Predator Is About to Reveal a Key Piece of Lore That Every Other Sci-fi Franchise Makes Clear (Even Alien)

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Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator: Badlands proves he’s a director who knows how to evolve the Predator franchise in a smart way. His changes feel natural, making longtime fans more likely to embrace them rather than reject them simply because they’re different. He’s now delivered three projects that stand out within the franchise’s nearly 40-year history, each with a surprising twist. He previously took the story back to the 1700s with Prey, and with Predator: Killer of Killers, he successfully brought the Yautja into animation while maintaining the feel of the live-action films.

With Badlands, the film boldly reimagines the Yautja – the creatures who once fearlessly confronted Arnold Schwarzenegger – as figures we actually sympathize with. This is just one example of how the movie strives to take the Predator franchise in exciting new directions, a trend clearly demonstrated in its closing moments.

Spoilers for Predator: Badlands follow.

Where Does Predator: Badlands End Up?

When it was announced that Predator: Badlands would focus on a Predator as the main character, many fans were skeptical, wondering how the story could work. The explanation is surprisingly straightforward: this particular Predator, named Dek, has a difficult relationship with his father.

Dek’s father, Njohrr, despises him, seeing him as a failure and ordering his brother, Kwei, to kill him. Instead of obeying, Kwei secretly helps Dek escape on a transport ship headed for Genna – a planet they knew was home to the fearsome Kalisk, a creature even Njohrr dreaded. Tragically, before the ship can leave, Dek is forced to watch his father execute Kwei. Now, Dek is determined to hunt the Kalisk, not to earn his father’s approval, but to surpass him and avenge his brother’s death.

Within the first ten minutes, we learn about Dek – his feelings of isolation, the Yautja’s harsh practice of killing those deemed unworthy, and his desperate desire for acceptance from a clan that rejects him. The scene also establishes his driving purpose and shows him grappling with loss.

By the end of the film, the protagonist realizes the Kalisk isn’t a monster, but a relatively innocent creature – it’s his own clan who are truly savage. He understands that simply killing doesn’t make someone strong. As Thia, played by Elle Fanning, explains, consider wolves: the alpha isn’t the strongest killer, but the one the pack sees as most protective and willing to shield them from harm. Real strength, therefore, comes from the connections you have with others – valuing them, supporting them, and being willing to fight for them.

When Dek returns to Yautja Prime, he’s no longer a solitary hunter. He’s become a leader, bringing with him Thia and Bud, the child of the Kalisk. He’s discovered a deeper meaning of strength than his father ever did, and having defeated his father in battle, he understands it in a way his father never will.

That brings the story to an end. The other members of the Yautja clan don’t seem happy with how things turned out, but Dek doesn’t need to worry about them right now. Instead, his attention is drawn to an approaching ship. When Thia asks if it carries an ally, Dek confirms it’s actually his mother.

We never find out what happened to Dek’s mother. It’s unclear if she was secretly observing the conflict between Dek and Njohrr. We don’t even know what she looks like – the only female Yautja we’ve seen appeared in the Alien vs. Predator comics. Currently, all we know is that Dek claims she’s just as ruthless as his father, and possibly even more so. This creates a lot of anticipation for a potential Badlands sequel, and hopefully the film will be successful enough to make it happen.

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2025-11-09 02:40