Predator: Badlands – 20 Easter Eggs & Alien Franchise Ties Explained

by

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Predator: Badlands

The new movie, Predator: Badlands, is now playing in theaters! Fans have been discovering lots of cool Easter eggs and references to past films, but there are also plenty of connections to the universe, since the two franchises share the same setting.

Dan Trachtenberg’s new Predator film, Badlands, offers a fresh take on the franchise by making a Predator the central character. This Predator, named Dek (played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), teams up with Thia (Elle Fanning), a human created by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. By the end of the movie, they form an unexpected partnership.

Predator: Badlands takes place in a dangerous world, but it’s also packed with fun hidden references and connections to the Predator and Alien universes, as well as other franchises. Here are 20 of the most noticeable ones we discovered.

Every Easter Egg, Reference, and Connection in Predator: Badlands Explained

The story begins with an excerpt from the Yautja Codex, a rigid code of honor followed by all clans of the Predator warrior race.

This new installment reinforces the idea that the Yautja have no allies or enemies, only those they hunt. However, the animated series Killer of Killers was the first Predator story to begin with its own introduction, a Codex entry stating: “Venture into the cosmos and pursue only the most formidable prey. They will be your prize. Become the ultimate hunter.”

Yautja Prime is the Predators’ home planet, and it’s always great to learn more about it. We’ve seen glimpses of it before, and it’s exciting to expand on the world and the different warrior groups that live there.

Dek and his father ride hover bikes that look identical to the ones originally seen in the animated series, Killer of Killers.

On Dek’s brother’s ship, there’s a trophy room displaying a collection of skulls. While most appear to be from various alien creatures, a human skull and spine are prominently displayed alongside a T. Rex skull. Interestingly, one of the main alien skulls seems to be from a Harvester, the alien species featured in the movie Independence Day.

The Predator’s plasmacaster, a shoulder-mounted weapon first seen with the traditional tri-laser targeting system used by Dek’s father, is arguably the most iconic weapon in the entire Predator series. But in Predator: Badlands, the weapon gets a surprising twist: Dek uses a living lizard that spits acid as a makeshift plasmacaster.

Although Thia uses a universal translator to speak with Dek in English, Dek actually speaks a complete and complex Yautja language. Director Dan Trachtenberg brought in Paul Frommer, the linguist who also created the Na’vi language for James Cameron’s Avatar, to develop it.

Thia’s identity is revealed: she’s a synthetic being created by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. This powerful company is well-known as the primary villain in the Alien movies, often proving to be just as dangerous as the alien Xenomorphs themselves.

When Thia is turned off, the backs of her eyes reveal the Weyland-Yutani logo – the same logo seen on the eyes of Andy, a prominent synthetic character who debuted in the 2024 film Alien: Romulus.

Thia asks Dek about his ship’s ability to travel faster than light, but confirms that humans haven’t yet developed that technology. She points out that, like in the Alien movies, long space journeys often involve putting crews in suspended animation and relying on robots to operate the ship.

In Predator: Badlands, the creator, Dek, devises a way to carry the injured Thia on his back. This was intentionally inspired by a famous scene in The Empire Strikes Back where Chewbacca carries the dismantled C-3PO, as director Trachtenberg has confirmed.

Thia’s ability to move her upper and lower body separately is a playful reference to the Star Wars droid C-3PO, similar to when his head and body became disconnected in Attack of the Clones.

The Weyland-Yutani Corporation identifies the dangerous creature known as the Kalisk with the designation XX0552. This is similar to how they designate the well-known Xenomorph, which is labeled XX121.

MUTHUR 6000 is a classic supercomputer from the Alien movies. It’s known for giving instructions to spaceship crews and employees of the Weyland Corporation, and it also communicates with Thia’s synthetic duplicate, Tessa.

We also find the number 062578 listed with MUTHUR’s name in Badlands. Since that movie takes place furthest into the future of the connected film series, this might mean it’s a more advanced version of the MUTHUR unit.

It’s now confirmed that Thia and Tessa work in Weyland’s Bio-Weapons Division, the group primarily focused on capturing and studying Xenomorphs. Recently, the division has also begun researching the Kalisk, hoping to utilize its powerful ability to regenerate.

Dek’s ‘Ripping Skulls and Spines’ is a traditional celebratory move marking a successful hunt. It’s famously depicted with him tearing the skulls and spines from his prey – most recognizably from the Bone Bison he defeated by splitting it in two with his sword as it charged towards him and Thia.

At the movie’s conclusion, young Bud Kalisk mirrors the gesture performed for Dek, repeating many of Dek’s behaviors and quirks he’d playfully shown throughout the film, this time for Tessa.

Fans of the Alien movies will recognize a lot of the Weyland-Yutani equipment, such as the pulse rifles and their iconic firing sound—although the guns appear to be updated versions. Many of the vehicles also seem familiar, resembling those from earlier films and projects.

The phrase “Building Better Worlds,” a well-known slogan for Weyland-Yutani, appears in Predator: Badlands. It originally debuted in James Cameron’s 1986 film Aliens.

The movie features a preparation scene reminiscent of earlier films. Before the climactic fight, Dek is shown getting his gear ready – a visual echo of a similar scene in 2022’s Prey, where Amber Midthunder’s character, Naru, prepared for the hunt. This, in turn, pays homage to the original Predator movie, where Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch meticulously prepared weapons and traps before facing the Predator in the jungle.

In the final moments of Predator: Badlands, it’s discovered that the Weyland Corporation intended to collect several valuable items: the Kalisk, Dek, and a piece of the strange, living plant that initially attacked Dek after their ship crashed on the planet Genna. This echoes the corporate greed seen in Alien: Earth.

Watching the new show Badlands really reminded me of the terrible fate of the crew on the USCSS Maginot in Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth series. That show, which just finished, had several dangerous creatures onboard, and things quickly spiraled out of control. But what’s amazing about Badlands is that Tessa and her team actually managed to escape the planet, which is more than I can say for those poor folks!

The climax of the 1986 film Aliens featured a truly iconic scene: Sigourney Weaver’s character, Ripley, battling the Xenomorph Queen while piloting a massive yellow loader machine. It’s considered one of the most unforgettable sci-fi fights ever filmed.

Interestingly, Predator: Badlands escalates the action and flips the script on who we support. Tessa uses a massive yellow loader to battle Dek and the formidable Kalisk, who is even bigger than a Xenomorph Queen.

The ship appearing at the end of Predator: Badlands—after Dek defeats his father—confirms his mother is on board. This ship appears to be the same model as those featured in the animated series Killer of Killers.

Predator: Badlands is now playing in theaters from 20th Century Fox

Read More

2025-11-07 12:51