Predator: Badlands isn’t simply the second Predator movie of 2025. It may be the one which pulls the entire franchise collectively. And the important thing? That wild Predator: Killer of Killers ending. What began as a easy anthology of Vikings, samurai, and WWII pilots dealing with off in opposition to Predators took a pointy, franchise-altering flip in its closing act.
That twist: The three warrior survivors find yourself on the Yautja homeworld in a demise enviornment, preventing one another for a shot at escape. When Viking fighter Ursa sacrifices herself, the Predators put her in suspended animation and retailer her in a mysterious archive, one filled with champions who’ve killed Predators. Then the digicam lingers on a well-recognized face: Prey’s Naru. Yeah, that Naru. Seems this isn’t only a victory vault, however a setup for one thing a lot larger.
Dek’s Hunt Would possibly Result in Predator Royalty
Now right here’s the place Badlands will get spicy. The brand new film follows Dek, a Predator who’s looking his “final adversary” on an unnamed planet. Sounds generic, till you notice that planet may simply home the archive of champions. Meaning Dek may very well be going after the hardest prey in Yautja historical past, together with warriors like Naru and even older legends like Dutch, Royce, or Harrigan. This isn’t only a hunt. It’s a reunion.
Plus, Dek’s not alone. He’s teaming up with a Weyland-Yutani android, which brings in some Alien DNA, simply sufficient to widen the mythos with out overwhelming the story. If Dek opens that archive, he’s unlocking each previous Predator story, and each character who lived to inform the story.
Dan Trachtenberg’s Grasp Plan
Dan Trachtenberg is the glue behind this Predator resurgence. He gave us Prey, steered Killer of Killers, and is now helming Badlands. It’s clear he’s not making disconnected tales. He’s been constructing towards this. Killer of Killers could have appeared like a one-off, however that Naru cameo was a sign: these movies are chapters, not footnotes.
And with Badlands hitting simply months after Killer of Killers, the timeline virtually begs for a continuation. Two films in the identical yr just isn’t a coincidence, it’s a crossover within the making.
So yeah, Predator: Badlands isn’t simply one other sequel. If it connects the dots Trachtenberg’s laid down, it may very well be the Predator film followers have been ready a long time for.
And this time, the hunted are prepared.
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