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Alpha was a wild chimpanzee who lived in the West African Jungle and the leader of his troop. He was also the mate of the late Bright Eyes, the biological father of Caesar, the father-in-law of Cornelia, and the grandfather of Blue Eyes and Cornelius. He had a prominent white birthmark across his shoulder, like a shooting star.

Biography[]

While leading his troop through the jungles of West Africa, he and his troop were attacked by a group of poachers. Bright Eyes was captured and taken to Gen-Sys Laboratories in San Francisco for experimental research, where she was given the ALZ-112 drug which increased her mental capabilities.[1]

After two months, Bright Eyes gave birth to their son at the lab and soon went on a rampage fearing for the safety of the infant. She was shot dead, while their son, Caesar, was raised by his surrogate human father and scientist Will Rodman,. Caesar shared the same white shooting star birthmark on his shoulder. [2]

Legacy[]

In 2016, his son Caesar, became an alpha in his own right at the San Bruno Primate Shelter. Over the next decade, Caesar formed the San Francisco Ape Colony with apes from the San Bruno Primate Shelter, Gen-Sys, and the San Francisco Zoo.

Notes[]

  • The name Alpha refers to his rank as the dominant male of his troop of chimpanzees. Alpha's son, Caesar eventually became an alpha himself hence the connection to the titles of both father and son.
  • Alpha was not explicitly shown on-screen. However, actor Jay Caputo was credited with the part, and an earlier version of the script gave the character a more prominent role which was edited out of the theatrical cut of the film. A deleted scene on the Blu-ray release of the film reveals Alpha's possible fate, where he begins to chase the truck to try and rescue his mate but is shot by the hunters before he can get close. Bright-Eyes screams and looks on tearfully as Alpha lies dead.

Trivia[]

  • Alpha's trademark shooting star birthmark was passed down to his son, Caesar. The birthmark was not passed down to either one of Alpha's grandsons, Blue Eyes and Cornelius.
  • In the original Planet of the Apes films, Caesar had a son with Lisa whom they named Cornelius after Caesar's father while in the reboot films Caesar had a son with Cornelia (who is named in reference to Cornelius) whom they named Blue Eyes (for his blue eyes). Like the original Cornelius, Alpha did not live to see his grandchildren.

Image Gallery[]

References[]

Planet of the Apes - Chernin Entertainment Series
Planet of the Apes (CE) Movies
Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | War for the Planet of the Apes | Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Main Evolved Ape Characters
Caesar | Bright Eyes | Koba | Maurice | Rocket | Buck | Cornelia | Blue Eyes | Luca | Ash | Cornelius | Winter | Lake | Bad Ape | Red | Noa | Soona | Anaya | Raka | Koro | Proximus Caesar | Coastal Ape Colony Gorilla
Supporting Ape Characters
Alpha | Burke | Verdon | Tinker | Grey | Stone | Andy | Wolfie | Jeanpierre | Lucky | Koba's Mother | Sparrow | Pope | Fifer | Cora | Rex | Bon | Dallas | Milo | Herman | Spear | Ajax | Oak | Fox | Aghoo | Ursus | Percy | Beardface | Armando
Main Human Characters
Will Rodman | Charles Rodman | Caroline Aranha | Robert Franklin | Steven Jacobs | Dodge Landon | John Landon | Douglas Hunsiker | Malcolm | Ellie | Alexander | Dreyfus | Carver | Foster | Colonel McCullough | Nova | Mae
Supporting Human Characters
Rodney | John Hamil | Rita | Sarah | Maddy | John | Edward | Roger Mason | Werner | Kemp | Clancy Stoppard | Corbin | Daniel Nygun | David Flynn | Finney | Kuo | Malakai Youmans | Max (Firestorm) | McVeigh | Terry | Roger | Rod Wilson | Preacher | Boyle | Lang | Travis
Families
Rodman Family | Caesar's Family | Malcolm's Family | Rocket's Family | Dreyfus' Family
Animals
Horse | Elk | Grizzly Bear | Eagle
Items / Weapons
Simian Flu
Important Events / Battles
Ape Rebellion | Human-Ape War | Simian Flu Pandemic | Battle on the Golden Gate Bridge | Battle in San Francisco | Battle of Muir Woods Park | Attack on Ape Waterfall | Battle of the Border
Organizations / Colonies / Companies
San Francisco Ape Colony | Caesar's Council of Apes | Caesar's Ape Army | Gen-Sys Board | San Francisco's Human Colony | Dreyfus' Human Army | Malcolm's Group | Alpha-Omega | Donkeys | Florida Ape Colony | Rocky Mountains Ape Colony | Eagle Clan | Coastal Ape Colony
Locations
West African Jungle | San Francisco | San Francisco Zoo | Gen-Sys Laboratories | Rodman House | San Bruno Primate Shelter | Golden Gate Bridge | Muir Woods Park | Ape Mountain | Ape Gate | Ape Village | Caesar's Home | Warehouse | Ape Waterfall | The Border | Oasis
Comics
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (webcomic) | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Contagion | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (BOOM! Studios) | Before the Dawn | War for the Planet of the Apes (BOOM! Studios) | Planet of the Apes: The Time of Man | Planet of the Apes: The Simian Age | Planet of the Apes: Devolution
Novels
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Firestorm | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Official Movie Novelization | War for the Planet of the Apes: Revelations | War for the Planet of the Apes - Official Movie Novelization | Caesar’s Story
Other Books
Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: The Art of the Films
Soundtracks
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Soundtrack Album) | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Soundtrack Album) | War for the Planet of the Apes (Soundtrack Album)
Video Games
Plague Inc: Simian Flu | Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier | Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR
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