APE race
Classification: Alternate reality (Earth-7481) Simian-humanoid extraterrestrial race
Location/Base of Operations: An unidentified number were based on Earth;
the Grand Ape Chamber seemed to be directly connected to the base a base on a cliff
overlooking what had been the Jersey Palisades,
from which Kempleton monitored the destruction of the tripods; however,
as Kempleton spoke to a face on a viewscreen, it may be that the Apes
were based out of a different location, but that the center from which
their agents could directly contact them was known as the Grand Ape
chamber;
they apparently at least had a base on Mars, the 4th planet from the sun in the Sol system (see comments);
General Raker was based out of the former Grand Central Station, in what was Manhattan, New York
Known Members: Master 4, Master Twelve, "Simian Master," many unidentified;
possibly Elric and his prison guard partner, Kre-Kor and his associates, Scrapper and/or his warriors, the Scout ship pilot and others;
Affiliations: "Ape-Stooges" (humans loyal to the Ape Masters, including Kempleton), unidentified mutates;
numerous humans mutated into ape-form (presumably including Gort, Warlord, and possibly 6, Scrapper and/or his warriors, Slasher and others)
formerly General Raker (as their mind-controlled pawn) and his agents;
at least formerly Sandra Simian
Enemies: Apeslayer (Jonathan Dozer) and his Freeman (Eagle, Mala, Socrates, others), Sandra Simian, Zom;
indirectly Ann Carver, Maureen Dozer; and her unidentified younger son;
Aliases: Ape Masters, Generals (see comments), Simian Generals, Simians
First Appearance: Planet of the Apes (UK) #23 (March, 1975)
Powers/Abilities:
The Ape race were simian-humanoids with at least human level
intelligence, as well as advanced technology, including weaponry and
monitoring equipment.
Notable amongst their weapons were
the Tripods, three-legged walking crafts with a large command module.
They could fire laser blasts that could blow up an entire metropolitan
bridge. They were used to control humans and herd them to extermination
centers
Traits: The Apes were imperialistic, seeking to conquer and enslave other races.
They considered humanity to be
lesser beings, and they appreciated scientists whose loyalty was to
their work rather than to their fellow man.
Type: Bilaterally symmetric humanoid-simian bipeds
Eyes: Two (on head; PRESUMABLY brown; black & white comic with limited color see on the covers)
Fingers: Four (plus opposing thumb)
Toes: Unrevealed
Skin color: Black
Average height: Approximately 6'
History:
(Planet of the Apes#26 (fb) - BTS) - The Ape-Masters invaded Earth.
(Planet of the Apes#23 (fb) - BTS) - For a century, man revolted against the Apes.
(Planet of the Apes#23 (fb) - BTS) - Inmates of a mental hospital on Welfare Island escaped their hospital when the Apes first attacked.
(Planet of the Apes#23 (fb) - BTS) - Early battles against the Apes seemed hopeless, as many brave men died seemingly futilely, achieving victories against time but not against the simians.
As mankind learned, so did the Apes, building weapons and machines that they sent against man.
(Planet of the Apes#25 (fb) - BTS) - The Apes defeated mankind in a final war, conquering Earth.
(Planet of the Apes#23 (fb) - BTS) - Within days, Manhattan, Boston and San Francisco were all in flames.
People fled from the urban centers, such as Manhattan, via bridges.
(Planet of the Apes#23 (fb) - BTS) - The Apes took weapons away from humans.
(Planet of the Apes#23 (fb) - BTS) - For umpteen hundred years, the average fighting man was unfamilar of the sound of steel upon steel.
(Planet of the Apes#23 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, the Apes mentally-enslaved some humans, such as General Raker, to serve them and direct other humans who served the Apes.
(Planet of the Apes#23 (fb) - BTS / Planet of the Apes#25 (fb) - BTS) - Raker mutated a number of humans into savage ape forms. He also had multiple inhuman/bestial "mutants" (or possibly mutates).
(Planet of the Apes#28 (fb) -
BTS) - The being who would become known as the Warlord was a human who
willing chose to serve the Apes and presumably to become an ape-mutate.
