Predator is one of the most iconic movie franchises of all time, featuring an equally iconic monster. An alien fighter who uses a range of advanced weapons to hunt humans for sports has captivated viewers’ imaginations since 1987. The character has been featured in various forms of other media from comics, video games, and crossover series, and audiences can’t get enough of the Predator.
Over the years, the creature has taken on many mantles, from a scary alien movie monster to an anti-hero, an honorable warrior to a full-fledged alien invader, and audiences keep coming back as the most recent entry. Prey was released on Hulu to strong reviews from critics and fans.
Updated October 24, 2022: This article has been updated to reflect the new information that the Predator franchise revealed in the movie Prey.
In a franchise that spans seven films (and a rich mythology in comic books), Predator Movies explore a world where humanity comes face to face with a creature more technologically advanced than they are, and they must fight to survive it. But rather than a massive alien invasion, these conflicts are smaller, more intimate, and more terrifying, often defeating humanity. The human spirit continues despite impossible odds to make humanity a worthy competitor in the universe. Have a look at the Predator movies in chronological order and order of release, depending on one’s viewing pleasure.
Predator Movies in Chronological Order
Prey
The latest entry in the Predator franchise is: Prey which takes viewers back to the year 1719, two centuries before the first Predator movie. The story follows Naru (Amber Midthunder), a skilled Comanche warrior who strives to prove himself as a fighter and comes face to face with the Predator, who has arrived on Earth in search of a worthy hunt.
The movie ends with Naru killing the Predator and proving herself a worthy hunter, but the credits seem to tease the arrival of more Predators on Earth, meaning a long hunting season for the creatures has just begun. It also features a flintlock pistol that pays off in Predator 2.
The original plan was to release the film without any indication that it was a… Predator film that surprises the audience. Leaks ruined the hook and marketing shifted to a Predator movie like the public had never seen before, and it worked. Prey received some of the best reviews for the franchise, was a hit with critics and audiences alike, and seems to indicate there will be more additions to this list in the years to come, no matter what time period or genre the Predator is in.
Predator
The first movie of the series, released in 1987, Predator follows an elite paramilitary rescue team led by Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to rescue hostages in the guerrilla-occupied territory of a Central American rainforest. There they encounter the alien fighter the Predator, where Dutch’s entire team is picked one after another by the camouflaged aliens, forcing Dutch to face the creature alone. Dutch manages to kill the Predator, who is the only survivor, but seems to be haunted by the incident forever.
Dutch’s encounter with the Predator will inform the rest of the film series, as it appears that the government began to secretly consider the encounter. The film also captures key components of the Predator’s arsenal, such as his camouflage, his ability to see in infrared, and his self-destruct bomb that allows the creatures to leave no trace of their existence.
Predator 2
Although released in 1991, Predator 2 actually takes place in 1997, ten years after the events of the first Predator. Set in Los Angeles, the film follows Lieutenant Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover) through a massive heatwave and territory war between rival gangs, where he discovers a Predator has arrived in town and is on the hunt. Harrigan defeats the Predator, but is greeted by a group of Predators who gift him a 1715 flint pistol as a trophy, indicating how long they hunt on Earth and showing him a sign of respect. This pistol bears the name Raphael Adolini, who was played by Bennett Taylor in Prey. The gun was last seen in Prey in the hands of Naru, so it’s unclear at some point that the Predators took the gun.
Predator 2 does a lot to establish the lore of the Predators, explaining how their weapons work and their preferred hunting methods. It also establishes a sense of honor that the Predators have, as they will not harm an unworthy target, such as when sparing a pregnant woman. It also gives an indication of how long the Predators have been coming to Earth for and that they are not the only deadly creature in the galaxy, as the film shows a Xenomorph skull on the Predator ship, laying the foundation for the next installment in the series.
Alien vs Predator
A movie that was years in the making (and allegedly responsible for Ripley’s death in… Alien 3), the Predator finally has a crossover movie with the titular aliens of the Alien movie series. Set in 2004, seven years after the events of Predator 2, Alien vs Predator sees a group of scientists in Antarctica discover an ancient pyramid that could be the link to the first civilization. When they go to investigate, the humans find themselves caught up in an ancient conflict between the Predators and Xenomorphs.
