Almost 20 Years Ago Today, Predator Fans Got Surprising Franchise Lore That Changed Everything

The Predator franchise is one of the sci-fi genre’s most popular, with its unique blend of action, horror, and science fiction making for a winning formula. While it’s not one of those multi-movie sci-fi franchises that’s perfect from start to finish, it does boast many great movies, with each new installment adding something to the franchise’s wider lore. Since first appearing on screen in 1987 with Predator, the titular alien hunters have become a staple of the big screen, and have even crossed over with another franchise in a similar vein, with Alien vs Predator earning a respectable reputation with fans of the genre.

Almost exactly two decades ago, the release of Alien vs Predator: Requiem on Christmas Day in 2007 changed the franchise in a major way. As well as continuing the two-franchise crossover, the movie answered what a Xenomorph born from a Predator would look like. In addition, it also established elements of the Predator franchise that weren’t previously known, and subtly altered the lore of the Alien franchise, too. The revelation of the Predators responding to a distress call from the first movie and the Weyland-Yutani Corporation recovering Predator technology both had implications for their respective franchises.

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Although Alien vs Predator: Requiem stands out as one of the worst-received movies in both franchises, it also had an impact on the two continuities. What it established about the Predators — a species officially classified in the franchise as the Yautja — is that they will answer distress calls. This is especially interesting, as before that point, the species had been portrayed very much as a harsh one that considered a Predator’s defeat as a sign of weakness, in that they had been bested by their prey. However, AvP: Requiem evidenced a more nuanced Yautja than had been previously shown.

Additionally, the movie’s ending, which sees the Weyland-Yutani Corporation recovering Yautja technology, impacted the Alien franchise. By establishing that the advanced weapons of technology had fallen into the hands of Weyland-Yutani, AvP: Requiem also seemed to give humanity a new edge in their ongoing fight against the Xenomorphs. The advanced weapons of the Predator could have upset the balance of power within the Alien franchise, and though it wasn’t ever really explored further, it could easily have changed everything in both the Alien and Predator franchises.

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