Spoiler Warning: The following article contains some hefty spoilers for Predator: Killer of Killers. If you haven’t watched the movie yet, please turn around and come back after checking it out.
I recently checked out Predator: Killer of Killers, the new animated anthology series set in one of the most iconic sci-fi franchises of all time. The 2025 movie, which is now streaming for anyone with a Hulu subscription, features three short stories about warriors from different eras taking on predators before being abducted, put into suspended animation, and then brought back to battle like gladiators for the alien species. It’s pretty sweet, if I’m being honest.
But after checking director Dan Trachtenberg’s second entry in the Predator franchise (he still has Predator: Badlands later this year), I have five questions that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. From the fate of some of the movie’s heroes to a tease of another great warrior and so much more, there’s a lot I need to go over with this one.
This Isn't The Last Of Kenji And John, Right?
In the “Epilogue” of Predator: Killer of Killers, World War II pilot John J. Torres (Rick Gonzalez) and 17th-century samurai Kenji Kamakami (Louis Ozawa) defy the odds and fight off their predator captors long enough – thanks to viking warrior Ursa’s (Lindsay LaVanchy) act of self-sacrifice – to escape in an alien airship. I don’t know if we’ll get a sequel to one of the best Predator films, but if we do, I’m not convinced we won’t ever see these two again.
The pairing, which is honestly really good, could lead to some great encounters, either with more predators or elsewhere if they are able to escape the planet (more on that next). Watching them work together, even though they don’t share the same native tongue, was impressive in Killer of Killers, and I would love to see that relationship continue to unfold. Plus, we have to see how these two survive, right?
I don’t have the highest of hopes for these two (or Ursa, who was put back into captivity), but we shall see what happens if their stories are ever revisited.
Even So, Where Will The Survivors Go After Their Escape?
One of the final shots of Predator: Killer of Killers is of the warlord sending a large group of predators in all kinds of ships with all kinds of weapons after the escaping John and Kenji. While watching this, I kept wondering one thing: where are the humans going to go?
First, let’s talk about the ship they commandeered. Is it capable of leaving the planet and surviving in space? If not, these two are stuck on an alien planet unknown lightyears away from Earth, and the chances of survival are slim to none, especially if they get captured by the raging war party.
But what if it does escape the atmosphere? Where are they going to go, and how long will it take to get there? It’s been shown at this point that the predators have some awesome technology that goes well beyond what we’re capable of producing back home on Earth, so it is within reason to believe that the ship is capable of traveling at hyperspeed. But again, can John, a WWII pilot, figure it out?
When Does The Epilogue Take Place In The Predator Timeline?
When I was watching Predator: Killer of Killers, I kept wondering if this clever anthology film saw the iconic sci-fi characters using time travel to pick out warriors from different eras. However, I then stumbled upon an interview The Direct had with co-director Joshua Wassung, where it was revealed that they have simply been building a collection of gladiators for many, many years. This got me thinking: where exactly does this movie take place in the Predator timeline?
Based on “The Bullet,” the third short film in the anthology, taking place in 1942, we know that the “Epilogue” is at least in the 20th century, if not beyond. And if it is beyond that point in time, does this mean it takes place around the same time as the original Predator movie (set some time in the late 20th century) or around the point of the later films in the series (sometime in the early 21st century)?
It’s hard to tell by the predator technology, as the creatures have always been more advanced than humans back on Earth.
Does This Mean We're Going To See Naru Again?
Another great moment from the Predator: Killer of Killers ending is a very brief shot of Naru, Amber Midthunder’s Comanche hunter from Prey, which was also directed by Dan Trachtenberg. You may recall that the last time we saw the badass female character at the end of the 2022 movie, she and her tribe were being approached by a group of predator airships after she killed her attacker and painted her face with his green blood.
While it remains unclear if we’ll get a Prey sequel at any point in the future, this quick look at Naru in suspended animation opens up several possibilities for her return to the franchise. On one hand, you could have a sequel to Killer of Killers featuring her and other iconic characters being awoken. On the other hand, you could have a sequel filling in the gaps in her story leading up to her capture on the alien planet.
And Finally, Is There A Chance We'll See Dutch In A Gladiator Battle?
Considering all of the warriors shown in Predator: Killer of Killers all previously killed at least one predator before being captured, it only makes sense for Alan “Dutch” Schaefer, one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best characters, to show up and kick some ass like it’s 1987 all over again. That being said, I have to know if we’re going to see Dutch become one of the gladiators and duke it out with fellow humans and predators alike on the aliens’ home planet.
You could have a little backstory about Dutch being abducted by a group of predators in the fictional Central American country of Val Verde, or even when he went back to the United States, before being transported deep into space and forced to fight. Having him come off the ice and trying to make it back home (and further avenge his friends’ deaths) pretty much writes itself.
Only time will tell if any of these questions are answered and we’re given more Predator: Killer of Killers. But in the meantime, at least we have Predator: Badlands to look forward to in the very near future.
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