Spoilers for Predator: Killer of Killers!
Dan Trachtenberg’s two Predator movies, Prey and the animated anthology film Predator: Killer of Killers, have done tremendous work restoring this standalone franchise. The previous installment, The Predator (2018), got too bogged down in sequel teases and awkward references to other movies. Meanwhile, jumping across different points in human history for Trachtenberg’s pair of Predator films has redefined the possibilities of this franchise. Rather than straightforward mimics of the original Predator, these two titles have used distinctive period piece settings to offer new visions for the Predator franchise.
Ironically, Killer of Killers works as a fun 90 minutes of R-rated action cinema, but it surprisingly ends in a way that could explain how every single Predator installment can coexist. Past Predator movies have struggled to create coherent continuity out of this franchise; Killer of Killers, though, wraps on a note signifying how all of the franchise’s warrior protagonists can still come together.
Predator: Killer of Killers Ending Explained
After each of the individual stories in the anthology is done, a final Killer of Killers segment unfolds, bringing the film’s trio of protagonists, Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy), Kenji (Louis Ozawa), and Torres (Rick Gonzales) together. Each had previously slaughtered a Predator, but were later captured and kept in suspended animation for untold eons, only to eventually be thawed out, and pitted against each other on a Predator planet. The trio works together to evade their captors and especially big baddie Warlord Predator (Britton Watkins), though Ursa sacrifices herself and gets recaptured by the Predators to save the day.
Once Kenji and Torres have made their getaway, Ursa is put back on ice. As she’s carried into a room full of cryogenically frozen creatures from all over the galaxy, the camera zooms in on Prey protagonist Naru (Amber Midthunder), also trapped in cryo-sleep. This shot confirms that it isn’t just the three Killer of Killers protagonists who have undergone this procedure. If you’ve killed a Predator, these aliens snatch you and keep you for an outer space slaughtering spectacle.
This also suggests that the various other protagonists from previous Predator movies, namely the first two leads played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover, must also be in this facility somewhere. This technique has allowed the Predator saga to have its cake and eat it too. These films can span various time periods while also having a mechanism that binds these wildly disparate characters (perhaps for an Alien vs. Predator adventure?). It’s also interesting that the existence of this tournament adds a greater level of tragedy to past Predator movies. Human leads in this saga have already fought so much, yet it was all a preamble for the Predators’ gladiatorial skirmishes.
How Does Predator: Badlands Fit Into All Of This?
Speaking of greater context for other Predator entries, the existence of this grand duel between human beings lends new layers of depth to cosmic-set Predator outings. Predators and the upcoming Predator: Badlands, specifically, are now seemingly about aliens preparing their might and gauging potential human fighters for this exact competition. Only time will tell if Trachtenberg incorporates more explicit connections between these two Predator features in Badlands.
Heck, even the wretched 2018 entry The Predator makes some sense within this new framework (even though its quality doesn’t necessarily improve). This systemic extermination of humans and other aliens fighting against the Predator aliens clearly affected one member of this species (known as the Yautja), who went behind their superior’s back to warn humanity of all this impending carnage. Those Super-Predators in the film now seem specifically created for these “Killer of Killers” championship fights. It’s truly impressive how Killer of Killers reveals fascinating new lore that can also retroactively connect every nook and cranny of this franchise.
Best of all, Killer of Killers doesn’t grind its plot to a halt to rigidly explain how it’s connected to all past and future Predator movies. Providing connective tissue between its brethren doesn’t come at the expense of a rollicking good standalone time. In an era where so many major franchises get bogged down in endless multiversal lore, Dan Trachtenberg’s efficient yet tantalizing storytelling is impressive and works on multiple levels. It’s fun to imagine how these elements retroactively enhance past Predator titles and suggest future exciting opportunities for projects like Badlands. Even more so, though, its various animated worlds are even more fun to experience in the here and now.
Predator: Killer of Killers is now streaming on Hulu.
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