Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Credits Have A Sneaky Hint For The Sequel
This article contains spoilers for "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes."
The spectacular "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" (read our review here) goes against the grain of one particular blockbuster trend these days: there are no extra scenes during the credits to set up the next installment of the long-running sci-fi franchise. Yes, the story does have a few dangling narrative threads that can be followed up with another movie, but none of them require any further teeing up. However, that doesn't mean "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" credits are without a tease for something in the franchise's future.
If you happen to stick around to the very end of the rolling credits for "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," not only will you have paid respect to the hundreds of people who brought this film to life, especially the visual effects artists delivering dazzling imagery in every single frame, but you will also notice a little audio cue that just might tease the uncertain fate of a particular character we're introduced to in the movie. But in order to elaborate on this, we have to venture into major spoiler territory, so don't go any further if you haven't seen "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, unless you have no concern about spoilers.
Raka may not be dead
Raka is one of the many new ape characters we're introduced to in "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes." Played by Peter Macon ("The Orville"), Raka describes himself as the last of a loyal following of apes who remember the true legacy of Caesar (even though Andy Serkis is long gone from the franchise). You can see evidence of that loyalty in the necklace he wears, featuring the symbol that represents Caesar and his ape followers, inspired by the window he used to look out of in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes."
When we meet Raka, his fellow ape companion has just been killed by the ape henchman of Proximus Caesar, the tyrannical king glimpsed in the trailers and played magnificently by Kevin Durand. But he's still dedicated to protecting the books and important information he keeps in his forest dwelling (which is actually part of a major city overtaken by the land). That includes the fact that while Proximus Caesar claims to be acting in the name of Caesar, he represents anything but the principles of the late, great ape leader.
Raka immediately takes an interest in Noa, the film's main character played by Owen Teague, who is pursuing these ruthless apes who attacked and burnt down his village, killed his father, and captured his entire clan. He's all the more fascinated with Noah when he realizes that a young human woman (Freya Allen of "The Witcher") is following his new ape acquaintance. Soon, Noa learns much about the world that he was not aware of. So many years have passed since the time of Caesar that entire generations of apes have no knowledge of his existence. Noa's village elders never informed them of Caesar or even seemed to be aware that humans and apes once co-existed, with humans as the dominant species and apes as silent animals in their world.
Raka has much knowledge and wisdom to instill in Noa, and he's a wonderful character in "Kingdom," so it's a true loss when he ends up being washed away in a raging river when they're cornered by Proximus Caesar's goons halfway through the movie. We're left to believe Raka dies, as he imparts his last words to Noa: "Together. Strong."
However, there is hope for Raka's survival, thanks to a sneaky credits tease.
The sounds of an orangutan are heard
Despite not having a credits scene, the very end of the "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" credits has a well-placed audio cue that is too specific to be meaningless. The audio is the unmistakable and distinct sound of an orangutan barking. It's the same sound we heard Raka make several times during "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," and the same sound Maurice could be heard making throughout the previous "Apes" movie trilogy with Caesar by his side.
To place this specific sound at the very end of the credits has to be a hint that Raka will return in a potential follow-up to "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes." For such a rich character with valuable knowledge and an important connection to the previous trilogy to be done away with so quickly would be a shame, and I'm confident Raka will be back in the future.
Here's to hoping enough people show up to see "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" in theaters this weekend, so we can see what happens next.