holds a high rank, and is driven by the hope of finding something "better than man" in the stars.
* **At the End:** He ends the film in total psychological despair. He discovers that he never left Earth and that his own species destroyed the civilization he knew through nuclear war. He is now a man without a home, a time, or a future—trapped on a planet where his kind are considered "vermin."
* **Specific Detail:** The final shot of Taylor pounding the sand in front of the ruins of the Statue of Liberty symbolizes his complete loss of hope.
**2. Landon and Dodge (The Crew)**
* **At the Start:** They are elite astronauts on a mission of discovery.
* **At the End:** Both suffer fates significantly worse than Taylor’s. Dodge is shot and killed by the gorillas during the hunt and is later seen stuffed as a museum exhibit. Landon is captured and undergoes a lobotomy at the hands of Dr. Zaius to strip him of his intelligence and speech, leaving him a "living vegetable."
**3. Dr. Zira and Dr. Cornelius**
* **At the Start:** They are respected, albeit controversial, members of the scientific community. Zira is a senior veterinarian/psychologist and Cornelius is a leading archaeologist. They have status, careers, and each other.
* **At the End:** By helping Taylor, they are branded as heretics. Dr. Zaius destroys Cornelius’s archaeological evidence (the cave artifacts) that would have proven their theories of evolution. They are arrested, face a trial for scientific heresy, and are likely to be imprisoned or socially exiled.
* **Specific Detail:** Zaius tells them directly that their "heresy" has been noted and that he will ensure their "subversive" ideas are never shared.
**4. Dr. Zaius**
* **At the Start:** He is the Minister of Science and Chief Defender of the Faith, holding absolute power and maintaining a secret "truth" about human history to protect ape society.
* **At the End:** While he remains in power, his position is more precarious. He has had to commit a massive cover-up, blow up a sacred archaeological site, and allow a "talking human" to escape into the Forbidden Zone. He lives in increased fear that the "beast man" will one day return to destroy ape civilization as humans once destroyed their own.
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### **Who ends up better?**
**1. Nova (Linda Harrison)**
* **At the Start:** Nova is a primitive, mute human living in the wild, subject to being hunted, captured, or killed by the gorilla soldiers at any moment. She has no agency and lives as a literal animal.
* **At the End:** While she is still mute and the world is still a wasteland, her personal status has improved. She has been "domesticated" and protected by Taylor, who treats her with affection and provides for her safety. She has escaped the cages of Ape City and the immediate threat of the hunt.
* **Specific Detail:** She ends the film riding off with Taylor on horseback; while their future is uncertain, she has gained a protector who views her as a partner rather than livestock.
**2. Lucius (Zira’s Nephew)**
* **At the Start:** He is a young, idealistic chimpanzee who is frustrated by the rigid, dogmatic nature of the older generation (the "establishment").
* **At the End:** Although he faces potential trouble for his role in the escape, he has gained the ultimate "win" for a rebellious youth: he was proven right. He witnessed firsthand the proof that the elders were lying about the past. He ends the film with his integrity intact and his eyes opened to the truth of his society's corruption.