Alien & Predator Shared Universe Explained: All Crossovers, Connections, Canon & Secret 3rd Sci-Fi Franchise

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With Predator: Badlands now available on Hulu, the Predator franchise is getting a lot of attention, and fans are wondering what’s next. Director Dan Trachtenberg managed to create a Predator movie where the alien hunter felt like the main character—something the earlier films didn’t quite achieve. Plus, his crossover with the Alien universe was more exciting and well-integrated than the official Alien vs. Predator movies.

Where is the Predator series headed? And how does Alien connect to it all? Plus, could a third sci-fi movie that fans have speculated about for years also be part of this interconnected universe?

Alien & Predator Shared Universe Explained

While Predator: Badlands isn’t the first team-up between the Alien and Predator universes, their history goes back a while. The original Alien film debuted in 1979, and Predator followed nearly ten years later in 1987. By the 1990s, Predator had become a fan favorite, while Alien was struggling to maintain momentum. The 1990 release of Predator 2 kicked off the first major interest in crossovers between the two franchises.

As a huge movie fan, one scene in Predator 2 always stuck with me: Danny Glover’s character, Mike Harrington, fighting a Predator on its ship. But it wasn’t just the fight – the ship had this incredible trophy room filled with skulls from the Predator’s past victims. And get this – one of those skulls was an actual Xenomorph from Alien! Seriously, seeing that connection blew my mind and got everyone talking about what other crossovers could happen. It really fired up the imaginations of fans, and it still does!

Although the first movie combining the Alien and Predator universes wasn’t released until Paul W.S. Anderson’s Alien vs. Predator in 2004, followed by Requiem in 2007, the idea had been explored for years prior in Dark Horse Comics. It began with the popular Machiko Noguchi Saga in November 1989, which told the story of Machiko Noguchi, a Japanese woman who survived a battle between Predators and Xenomorphs and was then accepted as an honorary member of the Predator race. Throughout the 1990s, numerous AvP comics, novels, and video games expanded on this concept, making “Alien vs. Predator” a common theme among fans of both franchises.

As a huge fan of both series, it was frustrating to learn that 20th Century Fox initially didn’t see the potential in a full-blown Alien vs. Predator movie. Apparently, a script called The Hunt was rejected, and several other attempts just fizzled out or the studio passed on them. Paul W.S. Anderson’s film finally got made, but honestly, it felt like a bit of a last-ditch effort as both Alien and Predator were starting to lose their appeal at the box office. Even though it seemed like a guaranteed hit, AvP (2004) didn’t quite live up to expectations. It made a decent $177 million – with a hefty $70 million budget – but a lot of fans were upset with the PG-13 rating, the CGI xenomorphs, and the weak storyline. Requiem was even more disappointing, only bringing in $140 million and sadly becoming known as one of the worst horror films ever made.

Dan Trachtenberg Always Made Alien Part of His New Predator

Director Dan Trachtenberg made a splash in the Predator series with his 2022 film Prey, which was released on Hulu and quickly became a fan favorite. Because of its success, Disney and 20th Century Studios put Trachtenberg in charge of future Predator projects. From the start, he’s been interested in connecting the Predator universe with the story of the Alien franchise.

In the movie Prey, the main character Naru (Amber Midthunder) uses a flintlock pistol to help her fight a Predator. This pistol originally belonged to an Italian translator named Raphael Adolini and later ends up with Mike Harrington. Director Dan Trachtenberg cleverly brings this same pistol back in his animated film Predator: Killer of Killers, giving it to a WWII pilot during a Predator tournament on their home planet. By repeatedly using this one prop, Trachtenberg has connected all of his Predator films to Predator 2, and ultimately, to the Alien universe as well.

Predator Is Building Toward More Than Just Another AvP Crossover Event

In Predator: Badlands, director Trachtenberg went beyond simply hinting at connections to the Alien universe through props; he fully incorporated Alien elements into the Predator world. The story quickly ventures into Alien territory when Dek encounters Thia (Elle Fanning), a broken android created by the Weyland-Yutani corporation – the powerful company central to the Alien films. For attentive viewers, Badlands is filled with Alien references, including the “MU/TH/UR” computer system controlling Weyland-Yutani’s androids, and a power-loader used by Thia’s damaged android counterpart, Tessa, during the final fight – a nod to Aliens.

It’s now obvious that Trachtenberg has ambitious plans for the Predator series, and Alien will be included. But that’s not all that’s happening. The recent Killer of Killers installment was a major turning point, revealing that a group of Predators has been collecting survivors from previous movies and freezing them for special competitions. This means we can expect to see characters like Mike Harrington, Naru, and even Dutch (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) return in some way. With Badlands establishing new conflicts for Dek and Thia involving both the Predators and Weyland-Yutani, the big question is: where is this all headed?

In a recent interview with io9, producer James Trachtenberg discussed the future of the Predator franchise. He explained he’s currently brainstorming the next steps, similar to how he felt after the release of Prey. He’s enthusiastic about exploring a Predator-focused story and even an animated movie spanning different time periods, and is excited about the many possibilities for the series.

Currently, the Alien franchise isn’t focusing on crossovers as much as Predator is. As of now, the follow-up to the Alien: Romulus reboot won’t include any Predator content, and Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth TV series is developing its own distinct direction within the franchise.

How Does Blade Runner Fit Into This?

Some viewers have noticed similarities between a storyline in Predator: Badlands and the world of Blade Runner, leading them to wonder if director Dan Trachtenberg was connecting the two franchises. This idea stems from a detail added to the 1999 re-release of Alien. A biography of the character Dallas revealed he previously worked for the Tyrell Corporation from Blade Runner before joining Weyland-Yutani. This connection, similar to what fans observed in Predator 2, suggests that director Ridley Scott always envisioned the futures of Alien and Blade Runner as taking place in the same universe.

Connecting Blade Runner and Alien thematically has been challenging, despite many fans attempting to do so. Alien‘s synthetic characters always had their own underlying stories, while Blade Runner focused on the growing awareness of artificial humans being exploited in space. Predator: Badlands explored similar ideas through Thia’s storyline, suggesting that director Trachtenberg could eventually succeed in uniting these three franchises.

Now you can watch every Predator movie on Hulu and Disney+. Head over to the ComicBook Forum to share your thoughts on which one is the best, or what you’d like to see happen with the series next!

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2026-02-20 19:14