Although 2018’s both Alien Vs Predator movies were deeply flawed, and 2010’s Predators was merely fine.

It wasn’t until The Predator’s ending saw the surviving characters meet with a “Fugitive Predator” who gifted them an elaborate "Predator Killer” suit that would aid them in their battle against the alien bounty hunters, but this absurd coda didn’t lead to any sequels. Fortunately, even this ending was a lot better than what viewers almost got.

The Predator Was Supposed To Bring Dutch Back At The End (But Schwarzenegger Declined)

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Iconic Original Predator Hero Almost Had An Ending Cameo

In one early draft of screenwriter Shane Black's script for The Predator, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Predator hero Dutch returned in a helicopter to congratulate the heroes on defeating the Upgrade Predator. This absurdly corny conclusion would have seen Dutch descend from his iconic chopper and tell McKenna, Bracket, and Rory to climb onboard, with the implication being that the crew would him in his Predator-hunting missions. The Predator's cheesy alternate ending was never shot since Schwarzenegger didn’t like the idea or the script, meaning the creators were forced to take things in another direction.

Since The Predator took place after Predator, it would make sense for Dutch to still be alive and hunting Predators in the movie’s universe.

While Dutch’s cameo would have reeked of pandering, the twist would at least have made sense within the established timeline of the franchise. Since The Predator took place after Predator, it would make sense for Dutch to still be alive and hunting Predators in the movie’s universe. The other mooted endings made much less sense and seemed even more like strained attempts to bring back iconic characters from any famous sci-fi horror franchise, regardless of how silly that was. As bizarre as it might seem, The Predator originally included cameos from Alien’s Ripley and her young Aliens sidekick, Newt.

The Predator Also Considered Including Ripley And Newt At The End (Yes, From Alien)

Ripley and Newt Would Have Played Two Predator Killers

At one point, The Predator’s ending included an excised subplot wherein the Fugitive Predator’s pod was revealed to be inscribed with Weyland-Yutani logos. Not content with this comparatively subtle nod to the links between the Alien series and the Predator movies, The Predator then revealed that the Predator Killer was Ripley herself. Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley was never lined up to appear in the reboot, so the character would have worn a mask and would have been identified by her uniform’s name tag. This twist would have made no sense beyond the link between the franchises.

Ripley’s Alien story takes place far into the future, whereas The Predator is set in the current day. As such, Ripley would have needed to travel back in time to be the Predator Killer and, furthermore, this twist would have undone her canonical death. Somewhat infamously, Ripley died at the end of Alien 3 when she swan-dived into a vat of molten metal to stop a Xenomorph that was incubating in her chest from getting into the hands of the nefarious Weyland-Yutani corporation. As such, it is impossible to see how she would end up in LA decades before her birth fighting Predators.

The Predator’s Wild Ideas Could’ve Changed The Trajectory Of The Franchise Forever

The Predator Would Have Altered The Alien and Predator Timelines Massively

As if this twist weren’t bizarre enough, The Predator’s second Predator Killer was revealed to be an adult version of Aliens ing star Newt. Although the deaths of Newt and Hicks in Alien 3 are among the most hated twists in the entire franchise, this would have been an utterly bizarre way of retconning the event. After all, Newt being an adult at the end of The Predator would imply that the events of Alien 3, and thus Alien: Resurrection, never happened. Why Newt and Ripely would become Predator Killers later in life was never explained.

In hindsight, this entire plan seemed like an excuse to shoehorn characters from the Alien universe into The Predator. However, it is still worth noting that this twist would have fundamentally changed the story of both franchises. For better or worse, revealing that Ripley was somehow around during the action of The Predator would have altered the timeline of the Predator movies and the Alien movies irrevocably.