Gorilla Guard

The Gorilla Guard served as a branch of the ape military under the command of Luca. They consist of a formidable group of gorillas, mainly tasked with safeguarding the ape community, including the ape ruler Caesar and his kin. They are a protagonist faction in the Planet of the Apes series by Chernin Entertainment.

History[]

Background[]

While Caesar and his allies were establishing their Ape colony in the Muir Woods, the Gorilla Luca proposed the creation of the Gorilla Guard to serve as protection for the Colony, partially inspired by the gorilla Buck, who led the gorillas during the Ape rebellion. Caesar expanded the idea, and Luca was made Chief of the Guard. All Guardians were stationed at the front entrance of the Ape Village, where they lived in huts. They became largely successful at keeping the village safe from outsiders, and were regarded as village protectors. Some members would join the Ape army when they went out Hunting.

Over the next 10 years, the Gorilla Guard grew in numbers and became a powerful legion of the Ape Army, though they would have one traitor during those ten years when a gorilla named Rex joined the ape army lieutenant Pope's uprising against Caesar. However, they would be defeated, and Rex was killed. Whenever a member passed away, the male and female Guardians would teach their children about becoming a Guardian when they reach adulthood.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes[]

Luca and the guard took part in the deer hunt with Caesar and the ape army. They later carried the bear that Koba killed back to the village.

Luca encountered Malcolm at the village gates and quickly called for the other gorillas to join him. Surrounded by Luca and at least 18 other gorillas, Malcolm was captured and brought to Caesar. They awaited their ruler's judgement on theihuman intruder and bore witness to Caesar allowing Malcolm to show them the San Francisco Dam.

When Koba usurped Caesar, and blamed his supposed death on the humans, the Gorilla Guard followed his command and marched into the city, taking part in the attack on the Human Colony. During the battle, Luca and three other guardians tried to use a ram to bring the human colony gate down before Koba hijacked a tank using it to destroy the gate allowing the rest of the army to enter the colony. After the fierce battle, the ape army with Koba as their new acting king, took control of the city, killing or imprisoning any remaining humans.

After the battle, Luca was chained up with other followers of Caesar due to his loyalty to the ape king, leaving the gorilla guard temporarily without a leader. The prisoners would later be freed by Caesar's son, Blue Eyes, who (upon learning of his father's survival at being shot by Koba, and not humans) took the now freed apes back to the Rodman House where they met up with Caesar. Caesar, greeting his remaining followers led them into the city to overthrow Koba and free the other apes of his terrible influence before it led to an all-out war. After aiding Caesar in defeating Koba, the guardians were reunited with the rest of the colony and were seen bowing down to their leader as he prepared the other apes for the war with humanity.

War for the Planet of the Apes: Revelations[]

When a battalion sent by the Northern Military arrived on their battleship, gorilla guardians led by Ajax, and Chimp scouts led by Ape army lieutenant Branch, engaged in a firefight with the battleship from the Golden Gate Bridge. Though they lost five apes, including Branch, they succeeded in forcing the ship to fall back. Later, the same group attacked the military's camp at the beach where the ship was docked. They succeeded in destroying two of their main cannons, and the ship pulled off the shore. However, many of the chimp soldiers were killed, and they were forced to retreat as well.

Caesar then assigned the Gorilla Guard to protect the Females and Children while the rest of the Ape Army battled the Military. After the building next door to their safe house was burnt down, The Guard led the females and children back to the woods. During this time, Gorilla Guardian Red and Koba Loyalist Grey began a plot to overthrow Caesar in Koba's name. Manipulating gorilla guardians Oak, Aghoo, and Olo, and other chimp scouts to their cause, they incapacitated Ajax, Winter, and all guardians that wouldn’t join them, and killed guardian Ursus. However, Ajax escaped, and Oak was sent to capture him. Red and Grey also sent Aghoo to kill Blue Eyes and Rocket while they were out on a journey to find a safe haven for the colony from the war, but he would be killed by them in the process.

Ajax would soon die after being injured by two other chimp scouts named Flint and Shell. Witnessing his death, Oak would be deeply impacted by Flint's dying words to the ape queen Cornelia, and reformed back to Caesar's side. Oak, and a female chimp named Maple, then accompanied Cornelia back to the Apes, assisting her in taking back control from Red and the Koba Loyalists. Oak then freed the Guardians, and they went back to serving Caesar. Aghoo would also be killed by humans while on a mission with other loyalists to kill Blue Eyes and Rocket.

