Major Spoilers for Predator: Killer of Killers are below.

Summary

Predator: Killer of Killers is a unique, animated anthology film that sets up potential sequels within the franchise.
The movie features distinct tales of warriors facing Predators in different time periods, all connected in the finale.
The film hints at a potential direct sequel, Prey 2, showcasing the franchise's first ongoing story arc with a returning character.

Predator: Killer of Killers is a new anthology film that is more important to the franchise than it lets on, even setting up Prey 2. Prey was released in 2022 by director Dan Trachtenberg. The movie offers a few firsts for the franchise, as it was set in the past and focused on a female protagonist in Naru, a skilled Comanche warrior played by Amber Midthunder, who contends with a Predator. Prey was beloved by critics and audiences, seeing Trachtenberg entrusted with the continuation of the Predator franchise.

Trachtenberg is behind the two Predator films releasing in 2025: Predator: Badlands, due out in November, and Predator: Killer of Killers, which just premiered on Hulu. Both films again see Trachtenberg livening up the franchise with unique firsts. Badlands will feature a Yautja protagonist teaming up with a Weyland-Yutani android, and Killer of Killers is an animated anthology. Beyond its distinct setup, Predator: Killer of Killers also helps flesh out franchise lore and potentially sets up the first direct sequel with Prey 2.

Predator Killer Of Killers - All Predators In The Movie, Ranked

Predator: Killer Of Killers - Every Predator In The Movie, Ranked

Here's a look at all the major Predator variants that appear in Predator: Killer of Killers, ranked by how their hunting skills compare.

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By Vlad Mazanko

Predator: Killer Of Killers Is A Unique Animated Take On The Franchise

Predator Killer Of Killers Predator Chief On Yautja Prime 1

Predator: Killer of Killers stands out for multiple reasons. It is the first animated film in the Predator franchise, but maintains the core facets fans have come to love. Killer of Killers provides the humans vs Predator battles they love seeing, and the movie earns its R rating through graphic violence. While some may have been concerned that an animated film may see the action muted, it conversely allowed for unique aspects that live-action films have yet to truly delve into, like the Predator's home world and even an aerial dogfight between a Yautja ship and WWII fighter pilots.

Killer of Killers also marks the franchise's first anthology film, telling three distinct tales across time about different warriors battling Predators. The first follows a Viking warrior out for revenge when she is attacked by a Yautja. The second story is from feudal Japan, showing a skilled Samurai battling a Predator. The third story features the aforementioned WWII dogfight. However, even those stories aren't as separate as they seem, with the film's finale seeing them pitted against each other in an arena on the Predator's home planet. It leans into the type of storytelling Prey gave audiences by fleshing it with more warriors and a unique way to unite them.

Killer Of Killers Is More Connected To Other Predator Films Than It Lets On

predator killer of killers naru ending — predator killer of killers - naru ending

Despite telling three distinctly different stories set in different time periods, that doesn't stop Predator: Killer of Killers from seeing them all exist together in the finale. The idea at the core of Killer of Killers is that each of these human warriors battled and killed a Yautja, meaning they are worthy adversaries. The Yautja then take each of the winning humans and cryogenically freeze them, keeping the characters in a warehouse full of frozen warriors who can be thawed out to do battle at any point in time. While speaking with Screen Rant, the director explained:

I mean, I'll clearly say it is not time travel. They are not time traveling. That is the benefit of the cryo pod - they are plucked from their time period and then put into stasis and then unleashed when decided upon for that evening's delightful entertainment.

This plays into similar concepts seen in 2010's Predators, which featured an assemblage of humans from various walks of life and skillsets stranded on an alien planet to do battle with Yautja. The sheer number of cryo pods seen in the finale of Killer of Killers also suggests that hundreds, if not thousands, of humans have killed Predators. This also leaves the door open for any surviving characters from earlier films that have bested a Predator to be among the rows of frozen warriors.

Predator: Killer of Killers cements this idea by giving audiences a quick glimpse of Prey's Naru frozen in one of the cryo pods before the credits start. The initial credits sequence also features images that hint at the Yautja coming for Naru after the events of Prey, explaining her current predicament. However, given that Naru is frozen, the groundwork for Prey 2 is already in place.

Prey 2 Could Be The First Direct Sequel In The Predator Franchise

While Prey 2 has not been confirmed, fans would be excited about a sequel to the beloved installment. Now that Naru's fate is less happy than the ending of Prey, most will want to see her thawed out to get revenge for what's happened. Therefore, Prey 2 can essentially start at whatever point in time the Yautja decide to thaw Naru out. It also presents an opportunity for an army of thawed-out warriors to battle Predators, which would be another exciting way to take the franchise.

Predator: Badlands will continue the franchise with another unique story. Many think it points toward another Alien vs. Predator movie in the works, which could also prove fruitful under Trachtenberg's guidance. However, Badlands also continues the franchise trend of standalone sequels. Each entry into the Predator franchise has been a single story, with none of the characters continuing into a new film until now. With Naru appearing in Killer of Killers, albeit briefly, the franchise may finally give audiences their first direct sequel with Prey 2. There may also be room for a sequel to Predator: Killer of Killers that continues Naru's story. How the franchise continues after Badlands remains to be seen, but Trachtenberg has acknowledged audiences' affinity for Naru and laid the groundwork for Prey 2.