The Colonel All of human history has lead to this moment. The irony is we created you. And nature has been punishing us ever since. This is our last stand. And if we lose... it will be a Planet of Apes.
4th most-quoted character in War for the Planet of the Apes (2017): in 3 of its 32 quotes
Most scenes with: Caesar (2)
Scenes with The Colonel
3 scenes The Colonel The Colonel Grant...and Lee. Wellington...and Napoleon. Custer and Sitting Bull... You're probably not much of a reader, but this is a big moment. Where were you? We came upon your herd. We got lucky. I was surprised you weren't with them.
Preacher
[Caesar charges menacingly toward him -- but is instantly yanked back hard. Preacher levels his crossbow.]
Hey! Hey! Hey!
The Colonel [Caesar reaches for his throat to discover his wrists are shackled and his neck is chained by a neck collar... Writhing, he turns to see Red cruelly gripping the end of the chain.]
I hope you don't come to regret sparing his life. He's quite a good shot. Have you finally come to save your apes?
I came for you.
The Colonel For me? Who did I kill that night?
My wife. My son.
The Colonel I'm sorry. I was there for you. My God. Look at your eyes. Almost human.
I think you have no mercy.
The Colonel You came here to kill me. Were you going to show me mercy?
I showed you mercy when I spared your men. I offered you peace and you killed my family.
The Colonel Mercy. Do you have any idea what your mercy would do to us? You're much stronger than we are. You're smart as hell. No matter what you say, you'd eventually replace us. That's the law of Nature. The irony is, we created you. We tried to defy Nature, bend it to our will. Nature has been punishing us for our arrogance ever since. Ten months ago, I sent out recon units to look for your base. My own son was a soldier with one of the units. One day, he suddenly stopped speaking. He became primitive, like an animal. They contacted me and said that they thought he'd lost his mind, that the war was too much for him. Then the man who cared for him stopped speaking too. Their medic had a theory, before he stopped speaking, that the virus that almost wiped us out, the virus that every human survivor still carries, had suddenly changed. Mutated. And that, if it spread, it would destroy humanity for good this time. Not by killing us, but by robbing us of those things that make us human. Our speech, our higher thinking. It would turn us into beasts. You talk about mercy? What would you have done? It was a moment of clarity for me. I realized that I would have to sacrifice my only son, so that humanity could be saved. I held that gun in my hand for a long time... And I pointed it at my only child. He looked at me with trust in his eyes. Even in his primitive gaze, I felt his... love. I pulled the trigger. It purified me. It made my purpose clear. I gave orders to kill the others infected, all of them. Burn their belongings, anything that might spread contamination. Some of the men questioned my judgment. I was asking them to do what I had done, to sacrifice their friends, their family. Of course, they refused. I had them killed too. Others with children deserted into the woods. One of those cowards fled to my superiors up north. They tried to convince me that this plague could be dealt with medically. Thats when I realized that they had learned nothing from our past.
You killed them too?
The Colonel What did I do, Preacher?
Preacher
You severed their heads, sir.
The Colonel Except for the one I spared so he could return and deliver a message. If they wanted to relieve me of my command, they'd have to meet me here, and do it themselves. This used to be a weapons depot. They turned it into a relocation camp when the crisis was just beginning. But the weapons are all still here, inside the mountain.
How many men will be coming?
The Colonel Probably all of them. But don't get any ideas, the only thing they fear more than me is you apes. This is a holy war. All of human history has led to this moment. If we lose, we'll be the last of our kind. It will be a planet of apes, and we'II become your cattle. Look at you. You think I am sick, don't you? I didn't mean to kill your son. But if his destiny was to inherit your unholy kingdom... I am glad I did.
The Colonel [Caesar lashes, only to be restrained]
So emotional! I see how conflicted you are. You are confused in your purpose. You're angry at me for something I did that was an act of war. But you're taking this all much far too personally. What do you think my men would have done to your apes, if you had killed me? Or is killing me more important?
