Predator: Badlands Just Made a Joke That Carries Major Implications About the Sci-fi Franchise

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The new Predator film, Badlands, delves deeply into the Predators’ culture. While most Predator movies feature a lone hunter on an alien world, Badlands begins on Yautja Prime, the Predators’ home planet, showcasing the different clans that exist there. Dek, the main character, comes from a clan that prioritizes strength. However, he struggles to gain his father’s approval, even with his brother Kwei supporting him. Driven by this lack of faith, Dek sets out to hunt the Kalisk, the most dangerous creature in the galaxy.

Dek arrives on Genna deeply shaken, having just witnessed his father kill his brother. Despite this trauma, he manages to find a couple of loyal companions who are committed to helping him. While the story focuses on this new group of characters, it doesn’t forget the Yautja culture, and even includes a surprising joke near the end that could significantly impact future installments in the series.

Yautja Technology Plays a Major Role in Predator: Badlands

Throughout the story of Badlands, Dek’s main ambition is to prove himself worthy of his tribe’s cloak and full membership. This becomes much harder when a Yautja warrior crash-lands on Gemma, losing most of his equipment in a struggle with the dangerous plant life. Unable to rely on his usual weapons, the Yautja must team up with Thia, a synthetic created by Weyland-Yutani who is missing her legs. Together, they pursue the Kalisk, a formidable beast, but they aren’t the only ones. Thia’s team, including her sister Tessa, also wants to capture the Kalisk and bring it back to Earth. Confident that their weapons can defeat a creature capable of regenerating its body, they raid Dek’s ship for supplies.

Using a freezing device, the synths have captured both Kalisk and Dek. Tessa doesn’t need Dek and intends to kill him once he reveals the purpose of his equipment. However, Dek remains calm and sees a chance to escape. He instructs Thia to tell the guard watching their cell that he has a map among his belongings. When the guard investigates, the item detonates, killing him instantly. Thia is shocked, and even more so when Dek reveals it was just a children’s toy. This moment is one of the film’s highlights, and its significance is amplified by the way Badlands concludes.

Dek’s Mother Might Be the Least of His Worries in a Badlands Sequel

As a sci-fi fan, I really got a kick out of how Badlands sets up Dek. He’s not your typical powerhouse alien; his dad basically sees him as the runt of the litter, small and not very skilled. But Dek’s a smart cookie! He compensates for his lack of brawn with brains, especially in the final showdown with his father. He uses his ship to create a dust storm, which cleverly disables his dad’s cloaking device. It’s a cool victory, but it quickly gets undercut. Another ship appears, and Dek recognizes it as belonging to his mother. Now, if you know anything about the Predator universe, female Yautja are even bigger and stronger than the males. So, Dek’s just won a tough fight, but he’s about to face an opponent who’s on a whole other level, and honestly, he’s in trouble.

The early joke in the film might hint at a battle that doesn’t involve Dek’s mother. Instead, she could be training talented young Yautja warriors, transforming them into a powerful, elite team that can withstand even huge explosions. Dek will need to become much stronger to defeat opponents like that, and the Xenomorph from the Alien movies will likely join the fight against its rival soon enough.

Predator: Badlands is in theaters now.

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2025-11-16 18:11