Koba

"Caesar love humans more than apes!"

- Koba lectures Caesar on his love for humans

Koba is an anti-hero in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the main antagonist of the sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

He is played by Christopher Gordon in motion captures. Toby Kebbell will replace Christopher Gordon in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Koba is an aggressive, violent, sadistic Bonobo ape, considered a dark counterpart to the main protagonist, Caesar, for whom he seemed to respect.

Koba was a test subject for Gen-Sys and according to the chimp handler Robert Franklin, he's been tested on for years, which may explain his scar. Besides from that, little is known about Koba's past. During that time he had developed a hatred for humans, mostly towards Steven Jacobs.

Koba was a test subject for the ALZ-113 drug, which at a surprising level increased his intelligence to the point when he could write Jacobs, which was a threat to his oppressor though Jacobs was too overjoyed with the apparent success of the virus to notice Koba's vicious intentions towards him. During one of these tests, he attacked Franklin, knocking off his mask and exposing him to the ALZ-113. It was soon proven in the days to come that while to the apes it improved their intelligence, to humans it was deadly, exposing the virus to the rest of the world and killing off most of the human population one by one as it spread.

Koba was soon freed by Caesar and joined in the rebellion to find haven in Muir Woods Park and was ordered by Caesar to climb the bridges high wire supports. During the battle a comrade and friend of Caesar's was killed by Jacobs, who was now dangling from the wreckage of a helicopter over the water. Not willing to kill him but also not caring for him, Caesar left Jacobs in the hands of Koba. He begged for mercy, but without hesitation Koba pushed Jacobs off the bridge.

He was later seen in Muir Woods Park, where Will had come to get Caesar. Koba attacked him but was stopped by Caesar, then Koba ran off. However, he is soon seen acknowledging Caesar's leadership with the other apes.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Director Rupert Wyatt had stated in an interview that Koba will return for the sequel, and if so, he may take on the role of the primary antagonist. Due to Koba's fate at the end of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, it is unclear what his role would be. Wyatt had suggested that Koba and Caesar may join forces, pointing out that Koba might have gathered a following of his own. He has received like Caesar, the ability to speak and still has the hatred for humans. It is suggested in the second trailer, Koba might seize control of the apes from Caesar to enact war on the humans. He dies by being tumbled by cranes, due to the tower attack led by Dreyfus and after a 1v1 against Caesar, who refuses to save him.

Trivia

 * Koba was a nick-name for Joseph Stalin before the revolution.
 * Koba is considered an antagonist due to him being a darker version of the hero Caesar as well as his violent and aggressive nature.
 * He is the only villain in the film that is an ape.
 * Koba shares similar traits with General Thade, another Planet of the Apes villain. Both are fierce and bad tempered apes, sadistic, and are willing to kill anyone to get what they want. But their most striking similarity is their hatred for humans. Both see apes as superior, both use great violence against them, and both wish to exterminate them. Though Thade's reason for hating them is that he is disgusted by them, while Koba seeks revenge for his many years of torture.
 * Koba's aggressive and violent behavior is unusual for bonobos as they resolve conflicts through complex sexual behaviors instead of violence and aggression like their chimpanzee cousins.
 * Koba may share the role of antagonist in the sequel, since it's been revealed that Gary Oldman's character Dreyfus will also be a villain in the film.