Lt. Marcus is the chief of Ape City's Security Police, and is a loyal follower of Dr. Zaius.
History
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Marcus is first seen during the hunt. After all the humans are either captured or killed, Marcus is seen posing for a picture with dead humans along with Cerek and another gorilla, with his brother Simka taking the picture. He is later seen telling Julius to prepare George Taylor, as he is about to be gelded. When Taylor escapes and runs loose in the city, Marcus and his men pursue him. After he is caught, Dr. Zira tries helping Taylor, before Marcus pulls her back, and tells her that Taylor is now in custody of the Ministry of Science, but right before he could take him away, Taylor yelled at Marcus "Take your stinkin paws off me you damn dirty ape" which shocked everyone.
It was believed that Marcus was the ape lieutenant that accompanied Dr. Zaius and his men to capture Taylor, Zira, Lucius, Cornelius, and Nova. Though it would later be confirmed this wasn’t him.
Marvel Comics adaptation
Marvel Comics' Planet of the Apes adaptation, based on the earlier script, briefly mentions Marcus by name at the cave scene. It could be assumed that these are all the character of 'Marcus'.
Planet of the Ape: Cataclysm
In BOOM! Studios' Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm, Marcus' past is explored more fully. Marcus was a trusted member of the Ape City security force at the time of the Moon's destruction, and was appointed to replace the inefficient chief Burrus by Zaius. As a gorilla official, Marcus was an unusually intelligent and sympathetic to the plight of chimps and other species. He helped deliver Zaius' grandchild but could not save his daughter Valentina during childbirth. As chimps and the followers of Timon (including Marcus' daughter Lucilla) became more uncontrollable, Zaius asked the army chief Ursus to restore order, bringing him into direct conflict with Marcus, but Marcus was able to convince the gorilla soldiers not to open fire on the rioters.
Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes
In the 2011 novel Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes, set at the time of Planet of the Apes, Marcus was Chief of the Simian Secret Security Police Force, and also the director of the Gorilla Scouting Corps, also known as the Hunt Club, which composed of members of that force. He was the son of Digby, a lecherous gorilla who fathered sons by many gorillas, including Simka, and even one son named Mungwortt by a chimp named Nila, all of whom bore a strong resemblance to Marcus, much to his humiliation. Marcus' wife was Malia, whose father was a maker of apricot wine, and their children were Lucille, the eldest daughter, Jaffe, the eldest son, Sata, the greedy second son, Kenya, their youngest daughter, and Zaius, their youngest son who was named after Marcus' mentor. Marcus collaborated closely with Zaius in investigating the movements of Dr. Galen and the speaking human Landon, and in opposing the machinations of General Ursus, but while trying to arrest Dr. Galen, both were pushed off a bridge by Landon, presumably falling to their deaths. This happened immediately before the trial of Landon's colleague George Taylor, meaning that Marcus could not have been present at the detonation of the cave excavation site. In the 2018 novel Death of the Planet of the Apes, Jaffe joins the gorilla army in search of revenge against the humans for the death of his father.
Notes
- Bob Lombardo also played Simka after the hunt scene. As such, he is the first ape we hear speaking ("Smile!"). It was speculated that Simka and Marcus were the same character. In Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes, it was revealed that they are half-brothers.
- Though Marcus and Cerek are often assumed to be the same character, this is not the case, as they were played by two different actors.
Trivia
- He first appeared in Fox's promotional material before the release of the first movie, with the tagline "This is Marcus: Head of Security Police. His specialties: violence and torture. His mission: To keep man a caged animal on the Planet of the Apes", but he didn't appear by name in the finished movie. In the script, Marcus is mentioned only once - when Dr. Zaius orders him to 'seal the cave' at the end of the movie, however in the filmed scene Zaius calls him 'lieutenant'. The actor (Bob Lombardo) who played Marcus (in this scene and in the promotional material) also appeared as the gorilla (scripted as 'Ape Lieutenant') that asked that "No. 9 be ready in five minutes" to Julius, and pushes Zira away from Taylor as he is hanging in the net, saying to Zira: "Security Police".
- It was believed that Marcus was the ape lieutenant that accompanied Dr. Zaius and other gorillas to the dig site. They were both referred to as lieutenant, and they’re both played by Bob Lombardo. However, the 2011 novel, conspiracy of the planet of the apes, confirmed that Marcus died during Taylor's trial.
- Marcus was singled out for a series of posters also featuring Taylor, Zaius and Nova.
- According to The Ape newspaper distributed in theatres showing the movie in 1968, the 'Simian Star', the highest ape award for valour, was given to the apes who recaptured Taylor.[1]
- Neil Foster & Michael Whitty's fan-fiction comic Within The Planet Of The Apes portrays Marcus as the gorilla who helps the previous 'Chief of Security', Ursus, get the evidence he needs to create an army and become a general, leaving his post free for 'Lieutenant Marcus'.
Gallery
Appearances
- Planet of the Apes
- Planet of the Apes Magazine: Planet of the Apes (issue #6)
- Adventures on the Planet of the Apes: Planet of the Apes (issue #6)
- Neil Foster & Michael Whitty's Within The Planet Of The Apes (fan fiction)
- Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes
- Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm
- Death of the Planet of the Apes (mentioned)
External Links
References
