The Entire Predator Timeline Explained

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Since 1987, the "Predator" franchise has made humanity realize that being our world's apex predator doesn't mean we'll go unchallenged. The original film pits a mercenary team against a single guerrilla hunter, and the odds are in the hunter's favor. Undeterred, this species — also known as the Yautja, as first identified in Steve Perry and Stephani Perry's "Alien Vs. Predator: Prey" novel — later arrived in stalk Los Angeles to undertake a strange abduction mission.

Around the fringes of these hunts are more details that make the Predator one of our favorite scary visitors. An offshoot clan controls a galactic hunting preserve, and stories of dubious canonicity suggest the Yautja are familiar with the Xenomorphs. While traditionally the "Aliens vs. Predator" films aren't regarded as canon, as they contain major timeline conflicts, "The Predator" did keep a few Easter eggs to muddy the issue, including a shot of the Xenomorph bone spear from "Alien vs. Predator" and the concept of Yautja hybridization. All of this makes for a twisted timeline for fans to sort through. Let's work through it with a little history-style flair.

A controversial report, ("Alien vs. Predator," 2004) suggests that the Yautja established temple-style compounds on Earth, some of which were hunting and training grounds for their youthful warriors. Humanity is in its early agricultural and settler era in this period, with the first Egyptian pharaohs concluding their reigns. It is unclear how many human civilizations encountered the Yautja. The descriptions of the temples suggest they were of early Central American human architectural style and not extraterrestrial.

At least one of these alleged temples, located under the Antarctic sea off the coast of Bouvet Island, contained human remains. More concerning, this location is further alleged to have contained a so-called Xenomorph queen, whose out-of-control offspring eventually required this temple to be explosively sealed by the Yautja. Hieroglyphs within this location suggest the Yautja created a ritual culture, and humans offered themselves as sacrifice to the queen so that their alien "gods" could undertake a special centenary hunt. This information was collected in 2004 by individuals representing a Charles Bishop Weyland. 

In 841, two warring European tribes came to clash one time too many (The Shield portion of "Predator: Killer of Killers"). Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy) brings her clan, including her son Anders (Damien Haas), to the doorstep of Zoran, leader of the Krivich tribe. Ursa seeks retribution after Zoran murdered her father, and her bloodlust knows no bounds. While Ursa's tribe would win the battle, they'd ultimately lose the war.

Anders manages to kill Zoran, but unbeknownst to any of them, their exchange has been monitored by an otherworldly creature. A Predator keeps careful tabs on all parties before making its move, picking off Ursa's clan members one by one and delivering what would become a fatal blow to Anders. Ursa and the Predator duke it out on a patch of frozen ice that breaks, submerging them both in the icy depths below. When the Predator is about to inflict a sonic blast onto Ursa, she quickly deflects it using her shield. It blasts her back toward the water's surface while the Predator is recoiled backward onto a sharp object, killing it. 

Ursa returns to her deceased son. Her mission of revenge has taken an unexpected turn, and she's worse off for it. Still, it remains an interesting case study of Yautja weaknesses, as a mere wooden shield was able to withstand a sonic blast. (Mike Bedard)

The next recorded Predator incident would occur in feudal Japan circa 1609. Similar to the Viking incident, revenge has perhaps overtaken an individual's better sense of judgment. Kenji (Louis Ozawa) continues to harbor ill will toward his brother, Kiyoshi (also Ozawa). When the two were younger, Kiyoshi attacked a defenseless Kenji to earn their father's favor, and 20 years following that event, Kiyoshi is set to become the new lord while Kenji lives in squalor (The Sword segment of "Predator: Killer of Killers"). However, Kenji hasn't merely been wasting away; he's honed his skills as a ninja, and one night, he sets out to exact his vengeance. 

The two battle, with Kenji defeating Kiyoshi after he falls into a moat. It's at this point a Predator makes its presence known, attacking Kenji, Kiyoshi, and a horde of soldiers who don't make it out alive. Similar to the Viking Predator, this one looks substantially different from the type of Yautja we'd see in the centuries that follow. It's for the best Kenji decided to keep Kiyoshi alive for the time being, as they're only able to kill the Predator by working together, resulting in a rematch only eagle-eyed observers of history would've caught onto. 

In a way, this could be viewed as the two quite literally exorcising their demons. They've held onto hatred and pain for so long, and upon realizing they're stronger when they're not divided, they finally seem to be able to set aside whatever wrongs were committed in the past. Unfortunately, Kiyoshi appears to succumb to his injuries, keeling over. We don't see him again, so one can presume he perished that day, while the Predators had other plans for Kenji later. (Mike Bedard)

A small folio recovered in 1996 (the story "Predator 1718" from the comic "A Decade of Dark Horse" #1)  written by Henry Gilroy with art by Igor Kordev) records a probable incident somewhere in the islands of Papua New Guinea in the year 1718. The Golden Age of Piracy is nearing its close, but small crews continue to resist capture by the Spanish and British navies among others. The folio records a mutiny aboard a vessel helmed by pirate captain Raphael Adolini.

