Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in the originalPredatoras the iconic modern warrior Dutch Schaefer, but the choice not to bring him back forPredator 2wound up being the best decision for the long-term future of the franchise.ThePredatorfranchiseintroduced one of the most famous movie monsters in either sci-fi or horror in the Predator, a member of analien race known as the Yautjawhose species thrives in a culture centered on the honor-based hunting of other creatures across the galaxy. Humans have encountered Predators multiple times, withSchwarzenegger’s Dutchamong the first in modern times.
Dutch was the main character of1987’sPredator, and he managed to survive the original Predator’s hunt in the jungle. He even managed to kill the creature, making him one of the few elite humans to accomplish that feat. With Schwarzenegger’s star power riding high in the late 1980s/early 1990s, it might have been assumed that he would return for the sequel,Predator 2. However, due to a salary dispute, Schwarzenegger declined to return for the sequel, which wound up being the best thing for the long-term future of thePredatorfranchise.
Why The Predator Skins Its Victims
One of the most notable practices of honor-based hunting culture of the Predators is their skinning of victims, and the conditions that call for it.
Dutch Not Returning For Predator 2 Made The Franchise Into An Anthology Saga
With No Major Ties To The Original, Each Sequel Is Free To Take A New Angle
By not having Dutch Schaefer return forPredator 2, the franchise was essentially turned into an anthology saga, with each movie functioning independently. While there are consistencies within the franchise, such as some of the weaponry of the Yautja and the rules of their culture that guide each “hunt”,each movie has its own story with a different set of characters, and a different Predator (or Predators). There are occasional references or callbacks to the 1987 original, but by and large, there are no major ties toPredator, or at least nothing influencing each respective narrative.
1987
80%
87%
1990
30%
44%
2004
22%
39%
2007
12%
2010
65%
52%
2018
34%
32%
2022
94%
74%
2025
N/A
That narrative freedom allows for each movie to take its own approachto the general concept of a Predator hunting human beings.Predator 2proved the brilliance of that approach right away; while the original movie featured a group of special forces operatives being hunted in the jungle, the sequel jumped forward ten years and dropped the Predator on the streets of Los Angeles. Other chapters continued to mix up the setting and the circumstances of the Hunt, eventually even leaving Earth.
The Franchise Has Been Plagued By Mediocre Scripts
It took 35 years for thePredatorfranchise to yield a movie anywhere near as good as the originalPredator, and in between there were plenty of disappointing sequels and cross-overs. However, the anthology approach was never the main issue for any of the less-impressive entries in the franchise. Almost all the sequels, and especiallyPredator 2,suffered from the hallmarks of any bad action, horror, or sci-fi movie: poor editing, uninspired action, and underdeveloped characters.
Prey 2is currently in development, and while plot details haven’t been revealed yet, its title indicates it could be the franchise’s first true direct sequel, not counting theAlien vs. Predatorspinoffs.
That changed with Dan Trachtenberg’s 2022 stand-alone moviePrey, which revived the entirePredatorfranchise.Trachtenberg took full advantage of the franchise’s anthology approach by doing something totally unique; the pseudo-prequel was set in the Comanche Nation of the Great Plains 300 years ago, and featured a new type of primitive Predator. The Feral Predator battled against Amber Midthunder’s Naru, a charismatic and well-developed heroine who manages to evade and ultimately kill her enemy in a tight, perfectly-paced script that featured amazing action and violence.Preywas so good that it gotmultiplePredatorprojects greenlit.
Predator’s Future Is Incredibly Exciting Because Of The Franchise’s Standalone Nature
The Predator Is Free To Cross Space And Time With No Narrative Tethers
Preyalso proved just how much potential there still was for a franchise that had felt all but exhausted even a few years ago.Preyonly has one connection to the rest of the franchise–the Predator–and subsequently proved that’s all that it needs. The standalone nature of the franchise means thatTrachtenberg and any future directors are free to explore the entire history or future of humanity, which could lead to any number of good movies likePrey.
The Best Predator Movie Since The Original Perfectly Flipped What Made Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Film So Good
The original Predator movie had an excellent premise, and the best installment since then managed to achieve the same while flipping it on its head.
While audiences have already seen human protagonists transported to an alien planet for a hunt, there are far more possibilities to explore in the far reaches of space, like the Yautja homeworld known as Yauta Prime. There are also plenty ofwarrior cultures throughout history that would make for entertaining foes for a Predator, just as Naru and the Comanche did. A Predator dropped into the middle of the trenches of World War I, the islands of World War II’s Pacific Theater, or even a battlefield near Ancient Sparta could all make for wildly entertaining movies if executed correctly.
What Happened To Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch After Predator
The Expanded Canon Reveals A Potential Connection To Another Sci-Fi Franchise
While Dutch Schaefer does manage to survive his encounter with the Predator, he doesn’t escape unscathed. ThePredator 2novelization revealed thatMajor Dutch actually contracted radiation poisoning from the self-destruct explosionthat the original Predator set off when he realized that Dutch had mortally wounded him. While he got just far enough away to survive the explosion, Dutch was close enough to still be heavily affected by the radiation. As the novelization explains, he was hospitalized for treatment before disappearing, never to be seen again.
In reality, it’s a good thing that Dutch Schaefer’s story ends with the originalPredator, as his lack of involvement inPredator 2inadvertently set the franchise on a path with virtually limitless story-telling potential.
A mind-blowingPredatorfan theoryindicates that Dutch’s story may actually extend beyond that. As the theory goes, Dutch was approached with a potential cure for the cancer that resulted from his radiation poisoning: to be turned into a cyborg. That ultimately led toDutch becoming the baseline model for the T-800 Terminator, the lethal robot portrayed by Schwarzenegger in theTerminatorfranchise. Agents of Cyberdyne (and subsequently Skynet) learned about Dutch’s battle with the Predator from the government, which is part of what convinced them to approach him as their experimental weaponized cyborg.
It’s a theory that admittedly requires a good deal of assumption and some suspension of belief, but it’s certainlyan entertaining and mostly believable way to tie the two beloved sci-fi franchises together. In reality, it’s a good thing that Dutch Schaefer’s story ends with the originalPredator, as his lack of involvement inPredator 2inadvertently set the franchise on a path with virtually limitless story-telling potential.
Predator
Predator is an action sci-fi franchise created by Jim and John Thomas, beginning with the original film released in 1987. The franchise follows a warrior alien race known as the Yautja who travel the far reaches of space looking for worthy prey to hunt, constantly bringing them to Earth due to the sheer amount of conflict harbored on it. The series has spun off into comic books and animated features and has even enjoyed several crossover events via film and video games with the Aliens franchise.
