Many fans feel the Predator series hasn’t lived up to the original 1987 movie. But by 2025, those opinions will likely be proven wrong. Over the past few years, Predator has overcome numerous challenges and escaped a cycle of failed reboots. The franchise is now successfully back on track, delivering fresh and exciting stories within the Predator universe.
Recent Predator movies are also creating a connected universe with a bigger story unfolding, though the ultimate outcome remains a mystery. There’s no need to hurry, though – Predator is currently providing some of the most enjoyable sci-fi horror around, and fans should be excited about the direction the series is taking.
Predator Has Been On A Run Since Its Surprise Prequel
The TV and movie landscape has been turbulent since the COVID-19 pandemic. As lockdowns began, streaming services battled for viewers, leading to a surge in new shows and movies. Every studio started building out its popular franchises into larger entertainment universes, and Disney is part of this trend, especially after acquiring 20th Century Fox and its valuable properties like Predator and Alien.
Back then, no one realized 20th Century Studios was secretly working on a new Predator movie with director Dan Trachtenberg (known for 10 Cloverfield Lane) and writer John Davis, who had also worked on the 2018 Predator film – a movie that unfortunately didn’t perform well and nearly stopped the series. Trachtenberg’s idea was to tell the story of a Comanche woman challenging traditional roles to become a respected warrior and hunter, and a Predator would be the ultimate test of her skills. It’s interesting to wonder how the movie would have done if it had been released as originally planned, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed things. Eventually, the film, which became Prey (2022), was revealed as a Predator prequel – and that turned out to be a good thing.
Although initially released on Hulu, Prey proved successful and gained a lot of positive attention, suggesting it could have done well in theaters. More significantly, director Trachtenberg discovered a fresh direction for the Predator series: telling standalone stories about various fighters from different eras, rather than always sticking to a modern-day setting.
The new setting in Prey dramatically changed the Predator franchise, forcing characters like Naru (Amber Midthunder) to use intelligence and resourcefulness instead of overwhelming firepower. It also allowed for more diverse Predators – or Yautja – with Prey introducing a “Feral Predator” whose technology was simpler and more primitive, resembling weapons from the 1700s. This breathed new life into the Predator series, and director Trachtenberg continued to explore exciting new directions.
2025 Has Been The Year of Predator
Dan Trachtenberg has been busy creating more content in the Predator universe! Following the release of his film Prey, he developed two new projects scheduled for 2025. He recently released Killer of Killers, an animated Predator movie on Hulu, which some fans missed. While it was the franchise’s first animated installment and didn’t appeal to everyone, those who watched it found that Trachtenberg successfully built upon the strengths of Prey.
Building on the story of Prey, Predator: Killer of Killers expands the shared universe by showing that Naru’s fight was just one of many throughout history. The film introduces us to three new warriors: Ursa, a fierce Viking leader; Kenji, a skilled ninja; and John J. Torres, a brave pilot. Each warrior faces off against a unique Predator in their own story. Then, in a surprising twist, they’re all brought together on the Predator’s home planet for a final, all-out battle against the most formidable hunter of them all – the “Grendel King.”
More importantly, the story revealed a fascinating detail about the Yautja: they don’t just let defeated warriors live. Instead, they capture them, freeze them cryogenically – sometimes for centuries – and then thaw them out to serve as opponents in grand combat events designed to test their elite fighters. The story shows Naru is currently frozen in this way, along with Dutch from the original Predator and Mike Harrigan from Predator 2. Ursa allowed Torres and Kenji to escape and begin a rebellion, knowing that some of history’s greatest warriors are waiting to fight alongside them.
Honestly, I’m not even thinking about an Aliens vs. Predator thing anymore. The Predator movies are seriously hitting their stride on their own, and it’s awesome! With Predator: Badlands being so good, and now we even have a Predator, Dek, who’s actually on our side, it feels like this franchise is building to something really special.
You can see Predator: Badlands in theaters, or stream other Predator franchise content on Disney+.
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2025-11-11 03:15