Rise of the Planet of the Apes/Characters

Will Rodman
A young, brilliant biochemist and creator of the ALZ-112 and -113 drugs. He adopts Caesar in order to study the effects that the ALZ-112 had upon Caesar and serves as a surrogate father to the ape. Played by James Franco.


 * Decoy Protagonist
 * The Caretaker: for his father.
 * For Science!
 * Hot Scientist
 * Papa Wolf

Charles Rodman
""No way to live...no way to live?""

Will's father who is afflicted with Alzheimer's. He is the reason Will created the ALZ-112 and is also the one who named Caesar. Played by John Lithgow.


 * Cool Old Guy
 * Flowers for Algernon Syndrome
 * Nice Guy
 * Team Dad

Caroline Aranha
""I love chimpanzees. I'm also afraid of them...and it's appropriate to be afraid of them.""

A veterinarian for the San Francisco Zoo and Will's girlfriend. Played by Freida Pinto.


 * Kindly Vet
 * Hospital Hottie
 * Hot Scientist
 * We Need a Distraction
 * What Happened to the Mouse?

Steven Jacobs
""You make history. I...make...money.""

The head of GenSys. He is funding Will's research, but he's only interested in the money that would result from the ALZ-112 and -113. Played by David Oyelowo.


 * Big Bad
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive
 * Evil Brit
 * Only in It For the Money
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist
 * Only in It For the Money
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist

John Landon
""They're not people, y'know.""

The owner of the primate sanctuary. Initially a helpful and friendly enough guy, in reality he's a shrewd and immoral opportunist. Played by Brian Cox.


 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
 * Cool Shades
 * Only in It For the Money
 * The Stoic
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: He doesn't seem to like his son that much.
 * Who would?
 * What Happened to the Mouse?

Dodge Landon
""Take your stinkin' paws off me, you damn, dirty ape!""

The son of John Landon, Dodge works at the primate sanctuary. Sadistic and petty, he's especially cruel to Caesar.Played by Tom Felton.


 * The Bully
 * Evil Is Petty: Dodge reacts to the apes as if they're human beings who are laughing at him.
 * Jerkass
 * Large Ham
 * Hoist by His Own Petard:
 * Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
 * Shout-Out: Dodge gets two of Charlton Heston's hammiest lines from the original.
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy
 * Shout-Out: Dodge gets two of Charlton Heston's hammiest lines from the original.
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy

Robert Franklin
""He's not a monkey; he's an ape.""

Will's good-hearted assistant at GenSys. Played by Tyler Labine.


 * Butt Human
 * Nice Guy

Hunsiker
Will's short-tempered neighbor. Hunsiker tends to react with anger and violence towards any situation, even if it means overreacting. Played by David Hewlett.


 * Butt Monkey
 * Jerkass
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Hot-Blooded

Rodney
A weak but compassionate worker at the primate sanctuary. Played by Jamie Harris.


 * Butt Monkey
 * Merciful Minion
 * Punch Clock Villain
 * Oh Crap: Cornered by angry apes, and the door doesn't open...
 * Oh Crap: Cornered by angry apes, and the door doesn't open...

Caesar


The main protagonist. His mother was subjected to ALZ-112 when she was still pregnant with him, resulting in him inheriting the effects and becoming super intelligent. Caesar was raised by Will until an attack on Hunsiker forced the police to place him in the primate sanctuary, where he seized control of the apes and planned his rebellion against the humans who had wronged him. Played by Andy Serkis.


 * Actor Allusion: Caesar bites the finger of Hunsiker in a fit of rage.
 * A Protagonist Shall Lead Them
 * Break the Cutie
 * Broken Bird
 * Combat Pragmatist
 * Coming of Age Story
 * The Dog Bites Back
 * Guile Hero
 * Green Eyes
 * The Captain
 * The Hero
 * I Choose to Stay: Chooses to remain in confinement in order to free the other apes rather than go back home with Will.
 * It Can Think
 * Naive Newcomer: When he first arrives at the primate "sanctuary".
 * Never Trust a Trailer: Most of them will make you think that Caesar is the film's villain.
 * Thou Shalt Not Kill
 * Serkis Folk
 * Smart Apes Play Chess
 * The Strategist
 * Unstoppable Rage: Except if it means killing.
 * You Can Talk?: He asks it to Maurice when the orangutan uses sign language to communicate with him.
 * Unstoppable Rage: Except if it means killing.
 * You Can Talk?: He asks it to Maurice when the orangutan uses sign language to communicate with him.

Maurice
""Apes stupid.""

An orangutan who is Caesar's first ally. Having been part of a circus before arriving in the primate sanctuary, Maurice is the only other ape who knows sign language. Played by Karin Konoval.


 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Genius Bruiser
 * Not So Stoic: When he sees an ape shot off the Golden Gate bridge, he gets very angry.
 * Serkis Folk
 * Shout-Out: He is a wise orangutan, the species that formed the intellectual elite in ape society in the original films, and is named after actor Maurice Evans, who played Dr. Zaius.
 * The Smart Guy

Rocket
The original leader of the apes in the primate sanctuary, a bald male chimpanzee. He initially challenges Caesar but accepts his leadership after being defeated by him. Played by Terry Notary.


 * Defeat Means Friendship
 * The Lancer
 * Serkis Folk

Buck
A male silverback gorilla that Caesar befriends at the primate sanctuary. Buck helps Caesar seize control of the apes from Rocket after being freed by the intelligent chimp. Played by Richard Ridings.


 * Ape Child: Watch the scene when he first touches un-cemented ground in a very long time. He's bursting in joy!
 * The Big Guy
 * I Owe You My Life: He becomes a trusted underling of Caesar after he freeds him from his small cage.
 * Killer Gorilla
 * Serkis Folk
 * Shout-Out: Named after Buck Kartalian, who played gorilla characters in Planet of the Apes and Conquest of the Planet of the Apes.
 * Undying Loyalty
 * Shout-Out: Named after Buck Kartalian, who played gorilla characters in Planet of the Apes and Conquest of the Planet of the Apes.
 * Undying Loyalty

Koba
""J-A-C-O-B-S""

An old, angry, scarred bonobo with a long history as an experimentation subject and the first ape at GenSys to be tested with the ALZ-113. He has a special hatred for GenSys' CEO, Steve Jacobs. Played by Christopher Gordon.


 * Anti-Hero: Type V
 * Being Tortured Makes You Evil
 * Evil Genius: Possibly. He was chosen to test the -113 after displaying his cunningness.
 * Evil Scars
 * Meaningful Name: "Koba" was the nickname used by Stalin before the Russian Revolution
 * Obviously Evil
 * Serkis Folk
 * Sixth Ranger
 * Token Evil Teammate