: 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.
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: subtitle Beneath the Planet of the Apes
: 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
The story culminates in a three-way conflict between the invading ape army, the psychic mutants, and the astronauts. The narrative follows two converging paths: : The
: The gorilla army invades the underground cathedral. In the chaos, Nova is killed, and both Taylor and Brent are mortally wounded by the apes.