Could 'The Predator' Have a Secret 'Alien' Connection?

During CinemaCon 2018 this week, 20th Century unveiled the first footage and official story details from Shane Black's upcoming franchise sequel, The Predator. Buried in the midst of the official synopsis for the film was a detail that has sparked a lot of fan debate and speculation: we're going to meet a new breed of Predator!

Take a look at the official Predator (2018) synopsis, below:

"From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home in Shane Black's explosive reinvention of the Predator series. Now, the universe's most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. When a young boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race."

The mention of these new Predators being augmented with "DNA from other species" has gotten fans wondering what sort of novel new tricks Shane Black will unveil in the film. For our part, we can't help but wonder: could The Predator reveal itself to have a secret connection to the Alien franchise?

Franchise Canon Clues

During the CinemaCon presentation, Shane Black revealed how The Predator fits into the franchise canon. Apparently, Predator (2018) is set between the events of Predator 2 and the Predators reboot film of the 2010s, and will honor the events of those films. That little clue made us wonder why Predator 2 would be included in the mix, even though that film is far from a high point for the franchise. However, there is one thing in Predator 2 that could be very relevant to this new one.

In a key scene of the Predator 2 climax, Michael Harrigan (Danny Glover) sneaks aboard the Predator's ship, to hunt down and kill the alien for good. Harrigan wanders into the Predator's trophy room, in which there's a wall display of skulls, presumably collected from The Predator's hunts all across the galaxy. The skulls range from human to distinctly alien shapes, including a pretty iconic design: a version of the Alien franchise Xenomorphs!

Since 20th Century Fox owns both franchises, there's little legal hangup in such a crossover. It's just a matter of whether or not Ridley Scott's Alien prequel franchise would interfere.

Predatormorphs

With Black being careful to include Predator 2 in this new film's backstory material, there's already an established precedent for the Predators having hunted the Xenomoprhs. If Predators are now using alien DNA to enhance their own skills, then the Xenomorphs (some of the deadliest predatory beings in the universe) would be a key ingredient to add to the mix.

More to the point: Xenomorph biology is highly adaptable - as we've learned in Ridley Scott's prequel films Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. If Predators are experimenting with adding alien DNA to their own, not only would the Xenomorphs be a source of deadly power, but their DNA could be the key to helping the Predators mix and meld various types of alien DNA in one body. And if they did so, the results would be pretty awesome!

Xeno-Power

The AVP movies chronicled the history between The Predator and Xenomorph races, with the former having used the latter for deadly training exercises over the centuries. At the end of the first fllm, a Predator-Xenomorph hybrid is created, and that creature, the "Predalien," crashes back to Earth in a small Colorado town, and wreaked havoc in what was one of the worst films in either franchise. No one wants to see that again.

However, Predators that use Xenomorph DNA as a boost and/or weapon, would offer some cool upgrade opportunities. Such as:

• Predators with acid blood - try killing that!
• Predators with spiked tails - that's good for at least one jump-scare kill.
• Predators with proboscis mouths inside their mouths - or somewhere else on their body - think Scorpion in Mortal Kombat!

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Do think Shane Black's The Predator could reveal a secret Alien franchise connection? Let us know in the comments!

The Predator hits theaters on September 14th.