Few franchises in sci-fi and horror history have roared as loudly or hunted as relentlessly as Predator. With the upcoming Predator: Killer of Killers animated anthology, the franchise isn’t just sharpening its plasma casters — it’s aiming straight for the mythological heart of what makes the Yautja universe so endlessly captivating. Packed with world-breaking Easter eggs, genre-defining worldbuilding, and a bold tonal shift that fans across the Alien, Predator, and broader 20th Century universe will love, this isn’t just another Predator project. It’s a hunter’s final fantasy come to life.
Predator: Killer of Killers Doesn’t Just Add to the Lore — It Elevates It
Following the momentum of Predator: Badlands, and helmed by the same creative force behind Prey, Dan Trachtenberg, Killer of Killers takes the franchise into untamed new territory. While Badlands gave us a grounded-yet-futuristic tale of a young Predator outcast and his unlikely alliance with Elle Fanning’s Thia, Killer of Killers dares to dream bigger — and bloodier. The animated format frees the storytellers from practical constraints, allowing them to explore the full spectrum of the Predator mythos, from ancient hunts on Earth to interstellar gladiatorial arenas.
What’s truly exciting is how Killer of Killers doesn’t just rely on fan service — though it delivers that in spades. Instead, it weaves fan service into canon-shaping storytelling. The kind that Marvel and DC unlock when they hit peak form. Trachtenberg and co-writer Patrick Aison aren’t just playing with Predator toys; they’re building a cosmic playground for them.
Weyland-Yutani Synthetics Signal a New Era of Alien vs. Predator Crossovers
If there’s one image from the Badlands teaser that has the fandoms across Reddit, Discord, and every comic shop buzzing, it’s Elle Fanning’s Thia — or rather, Thia(s) — with eyes that flash the unmistakable Weyland-Yutani logo. That’s right: the iconic, morally ambiguous corporation from the Alien universe. The same company that gave us Ash, Bishop, and David. The same company that looms behind nearly every Xenomorph outbreak.
Thia’s reveal as a synthetic android — and potentially more than one synthetic — doesn’t just blur lines, it erases them. For the first time since the non-canonical Alien vs. Predator films of the early 2000s, we’re seeing a legitimate, canon-level bridge being built between the Alien and Predator franchises. And it’s not clumsily welded together like the old AVP games. This is sleek. This is intentional. This is Predator: Badlands and Killer of Killers laying the foundation for a new, unified ecosystem of horror and sci-fi storytelling under Disney’s watchful eye.
A Predator Protagonist Means We’re Seeing the Yautja in a Whole New Light
One of the most transformative aspects of Badlands — and by extension, Killer of Killers — is the decision to place a Yautja at the center of the narrative. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi’s young Predator isn’t just a protagonist; he’s an avatar for the audience’s journey into Yautja culture. Outcast, flawed, and hungry for validation, his story humanizes a species that has traditionally been portrayed as nothing more than relentless hunters.
This isn’t the same Predator that merely stalked Arnold in the jungle. This is a fully realized character arc embedded in alien anthropology. And with Fanning’s Thia by his side — not as a victim, but as a partner — we get a dynamic that flips the script on the entire franchise. As Fanning herself noted, her character isn’t being hunted this time. She’s hunting alongside. And that alliance changes everything.
The Trophies, The Tech, and The Teased Kaiju-Like Beasts Are Pure Nerd Gold
In less than a minute, the Badlands teaser gives us more than most trailers do in three minutes. Predator ship interiors lined with alien trophies — including what looks like a skull from the Independence Day universe and a T. rex skull that harks back to the original film’s implied timeline. A damaged Weyland-Yutani truck. A monstrous creature that the Predator himself seems barely able to contain his rage against.
These aren’t random insertions. These are carefully placed chess pieces. The kind of worldbuilding that turns a good genre film into a genre-defining event. It’s clear that Killer of Killers and Badlands aren’t just content to exist within the Predator bubble. They’re bursting it open. And they want us to imagine a future where this universe crosses paths not only with Alien, but perhaps even with other 20th Century sci-fi legends.
Predator: Killer of Killers Is the Franchise’s Most Ambitious Hunt Yet
Predator: Killer of Killers isn’t just about blood and honor and plasma cannons — though it has plenty of that. It’s about legacy. About evolution. About what happens when a franchise that once thrived on the thrill of the hunt decides to go full mythological with its storytelling. With Badlands setting the stage and Killer of Killers ready to deliver the anthology punch, November may not just bring the next Predator film. It may bring the next chapter in a genre universe that’s been waiting to break free since 1987.
And for those who’ve ever dreamed of a Predator that truly lives up to the title Killer of Killers, the hunt is finally over. Or just beginning.