Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Predator: Killer of Killers!Co-director Dan Trachtenberg explains how Naru, Amber Midthunder’s character fromPrey, has a cameo inPredator: Killer of Killers. The animatedPredatormovie focuses on three different stories set across hundreds of years where humans have fought the Yautja on Earth. After exploring Vikings in 841, Japanese samurai in the 1600s, and a World War II pilot in 1942,Predator: Killer of Killers' endingbrings the leads together as part of a gladiator-style fight until they escape. But, a surprise comes as Naru fromPreyappears in a cryo pod in the final scene.
During an interview withScreenRant’s Joe Deckelmeier forPredator: Killer of Killers' release, co-director Dan Trachtenberg was asked how Naru is present in this story.Preytook place in 1719, which places it at least two hundred years before the film’s climax, raising questions about how Naru appears. Trachtenberg explains that time travel is not involved, as Naru has been taken from her original time and"put into stasis.“She is one of the captives who could one day fight in the Yautja arenas. Read our fullPredator: Killer of Killersinterview with Dan Trachtenberg, with his full response below:
Dan Trachtenberg:“I mean, I’ll clearly say it is not time travel. They are not time traveling. That is the benefit of the cryo pod - they are plucked from their time period and then put into stasis and then unleashed when decided upon for that evening’s delightful entertainment.”
What Naru’s Cameo Means For Predator: Killer Of Killers & The Franchise’s Future
Her Status Has Completely Changed
The reason for Naru’s presence inPredator: Killer of Killersis due tohowPreyends. Trachtenberg’s prior film in the franchise saw Midthunder’s character kill the Yautja that was hunting her. She seemingly got a happy ending by saving the Comanche tribe, butPrey’s credits teased that this was not the end of her story. An animated sequence showed the aliens coming back to Earth, with more of them this time. The reason, known fromPredator: Killer of Killers, was to capture someone who managed to kill a Yautja.
The animated movie explains that the aliens routinely go and abduct anyone who manages to defeat one of their own. Trachtenberg’s comments confirm thatthe Yautja capture Naru afterPreyand put her in a cryo pod. She’s seen inKiller of Killersamong thousands of pods that now also include Ursa. Naru remains frozen on the Yautja home planet as the aliens wait to wake her up at the time of their choosing.
Naru’s cameo inPredator: Killer of Killersis meant to tease what could come in the future. The animated film’s reveal is sure to factor into what comes next in the series, whether that isPredator: Badlands- which comes out in just a few months - or other projects reportedly in development - likePrey 2.Naru might not be the only familiar character from pastPredatormovies who is stuck in one of these cryo podseither.
Our Take On Naru’s Predator: Killer Of Killers Cameo
Prey 2 Will Be Completely Different Than Expected
Featuring Naru like this is one of the biggest cameo opportunitiesPredator: Killer of Killerscould have delivered, second to only Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch being referenced. This is clearly only a hint of what Trachtenberg is planning for the franchise’s future, but it’s an exciting development nonetheless.This opens up the possibility of Naru appearing at various points in the timeline, possibly evenPredator: Badlandsif she’s still in stasis during the future-set film.
More notably, this lays the foundation forPrey 2to be a completely different movie than I expected it would be. The common thought was that the sequel would be set in the 1700s again and show Naru’s fight with the Yautja upon their return. Now that we know she ends up as a captive of the aliens, it’d make more sense forPrey 2to pick up Naru’s story after the events ofPredator: Killer of Killers. Having her fight her way out of the Yautja arena would be nothing like the sequel story she was expected to receive.
