Predator (franchise)
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''Predator'' is an American
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
action
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, o ...
primarily centered on encounters between humans and a fictional species of extraterrestrial trophy hunters known as the Predators. Produced and distributed by
20th Century Studios 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
, the series was initially conceived by screenwriters Jim and John Thomas. The series began with the film ''
Predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...
'' (1987), directed by
John McTiernan John Campbell McTiernan Jr. (born January 8, 1951) is an American former filmmaker best known for his action films. His work as director includes ''Predator (film), Predator'' (1987), ''Die Hard'' (1988), and ''The Hunt for Red October (film), ...
, and was followed by several sequels—''
Predator 2 ''Predator 2'' is a 1990 American science fiction film, science fiction action film written by brothers Jim and John Thomas, directed by Stephen Hopkins (director), Stephen Hopkins, and starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Ruben Blades, Rubén Bla ...
'' (1990), '' Predators'' (2010), '' The Predator'' (2018), ''
Prey Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not ki ...
'' (2022), '' Predator: Killer of Killers'' (2025), and '' Predator: Badlands'' (2025)—as well as a range of
expanded universe The term expanded universe, sometimes called an extended universe, is generally used to denote the "extension" of a media franchise (like a television program or a series of feature films) with other media, generally comics and original novels. ...
media, including
comic books A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
, novels, and
video games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
, including '' Predator: Concrete Jungle'' (2005) and '' Predator: Hunting Grounds'' (2020). Beginning with crossover comic books published in the 1990s under the '' Alien vs. Predator (AVP)'' imprint, the Predators later intersected with the ''Alien'' film series, pitting the Predators against the titular Alien characters. This narrative convergence led to two theatrical crossover films—'' Alien vs. Predator'' (2004) and '' Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem'' (2007)—and the ''AVP'' series having its own associated expanded universe of tie in novels, comics and video games.


Premise

The ''Predator franchise'' centers on recurring storylines in which human characters encounter a technologically advanced extraterrestrial species that hunts other lifeforms for sport. These extraterrestrials—credited as Predators in the films and alternatively named Yautja, Hish-Qu-Ten, and Skin Thieves in expanded universe media—serve as antagonists in largely self-contained narratives that blend
military science fiction Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction and military fiction that depicts the use of science fiction technology, including spaceships and science fiction weapons, weapons, for military purposes and usually principal characters ...
, action, and horror elements. Although the films vary in setting and time period, they typically follow a familiar structure: a group of humans, often military personnel or other combatants, find themselves targeted by a Predator during a mission or survival scenario. The creatures are portrayed as adhering to a ritualized code of conduct, selectively targeting dangerous opponents they deem worthy prey. Over time, expanded media introduced additional layers to the fictional mythology, including the species' social hierarchy, interstellar hunting culture, and internal rivalries.


