Major Spoilers for Predator: Killer of Killers are below.
Summary
Predator: Killer of Killersis a new anthology film that is more important to the franchise than it lets on, even setting upPrey 2.Preywas released in 2022 by director Dan Trachtenberg. The movie offers a few firsts for the franchise, as it was set in the past and focused on a female protagonist in Naru, a skilled Comanche warrior played by Amber Midthunder, who contends with aPredator.Preywas beloved by critics and audiences, seeing Trachtenberg entrusted with the continuation of thePredatorfranchise.
Trachtenberg is behind the twoPredatorfilms releasing in 2025:Predator: Badlands, due out in November, andPredator: Killer of Killers, which just premiered on Hulu. Both films again see Trachtenberg livening up the franchise with unique firsts.Badlandswill feature a Yautja protagonist teaming up with a Weyland-Yutani android, andKiller of Killersis an animated anthology. Beyond its distinct setup,Predator: Killer of Killersalso helps flesh out franchise lore and potentially sets up the first direct sequel with Prey 2.
Predator: Killer Of KillersIs A Unique Animated Take On The Franchise
Predator: Killer of Killersstands out for multiple reasons.It is the first animated film in thePredatorfranchise, but maintains the core facets fans have come to love.Killer of Killersprovides the humans vsPredator battles they loveseeing, and the movie earns its R rating through graphic violence. While some may have been concerned that an animated film may see the action muted,it conversely allowed for unique aspects that live-action films have yet to truly delve into, like the Predator’s home world and even an aerial dogfight between a Yautja ship and WWII fighter pilots.
Killer of Killersalso marks the franchise’s first anthology film, telling three distinct tales across time about differentwarriors battling Predators. The first follows a Viking warrior out for revenge when she is attacked by a Yautja. The second story is from feudal Japan, showing a skilled Samurai battling a Predator. The third story features the aforementioned WWII dogfight. However,even those stories aren’t as separate as they seem, with the film’s finale seeing them pitted against each other in an arena on the Predator’s home planet.It leans into the type of storytellingPreygave audiences by fleshing it with more warriors and a unique way to unite them.
Killer Of KillersIs More Connected To OtherPredatorFilms Than It Lets On
Despite telling three distinctly different stories set in different time periods, that doesn’t stopPredator: Killer of Killersfrom seeing them all exist together in the finale. The idea at the core ofKiller of Killersis that each of these human warriors battled and killed a Yautja, meaning they are worthy adversaries.The Yautja then take each of the winning humans and cryogenically freeze them, keeping the characters in a warehouse full of frozen warriors who can be thawed out to do battle at any point in time.While speaking withScreen Rant, the director explained:
I mean, I’ll clearly say it is not time travel. They are not time traveling. That is the benefit of the cryo pod - they are plucked from their time period and then put into stasis and then unleashed when decided upon for that evening’s delightful entertainment.
This plays into similar concepts seen in 2010’sPredators, which featured an assemblage of humans from various walks of life and skillsets stranded on an alien planet to do battle with Yautja. The sheer number of cryo pods seen in the finale ofKiller of Killersalso suggests that hundreds, if not thousands, of humans have killed Predators. This also leaves the door open for any surviving characters from earlier films that have bested a Predator to be among the rows of frozen warriors.
Predator: Killer of Killerscements this idea by giving audiences a quick glimpse ofPrey’sNaru frozen in one of the cryo podsbefore the credits start. The initial credits sequence also features images thathint at the Yautjacoming for Naru after the events ofPrey, explaining her current predicament. However, given that Naru is frozen, the groundwork forPrey 2is already in place.
Prey 2Could Be The First Direct Sequel In ThePredatorFranchise
WhilePrey 2has not been confirmed, fans would be excited about a sequel to the beloved installment. Now that Naru’s fate is less happy than the ending ofPrey, most will want to see her thawed out to get revenge for what’s happened. Therefore,Prey 2can essentially start at whatever point in time the Yautja decide to thaw Naru out.It also presents an opportunity for an army of thawed-out warriors to battle Predators, which would be another exciting way to take the franchise.
Predator: Badlandswill continue the franchise with another unique story. Many think it points towardanotherAlien vs. Predatormoviein the works, which could also prove fruitful under Trachtenberg’s guidance. However,Badlandsalso continues the franchise trend of standalone sequels.Each entry into thePredatorfranchise has been a single story, with none of the characters continuing into a new film until now.With Naru appearing inKiller of Killers, albeit briefly, the franchise may finally give audiences their first direct sequel withPrey 2. There may also be room for a sequel toPredator: Killer of Killersthat continues Naru’s story. How the franchise continues afterBadlandsremains to be seen, but Trachtenberg has acknowledged audiences' affinity for Naru and laid the groundwork forPrey 2.
