Predators are the greatest hunters in the cosmos within their established universe, and while they kill prey on countless worlds throughout the galaxy, humans are perhaps their favorite. Time and time again, Predators keep coming back to Earth to hunt human prey, as is shown in practically every film in the Predator franchise. However, one story confirms humans aren’t the only creatures on Planet Earth the Yautja are interested in hunting, as there’s another species they respect just as much – if not more.
The first time fans were introduced to Predators was in the original 1987 film Predator, which showed a Yautja coming to Earth and hunting a team of mercenaries after slaughtering a small army of guerilla soldiers. It was immediately clear that this alien wasn’t just coming to Earth to kill people for some sadistic, bloodthirsty desire, but because it wanted a legitimate challenge, and quickly found that humans – under the right conditions – presented such a challenge.
As the lore surrounding the Yautja species expanded through novels, comics, and video games, fans witnessed the Predators kill more non-human prey, including River Ghosts, Engineers, and – of course – Xenomorphs. However, aside from the occasional animal that got in their way during any given hunt, the Yautja only ever seemed to be interested in humans when they were on Earth. But, after the release of Dark Horse Comics’ Predator: Hell and Hot Water, it’s revealed that Predators don’t just hunt people when they’re on Earth, but also giant, undersea worms.
Predators Also Hunt Giant Worms On Earth, Not Just People
In Predator: Hell and Hot Water by Mark Schultz and Gene Colan, a Predator ship crashes into the ocean off the coast of Chile, and a team of agents working for a top-secret agency responsible for handling extraterrestrial threats go down to investigate. These people are aware of the Predators’ existence, and know that a Predator is exactly what is waiting for them beneath the waves.
They assume the Predator is luring them to the ocean to give itself a more interesting challenge during this particular hunt, but when they enter an underwater cave in pursuit of the alien, the agents realize that they aren’t the prey – they’re the bait. The Predator was using the humans to lure out a giant, undersea worm that humanity didn’t even know existed. While the Predator was eventually bested, it claimed its prey as it cried out in victory while holding the severed tendril of this worm-like creature, while barely paying any mind to the people it used to win this prize.
Predator Know More About Earth Than Humans Do
Predator: Hell and Hot Water is just one of the many examples that show how Predators are more knowledgeable about the Earth than humans, implying that they’ve been coming to this planet since the dawn of human civilization – and possibly long before. Even in the 2004 film Alien vs Predator, it’s shown how Predators helped shape human civilization, positioning themselves as their gods to whom humans offered their lives for the sake of the Predators’ Blooding Ritual. With examples like that to draw from, it’s easy to consider that Predators had been coming to Earth since even before humans walked the land, and were hunting creatures like this giant worm for thousands, if not millions of years.
Perhaps this story was that of a Predator who wanted to claim a prize not seen by its people for a millenia, or perhaps Predators regularly come to Earth to fight creatures like this worm without humans even knowing about it. Either way, this story confirms one thing about the Predators fans didn’t previously know: they don’t just come to Earth to hunt humans.