Background

''Predator'' was
John McTiernan John Campbell McTiernan Jr. (born January 8, 1951) is an American former filmmaker best known for his action films. His work as director includes ''Predator (film), Predator'' (1987), ''Die Hard'' (1988), and ''The Hunt for Red October (film), ...
's first studio film as director. The studio hired screenplay writer
Shane Black Shane Black (born December 16, 1961) is an American screenwriter, film director, and actor, known for his distinctive style of Action film, action and action comedy films. He is the original creator of the ''Lethal Weapon (franchise), Lethal Wea ...
not only to play a supporting role in the film, but to keep an eye on McTiernan due to the director's inexperience.
Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian martial artist and actor. Born and raised in Brussels, his father enrolled him in a Shotokan karate schoo ...
was originally cast as the film's creature, the idea being that the physical action star would use his martial arts skills to make the creature an agile,
ninja A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...
-esque hunter. When compared to
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
, Carl Weathers, and
Jesse Ventura Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American politician, political commentator, actor, media personality, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), he ...
, actors known for their bodybuilding regimes, it became apparent a more physically imposing man was needed to make the creature appear threatening. Eventually, Van Damme was removed from the film and replaced by the actor and mime artist Kevin Peter Hall. A Van Damme
easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The ...
was eventually featured in ''The Predator''. The Yautja's design is credited to special effects artist
Stan Winston Stanley Winston (April 7, 1946 – June 15, 2008) was an American television and film special make-up effects artist, best known for his work in the ''Terminator'' series, the first three '' Jurassic Park'' films, '' Aliens'', '' The Thing'', ...
. While flying to Japan with '' Aliens'' director
James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...
, Winston, who had been hired to design the Predator, was doing concept art on the flight. Cameron saw what he was drawing and said, "I always wanted to see something with mandibles", and Winston subsequently included them in his designs. Schwarzenegger recommended Winston after his experience working on ''
The Terminator ''The Terminator'' is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, written by Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd and produced by Hurd. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cybernetic assassin sent back in t ...
''. The film's creature was originally designed with a long neck, a
dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...
-like head and a single eye. This design was abandoned when it became apparent that the jungle locations would make shooting the complex design too difficult. Originally, the studio contracted the makeup effects for the creature from
Richard Edlund Richard Edlund, (born December 6, 1940) is an American visual effects artist and inventor. He was a founding member of Industrial Light & Magic, having already founded Pignose amplifiers, and later co-founded Boss Film Studios and DuMonde V ...
's Boss Film Creature Shop. However, with problems filming the creature in Mexico and attempts to create a convincing monster of Van Damme, wearing a very different body suit, failing, makeup effects responsibilities were given to Winston and his studio, R/Greenberg Associates. According to former Boss Film Creature Shop makeup supervisor Steve Johnson, the makeup failed because of an impractical design by McTiernan that included extensions that gave the creature a backward bent
satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr (, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( ), and sileni (plural), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. ...
-leg. The design did not work in the jungle locations. After six weeks of shooting in the jungles of
Palenque Palenque (; Yucatec Maya: ), also anciently known in the Itza Language as Lakamha ("big water" or "big waters"), was a Maya city-state in southern Mexico that perished in the 8th century. The Palenque ruins date from ca. 226 BC to ca. 799 AD ...
,
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, the production had to shut down so that Winston could make the new creature. This took eight months and then filming resumed for five weeks. The clicking sound of the creature was provided by
Peter Cullen Peter Claver Cullen (born July 28, 1941) is a Canadian voice actor. He voiced Optimus Prime in the original 1980s ''The Transformers (TV series), Transformers'' animated series, later returning to the role in ''Transformers'' media in 2007, sta ...
. Despite his resolution not to voice any more monsters following injuries to his throat sustained during the ADR of ''King Kong'', his agent convinced him to audition. The clicking sound was inspired by a mixture of the visual of the creature and his recollection of a dying horseshoe crab. R/Greenberg Associates created the film's optical effects, including the creature's ability to become
invisible Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be ''invisible'' (literally, "not visible"). The phenomenon is studied by physics and perceptual psychology. Since objects can be seen by light fr ...
