Predator: Badlands is in theaters now, and that last scene basically points a neon arrow at a sequel. Not subtle, and honestly, I’m into it.
Why this one hits different
Most Predator movies keep us on the ground with terrified humans while the Yautja do their trophy-hunting thing. Badlands flips the camera. We’re riding with the aliens this time, which is a big swing for the franchise and gives the whole story a fresh pulse.
Our lead is Dek, a runt Yautja trying to prove he deserves a place in his clan. The family drama is brutal: Dek’s father, Njohrr, ordered Dek’s brother Kwei to kill him; Kwei refused; Njohrr killed Kwei for that refusal. Dek bolts to the planet Genna to take down a supposedly unkillable apex predator called the Kalisk and earn his worth back the hard way.
On Genna, Dek crosses paths with Thia, a Weyland-Yutani synthetic played by Elle Fanning. She becomes his ally and, at times, a very literal instrument in his hunt. If you like your sci-fi with corporate meddling, Weyland-Yutani’s fingerprints are everywhere.
The players (and why they matter)
- Dek: Undersized Yautja with something to prove; our POV character.
- Njohrr: Dek’s father and clan leader who wants Dek dead to uphold tradition.
- Kwei: Dek’s brother who refused to kill him; executed by Njohrr.
- Thia: Weyland-Yutani synthetic on Genna; portrayed by Elle Fanning; becomes Dek’s partner in the hunt.
- Tessa: Another Weyland-Yutani synthetic, also played by Fanning; single-minded about the company’s mission, which includes capturing a Kalisk and Dek.
- Kalisk: The legendary, supposedly unkillable beast. There’s an adult and a child; the kid gets nicknamed Bud.
- Bud: The young Kalisk who survives and ends up sticking with Dek and Thia.
- Yautja Prime: Homeworld of the Predators, defined by a rigid warrior code and not exactly friendly to outcasts.
The ending everyone is talking about
The late-game push is chaotic in a good way: Dek, Thia, and Bud pull off a rescue to free the adult Kalisk from Tessa. The Kalisk takes Tessa out, but dies in the process. After that, Dek heads back to Yautja Prime and confronts his father to claim the invisibility cloak that marks a true warrior. Njohrr refuses. They fight. Dek wins, with a timely assist from Bud.
The movie fakes a fade-out, then jolts back as a massive Yautja ship descends. Thia wonders if it’s Dek’s clan. It’s not. Dek says it’s his mother, draws his sword, and gets ready. Cut to black. That’s not just a cliffhanger; that’s an open door with a welcome mat for another film.
Storywise, it leaves Dek effectively clanless. He’s built a makeshift family with Thia and Bud, but they’re stuck on a planet ruled by strict honor codes and politics that won’t be kind to an outcast, a synthetic, and a baby murder-lizard. That’s a whole movie by itself.
So, are we getting Badlands 2?
Dan Trachtenberg hasn’t officially announced a follow-up, but he has said he originally had three Predator movies in mind. One of those was a third entry he hoped to make if Badlands connected. Whether that’s a direct sequel to this story is unclear. Still, Badlands is both successful and well-reviewed, and the ending could not be more sequel-ready. If 20th Century Studios wants to keep the momentum going with Dek, Thia, and Bud, the runway is freshly paved. Fans? Already onboard.