Warning: Contains SPOILERS for the Predator franchise!
Throughout thePredatorfranchise, multiple occasions of Yautja coming to Earth have been revealed, and here is every time that this has happened in the movies, explained. Although the protagonists of 1987’sPredatorhad never encountered a Yautja before, the movie series has revealed that the events of the original film are far from the first time that a Predator has used Earth as a hunting ground. Predators have been coming to Earth for centuries, and withthe release ofPredator: Killer of Killers, even more instances of Yautja contact have been revealed.
Predator: Killer of Killersis an animatedPredatorprequel film from Hulu,with the anthology stories exploring three different instances in which Yautja have come to Earthand battled some of humanity’s greatest warriors. After the success ofPrey, thePredatorfranchise’s first prequel film, director Dan Trachtenberg decided to build on the idea of Predators invading different time periods. Thus, several exact years in which Yautja have come to Earth are now known. So, here is afull breakdown of thePredatortimelineand when each Yautja battle occurred.
The earliest instance in which a Predator attacked Earth based on thePredatormovies occurs inPredator: Killer of Killers. The first segment of the anthology filmfollows a group of Viking warriors in Scandinavia, with the cast of characters being a particularly violent bunch. While on their journey to wipe out the Krivichs, the Vikings encounter a Predator at the fortress of the Krivich leader.
Thisshield-wielding Predatormakes quick work of the Vikings, killing nearly every one of them. Luckily, the Viking leader Ursa escapes to a frozen lake. It isn’t long before the Predator finds her, although she is able to outwit the beast. Ursa ties the anchor of a frozen ship to the Yautja’s arm, with the duo falling into the water. The weight of the anchor causes the Predator to sink, with its shield blast causing its head to be impaled by the anchor.
1629 In Predator: Killer Of Killers
Japan
As far as we know, another Predator didn’t come to Earth for around another 800 years. The next instance took place in 1629 in feudal Japan, 20 years after Kenji and Kiyoshi’s fateful childhood duel. During the two-decade gap, Kiyoshi becomes the lord of the area, with an older Kenji deciding to get revenge. He breaks into Kiyoshi’s compound, killing many of his soldiers and making his way to his estranged brother.
The stealthy Predator stalks Kenji as he enters the castle, with it making itself known as the brothers duel. Kenji makes a run for it, eventually escaping the castle and finding Kiyoshi once again. However, the Predator isn’t far behind. The duo finds a way to use the Predator’s technology against it, defeating it. Then, Kenji and Kiyoshi work together to slice through the Predator with their swords, killing it.
It was only 90 years before another Yautja ventured to Earth, with it this time landing in the Great Plains. There,the Predator fought animals, fur trappers, and the Comanche, with it triumphing in victory over each one. Luckily, the resourceful Comanche woman Naru studies the Predator’s methods, eventually allowing her to defeat it. Naru manages to use the Predator’s mask to guide its own projectile back into the monster, killing it. Shortly after this, the Predators returned to Earth, withthePreycredits revealing that multiple ships arrivedshortly after the events of the film.
1942 In Predator: Killer Of Killers
The Atlantic Ocean
The third segment inPredator: Killer of Killerstakes place in the year 1942. There, a mechanic named Torres is fighting for the United States Navy during the Battle of the Atlantic. While piloting one day, Torres and his squad notice a highly advanced alien ship is in the air with them. Although they don’t know it, this ship is being piloted by a Yautja, who uses its advanced Predator technology to wipe the planes out one by one.
Most of Torres' squad is killed, but like the other Predator killers, Torres uses his resourcefulness to survive.Torres floods his plane’s engine, with him then tricking the Predator into harpooning it. Torres then abandons the plane, with the harpoon causing the charged engine to smash into the Predator’s ship. It explodes, killing the alien.
The next Yautja arrived on Earth 45 years later, during the events ofthe firstPredatormovie. In the film, members of an American paramilitary team are in the Central American jungle performing an operation. However, this operation is quickly interrupted by the arrival of the Predator, who wipes out the squad one by one. Luckily, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch deduces that the Yautja see via heat.He uses this knowledge to secretly set several traps for the Predator, successfully killing it before it self-destructs.
Ten years later, another Predator arrived in Los Angeles during the events ofPredator 2. During a massive heat wave and a dangerous turf war, the Predator decides to wipe out many of the city’s police officers and gang members. The concrete jungle makes it hard to track the Predator, with it killing all kinds of individuals. However,Danny Glover’s Mike Harrigan manages to track the Predator to his ship. There, he uses the Predator’s disc to kill it, with another group of Yautja coming to retrieve the body.
TheAlienandPredatorcrossover seriescontains the next Predator arrival on Earth, with it taking place in 2004. There, a group of Predators arrives on Earth in Antarctica. This starts a conflict between the Yautja, the Xenomorph, and the humans. The Predators keep the Xenomorph population at bay, with a Predator spaceship coming back for one Predator’s body.Alien vs. Predator: Requiemtakes place immediately after the first film. In the sequel,a Yautja and Xenomorph hybrid comes to Earth. It is only defeated thanks to a nuclear destination, with the Yautja’s advanced weaponry being sold to the Yutani Corporation.
The latest point in the movie timeline in which a Yautja has come to Earth occurs in 2018’sThe Predator, which takes place in its year of release. There, the U.S. government traps the Predator, taking it to a lab to study it. However, the Predator breaks out, slaughtering everyone in sight. The Predator is eventually killed, although the humans learn that this Predator was merely trying to drop off weaponry so that humans can defend themselves against more dangerous Predators. However, the resolution to thisPredatorcliffhanger has never been given.