, its thermal vision point-of-view, its glowing blood, and the
electric spark An electric spark is an abrupt electrical discharge that occurs when a sufficiently high electric field creates an Ionization, ionized, Electric current, electrically conductive channel through a normally-insulating medium, often air or other ga ...
effects. The invisibility effect was achieved by having someone in a bright red suit (because it was the farthest opposite of the green of the jungle and the blue of the sky) the size of the creature. The take was then repeated without the actors using a 30% wider lens on the camera. When the two takes were combined optically, a vague outline of the alien could be seen with the background scenery bending around its shape. For the thermal vision, infrared film could not be used because it did not register in the range of
body temperature Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature ...
wavelength In physics and mathematics, wavelength or spatial period of a wave or periodic function is the distance over which the wave's shape repeats. In other words, it is the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same ''phase (waves ...
s. The glowing blood was achieved by green liquid from chem-lite sticks used by campers. The electrical sparks were rotoscoped animation using white paper pin registered on portable light tables to black-and-white prints of the film frames. The drawings were composited by the optical crew for the finished effects. In an interview on ''Predator'' Special Edition, actor Carl Weathers said many of the actors would secretly wake up as early as 3 a.m. to work out before the day's shooting, in order to look "pumped" during the scene. Weathers also stated that he would act as if his physique was naturally given to him, and would work out only after all the other actors were nowhere to be seen. It was reported that actor
Sonny Landham William M. "Sonny" Landham III (February 11, 1941 – August 17, 2017) was an American actor. He portrayed Billy Bear in ''48 Hrs.'' (1982), tracker Billy Sole in ''Predator (film), Predator'' (1987), and 'Chink' Weber in Lock Up (1989 film), '' ...
was so unstable on the set that a bodyguard was hired; not to protect Landham, but to protect other people from him. According to Schwarzenegger, filming was physically demanding as he had to swim in very cold water and spent three weeks covered in mud for the climactic battle with the creature. In addition, cast and crew endured very cold temperatures in the Mexican jungle that required heat lamps to be on all of the time. Schwarzenegger also faced the challenge of working with Kevin Peter Hall who could not see out of the mask, and had to rehearse his scenes with it off and then memorize where everything was. The film was particularly successful and subsequently inspired a number of
comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
s,
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
s and popular
anecdote An anecdote is "a story with a point", such as to communicate an abstract idea about a person, place, or thing through the concrete details of a short narrative or to characterize by delineating a specific quirk or trait. Anecdotes may be real ...
s within the media. Schwarzenegger was asked to reprise his role in a ''Predator'' sequel, but was already attached to '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' and could not accept the role. The character was rewritten from the developing sequel's script, and the sequel to ''Predator'', directed by Stephen Hopkins, was scheduled for 1990. Due to excessive violence and nudity scenes, ''
Predator 2 ''Predator 2'' is a 1990 American science fiction film, science fiction action film written by brothers Jim and John Thomas, directed by Stephen Hopkins (director), Stephen Hopkins, and starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Ruben Blades, Rubén Bla ...
'' was the first film to be given the newly instituted NC-17 rating in the United States. It was eventually rated R by the
Motion Picture Association of America The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the Major film studios, five major film studios of the Cinema of the United States, United States, the Major film studios#Mini-majors, mini-major Amazon MGM Stud ...
after being re-cut to its final theatrical length. The film cast
Danny Glover Danny Glover ( ; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, producer, and political activist. Over his career he has received List of awards and nominations received by Danny Glover, numerous accolades including the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian A ...
in the lead role, and Kevin Peter Hall reprised his role as the Predator. Also, returning to the role of Anna in the sequel,
Elpidia Carrillo Elpidia Carrillo (born August 16, 1961) is a Mexican actress and director. Her career includes roles in both film and television. Internationally she is best known for supporting roles in ''Predator'', '' Bread and Roses,'' '' Nine Lives'' and ' ...
was slated to be in two scenes but was cut back to a brief appearance on a video screen in the government agents' surveillance trailer. Her character is showing damage to the
Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
n jungle caused by the explosion at the conclusion of the first film.


