Predator Complete Movie Timeline Explained

The Predator movie franchise covers five main entries and two crossover films, and creates a complex timeline to untangle. The Predator movie took advantage of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s newfound fame as an action star, delivering a blend of action, horror and sci-fi in the story of a group of commandos stalked in the jungle by an alien who hunts for sport. The result was a box office hit that would later become a genre classic, but it was never intended to spawn a franchise.

The alien hunter became so iconic it was soon appearing in spin-off comics, video games and Predator movie sequels. Over the years, many filmmakers, authors and artists have added to the mythology of the series, expanding on the customs and gadgets the hunters use. The Predator films have few crossovers in terms of cast or crew, resulting in some wildly different interpretations and – perhaps inevitably – continuity or timeline clashes. To get a sense of the franchise and its mythology, the Predator franchise requires a deeper look.

Ancient Aliens

3000 B.C.

Alien Vs Predator from 2004 marked the latter franchise’s return to movie screens after a long break and was highly anticipated for that reason. Paul W.S. Anderson’s crossover centered on a team of archaeologists funded by Lance Henriksen’s Charles Bishop Weyland traveling to Antarctica to explore a temple buried far beneath the ice. Team leader Lex (Sanaa Lathan) learns via expository hieroglyphics that the Predators have been visiting Earth for thousands of years and even taught early civilizations how to build the pyramids.

These visitors from the sky were revered as Gods and the humans would often act as sacrifices by acting as hosts for the Xenomorphs. Traces of early contact with the Yautjas were eventually lost to the ages, though the canonical nature of Alien Vs Predator itself is in doubt due to Alien prequel Prometheus contradicting several elements of the movie’s timeline. Prey also weakened the argument of Alien vs Predator being canon with the assertion that it tells the story of the first visit of a Yautja to Earth, taking place much later than Alien vs Predator suggests.

Predator & Prey

1719

Prey is the fifth entry in the main Predator saga and takes place in 1719. This prequel records one of the first encounters between mankind and the alien hunters, and depicts a young Comanche warrior named Naru (Amber Midthunder) battling against a ferocious Yautja dubbed the “Feral Predator.” Despite the alien’s technological advantages over the tribe he’s stalking, Naru proves to be the kind of prey he’s seeking – one that fights back.

Interestingly, while the Predator certainly has the upper hand in terms of weaponry, its arsenal is not quite as advanced as the Predators seen in later movies. For example, instead of its plasma cannon on its shoulder, it has a laser-guided arrow. This could mean that some of the Predator weapons seen later in the franchise hadn’t been developed yet, or it could mean that the Predators choose their weapons based on how advanced their targets are. Key to the franchise timeline, Prey features the pistol seen in Predator 2, gifted to Harrigan (Danny Glover) by the Yautja.

The Val Verde Incident

1987

Predator opens with Dutch and his men being dispatched to the fictional South American country of Val Verde. Dutch was recruited by his old CIA friend Dillion (Carl Weathers) for a rescue operation, which was actually just a cover to wipe out a planned Soviet-backed invasion. Dillion had previously sent in another team who are found skinned and hanging from trees – the handiwork of the Yautja lurking in the jungle. It stalks and slays Dutch’s team until only he remains, and he has to strip himself of modern weaponry and hunt the creature on its terms.

When the Predator loses, it activates a self-destruct device that levels part of the jungle and wipes out evidence of its existence – though the event later caught the interest of the American government and the potential of capturing a hunter alive. While Schwarzenegger’s Dutch never returns to the Predator franchise, the events of the first movie are referenced in future installments, such as when Isabelle (Alice Braga) tells the others of the stories she heard about this mission.

The Los Angeles Attack

1997

Predators are attracted to heat and conflict, so when a heatwave grips L.A. in 1997 amidst a brutal gang war, the hunters visit the city in Predator 2. The “City Hunter” makes an enemy of Danny Glover’s tough cop, Lt. Harrigan, when it murders his partner, Danny, and Harrigan makes it his mission to hunt it down. Harrigan also learns that the mysterious DEA agent Peter Keyes (Gary Busey) is leading a task force that wants to capture the beast and study its technology, having learned of its existence from the Val Verde incident.

A brief image of Anna (Elpidia Carrillo) from the first movie is shown in an interrogation room, suggesting she revealed some of the details about what happened. Keyes and his team are slaughtered when it outsmarts them, while Harrigan tracks it back to its ship and slays it with its own weaponry. Other Yautjas emerge to retrieve its body but leave Harrigan a trophy for his victory – a flintlock pistol from the 18th Century. It is the first time the Predators are shown to have respect for the prey who emerge victorious.

