Predator: Killer Of Killers Might Explain What Happened To Arnold Schwarzenegger

This article contains spoilers for "Predator: Killer of Killers."

Ever since 1987, when Arnold Schwarzenegger (playing the paramilitary soldier Dutch) became the first man to defeat the strong, cunning, and superior firepower-wielding Yautja in "Predator," fans and filmmakers alike have been clamoring for a rematch. While it's true that Schwarzenegger has only made a relative handful of sequels — "Conan," "The Terminator," and "The Expendables" are the only franchises where he's appeared in multiple entries — that hasn't stopped the various people behind the "Predator" films to try and bring Dutch back.

When 1990's "Predator 2" was being developed, writers Jim and John Thomas had a fairly novel idea of having Dutch return as a Special Agent leading a clandestine task force to track and capture (or kill) any new Yautja found on Earth. After Arnold passed, the role was rewritten as a shadier government agent, and was played by Gary Busey. The idea for Schwarzenegger to star in another "Predator" film was floated again when writer/producer Robert Rodriguez was developing what became "Predators" in the mid-'90s. However, by the time that movie was made in 2010 (after the franchise's detour with the "Alien vs. Predator" films), the moment had passed. While "The Predator" was coming together almost a decade later in 2018, there was an attempt on the part of co-writer/director Shane Black to get his old co-star from the original "Predator" back into the fold, planning a surprise ending cameo for Dutch that would've promised a Schwarzenegger-starring sequel. Sadly, Schwarzenegger passed again, and it's just as well, considering the mess that the finished film turned into.

So, while the reasons for Schwarzenegger's long absence from the franchise are easily explained in the real world, it's still worth pondering what may have happened to Dutch in the "Predator" universe. Throughout each subsequent sequel, there's been nary a mention of him, and it'd be easy to assume that, having completed his duel with the Yautja, he went on to live his life as before. One of the most enticing elements of the latest "Predator" film, the animated "Killer of Killers," is how it introduces some new lore to the series, chief among them a concept which could explain where Dutch has been all these years.

One of the longstanding traits of the Predators (aka the Yautja) that we've seen over the five films in the series is their adherence to a code of honor. Despite their monstrous (to us) appearance, this isn't a species that kills indiscriminately; they exist primarily for the thrill of the hunt, and make a point of targeting only those who appear to be armed combatants and are worthy of their time. Should non-Yautja prey emerge from a hunt victorious, the Predators appear to play fair and might even reward the champion, as seen at the end of "Predator 2." However, the Predators also seem to be sore losers, as seen in their gauntlet device that contains a nuclear warhead inside of it, ready to be detonated by the Yautja as a last resort.

At the end of "Prey," director/co-writer Dan Trachtenberg included a moment that implies that the Yautja may have returned to the Comanche tribe of Naru (Amber Midthunder) upon her defeat of the Feral Predator (Dan DiLiegro), either looking for retribution or a rematch. In "Predators" and "The Predator," we learn that not only do the Yautja have a tribal society, but that these tribes are stuck amid a civil war with each other, and only some tribes abide by a code of honor. "Killer of Killers," co-directed by Trachtenberg and Joshua Wassung and written by Micho Robert Rutare, seems to address all this lore, albeit obliquely. The film tells the tale of three warriors from different time periods on Earth (the age of Vikings, feudal Japan, and American pilots from World War II), all of whom are put into a form of cryosleep after surviving their initial Predator battle and awakened at some indeterminate point in the future, where they're then put into gladiatorial combat by the Yautja.

The film addresses the uneasy relationship between Yautja tribes and hints at the civil war — a Yautja is executed right before the gladiator games — even though it's not clear where the film takes place on the series' timeline. Even more intriguing, however, is that given how the three warriors are abducted from their homes post-victory, and that we see Naru in cryosleep before the credits, it can thus be inferred that the Yautja have made a habit out of forcing rematches with past victors. Could Dutch be somewhere within the "Raiders of the Lost Ark"-style warehouse of Yautja opponents, then?

The concept of Yautja abducting humans to hunt later isn't completely new — "Predators" essentially introduces it, and some of the comics, like 2022's "Predator" from Marvel, have gone further with the idea. Yet "Killer of Killers" makes the distinction of the Yautja abducting not just potential combatants, but prior victors. Having Dutch be amongst those abducted by the Yautja would be a rather fitting fate, let alone a proper explanation for what he's been up to ever since his fateful battle in '87. It leaves the door open for a compelling way that Schwarzenegger could re-enter the franchise without having to compromise his character, something he's clearly been looking for since 1990. Yet the implication within this development in "Killer of Killers" doesn't stop at just Dutch. If the Yautja have gone to the trouble of capturing Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy), Kenji (Louis Ozawa), Torres (Rick Gonzalez), and Naru, then who's to say they've stopped there? 

With that seal broken, there's no reason why the return of every survivor of a "Predator" movie couldn't also be on the table. Lieutenant Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover) may have been given Raphael Adolini's flintlock pistol as a trophy, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's off the rematch roster. Royce (Adrien Brody) and Isabelle (Alice Braga) may have been facing the prospect of more Predators showing up to do battle on the game preserve planet, but assuming they've managed to survive that gauntlet, of course, the Yautja would want to keep them around for future hunts. And the fact that Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) was gifted a Predator Killer mech suit by a rebel Yautja just makes him more of a target for the Predators.

Before we all get too excited at the prospect of a Predator Cinematic Universe (and this is before we factor in this fall's "Predator: Badlands," which has a connection to the "Alien" movies in its trailer), let's underline that all of this is speculation based upon the possibilities brought up by "Killer of Killers." The "Predator" franchise is on a roll under Trachtenberg's direction at the moment, so much so that "Killer of Killers" is one of the best "Predator" movies ever made. As such, right now the series doesn't require the return of any previous characters or actors in order to thrive, Schwarzenegger included. However, the prospect of someone like Dutch coming back is admittedly incredibly intriguing. I suppose we'll just have to keep a watchful eye out to see if this shimmer of an idea fully materializes.