The first Predator: Badlands trailer revealed a surprising connection to another alien movie franchise, Independence Day. The 2025 live-action Predator film is the next to come from director Dan Trachtenberg, although its a very different offering from 2022’s Prey. Predator: Badlands is taking some bold swings with its story, such as making a Yautja hunter the protagonist. By making the killer alien the focal point of the story, there are opportunities for the film to dive deeper into the franchise’s lore with various types of world-building.

This is evident in the Predator: Badlands trailer in a few ways. It didn’t take long to spot the big reveal that Elle Fanning’s character is connected to Alien as a Weyland-Yutani android. There are even additional Weyland-Yutani logos featured throughout the trailer in different spot. However, Alien is not the only sci-fi franchise that Predator: Badlands connects to. It turns out there’s also a connection to Independence Day. Yes, the 1996 action sci-fi film starring Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum has a direct reference in Predator: Badlands.

Predator: Badlands Includes A Harvester Skull From Independence Day

The Familiar Alien Design Is Featured

One of the earliest sH๏τs in the Predator: Badlands trailer is of a Yautja trophy room. This is something the franchise has featured before in different films, including Predator 2 putting a Xenomorph skull among them. There isn’t one shown in Predator: Badlands, so far, but there is a focus on a skull in the middle of the room. The skull has two large eye holes below an enlarged section of the head that grows narrower until it reaches a point. That skull is a direct match for the Harvesters in Independence Day.

The Harvesters have previously appeared in two Independence Day films. The original 1996 movie introduced the shorter, telepathically powered aliens as they come to Earth. While the Harvesters were defeated at that point, they returned to Earth in Independence Day: Resurgence for another attack. The skull shown in Predator: Badlands is a result of their natural appearance, which is typically concealed, in part, by armored suits. The presence of the Harvester skull here indicates that the Yautja had previously encountered the alien race from Independence Day andkilled one of them.

Do Predator & Independence Day Take Place In The Same Universe?

They Do Share A Connection

Predator: Badlands is the first time that Predator and Independence Day have crossed over. Yet, there is a connection between the two sci-fi franchises. They are both properties owned by 20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox) and, now, Walt Disney Studios. The studio ownership is how this crossover becomes possible. Whether it’s an indication that a proper Predator and Independence Day crossover movie is coming remains to be seen.

If this Easter egg is taken at face value, the potential that the Predator and Independence Day franchises exist in the same universe does raise continuity questions. Predator 2 takes place in 1997, one year after Independence Day. Thereis nomention of the Harvester invasion in Predator 2​​​​​, which is understandable in the real world but is a bit tougher to believe in-universe. Considering this world is also technically connected to Alien, the retroactive connections between Predator, Independence Day, and Alien make it difficult to truly make sense of a timeline and how they’re all related.

Predator: Badlands’ Independence Day Easter Egg Continues A Great Franchise Tradition

Predator Loves Other Movie Aliens

Since there are no confirmed plans for a proper Predator and Independence Day crossover, the Harvester skull Easter egg is mostly meant to act as a fun detail for sci-fi movie fans to catch. It becomes the latest example of Predator including loose connections to other sci-fi movie aliens. Alien has been the one that’s been most connected to Predator in the past, and that trend continues with Predator: Badlands. That only makes it cooler that the franchise is finally venturing out to tease other recognizable movie aliens the Yautja are superior to.

This also could be the studio’s way of testing the waters for whether audiences are interested in a Predator and Independence Day crossover. It’s not something I ever really considered before. But, now it’s an idea that does intrigue me. The Harvesters’ main purpose is universal domination and eliminating entire planets. That makes them a worthy foe for the Yautja as an alien race. If the franchise wants to continue the Yautja protagonist perspective after Predator: Badlands, having the Harvesters invade Yautja Prime could make for a compelling story.