How the Predator's appearance changed in all the films of the franchise (15 photos + 1 video)

It seems like movies featuring the most stylish alien in cinema are finally getting their act together. The Predator is one of the most recognizable monsters in the history of the genre: Ever since it first emerged from the jungle in 1987, it has attracted attention with its terrifying appearance, tricked-out gadgets, mask with a scope, and grim hunting code.





Over the decades, the Predator's design has evolved, from the classic look with dreadlocks and mandibles to more high-tech or brutal variations. Each new appearance of this hunter from space added new details to his appearance - sometimes successful, sometimes controversial.

In 2025, two new projects about the Predator will be released at once: "Predator: Badlands" and "Predator: Killer of Killers", in which the creature will again appear in an updated form.

Predator (1987)



This is how Schwarzenegger met him. The Predator from the jungle is a mysterious, invisible for most of the film, deadly and high-tech hunter with thermal vision and cool bladed weapons. Later it turned out that he is a more than two-meter athlete, under whose mask is a frightening muzzle with mandibles.

Predator 2 (1990)





Urban predator. Appeared in Los Angeles. Here he is shown as a representative of an entire race of hunters with various individual traits. He got a spear and a throwing disk-boomerang. And it also turned out that he can change optical ranges.

A whole group of Predators appears at the end of the film, hinting at their diversity and clan structure



They were played by a team of basketball players.

Alien vs. Predator (2004)



The Predators here are depicted as more massive, with elements of ancient Aztec and Egyptian style. They are presented as honorable warriors, participating in ritualistic xenomorph hunts to prove their maturity and honor. The film emphasizes their culture and the hunter's code.

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)



The most notable character is the so-called Predalien, a hybrid of the Predator and the Alien. The standard Predator here looks darker and rougher - both in terms of character and design. And because of the peculiarities of this film, which was shot insanely dark, we can hardly see the details. It's a pity, because it showed Wolf - one of the coolest and most experienced Predators, who came to Earth not for hunting, but to sort out some business.

Predators (2010)





In this film, we see for the first time the division of Predators into "classic" and "superpredators". The latter are taller, more aggressive, with a more massive jaw, elongated masks and improved technology. Super Predators hunt not only humans, but also their own species. Their design emphasizes their animal cruelty and superiority over classic hunters. In this film, unlike Requiem, Predators are even too visible, which seems to be a minus to their mysterious aura created in previous films.

Predator (2018)



Here both the classic Predator and the improved "Super Predator" appear - a genetically enhanced giant. The design has become more digital, with new armor elements, but not all fans liked the overload of details and departure from the classic charisma of the original. The standard-sized Predator quickly fades into the background, and the heroes are dealing with an inadequate giant, who is no longer at all like those very cold-blooded hunters.

Prey (2022)





A return to minimalism and brutality. The Predator here is a more primitive version of its species. It came to Earth in the 18th century. He doesn't have the usual metal mask - instead, he has a bone one, and the armor is lightweight. This adds wildness and freshness to the image, while maintaining his terrifying grandeur. One of the most successful films in the franchise, and a great hope that Dan Trachtenberg, the director of Extraction and the two subsequent films, has figured out something about how to make a Predator movie.

Predator: Killer Killer (2025)





First of all, it's a cartoon. Here we'll see three different Predators from three different eras: the Viking Age, feudal Japan, and World War II. The aliens will confront, respectively, a Varangian, a ninja, and a military pilot, that is, some of the deadliest representatives of humanity, proving their status as killers of killers.

Predator: Badlands (2025)



Or "Predator: Planet of Death". This film will have several radical twists: we will be shown a young predator (in the comments to the trailer, they have already joked to their hearts' content that he probably vapes and listens to podcasts), who goes to a deadly planet to prove to his fellows that he is worthy of respect, and they will also show the homeland of the Predators. The language they speak was specially created for the film. The film will be released in November 2025.

And also in the trailer there was this fashionista with white dreadlocks



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFkbsEKaoSE

Who is this, is unknown, but it is probably the lord of all Predators. Which period of predation do you like more? Which hunter is the coolest? The answer "they are all great" is quite acceptable.

Video