Beneath the Planet of the Apes 1970

As Taylor (actor name) and Nova navigate the arid expanse of the Forbidden Zone in their quest for a fresh start, they’re suddenly beset by a series of unexplained geological events - fiery eruptions and yawning chasms that leave them bewildered. When Taylor vanishes into thin air after investigating a cliff face, Nova is left to her own devices, unable to reach him.

Meanwhile, Brent (actor name), the sole survivor of a catastrophic spaceship crash, awakens in the year 3955 to find himself stranded on an alien world - or so he assumes. As he buries his fellow astronaut Skipper and sets out to find Taylor, he stumbles upon Nova, who’s wearing his commander’s dog tags. Hope springs eternal as Brent joins forces with Nova to ride into Ape City, only to be met by a civilization of simians that defies all explanation.

Under the leadership of the imposing General Ursus (actor name), the apes are whipped into a frenzy, determined to conquer the Forbidden Zone and exploit its resources. But Dr. Zaius, an orangutan of reason and compassion, warns against such reckless aggression. Brent’s world is turned upside down when he’s wounded by a gorilla soldier and taken in by Nova to the home of the chimpanzees Cornelius (actor name) and Zira, who share tales of their encounters with Taylor.

As Brent and Nova attempt to flee Ape City, they’re caught and slated for execution. But Zira intervenes, allowing them to escape into a labyrinthine subway system - the ruins of New York’s Queensboro Plaza station. It’s there that Brent discovers the shocking truth: he’s not on another planet at all, but on a post-apocalyptic Earth, ravaged by some cataclysmic event.

As he delves deeper into the tunnels, Brent becomes increasingly agitated and erratic, his grip on reality tenuous at best. He turns on Nova with a ferocity that sends them both running for cover - until, that is, he finds himself face to face with a community of telepathic humans who worship an ancient nuclear warhead in the ruins of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

In a desperate bid to extract crucial information from their captives, the telepathic mutants, descendants of human survivors who endured the catastrophic aftermath of nuclear devastation, employ mind-altering tactics and illusions to bend Brent and Nova to their will. These beings, who have evolved over generations, claim to be a peaceful society despite their reliance on mental manipulation and deception to vanquish their enemies. The mutants’ attempts to repel the approaching apes through spectral displays of fire and other terrifying specters prove futile, as Zaius (actor’s name), perceptive and unyielding, sees through their ruse. With the apes closing in, the telepaths prepare for a last resort, orchestrating a sacred ritual to detonate their “Divine Bomb,” its insignia bearing the ominous mark of destruction. As the ritual unfolds, the mutants’ human masks are discarded, revealing the grotesque consequences of radiation on their bodies - sickly pale skin, scarring, and vascular varicose disease.

Brent is torn from Nova’s side and taken to a cell where he encounters Taylor (actor’s name), only to be forced into a brutal confrontation by the telepathic powers of one of the mutants. This merciless display is interrupted when Nova escapes her captor and rushes to Brent’s cell, crying out “Taylor!” in a desperate bid for unity. The mutant’s concentration is broken, freeing the astronauts from his control long enough for them to exact vengeance on their tormentor. Taylor recognizes the bomb’s insignia, “ΑΩ,” as a harbinger of doom - a cobalt-cased doomsday device capable of eradicating all life on Earth.

As the apes invade the subterranean city, the mutants face a desperate struggle for survival. Many are captured, killed, or succumb to mortal terror. In the chaos that ensues, Nova falls victim to the merciless brutality of a gorilla, leaving Taylor and Brent to reach the heart of the telepaths’ stronghold - the sacred cathedral. There, they find Mendez, the leader of the mutants, poised to activate the Divine Bomb, his vision obscured by the bloodlust of war. As Taylor pleads with Zaius to spare the planet from destruction, he is struck down by a hail of bullets. The apes’ actions, once thought to be an aberration, are revealed as a symptom of humanity’s destructive nature, which has infected all corners of existence. In a final act of defiance, Brent exacts revenge on Ursus, but not before Taylor, his life force ebbing away, curses Zaius and collapses onto the bomb’s detonation switch, unleashing a cataclysmic blast that obliterates the planet.