Prey Can Finally Answer A Predator Mystery 30 Years On

Hulu’s Prey is set 300 years before its predecessor, Predator, which means it has the chance to answer some itching questions left by previous installments. Since the franchise’s birth in 1989, each film has left a series of unanswered questions which has led to various theories. The mystery surrounding the Predator at the end of director Stephen Hopkins’ Predator 2, and how it originally received its flintlock pistol, may finally be answered in Prey.

The ending of Predator 2 shows Harrigan (Danny Glover) defeating a Predator, suitably nicknamed the City Hunter, on its spaceship after its murderous rampage in Los Angeles. Following the death of their comrade, a group of Predators—who have seemingly been absent the entire film—make themselves visible to Harrigan, with the Greyback Predator offering Harrigan the flintlock pistol as a prize. The pistol’s handle is engraved with “Raphael Adolini 1715”, revealing that the Predators have been hunting on Earth for generations. Six years later, Dark Horse Comics released Predator: 1917, which explained that the flintlock pistol’s owner, Raphael Adolini, was a Pirate Captain whose crew came into contact with a Predator off the coast of Africa. However, while this comic provides a backstory to the pistol, it doesn’t mean that Prey will keep it canon.

Prey has the perfect opportunity to provide a better answer regarding the origins of the pistol. The film is set 300 years before the original Predator and is confirmed to take place in 1719, four years after the engraved date on the pistol. Prey will be set in the Great Plains of North America and will follow a young Comanche woman called Naru (Amber Midthunder), an aspiring warrior who will attempt to protect her people from a Predator who is hunting them as prey. The latest trailer for Prey gave audiences a brief glimpse of the film’s Predator, but it also set up another potential villain: European colonizers.

The end of Prey‘s trailer shows Naru and her people battling the Predator along with a group of colonizers, who are seemingly attempting to fight off the Predator with their guns. While it’s hard to tell the nationality of the colonizers in the trailer, it’s possible that they could be Spanish, given the fact that they were settled in regions such as Texas during this time. While the Prey trailer doesn’t reveal too much of their involvement, this would explain how the flintlock pistol has a traditionally Spanish name engraved on it, rather than sticking to the comic explanation. Therefore, this would allow Prey to give the flintlock pistol more depth by giving its origin a colonial subtext.

If the gun does appear in Prey, however, then that would imply the Predator survives the film, which could subvert initial expectations. It’s even possible the Predator in Prey is the Greyback from Predator 2. The Predator could be impressed by Naru and team up with her to fight the third threat, the colonizers, where the Predator obtains the pistol. This would be a unique twist to the Predator franchise, seeing both protagonist and antagonist survive, and additionally wouldn’t be distasteful towards the Comanche Nation.

While there’s a chance the mysterious origin of the flintlock pistol will be ignored in Prey, despite the timelines seemingly matching up, there is no denying that this film is seeking to bring back the hunter vs. the hunted formula of the original. Additionally, if Prey is successful, it will be interesting to see if the franchise will continue down the prequel route, showing other nations/civilizations against the Predator.