(Planet of the Apes#23 (fb) - BTS) - Simian-created and/or operated tripod war machines pursued Maureen Dozer and her sons, Jonathan and his unidentified brother (see comments) as they fled to Welfare Island. The trio reached the island just before the ape's tripods destroyed the bridge to Welfare Island.
(Planet of the Apes#23
(fb) - BTS) - Fifteen days later, General Raker and some human soldiers flew to Welfare Island.
(Planet of the Apes#24 (fb) - BTS) - Raker had his soldiers kill Maureen Dozer and Dr. Ann Carver, who had befriended the Ravens, and capture the children. Raker took Jonathan with him for training by the Apes but told the other soldiers to do whatever they wanted with Jonathan's younger brother, as he was of no concern.
Raker brought Jonathan before the Simian master,
where another human agent of the Ape Masters informed him that he would
be trained as a gladiator to fight and
kill for the pleasure of his masters.
Jonathan and the other youths were trained in
swordplay, karate, savate, wrestling, etc.
(Planet of the Apes#28 (fb) - BTS) - This training was brought about by those serving the ape known as the Warlord.
(Planet of the Apes#25 (fb) - BTS) - Apeslayer was taught to throw razor sharp "silver stars" as a child.
(Planet of the Apes#24 (fb))
- As the youths grew, they were pitted against the
Apes' champions, and Jonathan took pleasure in battling them.
He was
mockingly given the name "Apeslayer," which he cherished.
(Planet of the Apes#24 (fb))
- Eventually,
while at least one of the Apes tried to stop Dozer and reported his
efforts, Apeslayer slashed that guard across the neck and/or face,
broke free and escaped.
(Planet of the Apes#28 (fb) -
BTS) - As Apeslayer escaped, he tore off the arm and part of the face
of the ape-mutate that would later be known as the
Warlord after months of painful prosthetics/bionics
experimentation/implantation.
(Planet of the Apes#24 (fb) - BTS)
- Apeslayer spent the next 12 months foraging for food in what was
formerly Queens, New York, feeding on wild animals and
studying the old books and information tapes about what life was like
before the Apes took control.
(Planet of the Apes#24 (fb))
- During this time, Apeslayer frequently encountered Simian forces
and their human slaves as they sought to collect the remaining freemen
for their games and stockyards.
(Planet of the Apes#24 (fb))
- When he encountered an ape accosting a woman, Apeslayer
struck the simian, only appreciating how deadly he had become after killing it
with a single blow.
(Planet of the Apes#24(fb)
- BTS) - On the former Staten Island, Apeslayer met and stayed with a
number of freemen for six years, eventually becoming their leader.
(Planet of the Apes#25 (fb) -
BTS) - At some point, the scientist Kempleton came to willingly serves
the Apes as they would facilitate his ribonucleic acid (RNA) project.
(Planet of the Apes#24
(fb)) - On New Year's Eve, Apeslayer led his freemen to invade the ferry that carried a cargo of human slaves, taking out an Ape guard in the process. The ferry brought them to the palace of the human puppet mayor, to whom they demonstrated their power and his inability to stop them.
(Planet of the Apes#24
(fb)) - Having gained recognition by the
Ape masters, Apeslayer was denounced by them as a cutthroat and a
thief.
(Planet of the Apes#25 (fb) - BTS) - Apeslayer and two Freemen allies, Eagle and Mala, tethered their horses in an abandoned church, and Apeslayer went after the General (Raker).
(Planet of the Apes#23) - Having fought his way past a number of apes (possibly humans mutated into ape-form by Raker), Apeslayer
confronted the ape Scrapper, who told Apeslayer he would die for the trouble
he had caused. Tackling Scrapper over a ledge and forcing him to bear
the impact (incapacitating Scrapper), Apeslayer mockingly apologized,
noting that he had a mission to deliver to Scrapper's Generals, and he
meant to deliver it personally.