Alien vs Predator expands on many of the Predator myths laid out in Predator 2, with the film establishing Predator as the lesser of two evils, as protagonist Lex (Sanaa Lathan) teams up with the Predator to stop the alien forces. The film also builds on how long Predators traveled to Earth and reveals that they were worshiped as gods by the first civilization and that the ritual of hunting Xenomorphs is a rite of passage for them into adulthood.
The movie ends in the same way as Predator 2, with the Predator clan awarding Lex a trophy as a sign of respect and bringing their fallen comrade aboard the ship. But getting him aboard the ship will have disastrous consequences for the next movie, as the Predator had an alien in him and a new type of alien burst from his chest: a Pred-Alien.
aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Set up a few moments later Alien vs Predator, aliens vs. Predator: Requiem sees the Predator ship crash into the Colorado woods as the Pred-Alien has killed the entire crew and is now running amok in a small town. The ship sends out a distress signal and a seasoned Predator known as Wolf in the credits (a reference to Winston Wolf in pulp fiction, which also clears junk) is sent to transmit the threat. The Predator kills the aliens and fights the Pred-Alien, but dies when the government destroys the city with nuclear weapons. However, the Predator’s shoulder gun is seized and brought to Mrs. Yutani of the Yutanti Corporation, who will merge with the Weyland Corporation in the future to create Weyland-Yutani and become the catalyst for the Alien movie series.
The greatest revelation that aliens vs. Predator: Requiem brings to the Predator mythos is the introduction to the Predator’s home planet. While it’s shown briefly, it starts to show the franchise very briefly beginning to expand on the Predators as a species and attempt to paint an idea of their society in more detail, which the following films will expand on.
Predators
Predators‘ timeline is a bit unknown; it could theoretically take place after Alien vs Predator or even after the next movie on the list, The Predatorbut the way Predators ends, and the plot details in The Predator, suggest that the events in this film take place before it. The film features an ensemble of characters, some of the deadliest individuals on Earth, who are taken to a jungle planet revealed as a game reserve for the Predators to hunt for humans. The film ends with mercenary Royce (played by Adrien Brody) and IDF sniper Isabelle (Alice Braga) defeating the Predators that hunted them. However, they remain stranded on the planet as they search for a way back to Earth.
In the film, Isabelle refers to the events of the first Predator film and the Dutch team’s encounter with the creature, which gives her a sense of knowledge about what they are dealing with. Predators introduces a lot of material into the franchise mythos, such as the idea of Predator dogs. The film also introduces the concept that there are two types of Predators, the classic one that audiences have seen in the previous films, and a larger, more violent branch of the species and that these two have a blood feud. This idea of belligerent Predators becomes the central motivator of the next film.
The Predator
Located in 2018, The Predator attempts to expand the franchise on a much larger scale, as it features a group of soldiers with PTSD, a scientist, and a child with autism who team up to fight an invading pair of Predators who have plans for humanity that will determine fate of the Earth and many countless other worlds.
The Predator builds on the feud between the two Predators clans in the previous film, which is now a full-scale war. The film begins when a classic Predator crashes to Earth in hopes of giving humanity a chance to fight. It has been established that the Predators did not collect skulls, spines and other body parts from people as trophies, but as genetic material to strengthen themselves and create a new type of Predator: one to be a stronger, better killer.
The film also confirms the Alien vs Predator movies like canon, because of the presence of the Xenomorph spear made in that movie that is on display in a lab. After the massive super Predator is defeated, the ship is studied and it is revealed that the first Predator has left behind a weapon that will allow humanity to fight the more dangerous Predators with — a high-tech armor called The Predator Killer (although some people, including the film’s co-writer, hate the ending of the super suit).
Chronologically, that’s where the Predator franchise ends at this point. In a series that started with humanity at the whim of this advanced alien fighter, the franchise ends with humanity finally having a fighting chance.
Predator Movies By Release Date
Unlike many franchises, the chronological order of the Predator movies also tend to be in line with their release order, except for the latest movie Preywhat will be a prequel.