Rage of the Ape Men

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox television episode

| series = Primal

| image =

| caption =

| season = 1

| episode = 5

| director = * Bryan Andrews

• Genndy Tartakovsky

| writer = * Bryan Andrews

• Darrick Bachman
• Genndy Tartakovsky

| music =

| airdate = {{Start date|2019|10|2}}

| length = 22 minutes

| guests =

| prev = Terror Under the Blood Moon

| next = Scent of Prey

| season_article = Primal season 1

}}

"Rage of the Ape Men" is the fifth episode of the American adult animated action-drama Primal, which aired on Adult Swim on October 12, 2019{{Cite web |last=Rejent |first=Joseph |date=October 14, 2019 |title=Friday cable ratings: Nationals vs. Cardinals soars, 'Gold Rush' returns low |url=https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/friday-cable-ratings-october-11-2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014211511/https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/friday-cable-ratings-october-11-2019/ |archive-date=October 14, 2019}} as the mid-season finale of the series' first season. Directed by Bryan Andrews and Genndy Tartakovsky{{Cite web |last=Pitman |first=Robert |date=October 18, 2024 |title=Samurai Jack & Primal Creator Genndy Tartakovsky On The State Of The Animation Industry [SCAD] |url=https://screenrant.com/samurai-jack-primal-genndy-tartakovsky-scad-interview |access-date=October 18, 2024 |website=Screen Rant |quote=Genndy Tartakovsky: [Take] "Rage of the Ape Men." I think I had a title, and I was like, "Oh my God, that's going to be such a great episode." Not even knowing what it's going to be, but he's just going to be fighting some big ape men. There's things like that where the excitement of the inception is great. That drives it. Usually if I come up with an idea, and it doesn't go anywhere, I'm like, "Oh, well, this needs longer thinking." It's not bad. So I tend to think of character first, then situations, then story, and then I circle back to what's at the heart of it, what's beneath the surface of it.}} and co-written by the two with Darrick Bachman, the episode follows Spear (Aaron LaPlante) and Fang (Joel Valentine) as they are captured by a vicious tribe of ape men who hold a brutal tournament to the death, which they are made to partake in.

The first episode of the series to feature supernatural elements, it received critical acclaim, and was followed by "Scent of Prey",{{efn|While chronologically followed by "Scent of Prey", the later-season episode "Plague of Madness" would be released first after "Rage of the Ape Men" for April Fool's Day 2020 before reairing within sequence later in the year.}} releasing to home media on June 1, 2021.{{Cite web |last=Milligan |first=Mercedes |date=March 30, 2021 |title='Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal' Brings Prehistoric Action Home in June |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/home-entertainment/genndy-tartakovskys-primal-brings-prehistoric-action-home-in-june |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331011156/https://www.animationmagazine.net/home-entertainment/genndy-tartakovskys-primal-brings-prehistoric-action-home-in-june/ |archive-date=March 31, 2021 |access-date=March 31, 2021 |website=Animation Magazine}}