The Ape Colony then relocated to a temporary home in a cavern system under a waterfall. All Guardians were tasked with protecting their new home.

War for the Planet of the Apes[]

Two Years into the War, Red and other Koba Loyalists joined the military battalion led by Colonel McCullough called Alpha-Omega, and assisted them in the war against Caesar's ape colony. Sometime before this, a gorilla named Brutus deserted the colony with the ape Khan and many other apes that decided to leave San Francisco to escape from the war.

After a battle between the Apes and Human soldiers at one of their trenches in the woods, the Apes apprehended four of the humans, including Red. During an interrogation, Red threatened Caesar that the Colonel will destroy all Apes, before he was knocked down by Spear. Luca ordered Winter to take Red outside while they dealt with the human soldiers. While outside, Red overpowered Winter, and the latter offered to join him by giving up the colony's location in exchange for his life. Winter then told the others that Red escaped, while hiding the fact he betrayed them. When the Colonel and his soldiers invaded their new home, Caesar had Luca gather his guards to assist in finding them. During the attack, the Colonel shot and killed both Cornelia and Blue Eyes, with only Caesar's youngest son Cornelius surviving. Luca, Rocket, Spear, and a few of the guardians, attempted to assist Caesar in stopping the Colonel from escaping, but he shot at them, forcing them to take cover, leading to him escaping. Luca and the guard later searched for Cornelius, who was hiding during the attack. By that point, Winter had fled the colony, and joined the soldiers as one of their "Donkeys".

When Caesar left to go find the Colonel and kill him, Luca, along with Rocket and Maurice, accompanied him, using information that his gorillas had on the location of the soldier's camp. The rest of the Guard left with the the colony to their new home that Rocket and Blue Eyes had previously found at a Hidden Oasis in a desert far from San Francisco.

Caesar, Luca, Rocket, and Maurice, now accompanied by a mute human girl named Nova, found Winter at the Soldier's camp. They interrogated him, and he revealed his role in betraying them. Caesar, enraged, attempted to silence winter when he tried alerting nearby soldiers. In the struggle, Caesar accidentally killed Winter, suffocating him to death. Meanwhile, the Colonel and his forces ambushed the rest of the Colony while they were en route to the Desert. All of them, including the Guard, were taken as prisoners to their base at the Border. There, they were forced to build a wall for the soldiers to prepare for a battle that was coming. The Guardians were tasked with the heavy lifting assignments due to their sizes and brute strength.

Caesar, Luca, Rocket, Maurice, Nova, and Bad Ape, followed the soldiers to the snowy woods their base was located in. while scouting out the base, Luca was killed after being stabbed by a soldier during a scuffle, though he would redeem his previous failure by saving Caesar in the process. Caesar would later be captured and imprisoned with the others.

Soon, Rocket, Maurice, Nova, and Bad Ape arrived, and they were able to formulate an escape plan. They were able to get out through a tunnel that led outside the base. However, the Northern military soon arrived, and the battle between the two human groups began. During the battle, Red had a change of heart and sacrificed himself to save Caesar from the Soldiers, which allowed Caesar to defeat Alpha-Omega. The Military would all be wiped out by an Avalanche.

Now free from the Humans, Caesar led all the apes, including all surviving Gorilla Guardians, to their new home in the Hidden Oasis.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes[]

A few members of the Guard were seen attending Caesar's funeral.

After the death of their chief, Luca, its most likely one of the surviving guard members took over the guard, and they focused their efforts on rebuilding their strength, as well as their new ape home.

It is unknown what the status of the Gorilla Guard, and Caesar's ape colony are 300 years later.

Members[]

Luca (founder and chief) †
Ajax (second-in-command) †
Ursus †
Oak
Red (formerly) †
Winter (formerly) †
Olo (formerly)
Korso
Herman
Aghoo (formerly) †
Brutus (formerly)
Rex (formerly) †
Winter's father †
Zara
Pearl
Numerous Unnamed Guardians

Trivia[]

Gorillas being used as Caesar's primary muscle and protection for the ape colony is similar to the original planet of the apes films, where Gorillas made up the military, police force, hunters, and laborers.
The Guard is shown to have female gorillas as well, with at least 3 of them being seen in War for the Planet of the Apes, and a few others being mentioned in War for the Planet of the Apes: Revelations.
One of the promotional posters for War for the Planet of the Apes shows countless gorillas. However, in the movie they only show 10-15 gorilla guardians in action.