As an integral part of one of the most popular sci-fi franchises of all time, Predators have a pretty complicated history - and here's their species, abilities, and why they hunt explained. The Prey, chronicles a never-before-seen time in the Predator's history, as one Yautja takes the fight to a Comanche tribe in 1719.
The Predators themselves were created by brothers Jim and John Thomas, who were inspired by a joke that Rocky Balboa had run out of Earthly opponents back in the 1980s. This offhand remark resulted in the script for the first Predator film in 1987, which primarily focuses on a singular Predator hunting a combat soldier, who is seen as competitive prey. The iconic design for the Predators came from special effects artist Stan Winston, with rumors that James Cameron suggested the creature's insect-like mandibles.
While the design of the Predators is arguably its most recognizable attribute for moviegoers, it is genuinely their secretive nature that continues to keep them as captivating as they were after their first on-screen debut in 1987. Predators have never revealed much about their origins, yet their existence has inspired countless literature, video games, and movie spinoffs that only serve to add to the Predator mythos. Here's the alien species Predators explained, including all their abilities and why they hunt.
What Are Predators In The Predator Movies?
Predators, also known as the Yautja, are a highly aggressive type of extra-terrestrial alien. The basis of a Predator's existence is to hunt other dangerous species for sport and honor. Visibly, the Predators are around 7ft tall, sporting armor fashioned with the bones and hide of previous prey. They also have long dreadlocks and protruding mandibles and are often seen wearing their high-tech visor. Predators often use their mandibles to express emotions and communicate with other Predators via a clicking sound while also utilizing them as weapons to bite their prey.
Where Are Predators From? Yautja Prime Explained
The Predators originate from a planet known as Yautja Prime, which interestingly has little known about it other than its atmosphere and societal constructs. Yautja Prime has comparatively little oxygen and more nitrogen, which explains a Predator's inability to stay on Earth for longer than a week and its breathing device. Additionally, Yautja Prime has a dry and hot biome interspersed with hot, humid jungles. Despite the technological advancements possessed by the Yautja, they seemingly only inhabit one planet, Yautja Prime, which has a very traditional set of cultural norms and follows a strict hierarchy.
Predator Abilities & Powers Explained
Predators stalk and kill their prey using a combination of highly advanced technology and traditional ancient weapons. In of their physical abilities, Predators are known to be resilient to a lot of physical damage in combat, ranging from gunshots to stab wounds. Additionally, they bear enough strength to shatter concrete completely and ritualistically tear apart their prey's limbs to claim trophies. Predators have also been shown to be selective over their vantage points, typically using their ability to jump and climb to extreme heights to stalk their prey from above. Predators' vision also operates in infrared, heightened further by their helmets, allowing them to quickly detect their prey through heat differentials. Their technology which aids them in combat also includes active camouflage and guns with energy blasts, while the Predator's more traditional weapons range from spears, knives, and nets.
How Many Predator Variants Are There?
Throughout the Predator franchise's history, numerous Predator variants have made their way onto the big screen. In Yautja society, there are several that make up the primary foundation. This comprises the Unblooded Predator, the lowest in the hierarchy, who become Young Bloods after combat training before subsequently becoming "Blooded" after their first Xenomorph kill. After the Blooded Predator has killed enough dangerous species, they become an Elite Predator after tackling more challenges, such as numerous Xenomorphs at once. Predators then have the opportunity to become Clan Leaders, which typically happens when they kill a Xenomorph Queen. Following this, there are the Predator Elders and Ancients, which rarely appear on-screen, with an Elder gifting a flintlock pistol at the end of Predator 2.
Other Predator species variants include the Predalien seen in Prometheus.
Why Predators Hunt Humans & Other Species
The two primary species in conflict with Predators are humans and Xenomorphs, first seen in Ridley Scott's Predators instructed Humans to create pyramids to be used as sacrificial hunting grounds for the Yautja. Humans were used for breeding Xenomorphs, voluntarily sacrificing themselves to be hosts to Facehuggers. Once the Xenomorphs were born, they would be used for initiation hunts for Unblooded and Youngblood Predators. In the Predator novels by S.D. Perry, it has been stated that Predators have a superiority complex regarding other species, believing them to all be prey to hunt and referring to Xenomorphs as the ultimate prey. Predators have a complicated relationship with Humans; however, despite viewing them as significantly weaker than them, they still class them as dangerous prey due to their craftiness and still hunt them as a significant challenge not to be underestimated. In the comics, Predators have also fought the Engineers and characters from other franchises such as DC, Black Horse, and, bizarrely, Archie Comics.
Overview Of Predator History & Timeline
It is currently known that Predators have been around since ancient times, with between Engineers and Humans spanning centuries. The latest franchise installment, Prey, shows a Predator's hunt in 1719, one of humanity's first encounters with the Yautja. Their first on-screen appearance was in 1987 with Predator, which follows a Blooded Predator known as the Jungle Predator hunting a team of mercenaries led by Dutch Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) in a Central American jungle, who uses his cunning to eventually defeat the Predator.
Following this, Predator 2 in 1990 took the franchise out of the jungle and into the urban suburbs of Los Angeles, where a Youngblood dubbed the City Predator is seen facing off against Lieutenant Harrigan (Danny Glover), who, upon defeating the Predator, is awarded a flintlock pistol by an Elder Predator. Predator 2 is also the first time Xenomorphs are teased in the franchise, which led to Alien vs. Predator and Alien vs. Predator Requiem in the 2000s. While the crossover's place in Predator canon has long been debated due to Ridley Scott's revival of the Alien franchise, it has added much to the history of the Yautja and Predator honor alongside its spinoffs and therefore is hard to ignore.
The Predator franchise then leaps to 2018, with The Predator following Quinn Mckenna (Boyd Holbrook), a soldier who survived an attack by the Ultimate Predator on Earth. The Predator ends with the Ultimate Predator's defeat and reveals that it had human DNA and was delivering a package that contained a suit designed specifically for fighting Predators. Finally, despite Predators being released in 2010, fans have long been divided on where it takes place in the timeline but have deduced that it takes place at some point after 2018's The Predator. This is because humans are taken off Earth, which could be to avoid The Predator, and there is also a visible rift amongst the Predators due to DNA splicing that is intertwined with the film's narrative.
