Cornelius (Planet of the Apes)

Cornelius is a fictional character in the Planet of the Apes universe. He first appears in Pierre Boulle's novel La Planète des singes, and goes on to appear in the first three films of the franchise: Planet of the Apes (1968), Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), and Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971). He was portrayed by actor Roddy McDowall in the first and third films; owing to McDowall's absence, he was played instead by David Watson in Beneath.

Cornelius is an ape historian, archeologist, and scientist, and the fiancé (later husband) of Zira. He is the inventor of a theory which states that apes evolved from a more primitive species, possibly humans. Along with Zira, he befriends George Taylor, the human astronaut stranded in the future, and later accepts that apes did not evolve from humans. In Beneath the Planet of the Apes, he later befriends Brent, another astronaut who has been sent to rescue Taylor. Later, he, along with Zira and Dr. Milo, find themselves in the 1970s thanks to a time warp after escaping the destruction of Earth in Taylor's spaceship. He is the father of Caesar.