Prey's success revitalized the Predator franchise and became a fascinating addition to Predator lore, enabling the series' next entry to do something different. Prey took almost everyone by surprise when it landed on Disney+ in 2022, with perhaps even the most hardcore (and optimistic) Predator fan taken aback by its thrilling, economical storytelling. Prey was so excellent and fresh that it encouraged enthusiastic speculation about what creative direction the franchise could go next.

Naru was such a compelling character, and Amber Midthunder such a charismatic screen presence, that it would make sense for Prey 2 to focus on her next journey, especially since she was crowned war chief at the end. Likewise, Prey's singular concept of Predators hunting humanity at a specific point in history is fertile creative ground for creating more fun Predator movies. A Predator taking on a samurai in feudal Japan would be a license to print money, for example. However, there is another direction a future Predator movie can go down that would be intriguing.

Naru's History Can Change The Predator Franchise

A different idea for the Predator franchise could be returning to the present day, featuring a protagonist exploring Naru's history as a Predator killer three centuries earlier. While a film set in the 21st century would lack the novelty of Prey's concept, it would be fascinating to see what impact Naru's interactions with Predators might have had throughout subsequent history. After all, it meant that Dutch was no longer canonically the first human to survive an encounter with the alien hunters.

Although the Predator franchise never needs to return to the modern day again after Prey, that doesn't mean the idea couldn't work. The film might involve a protagonist being hunted by the Predator before being informed of humanity's entangled history with the creatures. There could be an inciting incident that leads them on a journey of discovery in how to defeat the Predators, with Naru as the origin of some society or collective aiming to keep the Predators' presence a secret, as well as preserving the means to defeat them. The film could veer from action-horror towards the adventure tone of a National Treasure or Indiana Jones.

Predator Exploring Naru's Historical Story Can Cement Her Role

A film grappling with humanity's complicated relationship with the Predators could be interesting. There was a suggestion of this historical through-line in Alien v Predator, with various iconography of the Predators being hailed as gods by a primitive civilization. However, Prey and Naru would give more meaningful context to a film that examines a new Predator history, as Prey's hunter in Naru and her story are already established in Predator lore, allowing viewers a plot thread to relate to.

More importantly, such a film would consolidate Naru's place in Predator lore, underscoring that her victory over the Predator in the 18th century was a landmark for the species in their secret war against the Predators. Midthunder's Naru could represent the future of the Predator and Prey franchise, but she needn't be the protagonist of every film. With every previous Predator film feeling only loosely connected to the others and narratively suffering as a consequence, Naru and her history as a symbol of humanity's resilience could become the anchor the franchise needs to go from strength to strength.

Concept art for Prey’s Predator reveals how different its design and size is from the creature’s predecessors. The fifth installment in the popular sci-fi franchise – which began with the original 1987 Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger ​​– received praise from critics and audiences alike since its exclusive streaming release became the most watched premiere on Hulu in the United States.

VFX artist Alec Gillis shared a piece of concept art on Instagram that shares the Predator’s new look alongside a more traditional version of the creature as seen in Alien Vs Predator: Requiem. Along with the side-by-side comparison, Gillis noted in his caption that audiences would notice these changes to the original design created by Stan Winston. He also acknowledged the possibility of controversy with fans when they first saw the creature in Prey. Since Prey has been described by many as the best Predator film since the original, it should not be a surprise that these changes to the creature’s design would not turn audiences away from the latest film.

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane), the newest film made several changes to the design of the franchise's title creature. Instead of sporting the familiar metal helmet from the original, the Predator wears a helmet that appears to be made from the skull of another creature, exposing its trademark mandibles to viewers. The design also eliminates the recognizable shoulder-mounted plasma cannon with a laser-guided dart thrower taking its place. Outside its armor and weapons, Prey’s alien also had changes to its head with the removal of its spiked crown that turned into dread-like tendrils.

Gillis said in his caption accompanying the concept art:

In most Predator films and comics, the titular alien's conflicts have been primarily with humans. However, it is implied that the universe is like a game safari for them, and their attacks are not limited to just the species on Earth. But aside from some rare exceptions, we have not seen how they interact with other alien races. There are endless storyline possibilities that could be explored by examining how these deadly hunters quarrel with other intergalactic prey.

There is a hint of these tantalizing possibilities in the first issue of Predator #1 (by Ed Brisson, Kev Walker, Frank D'armata, and VC's Clayton Cowle), which takes place in the year 2056. Theta is a human hunter traveling through space looking for the Predator that killed her parents when she was young. With the help of advanced technology, she has slayed many Predators but none of them matched the description of the one who killed her family.

Theta traverses six planets searching for him and in the process encounters another alien race that a Predator had earlier attacked. Although they're friendly at first, their trauma is triggered by Theta, who is wearing a helmet she took from a dead Predator. They shoot their weapons at her and chase her back to her ship. Through this brief encounter, she observes the profound effect the Predators have had on all the species they have attacked.

It has been mentioned many times that the Predators use the galaxy as their personal hunting ground. Aside from having exotic skulls in their trophy rooms aboard their spacecraft, their history with other extraterrestrials has been mostly neglected until now. Filmmakers and comic writers prefer to focus on their Earthly presence and use that to explore how human ingenuity can overcome these advanced aliens. This makes sense because audiences can better relate to human protagonists, and it's interesting to see how the Predators interact with familiar settings, such as swampy jungles or decaying urban landscapes.

All that said, there is one other confirmed extraterrestrial race that the Predators have battled -- the Xenomorphs. They're a savage species made famous in the Alien films. Beginning in the 1990s, Dark Horse (who held the rights to Predator before Marvel) published the series Aliens vs Predator, and the two deadly species would eventually lock mandibles on the big screen in the 2004 Aliens vs Predator film and its 2007 follow-up, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. While critical reception of the comics has been fairly positive, the films have been lambasted as cynical cash cows that diminished both franchises.

Now, 15 years later, the Predator franchise may finally be redeemed. As the current Marvel series stars an adventurer who travels from planet to planet, there will hopefully be further opportunities for Theta to encounter other extraterrestrial races. Through her interactions with them, the reader can also observe what impact the Predators have had on them. This will "humanize" this universe and in turn, make it more relatable. At least more relatable than the films' silly concepts. The possibilities are endless. With several more issues left in the miniseries, there is no doubt that they’re still terrorizing the cosmos.