Films


''Predator'' (1987)

An elite paramilitary rescue team, led by Major Dutch is on a covert operation in a Central American jungle where they are tasked with rescuing an official and his aide from guerrillas when they encounter a highly dangerous extraterrestrial with futuristic technology who hunts them for sport and are forced to find a way to defeat it before it kills off the entire team while awaiting a helicopter rescue.


''Predator 2'' (1990)

In the record-hot summer of 1997, a different Predator arrives in Los Angeles and hunts violent gang members, drawing the attention of the local police force, specifically Lieutenant Harrigan, who pursues the creature as it rampages throughout the city. The creature itself is in turn being hunted by the secretive government task-force OWLF, led by CIA agent Peter Keyes, which wishes to capture it for study.


''Predators'' (2010)

A group of notorious mercenaries and murderers find themselves kidnapped and transported to an extraterrestrial game preserve jungle planet, where they have to learn to work together in order to fight off a band of Super Predators and other creatures stalking them and find a way off this world.


''The Predator'' (2018)

After witnessing the crash of a Predator spaceship on Earth and hiding some of the remains, U.S. Army Ranger Quinn McKenna and a team of PTSD-afflicted soldiers must take down a pair of Predators, including a new enhanced Predator which was genetically enhanced by its species. The Predator canon is expanded by distinguishing multiple types and purposes of the Predator species.


''Prey'' (2022)

With the sale of 21st Century Fox's assets to
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
, the future of the series was called into question, though
Bob Iger Robert Alan Iger (; born February 10, 1951) is an American media executive who is chief executive officer (CEO) of the Walt Disney Company. He previously was the president of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) between 1994 and 1995 and p ...
confirmed that certain properties would remain R-rated. In December 2019, Dan Trachtenberg was announced to be developing a film under the working title of ''Skulls'', with a script from Patrick Aison, set during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. In November 2020, it was revealed that the project was actually a fifth film in the ''Predator'' franchise. Trachtenberg indicated that he had been working on the film since 2016, with the intention to market the project without any references to ''Predator''. The Walt Disney Company produced the project through their
20th Century Studios 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
banner. In May 2021, Amber Midthunder was announced to star. In late July, the title was shortened to ''Skull'' before officially becoming ''Prey'' in November; it was released on
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
on August 5, 2022. Naru, a skilled
Comanche The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...
warrior, is striving to prove herself as a hunter, and finds herself having to protect her people from a Predator as well as from French fur traders who are destroying the Buffalo her people rely on for survival.


''Predator: Killer of Killers'' (2025)

In October 2024, it was reported that a secret ''Predator'' film had been directed by Dan Trachtenberg and is one of two ''Predator'' films releasing in 2025, set to be released on streaming before the release of '' Predator: Badlands''. In April 2025, the official title was revealed during CinemaCon.


''Predator: Badlands'' (2025)

In June 2022, Dan Trachtenberg stated that there are discussions for additional installments being developed after the release of ''
Prey Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not ki ...
''. The filmmaker stated that moving forward, the intent is to do things that have not been done before in the franchise. In August, Bennett Taylor expressed interest in reprising his role as Raphael Adolini as "the
pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...
he is" in a potential
prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...
to ''Prey'', serving as a loose adaptation of the 1996 comic book '' Predator: 1718'' in which Adolini was introduced, reading it as research before shooting ''Prey'', having aimed to "bring as much of aphaelinto ''Prey'' that made sense". In February 2024, it was reported that a number of ''Predator'' projects are in development, with Dan Trachtenberg involved with each installment. While a sequel to ''Prey'' is one of them, a new film with the working title of ''Badlands'' is scheduled for principal photography in July of the same year. Trachtenberg will once again serve as director, with a script written by Patrick Aison, from an original story they co-authored. The plot will center around a new female lead, and be set chronologically in the future. Actress
Elle Fanning Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. Her works include both independent films and blockbusters, and her accolades include a National Board of Review Award, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and ...
has been in talks to star in the leading role. ''Predator: Badlands'' is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on November 7, 2025.


