Copyright Screen Rant
Warning: Major spoilers ahead of Predator: BadlandsOne of the most interesting parts of Dan Trachtenberg's hit sci-fi action sequel Predator: Badlands was the brief glimpse we got into the wider world of Yautja culture. Across the entire Predator franchise, we've gotten bits of information about the brutal hunter-warrior culture that drives the honor-bound quests of the individual Predators that have plagued humankind for centuries. While there is plenty of expanded lore across other media like graphic novels, comics, and video games, we've seen precious little of how the Yautja interact with each other in a society in the movies. The opening of Predator: Badlands provided perhaps the clearest look yet at how cutthroat the culture is: Dek's father was ready to kill him (and send his brother to do it) because he believed him weak. As cruel as Dek's father was depicted, it's possible that he is far from the most dangerous Yautja in Dek's clan. In fact, the tease at the very end of Predator: Badlands points to a completely new and dangerous element of Yautja society not yet seen in the movies that could have far-reaching ramifications for the franchise. Predator: Badlands Teases The Introduction Of Female Yautja After Dek utilizes his own weaponry and cunning to kill his father and stake his claim as a valuable member of his clan, the other clan members emerge from their homes seemingly to recognize Dek's successful challenge. In reality, they're looking towards the horizon, from which a Yautja aircraft approaches Dek's position. Dek reveals to his synthetic companion Thia that he recognizes the ship as his mother's. It's implied that his mother is a significant and intimidating figure in the clan based on the reactions of Dek and the other warriors around him. If she appears in a future installment of the franchise, she'll be the first female Yautja to ever appear in a Predator movie. While there are no current plans for a direct sequel to Predator: Badlands, if anything ever does come to fruition, it seems as though Dek's mother will be a key figure in the narrative. Her appearance directly after he kills his father indicates that she may be an even more influential member of the clan, which would align with what the expanded lore tells us about Yautja culture. A Female Yautja May Change Everything We Know About Predator Culture While the lore shifts depending on which comic series or video game you look at, female Yautja are frequently regarded as bigger, faster, smarter, and more vicious than their male counterparts. Where male Predators stalk, plan, and almost toy with their prey, female Predators kill much more directly, using their superior speed, size, and agility to impose their will against their foes. In several pieces of media, the Yautja actually live in a matriarchal society in which female leaders hold the seat of real power. In Predator: Badlands, the hint of fear and attention afforded to Dek's mother by her son and the other clan members indicates that could be the case for the cinematic universe that Trachtenberg has fleshed out. If that's the case, it changes everything that we know about the Predators we've seen in movies. Even the most ancient and powerful-seeming Predators, like Greyback from Predator 2, could pale in comparison to their female counterparts. It seems unlikely that a female Yautja could overpower the Super Predators from 2010's Predators or the ultra-lethal Grendel King from Predator: Killer of Killers, but it now seems that it could actually be explored. A Female Yautja Story Could Be Dan Trachtenberg's Mysterious Third Predator Idea In an interview for Predator: Badlands with Screen Rant's Ash Crossan, Dan Trachtenberg noted that the future of the Predator franchise under his guidance was unsettled. However, he did note that there is an additional project that he and his team were really excited about as they plotted out the back-to-back smash hits of 2025. When I was figuring out what to do after Prey, the ideas for Badlands, Killer Killers, and a third project were all equally exciting. So the idea of doing that third thing would be an absolute thrill. On the press circuit for Badlands, Trachtenberg has intimated that he is eager to get to the third project, and while there are no details available about it as yet, he's claimed that it's another idea that does something entirely new with the character and world of the Predator. It's entirely possible that the concept of a female Predator is the mysterious idea that he's referring to.
