In the 1970 sequel , the story picks up immediately after the original film's shocking discovery that the "alien" world is actually a post-apocalyptic Earth. The narrative follows two converging paths:
: The mutants use their mind control to force Brent and Taylor—who they have imprisoned—to fight to the death. The duel is only broken when Nova screams "Taylor!", her first-ever spoken word, which distracts the mutants long enough for the men to kill their captor.
: While fleeing the apes, Brent and Nova discover the ruins of the New York City subway system. This confirms to Brent that he is on a future Earth. subtitle Beneath the Planet of the Apes
The story culminates in a three-way conflict between the invading ape army, the psychic mutants, and the astronauts.
: Deep underground, they find a society of telepathic human mutants who survived the nuclear holocaust generations earlier. These mutants are horribly scarred and hide their disfigured faces under lifelike masks. They worship a massive, cobalt-cased nuclear weapon they call the "Divine Bomb". The Climax In the 1970 sequel , the story picks
The film ends with a stark narration stating that the planet Earth is now dead.
: In Ape City, the gorilla General Ursus calls for a holy war to invade the Forbidden Zone and seize it as a food source, despite the warnings of the orangutan Dr. Zaius. : While fleeing the apes, Brent and Nova
: The gorilla army invades the underground cathedral. In the chaos, Nova is killed, and both Taylor and Brent are mortally wounded by the apes.