(Planet of the Apes#23 - BTS) - After Apeslayer entered the former Grand Central Station, General Raker unleashed a
pair of mutates. Apeslayer swiftly incapacitated them before breaking through the General's defenses and hurling a sharp piece of metal debris that skewered Raker
in the right side of his chest. The dying Raker thanked Apeslayer, explaining that he had been liberated from the apes' control. At Apeslayer's request, Raker reviewed
how for the past century, mankind had rebelled against the apes as well as Dozer's history with the Apes.
(Planet of the Apes#24 - BTS) - Before dying, Raker noted
that he had chosen Apeslayer and that he knew Apeslayer
would be ready to face the ape masters on the day Apeslayer breached
his defenses. With his final breaths, Raker assured Apeslayer that he
had the power and could destroy the ape masters, leaving Apeslayer to
wonder what power he had.
(Planet of the Apes#24 - BTS) - As he departed, Apeslayer was
ambushed by another ape (or perhaps another of Raker's mutants in ape form), whose neck he broke.
(Planet of the Apes#25 - BTS) - Apeslayer and the Sirens were both surprised to find Apeslayer immune to their power, but the Sirens fled as he was assaulted by a number of "apes" (apparently humans mutated into that form by Raker), whom Apeslayer swiftly subdued. Apeslayer was then joined by Eagle and Mala, who joined him against additional "apes," after which they were then confronted by a tripod ape machine. Fleeing, Apeslayer and his associated encountered a giant, mutated crocodilian to run between the tripod's legs, tripping the tripod atop it, apparently taking out both foes.
(Planet of the Apes#25 - BTS) - Apeslayer and Mala then caught up
to Eagle, who found captured and chained humans being herded onto a
ferry -- for use in the gladiatorial arena -- by cyborg ape-slavers. Apeslayer led his allies to the attack,
overpowering a number of Apes before confronting the ship's human
captain, forcing the traitor at swordpoint to surrender control of the
ship. When another tripod emerged from the waters and attacked the
ship, Apeslayer ordered the crew to reverse the ship's engines, causing
it to smash into the tripod's legs, taking it out.
(Planet of the Apes#25 - BTS) -
As the monitor from the tripod went blank, Kempleton, another human
servant of the
Apes (and a research scientist) operating out of a base on a cliff
overlooking what had been the Jersey Palisades, ordered that the
Generals must be informed.
(Planet of the Apes#26 (fb) -
BTS) - After the ferry docked just off Staten Island and its human
cargo disembarked, Apeslayer had the ferry set afire to prevent the
Apes from using it again in the future.
(Planet of the Apes#26) - Kempleton informed ape Master Twelve of the recent sabotage, and Master Twelve instructed Kempleton to send out a ape-piloted scout flyer to learn more of the rebels.
After the scout reported the ferry
aflame, Master Twelve ordered the Siren (Skarlet) to resolve the
situation.
Comments: Created/adapted by Marv Wolfman, adapting a story by Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, and Neal Adams.
Marvel UK.
Does this seem familiar? It should.
See the comments of the Apeslayer profile:
WHERE ARE THE APES FROM?
Planet of
the Apes#24 has a reference to guards being Martian-trained, and while
this may represent an instance of a missed edit, it also might mean
the invading apes of Reality-7481 were stationed on Mars.
Similarly, Planet of the Apes#28 contained a reference to the Martian Masters.
WHEN
If his timeline parallels
Killraven's, Apeslayer would have been born in late 1999, he would have
been captured in 2006, and would have slain Raker in 2018, which was
the start of the modern story.
If not, then...not.
In Planet of the Apes#23, General Raker notes that
mankind had revolted against the Apes for the last century...that would
seem to indicate that they were conquered by the Apes over a century
ago, which might make the modern stories perhaps 100 or more years from
the time of publication (1975), so maybe 2085 or even further into the
future?
Or, perhaps it just paralleled the dialogue of
Amazing Adventures II#18, indicating that the Apes had previously
attacked Earth back in 1901, just like the Martian Masters had done in
Reality-691 (and in Reality-616).
Planet of the Apes#25 referenced the main story as "untold years after Earth has lost her final war."
