The Predator is one of the deadliest hunters in sci-fi, with a design to match. While many members of the species share the same characteristics — over seven feet tall, dreadlocks, etc. — several Predators stand out from the pack. Some belong to a subspecies, like the Super Predator variants from Predators, while others differentiate themselves with unique armor and weapons. There are currently seven movies that feature these aliens — the term “Yautja” isn’t officially canon — with at least twice that many Predators appearing on-screen, each one with its own distinct design.
With the recent trailer for Predator: Badlands revealing yet another new design for the hunters, it’s the perfect time to discuss the best Predator variations and what makes them special. Here are the 10 best Predator designs along with how deadly each one turned out to be.
City Hunter (Predator 2)
We’ll start with the very first alternate Predator design, the City Hunter from Predator 2. Right off the bat, the City Hunter set a precedent for each new Predator to bring something different to the table. While still keeping the basic look fairly similar, even down to that weird fishnet bodysuit all the Predators wear, City Hunter differentiates himself from the original Predator with a more intricate color pattern on his skin and copper colored armor.
Kills: 9
The City Hunter boasts a larger and more impressive arsenal than his predecessor. With the addition of the new smart disc, combistick, and netgun weapons, the City Hunter managed to rack up an impressive nine kills during his short vacation in L.A.
Berzerker (Predators)
Predators featured a new subspecies of Predator known as Super Predators. Leading the Super Predators was the brutal Berzerker. Berzerker wore the typical Predator mask but augmented with the lower jaw of an unnamed alien species, giving him a threatening, sinister look. Underneath the mask, Berzerker was somehow even uglier than a regular Predator with extra-large mandibles and exposed patches of what look exposed muscle on its head.
Kills: 3 (2 Humans, 1 Predator)
Despite his ferocious design, Berzerker only has three confirmed kills to his name. One of them is another Predator, however, so he’s not exactly a pushover.
Celtic (Alien vs. Predator)
Celtic made a brief appearance in 2004’s Alien vs. Predator, but in his short time on screen, he made one heck of an impression. Celtic’s armor is more medieval-looking than the usual Predator armor and is topped off with one badass-looking mask. His mask features large, round eyes and is the only Predator mask to have any sort of nose. The result is a design that resembles a skull, contributing to Celtic’s intimidating presence.
Kills: 1
Sadly, for one of the most savage looking Predators on the list, Celtic whiffs it in the killing department. The ferocious hunter only managed to kill a single human before getting his brains punched out by a Xenomorph’s inner jaw.
Scar (Alien vs. Predator)
Scar also hails from the first Alien vs. Predator film. This young hunter represents the first time a Predator would take a protagonist role in the franchise as the film quickly comes down to him and a single human vs a pyramid full of xenomorphs. Like his Celtic counterpart, Scar wears heavier, medieval-looking plate armor than most Predators to better protect himself from the Xenomorph’s acidic blood. The armor isn’t completely acid proof, however, as Scar proves when he celebrates his first Xenomorph kill by purposely burning his mask — and face — with a severed Xenomorph finger.
Kills: 6 (4 Humans, 1 Xenomorph, 1 Alien Queen)
Unlike Celtic, Scar proved himself to be a beast when it came to combat. While the Alien Queen was technically a joint effort, we’re going to count it as a kill due to the extreme level of skill it takes to put down one of the Xenomorph matriarchs.
Upgrade Predator (The Predator)
Whether you call him the Upgrade Predator, Ultimate Predator, or Assassin Predator, this is one hunter you don’t want to mess with. The Upgrade Predator is both larger and stronger than an average Predator. Thanks to genetic modifications and DNA manipulation, the Upgrade Predator has bulletproof skin and built-in thermal vision, making it the only Predator to forgo any kind of body armor or mask. Not only was this mutant behemoth Predator mostly naked, but his body was covered in a pattern of red markings, making him look a little like a reverse Sith Lord.
Kills: 4 (3 Humans, 1 Predator)
Once again it looks like the more intimidating a Predator’s design, the less of an actual threat they are. We would give him extra credit for taking out another Predator but with all of the Upgrade Predator’s enhancements, even that shouldn’t have been much of a challenge.
Tracker (Predators)
Tracker stands out from his brothers through his use of so-called “Hell-Hounds” to track his prey and his unique outfit consisting of a lot of leather straps. Like the other Super Predator on the list, Tracker augmented his mask with animal bones — in this case, a pair of wicked-looking tusks. As a result, Tracker might be the Predator whose design best fits his designation as a hunter.
Kills: 2
Tracker is the first of the Super Predators to be snuffed out in Predators, but he does manage to take out two humans before he bites it.
Elder Predator (Predator 2)
The City Hunter isn’t the only Predator featured in Predator 2. At the end of the film, three other Predators show themselves, revealing they had been there watching the entire final fight between City Hunter and Mike Harrigan. The Elder Predator or Greyback as the film’s crew named him, only has a minute or so of screentime, but his design is so awesome that we had to include him on the list. For one thing, the Elder Predator wears more jewelry than the other predators, including several beads and trinkets attached to his dreadlocks that make him look a lot like Jack Sparrow. In addition, his “eyebrows” and anything else resembling facial hair are grey, giving him a distinguished look, which is fitting considering he’s apparently centuries old.
Kills: Unclear
While the Elder Predator doesn’t kill anyone onscreen, it’s implied that he has many impressive hunts under his belt, considering he has trophies like the flintlock pistol he gives Harrigan, dating back to 1718. There’s also a good chance that he killed many if not all of the creatures whose skulls are hanging on the infamous trophy wall seen at the end of Predator 2.
The Wolf (Alien vs. Predator: Requiem)
The Wolf Predator just might be the only good thing to come out of AVP: Requiem. Inspired by the character Winston Wolf from Pulp Fiction, The Wolf has one of the most thought-out designs in the Predator saga. His mask is covered in alien writing that could be anything from a list of accomplishments to a personal credo, while underneath he bears a broken tooth and an acid-scarred face from past run-ins with Xenomorphs. Sadly, given how abysmally dark AVP: Requiem is it’s hard to see any of this outside of action figures or production stills.
Kills: 5
Armed with the usual Predator arsenal plus a sick whip, Wolf has a decent five kills to his name. Not bad, considering he wasn’t on Earth to hunt, but to clean up after other Predators.
Feral Predator (Prey)
Prey introduced Predator fans to the most significant deviation of the original Predator design yet. The Feral Predator has a sleek, more streamlined head and more primitive-looking armor and weapons, constructed mainly of bone instead of metal. Unlike the usual Predator mask, the Feral mask has no eyes whatsoever and leaves the wearer’s mandibles fully exposed. He also likes his crunches, considering he’s sporting a 14-pack. Apparently, the Feral Predator doesn’t believe in leaving some abs for the other Predators.
Kills: 11 (8 Humans, 3 Animals)
The Feral Predator is the deadliest Predator design by far, with a whopping 11 kills, one of which was a freaking bear.
Jungle Hunter (Predator)
You just can’t beat the classics. The Jungle Hunter was the first Predator design and set the stage for all the other hunters that came after. He originated the helmet, the shoulder-mounted plasma caster, the invisibility cloak, and yes, even the fishnet body suit. The most amazing thing about the Jungle Hunter’s design is how well it holds up after almost 40 years. Most creature designs from the ’80s look silly up against modern SFX but not the Jungle Hunter. His fit is just as fresh today as it was the day he made his screen debut.
Kills: 8
Not only is the Jungle Hunter the earliest Predator design, but it’s also one of the deadliest. Boasting eight human victims, the Jungle Hunter is proof that you can’t improve upon perfection.
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