Marvel’s BEWARE THE PLANET OF THE APES Is A Satisfying Set Up For More Classic Continuity Stories

As Marvel’s Planet of the Apes prequel miniseries wraps up its four-issue run, readers are simultaneously left with a satisfying conclusion to the story, and a tease that the publisher is far from finished telling stories in the original Apes film continuity. Fans of the franchise, who have largely praised Beware the Planet of the Apes, can now only hope that it is not long before Marvel announces a follow-up.

Beware the Planet of the Apes #4 – written by Marc Guggenheim, with art by Álvaro López, color by Mattia Iacono, and lettering by Joe Caramagna – largely resolves the immediate conflicts set up in the previous three issues. However, the series’ lasting impression will most certainly be the gamechanging additions it made to Planet of the Apes lore.

Though geographically speaking, Beware stayed within the relatively small portion of the Planet introduced in the original films, the comic vastly expanded the universe of the classic timeline’s far-flung future Earth. Critically, it hinted at several ways Marvel can explore the world further.

Marvel’s Planet Of The Apes Prequel Delivered A Solid Conclusion

But Its Story Isn’t Over

From its opening panels to its very final image, Beware the Planet of the Apes was framed as a story taking place immediately prior to the arrival of human astronauts from the far past, as depicted in 1968’s Planet of the Apes. Crucially, rather than using the prequel as a pretext to avoid engaging with the continuity of the original movies, Beware made this a core tension underlying its narrative. The miniseries also directly engaged with Apes’ prior history at Marvel, by incorporating panels directly from the company’s adaptations of the early films, in what was ultimately its most dynamic creative move.

Beware’s creative team did not overdo the use of classic Planet of the Apes comic art; rather, they deployed it carefully, and sparingly, leading up to a sumptuous visual climax to this artistic device in the miniseries’ final issue. By using telepathic mutant-human characters, Beware positioned these glimpses of past comics as visions of near-future events in the Planet of the Apes universe. This gave the story a looming ticking clock, one that continued to count down even after the main story was resolved – and set the stage for the franchise’s next chapter.

As for the story told in Beware the Planet of the Apes’s four issues itself, the creative team executed a compelling, complete narrative, which used key original film characters in exciting new ways. Perhaps most notable was the way Beware gave future human character Nova a distinct arc, and a stronger sense of identity – quite literally, the miniseries gave her a voice she previously lacked. Beware the Planet of the Apes #4 pays this off in the midst of a fun, visually-exciting action climax, which effectively ties together the threads sown throughout the prior issues.

“Beware” Was A “What-If?” That Begs The Question: “What’s Next?”

Marvel Must Have Plans For Planet Of The Apes

In a way, Beware the Planet of the Apes had the feeling of Marvel’s classic “What-If?” stories, exploring an untapped potential story using familiar characters in some unexpected way. The series was based on the premise of depicting Dr. Zira and Dr. Cornelius on a previously unseen adventure, seeking to rescue Zira’s nephew Lucius – another character from the 1968 film – from the Forbidden Zone. There, they discovered a much more complex world than expected. Though Beneath the Planet of the Apes introduced subterranean mutated humans to the film canon, Beware added an above-ground, less antagonistic surviving human faction.

Beware also introduced a militaristic gorilla society, located not far from Ape City – and though the despotic gorillas were seemingly overthrown in Beware the Planet of the Apes #4, they now know of the existence of another ape society, and could quickly prove to be a major ongoing threat. That means, including the warhead-worshiping human-mutants from Beneath, there are at least four active factions in what used to be the New York tri-state area of North America alone. Beyond that lies a whole Planet teeming with potential for Marvel to explore – if they’re willing to subvert the ending of Beneath.

The Future Of The Planet Of The Apes Is Still To Be Determined

Beginning In An Ending

The final page of Beware the Planet of the Apes #4 features Dr. Zaius looking up at the sky, where he sees what appears to be “a falling star,” though he muses that it could be “a portent of things to come.” What he sees is, in fact, Taylor and his fellow astronauts crashing back to Earth. While the opening panel of the first issue declared it would happen “SOON,” the final moments of the comic prequel arrive at the opening of the film. Rather than “The End,” the final panel states: “The Beginning…”

This seems to confirm what readers have long expected, that Marvel is going to tell more stories in the original Planet of the Apes continuity. Beware ultimately told a satisfying, self-contained story, reacclimating fans to the world of the ’68 film, and widening its mythology for subsequent creators to do even greater things within. Marvel may still make major changes to the original film continuity, such as killing off Taylor early, or overwriting the ending of Beneath the Planet of the Apes, but readers will have to wait for a future series to find out.

Overall, Beware the Planet of the Apes seems to have set out to do everything it was intended to. The ripeness of the original Apes continuity for further exploration was showcased, the creative team took some exciting artistic and narrative swings, and classic characters were successfully reintroduced in an updated context. Together, this made Beware a perfect return to form for the Planet of the Apes franchise; now with it complete, the imminent trade paperback collection should be high on the rader for anyone who did not pick up the individual issues.

Beware the Planet of the Apes #4 (2024)
	Writer: Marc Guggenheim Artist: Álvaro López Colorist: Mattia Iacono Letterer: Joe Caramagna Cover Artist: Taurin Clarke

Planet of the Apes

Planet of the Apes is a multimedia sci-fi franchise that began in 1963 with Pierre Boulle’s novel, which was later adapted into a film in 1968 starring Charlton Heston. The success of the movie led to four sequels, two TV shows, a remake from Tim Burton, and a reboot trilogy. The Planet of the Apes franchise has also seen success in video games and comic books.