Sylva was an evolved Gorilla who served as a chief enforcer of Proximus Caesar and partook in the Coastal Ape Colony's hunting party.
Biography[]
Working under Proximus Caesar[]
Sylva served as the devoted captain of Proximus Caesar's guard, unwavering in his commitment to Proximus' teachings and accepting every word as truth. He took it upon himself to orchestrate assaults on rival ape clans, wielding electric batons to eliminate their leaders and forcibly abduct villagers, bringing them to Proximus' kingdom to become his enslaved subjects. Throughout these violent acts, he would chant Proximus’ name, further tarnishing Caesar’s legacy. At one point, he led a brutal attack on a human expedition team, resulting in a massacre where only a young woman named Mae managed to escape. Additionally, he was involved in an assault on an ape village that was home to the Order of Caesar, a group of ape scholars dedicated to preserving the original Caesar's teachings and legacy. Following this attack, only one member survived: an orangutan named Raka.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes[]
Sylva is initially observed searching for Mae, accompanied by his guards and Lightning. During this pursuit, he comes across the bodies of his apes and a member of Noa's village, and he discovers a piece of cloth belonging to Mae, indicating her origin from the village. Utilizing Noa's horse to navigate towards his own village, Sylva and his men began to gather the villagers, either shocking or killing some in the process. They brutally strangled the village's leading elder while chanting "For Caesar!" as his guards celebrated, setting the village ablaze. In the midst of this chaos, Sylva noticed Noa attempting to rescue his father, Koro. He then ascended the tower to engage in combat with both of them.
Despite their relentless attempts, Sylva demonstrated his overwhelming superiority in strength. When Noa found himself restrained by a nearby pole, Sylva took advantage of the situation, pinning Koro to the ground. In a ruthless act, Sylva severed the pole, causing Noa to nearly plummet to his death while he personally executed Koro. Following this brutal confrontation, Sylva and his men departed with the kidnapped villagers, leaving the village to burn until it was reduced to ashes. Eventually, Noa regained consciousness and buried his father, vowing to rescue his people and exact revenge on Sylva alongside his warriors. Later, Sylva and his hunters ventured into a valley inhabited by a group of feral humans. Spotting Mae among them, Sylva commanded his hunters to capture the group. Mae managed to slip away into the tall grass, concealing herself as Sylva and his hunters pursued her. When Noa arrived on the scene, Mae called out to him, inadvertently revealing her location to Sylva as well. Sylva lunged to seize Mae, but Noa intervened, successfully escaping with her.
As Noa, Raka, and Mae traverse a bridge suspended over a rushing river, they are suddenly ambushed by Sylva and his band of hunters. In a desperate attempt to save Mae, Raka becomes ensnared in the swift current. Sylva, with a cruel grin, deliberately severs the net that Raka clings to, watching with satisfaction as the orangutan struggles against the water, appearing to drown. Following this, Sylva captures Noa and Mae, taking them to the Coastal Ape Colony, where they steadfastly refuse to divulge any information about humans. Meanwhile, Sylva commands the Ape Army in a series of failed attempts to breach a vault that holds weapons and a tape containing vital information about speech and power, which the Colonel Ape Army could potentially use to eliminate the remaining human population.
The following morning, Proximus, Sylva, and the other Apes discover Mae, Noa, and his friends attempting to escape from the vault. Sylva orders Lightning to hold Soona captive while Proximus demands access to the vault. Suddenly, a gunshot rings out, and Lightning plummets to his death, having been shot by Mae, who had obtained a firearm from the vault. After Mae detonates explosives that destroy the dam and inundate the kingdom, Sylva, filled with rage, pursues Noa, who is directing the other apes to climb to higher ground to avoid drowning, blaming him for the kingdom's devastation. Unable to physically overpower the gorilla, Noa cleverly tricks Sylva into becoming trapped in a narrow space between pipes, leaving him to drown and thereby avenging the deaths of both his father and Raka.
Personality[]
Sylva was a ruthless, intimidating, and combative leader who displayed a complete lack of remorse for the suffering he caused. Although he appeared to be loyal to Proximus Caesar, it is probable that he merely viewed the commander’s teachings as a justification for his violent tendencies. Ultimately, his penchant for brutality led to his downfall when he became trapped between pipes while chasing Noa.
Abilities[]
- Genius-Level Intellect: As a descendant of evolved apes, Silva has a high level of intelligence.
- Speech: Sylva is capable of speech, albeit being broken than other apes such as Proximus Caesar or Noa.
- Animal Strength: Silva will likely possess a lot of physical strength and power, being of a similar build to other strong gorillas from the CE Movies such as Buck, Luca, and Red.
- Animal Speed: Silva is quite fast for his size, as he was able to catch up to mae who was running away from him
- Animal Reflexes
- Animal Stamina
- Animal Endurance
Relationships[]
- See Sylva/Relationships
- Lightning was Sylva’s right hand ape, when Sylva went to inspect Noa’s (who they believed to be Oda) Sylva called Lightning to follow him for back up, even when Lightning was shot and killed by Mae, Sylva was visibly angered by the death of his friend.
- Proximus Caesar was Sylva’s leader and king, Sylva showed a strong loyalty towards him and Proximus seemed to trust Sylva enough to make him the commander of his band of marauders but Proximus may not have actually cared about the Gorilla as he is seen pushing Sylva out of his way when the two run from the water rushing into the bunker.
Notes[]
- Sylva is the secondary antagonist of the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Despite this, he ironically has more screen-time than the main antagonist Proximus Caesar.
- He is the second gorilla to speak, after Red.
- Sylva is the first gorilla antagonist introduced in the new franchise of The Planet of the Apes.
Trivia[]
Gallery[]
- See Sylva/Gallery.