Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Predator: Badlands
Predator: Badlands is now in theaters, flipping the usual formula by giving audiences a Predator protagonist (named Dek) whose first hunt was as brutal as it was heartfelt. However, the movie's cliffhanger ending suggests Dek's story is far from over, and there's also potential for an even bigger event on the horizon.
While there are no Xenomorphs to be found, Predator: Badlands has numerous connections to the Alien franchise, most notably Dek's primary ally Thia, a Weyland-Yutani Corporation synth played by Elle Fanning. Considering the franchises have long been set in the same shared universe, these ties were very exciting (and made sense).
However, Predator: Badlands may have also laid the groundwork for an all-new Alien vs Predator crossover (not just a sequel).
How Predator: Badlands Sets Up Future Stories ("Revenge of the Mothers")
Following their defeat of the Weyland-Yutani bio-weapons team on the planet Genna, the ending of Predator: Badlands sees Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) returning home to Yautja Prime with his new clan (Thia and the young Kalisk she named Bud).
Demanding his cloak from his father, who tried to kill him at the beginning of Badlands, Dek succeeds in defeating his father and claiming the traditional Yautja weapon, proving himself while avenging his brother (whom his father killed for protecting Dek).
The climactic battle between Dek and his father felt like the perfect emotional conclusion to Badlands...until the very last surprise scene.
An imminent Yautja ship was shown on the horizon, and Dek confirms to Thia that his mother is coming. In the face of her husband's death, Dek's mother may be seeking vengeance for what she could likely see as a betrayal, providing the perfect antagonist for a potential Badlands sequel.
At the same time, continuing Thia's arc could easily expand a sequel with even greater stakes.
As a synthetic linked to the Alien franchise's Weyland-Yutani Corporation, it's quite possible that MUTHUR and "The Company" may be seeking payback of their own, as Thia defied their orders by joining Dek and taking out the entire Bio-Weapons team on Genna (including her twin synth "sister" Tessa).
Thia could easily be a serious problem for Weyland-Yutani, and not only because she disobeyed orders and went rogue. It's quite possible that she could be in possession of confidential and proprietary information that Weyland doesn't want exposed.
Combined with her status as a synth with extra "sensitivities", it's also possible that she's simply far too valuable for Weyland to simply let go of after all the losses that accrued on Genna. A Predator: Badlands sequel could see Dek and Thia facing multiple threats (and two different "Mothers").
That said, it can also be argued that a sequel could go even further, becoming a full-blown and brand-new AVP crossover.
Everything Could Be Building To A Brand-New Alien vs Predator Crossover
These numerous threads in Predator: Badlands could all be pointing toward one massive event: a unified Alien vs. Predator story that merges every corner of the shared universe and its more recent projects released over the last few years.
Badlands confirmed Weyland-Yutani is well aware of the Yautja, and that The Company views them as a threat. Likewise, Thia revealed part of her work for Weyland involved an extensive study of the Yautja warrior species and their culture.
When Dek was captured by Tessa, there were plans to bring him back to Weyland as another specimen to be experimented on, suggesting that Weyland likely has a vested interest in Predators as much as Xenomorphs, the perfect foundation for an epic crossover that sees both species clashing once more.
A potential crossover event could also include familiar faces from the animated Predator movie Killer of Killers, as its ending confirmed that the Yautja had captured Prey's Naru (Amber Midthunder), the first Predator's Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger), and Predator 2's Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover), all of whom were shown on Yautja Prime placed in cryo-stasis.
Their survival could lead to an unprecedented gathering of the franchise's greatest warriors (perhaps with some convenient cryo-leakage to reflect certain actors' current ages). Imagine these classic heroes awakening to engage in a war between human corporations, synthetics, unleashed Xenomorphs, and multiple Yautja clans, tying together over four decades of storytelling.
Meanwhile, Weyland-Yutani's established interest in the Yautja could ignite an entirely new alien specimen arms race. The company has always coveted alien biology for weaponization. If they manage to capture even one Predator, one could easily imagine them trying to create some kind of horrifyingly new hybrid threat, taking the Alien vs Predator concept to a whole new level.
All things considered, Predator: Badlands could easily be setting the stage for one of the most ambitious AVP crossover events ever.
Even if things go in a whole different direction apart from the speculation above, you can bet an Alien vs Predator movie is actively being talked about by Disney and 20th Century Fox, especially considering Badlands' high praise from critics and audiences alike.
Predator: Badlands is now playing in theaters from 20th Century Fox
35 8.7/10 6/10 Predator: Badlands 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed PG-13 Action Science Fiction Adventure Thriller Release Date November 5, 2025 Runtime 107 minutes Director Dan Trachtenberg Writers Dan Trachtenberg, Patrick Aison, John Thomas, Jim Thomas Producers Brent O'Connor, John Davis, Marc Toberoff, Dan Trachtenberg, Ben Rosenblatt Cast See All Elle Fanning Thia / Tessa Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi Dek / Father
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