If you’re watching the reboot Planet of the Apes series, you’re likely wondering what happens to Will Rodman. At the conclusion of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, he’s still alive, but he’s nowhere to be seen in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. So, does Will die between films, or is there a happier ending to his story?
What happens to Will after Rise of the Planet of the Apes?
While what happens to Will after Rise of the Planet of the Apes isn’t explicitly stated, they’re likely dead. ALZ-113 (aka the Simian Flu) killed around 90% of humanity between Rise and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. So, statistically speaking, Will only had a 1 in 10 chance of surviving the initial outbreak.
If Will was one of the lucky 10% or so to be naturally immune to the Simian Flu, his chances of survival were still low. He’s not a trained soldier, and outside of his scientific knowledge, he likely didn’t have many skills that would help him survive a post-apocalyptic setting. Chances are, he likely didn’t make it through the rioting, violence, and civil war that followed the outbreak.
However, even if he managed to endure all the strife and chaos, the world is still very dangerous. All essential government services are non-existent, there’s no power, and many of his fellow humans would just as soon rob and kill him as they are to help him out.
The only clue we get about Will’s fate is that Caesar visits his house in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Here, he reminisces about his time living there and how Will positively affected him. However, it seems like if Will was alive, it would be pertinent to mention or at least wonder about. The fact that he doesn’t means Caesar may know Will’s ultimate fate and chooses not to speak about it.