Crossover series

Inspired by the
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
series, the filmmakers of ''
Predator 2 ''Predator 2'' is a 1990 American science fiction film, science fiction action film written by brothers Jim and John Thomas, directed by Stephen Hopkins (director), Stephen Hopkins, and starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Ruben Blades, Rubén Bla ...
'' (1990) incorporated an
easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The ...
in which an Alien skull was seen in a Predator trophy case. Expansions upon this
shared universe A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where one or more writers (or other artists) independently contribute works that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, charact ...
between the '' Alien'' and ''Predator'' franchises followed through comics and video games, leading up to the launch of a film franchise with the release of '' Alien vs. Predator'' in 2004, followed by '' Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem'' in 2007. The franchise has spawned various comics, novels, video games, and other merchandise based upon or inspired by the films. A third film has been variously rumored since the production of ''Requiem''. In mid-2018,
Shane Black Shane Black (born December 16, 1961) is an American screenwriter, film director, and actor, known for his distinctive style of Action film, action and action comedy films. He is the original creator of the ''Lethal Weapon (franchise), Lethal Wea ...
, the director of '' The Predator'', expressed his belief that a third ''Alien vs. Predator'' could still happen, indicating the studio's interest in both franchises. By August 2024, '' Alien: Romulus'' director
Fede Álvarez Federico Javier Álvarez Mattos (; born February 9, 1978) is a Uruguayan filmmaker. He is best known for directing the films ''Evil Dead (2013 film), Evil Dead'' (2013), ''Don't Breathe'' (2016), and ''Alien: Romulus'' (2024). Early life Álvare ...
expressed interest in co-directing an ''Alien vs. Predator'' movie in collaboration with ''
Prey Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not ki ...
'' director Dan Trachtenberg. In October of the same year, Steve Abell (President of Fox Studios) stated that the studio has plans to eventually develop an ''Alien'' and ''Predator'' crossover film.


''Alien vs. Predator'' (2004)

In 2004, a Predator mothership arrives in
Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
orbit to draw humans to an ancient Predator training ground on Bouvetøya, an island about one thousand miles north of
Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
. A buried
pyramid A pyramid () is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as trian ...
giving off a "heat bloom" attracts a group of explorers led by billionaire and self-taught engineer Charles Bishop Weyland ( Lance Henriksen), the original founder and CEO of Weyland Industries, who unknowingly activates an Alien egg production line as a hibernating Alien Queen is awakened within the pyramid. Three Predators descend to the planet and enter the structure, killing all humans in their way with the intention of hunting the newly formed Aliens, while the scattered explorers are captured alive by Aliens and implanted with embryos. Two Predators die in the ensuing battle with an Alien, while the third allies itself with the lone surviving human, Alexa "Lex" Woods ( Sanaa Lathan), while making their way out of the pyramid as it is destroyed by the Predator's wrist bomb and eventually does battle with the escaped Alien Queen on the surface. The Queen is defeated by being dragged down by a water tower into the dark depths of the frozen sea, but not before she fatally wounds the last Predator. The orbiting Predator mothership uncloaks and the crew retrieves the fallen Predator. A Predator elder gives Lex a spear as a sign of respect, and then departs. Once in orbit it is revealed that an Alien Chestburster was present within the corpse, thus a predator/alien hybrid is born.


''Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem'' (2007)

Set immediately after the events of the previous film, the Predalien hybrid aboard the Predator scout ship, having just separated from the mothership shown in the previous film, has grown to full adult size and sets about killing the Predators aboard the ship, causing it to crash in the small town of Gunnison, Colorado. The last surviving Predator activates a distress beacon containing a video recording of the Predalien, which is received by a
veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...
Predator on the Predator homeworld, who sets off towards Earth to "clean up" the infestation. When it arrives, the Predator tracks the Aliens into a section of the sewer below the town. He removes evidence of their presence as he moves along using a corrosive blue liquid and uses a laser net to try to contain the creatures, but the Aliens still manage to escape into the town above. The Predator fashions a plasma pistol from its remaining plasma caster and hunts Aliens all across town, accidentally cutting the power to the town in the process. During a confrontation with human survivors, the Predator loses its plasma pistol. The Predator then fights the Predalien singlehandedly, and the two mortally wound one another just as the US air force drops a tactical nuclear bomb on the town, incinerating both combatants along with the Predalien's warriors and hive, as well as the few remaining humans in the town. The salvaged plasma pistol is then taken to a Ms. Yutani of the Yutani Corporation, foreshadowing an advancement in technology leading to the future events of the ''Alien'' films.


