The Predator movie franchise covers five main entries and two crossover films, and here’s the complete timeline explained. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s action efforts in the ’80s like Commando tended to cast him as a one-liner spouting killing machine who appeared borderline invincible. Predator sought to break his formula in two major ways by casting him as part of an ensemble and having him face off against an even more powerful foe. The result was a sci-fi hit that would later become a genre classic, but it was never intended to spawn a franchise.
In fact, Predator director John McTiernan largely eschewed expanding on the monster’s backstory, including cutting a planned finale sequence set inside its spaceship. However, the alien hunter became so iconic it was soon appearing in spin-off comics, video games and Predator movie sequels. Over the years, many filmmakers, authors and artists have added to the mythology of the series, expanding on the customs and gadgets the hunters use.
The Predator films have few crossovers in terms of cast or crew, resulting in some wildly different interpretations and – perhaps inevitably – continuity or timeline clashes. Here’s the complete Predator movie timeline explained, including those outings whose canon nature is in doubt.
Click here to watch Prey: The Entire Predator Timeline Explained on YouTube
Ancient Aliens – 3000 B.C.
Alien Vs Predator from 2004 marked the latter franchise’s return to movie screens after a long break and was highly anticipated for that reason. Paul W.S. Anderson’s crossover centered on a team of archaeologists funded by Lance Henriksen’s Charles Bishop Weyland traveling to Antarctica to explore a temple buried far beneath the ice. Team leader Lex (Sanaa Lathan) learns via expository hieroglyphics that the Predators have been visiting Earth for thousands of years and even taught early civilizations how to build the pyramids. These visitors from the sky were revered as Gods and the humans would often act as sacrifices by acting as hosts for the Xenomorphs. Traces of early contact with the Yautjas was eventually lost to the ages, though the canon nature of Alien Vs Predator itself is in doubt due to Alien prequel Prometheus contradicting several elements of the movie’s timeline.
Predator and Prey – 1719
Prey is the fifth entry in the main Predator saga and takes place in 1719. This prequel records one of the first encounters between mankind and the alien hunters, and depicts a young Comanche warrior named Naru (Amber Midthunder) battling against a ferocious Yautja dubbed the “Feral Predator.” Despite the alien’s technological advantages over the tribe he’s stalking, Naru proves to be the kind of prey he’s seeking – one that fights back.
The Val Verde Incident – 1987
Predator opens with Dutch and his men being dispatched to the fictional South American country of Val Verde. Dutch was recruited by his old CIA friend Dillion (Carl Weathers) for a rescue operation, which was actually just a cover to wipe out a planned Soviet-backed invasion. Dillion had previously sent in another team who are found skinned and hanging from trees – the handiwork of the Yautja lurking in the jungle. It stalks and slays Dutch’s team until only he remains, and he has to strip himself of modern weaponry and hunt the creature on its terms. When the Predator – who was almost played by Van Damme – loses, it activates a self-destruct device that levels part of the jungle and wipes out evidence of its existence – though the event later caught the interest of the American government and the potential of capturing a hunter alive.
The Los Angeles Attack – 1997
Predators are attracted to heat and conflict, so when a heatwave grips L.A. in 1997 amidst a brutal gang war, the hunters visit the city in Predator 2. The “City Hunter” makes an enemy of Danny Glover’s tough cop Lt. Harrigan when it murders his partner Danny, and Hannigan makes it his mission to hunt it down. Harrigan also learns that the mysterious DEA agent Peter Keyes (Gary Busey) is leading a task force that wants to capture the beast and study its technology, having learned of its existence from the Val Verde incident. Keyes and his team are slaughtered when it outsmarts them, while Harrigan tracks it back to its ship and slays it with its own weaponry. Other Yautjas emerge to retrieve its body but leave Harrigan a trophy for his victory – a flintlock pistol from the 18th Century.
The Weyland Expedition – 2004
The main action of Alien Vs Predator is set in 2004, with Weyland financing an expedition to explore a pyramid discovered beneath the ice. This structure is a training ground for young hunters to prove themselves by battling Xenomorphs. The whole event was a trap designed to lure humans to the pyramid with the intent of using them as Xenomorph hosts, but after two of the Yautja hunting party are killed, Predator survivor Scar teams with the final remaining human Lex to escape. The temple is destroyed and the duo kills the escaped Alien Queen – but not before Scar is fatally wounded. More Yaujta arrive to retrieve his body and take it back to the ship, but they fail to realize Scar was implanted by a facehugger earlier in the story. In the final scene, a Predalien hybrid emerges from Scar’s body, setting up…
The Gunnison Slaughter – 2004
2007’s Alien Vs Predator: Requiem picks up mere moments from the ending of the previous entry. The Prealien slaughters the Yautjas on the ship, which crashes back to Earth and lands in the town of Gunnison, Colorado. The Prealien is shown to have the hunting skills of the Yautja, but its Xenomorph side is more pronounced. This includes the ability to directly implant embryos into victims via their throats. A lone Predator named Wolf is sent to Gunnison to clean up the mess, but the town is soon overrun by Xenomorphs. The Prealien and Wolf eventually slay one another, while the military – realizing the situation is hopeless – nukes the town to prevent the creatures from spreading. Alien Vs Predator: Requiem teased another story with Ms. Yutani recovering a Yautja plasma caster, but a follow-up didn’t happen, and the canon nature of the sequel is also debatable.
The Game Planet – 2010
Predators – which some feel is the best sequel – takes place on a game planet designed by the Yautja to hunt the most dangerous sport in the universe – be they human or otherwise. This 2010 entry never actually specifies which year it takes place, though it’s generally considered to be set the year it was released. Mercenary Royce (Adrian Brody) leads a team comprised of assassins and soldiers after they’re stranded on the game preserve, and they learn from Laurence Fishburne’s Noland – a stranded survivor – that there are two feuding Predator tribes. They are stalked by a trio of Super Predators, who are stronger, faster and more aggressive than the ones depicted in previous Predator movies; they’re also less honorable and more bloodthirsty. Royce and sniper Isabelle (Alice Braga) are the only survivors, who are left on the planet as more “game” arrives.
The Fugitive Predator Incident – 2018
The Predator – which went through many reshoots – opens with a so-called Fugitive Predator landing on Earth and being captured by Project Stargazer. This hunter was carrying mysterious cargo in its ship and is pursued by the Upgrade Predator, a hulking hybrid beast that’s the result of the Yaujta combining their DNA with other species. This has made the Upgrade Predator practically bulletproof and able to breathe in Earth’s atmosphere without a bio-helmet. 2018’s The Predator dives deep into the inner politics of the Yaujta, where it’s revealed that Fugitive Predator was coming to gift Earth a special suit so they could fight back against an impending invasion by a faction that wants the planet thanks to global warming making it an ideal new home.
