How Mae Can Speak In Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

The following contains spoilers for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, now playing in theaters

Summary Mae is from a human colony unaffected by the Simian Flu, allowing her to retain her ability to speak.

Humans in Mae's colony have high-functioning thought, maintaining satellite communication.

Mae's exposure to apes could lead to her becoming an Echo, spreading the Simian Flu.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes gives Mae the ability to speak, which is something of a surprise given previous entries in the series. As revealed in the previous Planet of the Apes trilogy, humanity has steadily been left more and more animalistic due to the Simian Flu that ravaged the planet. While apes gained a newfound intellect that allowed them to become the world's dominant force, humanity was increasingly left incapable of speech and language.

However, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' main human character retains the ability to talk in the new film. Especially when compared to some of the other humans seen in the film, Mae stands out as a surprisingly capable and vocal human. The reason behind this ends up playing into the final revelations of the film, which could tease the future of the series — and potentially spell doom for Mae and the rest of humanity in the Planet of the Apes timeline.

Related Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes’ Confirms The Franchise Is A One-Of-A-Kind For Hollywood Universally acclaimed reboot franchises are uncommon in Hollywood, making the franchise housing Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes one-of-a-kind.

Mae Is From A Human Colony Who Never Lost Their Ability To Speak

The Humans Quarantined From The Simian Flu

The final moments of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes reveal that there are sentient human communities left hidden on Earth, including the one that Mae hails from. These humans were able to successfully quarantine themselves from the Simian Flu, allowing them to avoid the consistently detrimental and frequently fatal effects of the virus. The humans in this community are all capable of speech and high-functioning thought. The colony is wary of infection, only sending a single person in a large hazmat suit outside to communicate directly with Mae.

Mae is played by Freya Allan (The Witcher) in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

The humans in Mae's colony are even smart enough to maintain their satellite hookups, and are able — with the use of a drive located and brought home by Mae — to establish contact with other human settlements. This is a huge revelation, given how the ending of War for the Planet of the Apes implied that most of humanity had been impacted by the Simian Flu. All of this could go a long way towards setting up future films, exploring how humanity could attempt to retake the world from apes and setting off a new era of war between the apes and humans.

Will Mae Lose Her Ability To Speak After Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes?

She's Become Exposed To The World

Close

Mae's time on the surface might have doomed her to a fate as one of the Echoes. The animalistic humans encountered by Noa's tribe are shown to be the end result of the Simian Flu. While Mae may not have had the Simian Flu by the ending of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, it's possible her time amid apes could spread the disease to her. The other humans of her colony may have recognized that, explaining why she isn't allowed back into the colony and remains on the surface after delivering the drive.

This could introduce an interesting tragic element to her character arc. The film establishes her connection with Noa as perhaps the last, best chance for human/ape peace. However, future entries in the series could show Mae steadily losing her humanity and becoming more like the Echoes, destroying that bridge. She could even potentially spread the Simian Flu to other humans. In this way, Mae's ability to speak in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes could be contrasted with a potentially dangerous fate for the character that could unwittingly help finish off humanity.