Short films

On October 19, 2010, ''Predators'' was released on home video and included the two prequel short films ''Moments of Extraction'' and ''Crucified'', along with the prequel short film ''The Chosen'', which had aired as a television and cinema advertisement prior to the release of ''Predators''. Loot Crate (commonly known for producing and distributing various officially licensed merchandise based on the ''Alien'', ''Predator'', ''Alien vs. Predator'', and ''Prometheus'' brands) released a VR 360° short film titled ''Predator vs. Colonial Marines'' in February 2016, directed by Julian Higgins and written by Peter Weidman in which a troop of Colonial Marines storm a Weyland-Yutani warehouse and encounter the deadly alien hunter. ''The Predator'' was released on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
,
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
and 4K Ultra HD formats on December 18, 2018, in America, alongside the short film '' The Predator Holiday Special'', in which
Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...
and his elves and reindeer encounter the Predators at the North Pole.


Cast and crew


Principal cast


Additional production and crew details


Reception


Box office performance

;List indicator : indicates figures based on available information. Note that the figures in this table are not inflation adjusted


Critical and public response


Music


Home media


Other media


Novels

Several novelizations based upon the movies have been released.


Movie novelizations

* ''Predator'' by Paul Monette, Jove Books, June 1, 1987, * ''Predator 2'' by Simon Hawke, Jove Books, December 1990, * ''The Predator: Hunters and Hunted'' by James A. Moore, Titan Books, July 31, 2018 * ''The Predator'' by
Christopher Golden Christopher Golden (born July 15, 1967) is an American writer. Early life Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. He graduated from Tufts University. Career As well as novels, Golden has written com ...
& Mark Morris, Titan Books, September 2018,


Original novels

* ''Predator: Concrete Jungle'' by Nathan Archer * ''Predator: Cold War'' by Nathan Archer * ''Predator: Big Game'' by Sandy Schofield * ''Predator: Forever Midnight'' by
John Shirley John Shirley (born February 10, 1953) is an American writer, primarily of horror, fantasy, science fiction, noir fiction, westerns, and songwriting. He has also written one historical novel, a western about Wyatt Earp, ''Wyatt in Wichita'', and ...
* ''Predator: Flesh and Blood'' by Michael Jan Friedman * ''Predator: Turnabout'' by
Steve Perry Stephen Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and frontman of the rock band Journey during their most successful years from 1977 to 1987, and again from 1995 to 1998. He wrote/co-wrote ...
* ''Predator: South China Sea'' by
Jeff VanderMeer Jeff VanderMeer (born July 7, 1968) is an American author, editor, and literary critic. Initially associated with the New Weird literary genre, VanderMeer crossed over into mainstream success with his bestselling Southern Reach Series. The se ...
* ''Predator: Prey to the Heavens'' by John Arcudi and Javier Saltares * ''The Predator: Hunters and Hunted'' by James A. Moore * ''Predator: Stalking Shadows'' by James A. Moore


Comic books

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
published various lines based on the franchise. The '' Fire and Stone'' (2014–2015) and ''Life and Death'' (2016–2017) series further explored what happened in the ''Alien'', ''Predator'', ''Alien vs. Predator'', and ''Prometheus'' universe following the events of the 2012 film ''
Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning "forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titans, Titan. He is best known for defying the Olympian gods by taking theft of fire, fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technol ...
''. In July 2020,
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
announced that it had acquired the comic book rights to the ''Predator'' franchise, in addition to the rights to the ''Alien'' and ''Alien vs. Predator'' franchises, publishing ''
Predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...
'' (2022–present), '' Predator vs. Wolverine'' (2023), '' Predator vs. Black Panther'' (2024), '' Predator vs. Spider-Man'', '' Predator: Black, White & Blood'', and '' Predator Kills the Marvel Universe'' (all 2025).