The Weyland Expedition

2004

The main action of Alien Vs Predator is set in 2004, with Weyland financing an expedition to explore a pyramid discovered beneath the ice. This structure is a training ground for young hunters to prove themselves by battling Xenomorphs. The whole event was a trap designed to lure humans to the pyramid with the intent of using them as Xenomorph hosts, but after two of the Yautja hunting party are killed, Predator survivor Scar teams with the final remaining human, Lex, to escape. The temple is destroyed, and the duo kills the Alien Queen – but Scar is fatally wounded.

More Yaujta arrive to retrieve his body and take it back to the ship, but they fail to realize Scar was implanted by a facehugger earlier in the story. In the final scene, a Predalien hybrid emerges from Scar’s body, setting up the sequel. It is another movie that helps to solidify a more sympathetic streak in the Predators as they are willing to fight alongside the humans and honor the partnership by sparing Lex’s life.

The Gunnison Slaughter

2004

2007’s Alien Vs Predator: Requiem picks up mere moments from the ending of the previous entry. The Predalien slaughters the Yautjas on the ship, which crashes back to Earth and lands in the town of Gunnison, Colorado. The Predalien is shown to have the hunting skills of the Yautja, but its Xenomorph side is more pronounced. This includes the ability to directly implant embryos into victims via their throats. A lone Predator named Wolf is sent to Gunnison to clean up the mess, but the town is soon overrun by Xenomorphs.

The Predalien and Wolf eventually slay one another, while the military – realizing the situation is hopeless – nukes the town to prevent the creatures from spreading. Alien Vs Predator: Requiem teased another story with Ms. Yutani recovering a Yautja plasma caster, but a follow-up didn’t happen, and the canon nature of the sequel is also debatable.

The Game Planet

2010

Predators takes place on a game planet designed by the Yautja to hunt the most dangerous sport in the universe – be they human or otherwise. This 2010 entry never actually specifies which year it takes place, though it’s generally considered to be set in the year it was released, as the characters are clearly from a modern world. Mercenary Royce (Adrian Brody) leads a team comprised of assassins and soldiers after they’re stranded on the game preserve, and they learn from Laurence Fishburne’s Noland – a stranded survivor – that there are two feuding Predator tribes.

They are stalked by a trio of Super Predators, who are stronger, faster, and more aggressive than the ones depicted in previous Predator movies; they’re also less honorable and more bloodthirsty. Royce and sniper Isabelle (Alice Braga) are the only survivors, who are left on the planet as more “game” arrives.

The Fugitive Predator Incident

2018

The Predator opens with a so-called Fugitive Predator landing on Earth and being captured by Project Stargazer. This hunter was carrying mysterious cargo in its ship and is pursued by the Upgrade Predator, a hulking hybrid beast that’s the result of the Yautja combining their DNA with other species. This has made the Upgrade Predator practically bulletproof and able to breathe in Earth’s atmosphere without a bio-helmet.

2018’s The Predator dives deep into the inner politics of the Yaujta, where it’s revealed that Fugitive Predator was coming to gift Earth a special suit so they could fight back against an impending invasion by a faction that wants the planet, thanks to global warming making it an ideal new home. However, the poor box office performance and critical reception of the movie halted any plans for sequels.

The movie makes reference to the events of the first Predator movie while also including the character of Sean Keyes, the son of Peter Keyes from Predator 2, played by Gary Busey’s real-life son, Jake Busey.

Where Does Predator: Badlands Fall On The Timeline?

The Newest Predator Movie Arrives In Fall 2025

The upcoming Predator: Badlands continues the franchise in some unexpected ways while also advancing the timeline of the franchise. Prey director Dan Trachtenberg returns to the Predator universe, but while that prequel movie took place in the past, this sequel jumps into the future and has an unexpected hero. The movie follows a young Predator warrior as its protagonist, who has been cast out of his clan and sets about proving himself as a warrior while also making an unlikely ally.

While it is not yet confirmed when exactly this story takes place, it is clear that it will end up last on the timeline of the Predator universe. One of the biggest hints to where it is in the timeline also gives the exciting reveal that it is connected to the Alien franchise in a major way. Elle Fanning’s Predator: Badlands character is confirmed to be an android from the Weyland-Yutani corporation. While it is unclear what this connection will lead to, the earliest android character in the Alien franchise was David in Prometheus, which takes place in 2093.

Predator

Created by

Jim Thomas, John Thomas

First Film

Predator

Cast

Carl Weathers, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Peter Hall, Peter Cullen, Derek Mears, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Walton Goggins, Françoise Yip, Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers

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