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Predator: Killer of Killers is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+, but it’s more than a time-adored anthology of Predator Hunts. Directed by Prey filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg. He is at the helm of upcoming live-action entries Predator: Badlands, Killer of Killers.
Below we break down what happens at the end of the film, how it connects, what it sets for the future, and how Trutchtenberg himself saw where things are heading.
Spoiler warning: The rest of this article contains major spoilers for Predators: Killer of Killer, including final scenes and franchise impact. Read at your own risk.
What happens at the end of a predator: Killer of Killer
Killers of Killers was promoted as an animated anthology, but it sly includes a fourth story that brings together all three main stories. Viking Warrior is set along three periods with Ursa, Japan in 1629, Ninja Kenji, and World War II pilot Torres in 1941. However, after his victory, Torres is accused of a predator’s ship and wakes up in a Stasispod.
Soon, Torres finds himself imprisoned along with Ursa and Kenji, revealing that predators are gathering powerful human warriors who bess them. The trio is forced into the arena where they are told they may survive. Refusing to play the game of predators, they unite to escape.
Their plans are partially successful. Kenji loses his arm, Torres pilots a stolen predator ship, and Ursa destroys the harpoon and connects it to the ground, but is recaptured in the process. The predator leader growls ominously as he sees them flee. “Let’s go hunting!” before setting up the fleet in pursuit.
Naru’s surprising cameo and connection to prey
The film doesn’t stop there. After the film’s title card, you can see Ursa being reverted to Cryo-stasis, but the camera in particular zooms in as her pods sprint through Stasis Chambers’ spongy safe. Behind the glass is a young Comanche woman, marked with a distinctive face paint. It’s definitely Naru, a Comanche hero played by Amber Midlander, prey.
This confirms that some time after the prey event, Naru was also accused of Yautsya. Cliopod scenes suggest that she suffered the same fate as Torres and the others. This is the main concatenation thread, and the main confirmation that Trachtenberg’s previous post-credit prey is bullying.
What Director Dan Tratchenberg said about the outcome
Speaking at the screening beyond the fest, Dan Trutchenberg confirmed that the ending was part of the long-term plan.
“Three cool things came to mind: this (the murderer’s murderer), the badlands, and another cool thing.
In an interview with Collider, Trachtenberg explained in detail the origins of the Cryopod scene.
“The idea came right after having that Cryopod idea. It came right in the vicinity of “How to make anthology films more than anthology films.”
“The codename for the film while we were making it was a warehouse, so I think the concept of what’s in that room is one of the coolest things for the franchise.”
Trachtenberg pointed out about the event timeline.
“I didn’t want to paint myself on that corner, so I didn’t label it specifically for a year. But I think Torres had been sleeping for quite some time.”
Speaking to the bloody disgust, he also confirmed that Naru’s cameo does not set up a badlands, but rather sets up something under the track.
“The fun is that now the end of prey is setting up something. And there’s this. I love it to play slowly… so it’s not a setup for the Badlands stuff, but it’s a setup for what could happen later.”
Can Naru’s story continue in live action?
Collider also asked if Trachtenberg assumes that the animated live action world will ultimately overlap.
“In general, it’s the sky Pie in the Sky. It’s cool to see the animated characters in live action and the animated characters are cool,” he said. “Some of the joys of what’s going on right now in some of the Star Wars stories is seeing the animated characters in live action. If you need to succeed, it’s cool to interact.”
Nothing has been confirmed yet, but the clear meaning is that Naru’s story is not over, and it could last beyond animation.
Return of Flintlock Pistols from Prey and Predator 2
Another important franchise connection takes place in the form of a flintlock pistol once owned by Rafael Adrini (played by Bennett Taylor) and the Italian pirate captain Rafael Adrini, who appeared in the comics Predator: 1718. Murderer. When Torres was told that he could use weapons “from his tribe” in the arena, he was given an antique pistol.
The moment confirms that it is likely that the predator retrieved the pistol from the Nal during her abortion, filling in more timelines between the prey and the predator 2.
Predator outcome: Killer of Killer means for the future
In this animated chapter, Dan Trutchenberg laid the foundations for a much larger predator universe. The idea of a frozen safe filled with warriors from time and space opens the door to windless, animated, grounded, or endless possibilities in the galaxy.
Whether she’ll see Naru again as part of a time jumping team up or in her own sequel on the roads of Predator: Badlands, that hasn’t been revealed. As he told Coridar:
“There are so many different and cool opportunities for this movie sequel. Especially once again, am I fueled by more than just what people expect?
