Tarzan (2013) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Kala adopted Tarzan because she had recently lost her own infant, and when she discovered the human baby crying beside his dead mother, her maternal instinct drove her to rescue and raise him as her own, despite the objections of the other gorillas.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Kala is shown grieving over her lost infant, which explains why she is compelled to protect the vulnerable human child.

• kala
• adoption
• baby
• gorilla
• maternal instinct

Tublat, the aggressive gorilla leader, circled Tarzan's shelter at the old helicopter crash site and accidentally triggered the helicopter's emergency beacon, which sent a signal to Greystoke Energies. CEO William Clayton recognized the opportunity to profit from the meteor's energy and organized an expedition to find its source.

Foreshadowing: The beacon was left active from the original crash, waiting silently for years until Tublat's interference activated it.

• beacon
• signal
• clayton
• greystoke energies
• expedition

After years of living among the gorillas, Tarzan became increasingly confused and unsettled by his exposure to humans, particularly after his encounter with Jane. Feeling torn between two worlds and uncomfortable with his human instincts, he chose to leave his ape family to live alone.

Foreshadowing: His earlier the encounter with Jane during safari planted the seeds of curiosity about his own humanity.

• tarzan
• leaves
• family
• jane
• confusion

When Tarzan confronted Clayton at the meteor site, he used his primal cry to summon the jungle's animals. The meteor's energy, which had been dormant since John Greystoke's original sample triggered it years earlier, responded to Tarzan's call and reawakened the semi-active volcano, causing the mountain to crumble and destroy Clayton and his mercenaries.

Foreshadowing: John Greystoke's earlier sample from the cave awakened the volcano once before, establishing that the meteor's energy could trigger geological activity.

• volcano
• eruption
• meteor
• clayton
• collapse

Tarzan returned to his ape family and challenged Tublat, the abusive leader who had threatened him throughout his childhood. After a fierce confrontation, Tarzan defeated Tublat and exiled him, claiming his rightful place as leader of the troop and earning recognition from Kala and the other gorillas.

Foreshadowing: Throughout Tarzan's childhood, Tublat was established as a bully who resented Tarzan and opposed his presence in the troop.

• tarzan
• tublat
• leader
• gorilla
• tribe
• exile

Once Clayton realized Tarzan was John Greystoke's son and heir to the family fortune and company, he saw the wild man as a threat to his control over Greystoke Energies. With Tarzan alive, Clayton's claims to the company's assets and the meteor's energy would be contested, so he attempted to eliminate him to secure his power and profits.

Foreshadowing: Clayton's greed was established early when he promised Jane funding in exchange for her help, revealing his transactional and ruthless nature.

• clayton
• greystoke
• heir
• power
• motive

The valley became corrupted by radiation from the meteor that had crashed centuries earlier. The same cosmic energy that John Greystoke discovered in the glowing rock formations seeped into the surrounding environment, causing plants and animals to transform into dangerous, mutated versions of their natural forms.

Foreshadowing: John's discovery of glowing rocks in the cave hinted at the meteor's powerful and transformative energy.

• mutated valley
• meteor
• radiation
• monsters
• corruption

John Greystoke and his wife were killed when their helicopter crashed in the African jungle. After landing on the meteor to collect a sample, John's use of a pickaxe triggered a chain reaction that awakened the volcano. The helicopter crashed while attempting to escape, and only their infant son survived.

Foreshadowing: John's decision to take a sample from the glowing rocks directly caused the volcanic eruption that destroyed their aircraft.

• parents
• crash
• death
• greystoke
• volcano

After being captured and locked in a cage by Clayton's mercenaries, Tarzan was freed with the help of his gorilla friends. The apes worked together to unlock the cage and create a distraction, allowing Tarzan to break free and carry his wounded adoptive mother Kala to safety.

Foreshadowing: Throughout the film, Tarzan's bond with the gorilla family was emphasized, showing they would risk anything to help him.

• escape
• cage
• gorillas
• cala
• captured

During a safari guided by her father Dr. Porter, a wealthy client wandered away from the group and attracted the aggressive attention of a cassowary bird. Jane stepped in to protect him, placing herself in danger, and was bitten by a viper in the process. Her selfless action led to her first encounter with Tarzan, who saved her life.

Foreshadowing: Jane's courage and dedication to protecting others was established early, setting the foundation for her later adventures.

• jane
• cassowary
• viper
• safari
• rescue