Books

Other books expanding this fictional universe have been released through the years, and also such that depict the background to the films, including works by special effects company Amalgamated Dynamics Incorporated (ADI) which has worked with the ''Alien'', ''Predator'' and ''Alien vs. Predator'' films. * ''Predator The Official Movie Special'' (2018) * ''The Predator: The Art and Making of the Film'' (2018)


Video games

* ''
Predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...
'' (1987) * ''
Predator 2 ''Predator 2'' is a 1990 American science fiction film, science fiction action film written by brothers Jim and John Thomas, directed by Stephen Hopkins (director), Stephen Hopkins, and starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Ruben Blades, Rubén Bla ...
'' (1990) * ''
Predator 2 ''Predator 2'' is a 1990 American science fiction film, science fiction action film written by brothers Jim and John Thomas, directed by Stephen Hopkins (director), Stephen Hopkins, and starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Ruben Blades, Rubén Bla ...
'' (1992) * '' Predator: Concrete Jungle'' (2005) * '' Predator: Hunting Grounds'' (2020)


Pinball

The Predators have appeared in two virtual pinball tables. The first one is a pinball adaptation of the first two ''Predator'' films, one of four pinball tables in the 1999 computer game ''Sci-Fi Pinball'', with the other three tables being based on '' Aliens'', ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...
'' and '' The Fly'', three other Fox horror films. The second one is a loose pinball adaptation of ''Alien vs. Predator'', developed by Zen Studios and available as an add-on pack for '' Zen Pinball 2'', '' Pinball FX 2'' and '' Pinball FX 3'' on April 26, 2016. Based on the premise and setting (though not the plot) of that film, this table is played entirely from the perspective of a Predator ascending the ranks to become a seasoned warrior and Alien hunter, with two of the film's human leads being the table's announcers. In the early 2010s,
pinball Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...
manufacturer SKIT-B attempted to create an unauthorized physical pinball adaptation of the ''Predator'' franchise, without securing licensing rights from franchise owner 20th Century Fox. After suffering from legal problems, the pinball table was cancelled on March 24, 2015, and thus, only a few prototypes of the pinball table exists to this day.


Card game

A card game titled, ''Legendary Encounters: A Predator Deck Building Game'', was released in July 2015 by Upper Deck Company. It is based on the first two films.


Other appearances

* The Predator is a downloadable character in ''
Mortal Kombat X ''Mortal Kombat X'' is a 2015 fighting game developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the tenth main installment in the ''Mortal Kombat'' s ...
'' (2015). * The Predator is a free challenging boss featured in ''
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands ''Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands'' is a Third-person shooter, third-person tactical shooter video game developed by Ubisoft Paris and Ubisoft Milan, and published by Ubisoft. It was released worldwide on March 7, 2017, for Microsoft Windows, ...
''. * The Predator is an unlockable outfit and hostile NPC in '' Fortnite Battle Royale'' Chapter 2 Season 5. * The Predator was licensed by
Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...
to officially appear in the 2023 seventh season
premiere A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work. History Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the ...
of the
animated series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
''
Rick and Morty ''Rick and Morty'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated science fiction Animated sitcom, sitcom created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The series follows the misadvent ...
'', " How Poopy Got His Poop Back".


See also

* List of space science fiction franchises * List of films featuring extraterrestrials *
List of monster movies This is a list of monster movies, about such creatures as Extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial aliens, Megafauna, giant animals, Kaiju (the Japanese counterpart of giant animals, but they can also be machines and plants), Mutant (fiction ...
* '' Predatoroonops'', a genus of spider named in honor of the Predator


References


Bibliography

* ''Beautiful Monsters: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to the Alien and Predator Films'' (by David A. McIntee, Telos, 272 pages, 2005, ).


External links


Predator Community

Alien vs. Predator Central
* *
"Behind the scenes of the Predator stop-motion holiday special"
''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Predator (Franchise) Predator (franchise) 20th Century Studios franchises Action film franchises American film series Mythopoeia Film franchises introduced in 1987 Film series introduced in 1987 Films adapted into comics Horror film franchises Horror mass media franchises Science fiction film franchises Science fiction horror film series