Predator: Badlands Spoils a Major Alien Connection (And a Stranger Things Cameo You’ll Never Notice)

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What makes Predator: Badlands stand out is its connection to the Alien universe – a first for a Predator film. Director Dan Trachtenberg cast Elle Fanning as Thia, a human-like creation of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation (known from the Alien movies), sparking excitement among fans about potential crossovers. While Trachtenberg has stated that the iconic xenomorph won’t appear, another character from the Alien franchise has now been confirmed to be included.

Disney, through its 20th Century Studios, recently published the full cast and crew list for Predator: Badlands. Fans will be surprised to learn that Alison Wright, known for her work in other projects, provides the voice for MU/TH/UR, the iconic computer from the Alien films. Adding another familiar name to the project, Matt and Ross Duffer – the creators of Stranger Things – lend their voices to the computer aboard Kwei’s ship. Kwei is a Yautja character and the older brother of the film’s protagonist, Dek.

Predator: Badlands‘ Connections to the Alien Franchise are Natural

Crossover events between popular franchises are always thrilling, but they can be tricky to pull off. It’s easy for creators to focus too much on pleasing fans with references and cameos, and lose sight of a good story. Luckily, director Trachtenberg specifically wanted to avoid this with Predator: Badlands. He’s said he only wanted connections to other stories if they felt natural and necessary to the plot. The inclusion of Weyland-Yutani, for example, came about after he decided to build the story around a world with no human characters.

Considering this, the inclusion of MU/TH/UR in Predator: Badlands makes sense. Although we don’t yet know Thia’s specific goals in the film, it’s likely she’ll need to interact with a Weyland-Yutani ship or base, and MU/TH/UR will be the AI she uses to get things done. This is a clever way to connect Predator: Badlands to the Alien universe without overshadowing the main story. Given that a Weyland-Yutani synthetic needs to communicate with an AI, MU/TH/UR is the natural choice.

It will be fascinating to see how this new take on the MU/TH/UR robot compares to versions in past Alien films. Director Trachtenberg has explained that Predator: Badlands takes place far in the future of the Predator series, allowing it to tell a self-contained story and explore how technology has changed within that world. Given the increasing role of artificial intelligence in our lives, the film might also offer some thoughts on that topic. While the movie appears to be heavily focused on action and spectacle, there’s potential for it to have some deeper meaning as well.

The Predator series is enjoying a comeback, and the new film Badlands is setting it up for even more success. Badlands could even lead to another Aliens vs. Predator movie, something the director seems interested in pursuing – he has plenty of other ideas too. He’s a thoughtful writer, making sure every element of his films serves a purpose. With early reviews being positive, it looks like he’s really getting a good grasp on the Predator universe.

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2025-11-01 00:15