WHICH APES ARE APES?
In Planet of the Apes#27, Gort says, "They ran in
here -- I'd swear to the Simians." That would seem to indicate that he,
and perhaps those with hime, were humans mutated into ape-form,
although this is not 100% confirmed. Apeslayer subsequently refers to
them as slaves of the Generals.
There are similar comments about many of the apes
that Apeslayer and his Freemen encountered...we don't really see that
much of the actual Ape Masters.
The only confirmed appearances of the Ape Masters are:
Beyond that, a lot of those involved in combat, etc. may have been humans mutated into ape-form.
It also makes sense that not all of the Apes would
be Masters/leaders, and that there was a smaller group of leaders and a
larger number o soldiers, warriors, guards, etc.
However, which of the latter groups were of the Ape race vs. human mutates in ape-form is often unclear.
Sometimes "Generals" was a term used to refer to humans serving the
Apes but in a supervisory/leadership role.
Othertimes, it seemed like "Generals" was another term for the Ape Masters themselves....
Obviously, in Killraven's
Earth-691 timeline, Carmilla Frost became one of Killraven's major
allies. Sandra Simian was based on Carmilla, and she obviously
liberated the Freemen, but we don't know her true motivations on
Earth-7481.
I think it would be cool if
someone wrote an Apeslayer series that fleshed it out and
differentiated it from the Killraven stories WITHOUT contradicting the
existing stories.
To clarify, Apeslayer's Reality-7481, despite appearing in the Planet of the Apes magazine, did not occur in any of the "Planet of the Apes" continuities (from the pulps, movies, or comics (US, UK, or otherwise); it is its own distinct reality.
Thanks to Loki for providing me scans of these stories!
This profile was completed 12/27/2024 , but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the March, 2025 Mars event.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Ape Masters may or may not have any connection to:
![]() Master 4 remained silent as the Warlord ranted about deserving the right to slay Apeslayer himself. Master 4 was presumably present as Apeslayer fought the Warlord his agents and Sandra Simian's troops...in the arena to which the Warlord's forces brought him. --Planet of the Apes#28 (29 Note: Master 4 may or may not have been present with the group of Ape Masters watching Apeslayer battle Slasher in Planet of the Apes#26. |
![]() Master Twelve spoke first, noting that the scientists were important to the Apes as often their loyalty was to their work rather than to their fellow man. He continued that those of the Ape race found this trait to be admirable, and that it was one of the few things about humans that they understood. When Master Twelve asked him what it was he "scurried here to report," Kempleton told him that the Generals appeared to be engaged in some sabotage (see comments), noting the destruction of two drone tripods as well as the abduction of a cargo of arena slaves. Kempleton asked what they should do, and Master Twelve told him that he should obviously send out a scout flyer as they must learn more about the "rebels." Master Twelve continued that if the scout learned what he thought it must, that it would be time for the Siren. Immediately thereafter, an air force scout departed the base, flew to the ferry's location off the Staten Island shore and found the ship in flames. The pilot, either a member of the Ape race or one of the humans mutated into ape-form, reported this back to Master Twelve (or possibly to Kempleton) and requested orders. He was instructed to proceed back to the Jersey base, that the Siren had already been notified, and that from this moment forward, this was her assignment. --Planet of the Apes#26 Note: At the end of the Planet of the Apes#25, Kempleton noted that it was the rebels who were destroying the tripods and seemed to be more trouble than they had assumed them to be. He considered that the General must be informed. Then in #26, he told Master Twelve that the Generals seemed to be engaged in some sabotage. The term Generals was unfortunately sometimes used to refer to the humans serving the Apes but acting in a leadership role in performing certain tasks, and sometimes it was used to refer to the Ape race, itself. In this case, it seemed as if Kempleton was blaming the ship's captain for destroying the tripod. The text/scene