Predator: Badlands is just a few months away, and the franchise may have already given a major hint about how the upcoming sequel is going to end. The movie, which takes place several years in the future and follows an outcast Predator named Dek, will be directed by franchise regular Dan Trachtenberg and stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi.

There are countless theories about what Predator: Badlands will be about, as the studio has released very little information about the narrative itself. The most logical place to look for information is Trachtenberg’s previous Predator movies, which seem to shed some light on the director’s plans for this long-running sci-fi franchise.

Predator: Badlands Could End With Thia And Dek Going To The Yautja Arena

Although very few details have actually been confirmed about Badlands’ story, there are certain details that seem to elucidate what’s going on in this unconventional Predator sequel. Not only does the plot seemingly tie in with the Alien universe, but it also flips the typical Predator formula on its head by having Dek, the тιтular Yautja, serve as the hunted rather than the hunter.

For a long-running franchise, it does an excellent job of making sure that no two sequels are the same. 2022’s Prey took the series to a whole new time and place, and then Predator: Killer of Killers offered a look at the Yautja in animated form. The series is clearly moving in a new direction, and this interconnected creativity could have an impact on Predator: Badlands’ story.

The ending of Predator: Killer of Killers offered a game-changing twist that suggests many of the recent sequels could be more тιԍнтly connected than they initially seem. As the film’s protagonists escape from the Yautja homeworld, a group of Predators retreat into a scientific facility and reveal several cryogenically frozen warriors whom they’re saving for their gladiatorial arena, including Naru from Prey.

This seemingly proves that Trachtenberg’s recent Predator sequels have an overarching narrative that could ultimately bring all these separate characters together. The director has neither confirmed nor denied that this is his intention for the franchise, but the possibility opens some exciting doors for Predator: Badlands.

If Trachtenberg is indeed planning on bringing all these protagonists together in the future, the most logical way to achieve this is by sending Thia and Dek to the Yautja arena at the end of Predator: Badlands. We already know that Naru is there, and it probably wouldn’t take much for the Yautja to catch up with Ursa, Torres, and Kenji and bring them back.

Ever since the events of Predators, the lore of this sci-fi universe has been shifting and changing with every new installment. Every filmmaker has their own vision for the franchise, but only Trachtenberg has stuck around long enough for that interconnectivity to actually come to light. It would be a huge waste if Predator: Badlands ended without setting the stage for a team-up movie in the future.

Thia’s Capture Could Set Up Another Alien Vs Predator Movie

Incidentally, this potential team-up movie wouldn’t be the first crossover event in the Predator franchise. The long-running sci-fi series famously collided with Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise back in 2004 for Alien vs Predator, which was met with poor reviews at the time but has since been praised for its ambition and bold storytelling.

There have been plenty of theories supposing that Badlands will secretly be an Alien vs Predator movie, and while that seems unlikely at this point, an Alien vs Predator reboot feels very plausible for the future. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely to be the 2025 movie since the studio would want to take advantage of the crossover and use it in the film’s marketing.

But it seems much more likely that Trachtenberg is merely using this project to set up a potential Alien vs Predator in the future, using Thia’s Weyland-Yutani background to bring the conglomerate into conflict with this outcast Yautja tribe. Fans have been very skeptical since 2004 that such a crossover could actually work, but there’s never been a more opportune moment than now.

With Trachtenberg breathing new life into the Predator franchise through projects like Badlands and Killer of Killers, and the Alien franchise also seeing a resurgence through Alien: Romulus and Alien: Earth, the two series are more popular today than either has been for several decades. It really feels like an Alien vs Predator movie could work, and having a Weyland-Yutani android captured by the Yautja sets the scene perfectly.

The tech company probably wouldn’t be willing to travel all the way to the Yautja homeworld for the sake of a single android, but the mere fact that these two franchises are interacting with each other again is brilliant news. After the critical failure of Alien vs Predator, it really felt like we’d never see them come together again.

One of the biggest problems with Alien vs Predator is that audiences had no reason to side with either creature — they were simply watching two iconic villains fighting each other. But if Trachtenberg is pushing for an AVP movie led by Predator: Badlands’ Thia and Dek, perhaps with some Killer of Killers heroes entering the fray too, the spin-off certainly wouldn’t have this issue.