Mother, Alien Future & What It All Means

Warning: Includes SPOILERS for Predator: Badlands!

‘Predator: Badlands’ is the latest installment of a historic film series, raising questions about its isolated story and set-up for the franchise at large. Filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg won over the Predator fanbase in 2022 with his unique take on the franchise, Prey. Now, he’s released his third film in the series (and second of 2025, following Predator: Killer of Killers), and it’s once again been met with a positive reception for reshaping and expanding upon the Predator world in remarkable ways, landing an 88% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film sees the Yautja, Dek, on his adventure on the planet Gemma to hunt the Kalisk and earn his place as a warrior. However, a twist of fate brings him together with the Weyland-Yutani synthetic android, Thia, who teaches him valuable lessons that illuminate the flaws in the Yautja ways. Predator: Badlands ends as Dek aids Thia in defeating the Weyland-Yutani invasion of Gemma, then returns to Yautja Prime and kills his father, Njohrr, avenging his brother.

How Dek’s Mother Sets Up a ‘Predator: Badlands’ Sequel

20th Century Studios

Shortly after Dek kills his father and all seems well, Predator: Badlands jumps to its end title screen, though only for a moment, before a brief pre-credits epilogue scene. The short sequence shows Dek, Thia, and the young Kalisk, Bud, watching a large ship arrive in their area. Dek reveals that the ship belongs to his mother, just before the film cuts to the credits (for real this time). Given that there’s no post-credits scene to tease a sequel, all we can do for now is speculate on what this means. Dek was an original character for the film, so there’s no additional knowledge about his mother.

Much of the Predator franchise lore has been explored in expanded media, and watching the films alone doesn’t provide much information regarding an overarching narrative. This has made female Yautja a source of confusion among fans. Different forms of media have featured altered depictions of female Yautja, but the more modern canon posits that they’re more agile and potentially even more dangerous than their male counterparts. Whether this depiction transitions into Dan Trachtenberg’s films is to be seen, as he’s proven his willingness to make alterations to franchise norms.

Much of Predator: Badlands’ Yautja culture is original to the film, such as the idea of the invisibility Cloak being a right-of-passage reward for those who have completed their hunts. This means that Trachtenberg is establishing some formality for the Yautja culture, and that Dek’s mother can fit into it as he pleases. The final scene seemed to suggest that she’s going to be a villain, but until a Predator: Badlands sequel is actually out, it’s impossible to tell whether she’ll be friend or foe. The integral factor is that Dek, Thia, and Bud have come together as a trio of companions.

‘Predator: Badlands’s Numerous ‘Alien’ Connections Explained

20th Century Studios

The Predator and Alien franchises have long been linked, with the respective Yautja and Xenomorph coming together for the first time in a 1989 comic crossover. This was further legitimized by the 2004 film AVP: Alien vs. Predator, which was celebrated as a successful, high-grossing action movie despite its poor critical reception. Now, both franchises are owned by Disney through its acquisition of 20th Century Studios, opening them up to more frequent connections and references.

Predator: Badlands features multiple Alien references. The most obvious is the villainous threat of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, the sinister antagonist throughout the Alien films that constructs synthetics like David from Prometheus and has sought to obtain samples of the Xenomorph, generally with minimal regard for human life. In Badlands, Weyland-Yutani is present on Genna, using its synthetics to try and capture the mighty Kalisk, disrupting the local environment for economic gain.

The film also depicts Tessa wielding a larger version of Weyland-Yutani’s mech suits, which were popularized by James Cameron’s beloved 1986 sequel, Aliens. She uses this to gain a significant physical advantage, but it’s not enough to defeat Dek and his allies. Lastly, the AI MU/TH/UR, aka Mother, which was the computer mainframe on the Nostromo ship in the original Alien ​​​​​​film, plays a prevalent role as the AI giving orders to Tessa and her group.

As for 20th Century’s Plans for more crossovers, it’s currently unclear. Alien: Romulus was a success with sequels in development, and Trachtenberg will make more Predator films if Badlands performs well. However, while Trachtenberg’s Predator movies have included the Xenomorph, we’ve yet to see the Yautja in Romulus or Alien: Earth, despite initial rumors that one might appear in the FX TV show. The potential for a cinematic universe is there, but nothing has been concretely revealed.

What ‘Predator: Badlands’s Story Really Means

20th Century Studios

Beneath the tough outer shell of Predator: Badlands’ action and adventure is a rather sensitive emotional core about found family and the need for companionship. Dek begins the story having been raised in a culture that promotes strength through isolation. The Yautja must hunt alone, and seeking help is symbolic of weakness worthy of execution. The triangle of Dek, Kwei, and their father, Njohrr, is contrasted by the triangle of Thia, Tessa, and MU/TH/UR. However, while Kwei makes a sacrifice to save Dek, Tessa fails Thia.

The existence of Tessa and Thia illustrates that artificial intelligence is bound to follow strict codes, as they have been programmed to do so, and these can be changed at the whim of their programmers. Oppositely, the natural code of organic lifeforms is to join together, to build families and friendships. Whether it be Dek and his brother, or the Kalisk and Bud, organic beings long to be together and grow together. By trying to establish a strict, mechanical code of laws, the Yautja have defied their baser nature, inhibiting their potential.

Whether one is a human being, a Yautja, or a Kalisk, true strength comes from working as a team, spending time with loved ones, and making selfless sacrifices to protect each other. By learning this lesson, Dek unleashes his full, individual potential and is able to defeat his father at the end of Predator: Badlands.

Release Date

November 5, 2025

Runtime

107 minutes

Producers

Brent O’Connor, John Davis, Marc Toberoff, Dan Trachtenberg, Ben Rosenblatt

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  Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi

  Dek / Father