was derived from Amazing Adventures I#19, in which Kempleton informed one of the Martian Masters that the rebels were engaged in some sabotage. It would seem likely that is was just a typo, and Kempleton-7481 meant to say "rebels" rather than "Generals," especially as Master Twelve refers to these "rebels" in his response to Kempleton...but perhaps Kempleton was trying to sow seeds of distrust within the Ape Masters for their Generals for whatever reason...and perhaps Master Twelve could read his mind. I don't think Kempleton shows up again, so presumably we'll never know. The Siren was Skarlet. She'll get her own profile in time. Master Twelve may or may not have been present with the group of Ape Masters watching Apeslayer battle Slasher in Planet of the Apes#26; and/or with the group Apeslayer fought the Warlord his agents and Sandra Simian's troops...in the arena to which the Warlord's forces brought him in Planet of the Apes#29. |
![]() General Raker brought the young Jonathon Dozer, alongside other youths, before the Simian Master and then left him. The Simian Master remained silent as humans serving the Apes explained to the youths that they would be trained as gladiators, fighting and killing for the pleasure of their masters. --Planet of the Apes#24 Note: "The Simian Master" would seem to imply that he was the head of the Apes, but it could also just refer to one of the Ape Masters. The Simian Master may or may not be the same as Master 4 or Master Twelve (I would prefer that he were Master One!), and he may or may not have been present with the group of Ape Masters watching Apeslayer battle Slasher in Planet of the Apes#26; and/or with the group Apeslayer fought the Warlord his agents and Sandra Simian's troops...in the arena to which the Warlord's forces brought him in Planet of the Apes#29. |
![]() (Planet of the Apes#25 - BTS) - A cyborg, the being apparently designated "6" was part of the crew that was herding captured and chained human onto a ferry where they would be taken for use in the gladiatorial arena. (Planet of the Apes#25) - The Freeman known as Eagle observed this herding and led his allies Apeslayer and Mala to interfere. Apeslayer apparently directed his allies to ignore the "robots" as they weren't programmed for the unexpected. (Planet of the Apes#25) - Apeslayer led his allies overpowered a number of Apes before confronting the ship's human captain, forcing the traitor at swordpoint to surrender control of the ship. When another tripod emerged from the waters and attacked the ship, Apeslayer ordered the crew to reverse the ship's engines, causing it to smash into the tripod's legs, taking it out. (Planet of the Apes#26 (fb) - BTS) - After the ferry docked just off Staten Island and its human cargo disembarked, Apeslayer had the ferry set afire to prevent the Apes from using it again in the future. --Planet of the Apes#25 Note: Given the discussion about bionics experimentation by the Warlord, I think it quite likely that 6 was a human mutated into ape-form who received multiple bionic parts via experimentation. Apeslayer apparently dismissed 6 as a robot, but he appeared to have an organic ape-head. Perhaps it was a robot given a mask or artificial outer covering to appear like one of the Apes to inspire fear in the captives. Or perhaps it was partially lobotomized and/or under the control of its bionic systems. While Warlord was a willing agent of the Apes, many others serving the Apes were slaves, and perhaps 6 was one of those? One would have to think that, regardless of its true nature, 6 was either destroyed in the process of the human captives' liberation or left aboard the ship and destroyed when Apeslayer set the ship aflame. Or perhaps it was cast overboard at some point... Ultimately, we see 6 in the one panel, and its fate was never revealed. |
![]() ![]() San Simian sent her agent Zom to free the Freemen, which involved subduing the guard watching over their cell. As Elric patrolled the region, Zom ambushed him, grabbing him around the head with his large, suction cup-tipped fingers, and then either smashing him into something or perhaps suffocating him. However, before being subdued Elric made some sort of sound, either crying out or from the physical struggle, which alerted his prison guard partner... |
