Mendez II was a mutant and one of the earliest progenitors of the Mendez Dynasty. Very little is known about this mutant, except for the fact that he was held in high regard, and was instrumental in the formation of the Doomsday cult that would evolve.
Mendez II was a biological descendant of the first Mendez who occupied the West Coast Forbidden Zone in the late 20th/early 21st century. Mendez' genealogical line extended into the 40th century, culminating with the Dynasty's final inheritor, Mendez XXVI. Whether or not Mendez was the mutant's true birth name, or merely an honorarium is unknown.
The psalm of Mendez II
Beneath the Planet of the Apes[]
A psalm attributed to Mendez II is included in the mutants' Doomsday prayer book, and a bust of him was constructed and placed upon a plinth within an air tunnel passageway outside of the mutant cathedral.[1]
Death of the Planet of the Apes[]
An effigy was constructed for Mendez II, like the Holiness before and after him. However, his bust and that of his successor showed signs of decay, showing the effects of prolonged exposure to radiation.
At some point, Mendez II, like his father before him, stored his memories in the effigy, which imprinted his accumulated psyche, memories, and knowledge into a psionic phylactery meant to advise his bloodline. The knowledge within them accessible through mental communion and physical contact.
Notes[]
- Mendez II is referenced in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, but does not make an actual appearance.
- The first draft screenplay for the movie gave a brief physical description of Mendez II: "...a long white corridor lined on one side by head-and-shoulder portraits - each titled and dated... We start on an antique, cracked canvas in an old-fashioned gilded frame, labelled: Mendez I: 1997-B.3. The portrait is that of a handsome, strong-jawed, dark-haired, military-moustached soldier in the 20th century uniform of a U.S. Army five-star General. His likeness survives in the portrait of Mendez II - V, though the uniform has been replaced by clothes and (later) robes of an advancing fashion."[2]
- The short story The King Is Dead - Long Live the King, written by Rich Handley for the anthology Planet of the Apes: Tales from the Forbidden Zone, gives Mendez II a first name: Steven.
- He was indirectly mentioned in the novel Death of the Planet of the Apes, which states that every descendant of the original Mendez stored their collective consciousness in their respective effigy seen in the movie.
Appearences[]
- Beneath the Planet of the Apes (indirectly mentioned)
- Planet of the Apes: Tales from the Forbidden Zone - The King is Dead, Long Live the King
- Death of the Planet of the Apes (indirectly mentioned)
See Also[]
References[]
- ↑ The Beneath the Planet of the Apes novelization as well as the final shooting script by Paul Dehn indicates that all of the bronze busts featured in the cathedral's underground causeway were those of the entire Mendez family line.
- ↑ Planet of the Apes Revisited - First Draft Screenplay at Hunter's Planet of the Apes Scripts Archive