The Predator franchise is supplanted in the Science Fiction genre.  The first film is regarded as the best one in the series and an added bonus is considered a genuine great movie overall.  Ever since that film however, the franchise has been inconsistent.  Some spikes of success were entertaining but unfortunately the galaxy’s greatest hunters could not maintain that momentum.  However, that seems to be turning around of late.  A game and a few movies have given much needed life back into the franchise.  With a new movie as well, it looks to be a great time to be a Predator fan.  This franchise has benefited to a great deal with recent success and due to that, there should be no concern about it riding that wave.

This franchise was a bit dormant for a while since the lackluster The Predator. But was put on the path of redemption when the video game Predator: Hunting Grounds was released.  For the first time in a long time, fans were able to play as the Predator as it hunting a group of soldiers in various jungle environments.  Then, Dan Trachtenberg gave the franchise some juice with Prey.  Once  it debuted, fans and critics were quick to dub the movie one of the best in the franchise right next to the first one.  More than anyone though, fans wanted to experience more of a renewed success for the Predator species.  That came with Trachtenberg’s next film, Predator: Killer of Killers.  An animated anthology movie that showed different Predators in different timelines.  Each story different from the last but still has the common and familiar theme of a Predator hunting down Earth’s greatest killers.  Again, fans and critics applauded the film.  A pattern has emerged that Dan Trachtenberg is a strong piece to the puzzle and with Predator: Badlands, that momentum continues.  The Predator franchise continues to ride its newly found success with each new project.

But it’s more than just making more Predator projects, it’s giving more lore, more layers to the Predator species.  When Predator: Hunting Grounds was released, the game had a variety of different Predators to play as.  Some of these classes were speculation on how different each Predator differed from each other.  Even had female Predators in the game and part of the lore, something only seen in comic books.  When the game took liberty to create a bit more original types, ranging from Witchcraft, Viking, Samurai and Egyptian, it gave fans enough fuel to piece the lore together themselves.  Just by seeing these Predators in these different styles, fans were able to deduce that not only have Predators visited Earth throughout history, but respect their prey enough to adopt their armor and weapons.  Speaking of weapons, the game also included weapons and tools that were perhaps speculated or assumed.  But when the Predators finally handled an axe, a bow and arrow, or a sword, it didn’t feel out of place.  In fact, probably felt like seeing the Predators using those weapons in action was long overdue. 

Then with Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers, they brought the Predator back in time.  Putting the hunter in older times, it showed off different hunting styles, different physical builds, and different weapons.  It was an idea that fans did think of, ‘how would Predators behave in different eras?’.  And it was brilliantly done.  Each story never lost what a Predator is but still got creative in showing how primitive but still more advanced their weapons are compared to humans at the time.  Another thing both movies did well, is the emotion they added to each.  Up until then, the Predator franchise was a bombastic franchise that had militants fighting the Predators.  But Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers gave emotion into the franchise.  There was love, family dynamics, pain and compassion.  New elements that gave new, unseen layers to the franchise which helped the franchise evolve in the right direction.

Predator: Killer of Killers went a little further by having the finale on what is believed to be on the Predator home world, Yautja Prime.  This planet has been elusive for quite some time.  Much speculation goes around trying to piece together what that planet might look like.  But Killer of Killers gave a small glimpse of the planet.  And by introducing that, it showed some additional details.  The Predators have a society.  A society that is communal that attends gladiatorial events.  Then of course, it revealed a higher ranked Predator in action.  They have been scene in previous films but not in action.  The Predator King – or Grendel King – was able to toss around the heroes of the film with ease, despite his numerical disadvantage.  What made it better was the story of his history revealed in his clothing.  The mask he wore was that of a Predator skull, probably suggesting he killed a berserker Predator.  And the cape was presumably made up of Xenomorph tails, quite a few of them.  Since Xenomorphs are the Predators’ number one enemy, having killed quite a few speaks volumes in the Predators’ culture.  Each step of the way in this film alone, added more lore to their mythos.

Predator: Badlands continues the lore expansion.  For one, this story will take place on an alien hostile planet, where everything from plants to mega fauna is meant to kill.  Since this Predator is viewed as weak among his clan, this will be the first time in film where a Predator will be the underdog.  See a Predator as prey.  But this Predator offers a bit more.  This Predator will be the protagonist of the movie, the main character, the hero so to speak.  Scar, the last surviving Predator in Alien vs. Predator, was the only other Yautja that came close to his type of role.  But Predator: Badlands is fully committed in making a Predator the main protagonist of the movie throughout the length.  A first in the franchise, on the movie side of things.  Something that adds a fresh take that fans could appreciate.

But will this hot streak continue after Predator: Badlands?  There is a lot of demand for another go at an Alien vs. Predator movie, especially since the Weyland-Yutani Corporation is in Predator: Badlands.  Predator: Killer of Killers put the hunters in different periods of time throughout history.  That just created a demand to see even more Predators in different eras.  No film has been set on the Predator home world, Yautja Prime.  Since Predator: Badlands will be the second movie to take place on a hostile planet, this opens the door for Yautja Prime to be the main setting for another movie.  And up until Predator: Badlands, most Predators were the villains of the movies but each of them died at the end.  Perhaps a villainous Predator will finally be the one who stands when the dust settles in an upcoming movie.  No new project is announced, outside of a few comic books.  Maybe with a commercial and critical success for Predator: Badlands, the franchise could ride the momentum toward something else that is just as successful.  One could hope, that this franchise will become the hot property to adapt and whoever decides to continue is able to carry out that level of success.