.![]() This other guard then turned to see Zom and realized that this was not Elric. Zom's suction-cupped fingers swiftly clamped this guard's flesh, and then Zom apparently threw him against a wall, subduing him as well. --Planet of the Apes#29 |
![]() ![]() Kre-Kor and his associates futilely battled Apeslayer, who easily tossed them about. Notably, Apeslayer kicked Kre-Kor in the chest, to the shock of the other Apes-or-mutates. After Sandra Simian's forces failed to subdue Apeslayer, the Warlord ambushed him, battering him into submission. . --Planet of the Apes#29 Note: As mentioned above, it is uncertain whether Kre-Kor was a member of the Ape race or one of the humans mutated into ape-form. Additionally, it is unrevealed whether Kre-Kor and/or any of his associates were present at La Guardia when the Warlord subdued Apeslayer and captured the Freemen and then transported the group to wherever the "arena of mutants" was. It is not 100% certain that Kre-Kor is even in either of the images in this profile, but these images are of the group of which Kre-Kor was a part. The only image were Kre-Kor was unidentified also included one of the few images of the Ape Masters, and so it is included in the main profile here. |
![]() ![]() Immediately thereafter, an air force scout departed the base, flew to the ferry's location off the Staten Island shore and found the ship in flames. The pilot reported this back to Master Twelve (or possibly to Kempleton) and requested orders. He was instructed to proceed back to the Jersey base, that the Siren had already been notified, and that from this moment forward, this was her assignment. --Planet of the Apes#26 Note: The Siren was Skarlet. She'll get her own profile in time. I don't think there is evidence to support whether the pilot was a member of the Ape race or rather one of the humans mutated into ape-form who served the Apes. |
images: (without ads)http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix10/scrapper-7481.html
Planet of the Apes#23 cover (C'mon, you lousy Apes);
pg. 3, panel 1 (former Grand Central Station);
#25, pg. 7, panel 4 (6/cyborg ape-slaver)
#26, pg. 1, panel 1 (Master Twelve; face on screen);
pg. 2, panel 2 (scout ship);
panel 3 (scout pilot);
pg. 5 (Masters observing gladiatorial combat against Slasher);
#28, pg. 5, panel 2 (Master 4);
#29 cover (Warlord and other Apes taunting Apeslayer on laser dissection table);
pg. 1 (Kre-Kor and others battling Apeslayer in Madison Square Garden);
pg. 2, panel 3 (Apeslayer throwing Kre-Kor or another);
panel 5 (Ape Masters watching as Apeslayer kicks Kre-Kor);
pg. 8, panel 1-2 (Elric; upper & face smashed by Zom);
panel 4-6 (Elric's partner
responding to Elric's cry, seeing Zom and getting smashed by him)
Appearances:
Planet of the Apes (UK) #23 (March 29, 1975) - Roy Thomas (plot/concept),
Marv Wolfman (editor, adapted/modified said plot concept), Gerry Conway
(original script), Neal Adams (penciler), Frank Monte (inker)
Planet of the Apes (UK) #24 (April 5, 1975) - Roy Thomas (plot/concept),
Marv Wolfman (editor, adapted/modified said plot concept), Gerry Conway
(original script), Howard Chaykin (penciler), Frank Monte (inker)
Planet of the Apes (UK) #25 (April 12, 1975) - Marv
Wolfman (editor, adapted/modified said plot concept), Gerry Conway
(original script), Howard Chaykin (penciler), Frank McLaughlin (inker)
Planet of the Apes (UK) #26 (April 19, 1975) - Marv Wolfman (editor, adapted/modified said plot concept), Gerry Conway
(original script), Howard Chaykin (penciler), Frank McLaughlin (inker)
Planet of the Apes (UK) #27 (April 25, 1975; yes, I know that's only six days, so probably an error, but that's what it says) Marv
Wolfman (story, adapted/modified said plot concept), Herb Trimpe
(original penciler), Frank Giacoia (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Planet of the Apes (UK) #28 (May 3, 1975; see..) - Marv Wolfman (story, adapted/modified said plot concept), Herb Trimpe
(original penciler), Frank Giacoia (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Planet of the Apes (UK) #29 (May 10, 1975) - Don McGregor (plot/concept), Herb Trimpe (original penciler), Yolanda Pijcke (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Planet of the Apes (UK) #30 (May 17, 1975) - Don McGregor (writer), Herb Trimpe (original penciler), Yolanda Pijcke (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
First posted: 03/01/2025
Last updated: 03/05/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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