For a species bred specifically as trophy hunters, the Predator franchise has repeatedly revealed that the titular intergalactic travelers aren’t particularly great at their chosen profession.
Whether it’s being defeated by a mud-smeared Arnold Schwarzenegger, a sweaty Danny Glover in a mustard yellow shirt, Adrien Brody wielding an axe, Sanaa Lathan’s tour guide, and now Amber Midthunder’s aspiring tracker in acclaimed prequel Prey, the dreadlocked death dealers don’t exactly have a solid track record at succeeding on Earth.
Set in 1719, Dan Trachtenberg’s Hulu exclusive prequel follows the first-ever Predator sent to our planet in search of new bounties, and it meets the same end as all of its successors will endure over the next three centuries. As a result, a convincing theory put forward on Reddit suggests that only losers of the species are sent in our direction.
Despite being bigger, stronger, faster, more equipped, and substantially more technologically advanced than any human they’ve ever come up against, the Predators always end up losing the battle. However, an intriguing counterpoint suggests that the cosmic trackers have racked up plenty of victories, we just haven’t heard them mentioned as part of the expanded universe.
The debate has been raging, and a lot of salient points are being put forward. It wouldn’t be a very cathartic experience were a Predator film to end with an easy victory for the erstwhile villain of the piece, but nor does it make them look like much of a threat if they keep getting their scaly asses handed to them, which is why it tends to be a sole hero who lands the killing blow after many bodies have been dropped.