4 Major Predator Lore Details That Badlands Makes Officially Part of Canon

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The 2022 film Prey immediately connected with the Predator franchise through a well-received nod to fans, and director Dan Trachtenberg has consistently focused on building out the Predator universe. While it’s common for sequels to reference past films, Trachtenberg’s work goes further, boldly reimagining what fans believe they know. This weekend’s release, Predator: Badlands, is his second live-action Predator movie and third installment overall. The film significantly changes the direction of the series, both by breaking established rules and introducing compelling new backstory.

As a huge Predator fan, I just finished watching Predator: Badlands, and it’s a really interesting take on the franchise. It doesn’t follow the typical ‘humans vs. Predator’ formula at all. Instead, it tells the story of a young Predator named Dek, showing us how he learns to hunt and earns his place among the Yautja. We see him leave his harsh home planet and land on a world where everything – seriously, everything – is out to get him. The movie really clarifies a lot about Predator culture and expands the overall lore in some significant ways. Just a heads-up, if you haven’t seen it yet, be warned: major spoilers are coming up!

4) Predators Will Kill Their Own Family

The beginning of Predator: Badlands shows Dek’s first hunt wasn’t a perfect start. We quickly see he’s eager and ambitious, but still a bit rough around the edges, especially after a brief scene with his brother, Kwei. To prove himself and earn his place within the clan, Dek needs to successfully hunt a large animal and complete his initiation ritual. However, Kwei’s encouragement isn’t entirely selfless – he’s actually hoping this mission will allow Dek to escape a dangerous situation.

When Dek and Kwei’s father appears, he’s upset that Kwei hasn’t killed Dek. He believes Dek is weak and unworthy of being in the family, and argues that killing him would prevent future shame and maintain the family’s honor.

This story offers something new to the Predator universe, starting with a section of the Yautja’s strict code of conduct. It’s always been understood that Predators killing their own kind is a serious violation – even referred to as “Bad Blood.” So, seeing a powerful Predator deliberately target his own son, based purely on how it appears to others, is a surprising turn for fans of the series.

3) Predators Have to Earn Their Cloaking Tech

The beginning of Predator: Badlands shows that the Yautja, or Predators, don’t automatically have invisibility cloaks – they have to prove themselves worthy of them. We learn that Dek’s brother, Kwei, already owns a cloak, but Dek does not. Kwei believes Dek needs to complete a hunt and claim his first trophy to earn his own cloak and become a better hunter.

As a longtime fan of the Predator films, I’ve noticed a consistent element: those cloaking devices. From the original in ’87 all the way up to Prey in 2022, the Predators have almost always been able to disappear. So, it was a clever move in this latest installment to reveal they can’t always rely on that invisibility. It wasn’t just a plot device to keep things interesting – forcing our hero, Dek, to actually fight instead of just hiding – but it actually broadened the universe. It made the mythology feel richer, suggesting the Predators aren’t always at peak technological advantage, which is a surprisingly fresh take.

This new detail seems to clash with an earlier film. In the 2003 movie Aliens vs. Predator, the three Yautja we see are all on their first hunts, and they’re already using cloaking technology. However, a lot of fans don’t consider that movie to be part of the official storyline, so it’s easy to overlook this inconsistency.

2) Predators Can Team Up With Synths (And Not Break the Rules)

Within the Alien universe, Synths are often treated as both crew members and mere technology. In Predator: Badlands, Dek quickly encounters a Synth, initially misunderstanding her nature. He soon realizes that Thia (Elle Fanning) isn’t a person, but an android created by Weyland Yutani. Once he understands she’s not alive, Dek views her as a tool, allowing him to fully utilize her abilities and integrate her into his hunting equipment.

The exciting part of discovering a Predator can use a Synth without violating their code of honor isn’t necessarily a huge story change for the lore itself. Instead, it opens up interesting possibilities for the future of the franchise. Now that Dek and Thia are working together, it creates a chance for them to cross paths with other popular characters from past Predator movies and stories, like Naru from ‘Prey,’ or even Dutch from the original film.

1) Not All Predators Know About Earth

As Dek and Thia grow closer, Thia attempts to explain to the Yautja that a member’s value to the clan isn’t solely based on their kill count, but also on their ability to provide and protect. She uses the example of Earth wolves and their “Alpha” leader to illustrate this. While she gets her point across effectively, it becomes clear that Dek has no understanding of Earth, or even what a wolf is.

Most Predator movies show Earth as a significant location, either for hunting or as a breeding ground. It’s therefore unexpected that the Predator in Badlands seems completely unaware of Earth or its people. This could be because the film is set quite a long time in the future – possibly over a hundred years from now. Perhaps Earth has become known among Predators as a place that isn’t worth the risk, considering how many Predators have been defeated and killed there.

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2025-11-09 18:18