After landing on an unnamed island, Adolini sparked a mutiny during which he demanded that a recently-stolen trove of gold be returned to the church from which it was liberated. Captain Adolini took on his crew alone until a Yautja joined the attack in Adolini's favor. It is clear this was an action made for the Yautja to duel his chosen opponent fairly. However, a crew member spoiled matters by fatally wounding Captain Adolini from behind. The Yautja slew the final crew member and took the flintlock pistol the dying Adolini offered them. This pistol was later given to Lt. Harrigan (Danny Glover in "Predator 2") while aboard a confirmed Yautja ship.

Coming-of-age rituals known as the Kühtaamia were an important part of life on the Great Plains. As related in a recently released document ("Prey," 2022), in 1719, Comanche hunter Taabe (Dakota Beavers) took his younger sister, Naru (Amber Midthunder), on one such journey when he and a number of other tribe members went off to hunt a predatory mountain lion. However, it wasn't long before Naru realized that something deadlier than a puma was lurking nearby. After seeing strange lights in the sky, Naru discovered signs that another novice hunter was working its way up from snakes, to bears, to human prey.

The Yautja's own trial ran into some obstacles when French trappers soiled its hunting territory, leaving behind wasted buffalo carcasses, igniting conflicts with the local warriors, and setting primitive traps. After the unimpressed Predator wiped the trappers out, this confident young Yautja found itself nearly defeated by Taabe in a one-to-one fight. But Taabe couldn't quite seal the deal. After his death, Naru used the Yautja's own tools and one of the trappers' flintlock to lure the Yautja to its demise. And so, Naru's Kühtaamia was complete.

Analysis of tribal records confirms that the Andolini folio was, in fact, a hoax. Raphael Adolini was present among the French trappers, and his etched flintlock passed to Naru. A remarkable hide painting suggests, however, this wasn't necessarily the end; that document shows three more Yautja ships arriving on Earth, presumably seeking the fallen hunter. At the moment, both the veracity and the aftermath of that event are unknown.

The American Civil War is the deadliest conflict in the nation's history. Estimates suggest anywhere from 700,000 to 850,000 Americans lost their lives during the war. It pitted brother against brother, and both sides had to contend with a monstrous Predator seeking the finest game around. 

The Civil War was the perfect opportunity for yet another Predator to travel to Earth to seek out the strongest warriors (the two-issue comic book series "Predator: Hell Come a Walkin'"). In 1864, a Confederate soldier, Jesse, and his compatriots come upon a grisly scene where many of their fellow soldiers have been viciously slaughtered. No one knows what caused it at first although one of his comrades, Standing Bear, tells a tale of a Cannibal Spirit that feasts on human flesh. Nebediah, another soldier in the platoon, has heard a similar story. Predators aren't known for eating humans, as they hunt them for the love of the sport. However, it's possible fact has become entangled with fiction and that these stories recount past instances of Yautja coming into conflict with humans. More research will be required. 

The Confederate soldiers come into contact with Union boys, and while they skirmish at first, they realize they have larger priorities to deal with. Sharing a common enemy in the Predator hunting all of them, the two sides join forces, killing the Predator via impalement and a gunshot wound to the head. Even though Confederate forces arrive by the end, Jesse allows his temporary allies to escape. Humanity has larger threats to deal with than one another. (Mike Bedard)

Even during periods when there isn't a notable conflict, Predators can still arrive to wreak havoc. Toward the end of the 19th century, military veteran Captain Edward Soames is tasked with investigating a string of murders haunting London's streets (as seen in the "Predator: Nemesis" comics). A survivor of one of these assaults utters the word "Rakshasa," an Indian word to describe a malevolent demon. Soames finds a picture of a Rakshasa in a book that looks awfully close to that of a Yautja. In the context of human history, where Predators have touched down on the planet for millennia and helped build temples, it's possible many human myths are actually about this alien race that descends upon us to claim our greatest specimens. 

Soames has had a previous encounter with a Predator too. When he was a younger man, he was on an expedition to India and helped a village that believed a tiger had killed some of their own. But it wasn't a tiger; it was a Predator. Soames survived the encounter because he retreated. The Predator likely didn't pursue him, since he wasn't deemed worthy game. But now, Soames has a chance to make amends for his past cowardice, luring the Yautja in a mud pool and severing its arms while trapped, seemingly killing it. While it seems like humans have no issue taking out these aliens, it's worth remembering there are many notable Predator moments throughout history that have been lost in time. (Mike Bedard)

By 1904, a successful Norwegian whaling station was operating out of Bouvet Island off the Antarctic coast. According to the controversial Charles Bishop Weyland report ("Alien vs. Predator"), on an unknown date, the settlement claimed to experience a number of mysterious events that ranged from unidentifiable lights in the sky to unusual seismic activity. The Weyland report claims that the whalers eventually retrieved an object from the ice — a metal pod that released a Yautja.

The report further claims the Yautja annihilated the whalers along with a number of Xenomorph drones that had been somehow released from the alleged temple, long since frozen in the ice. The entirety of the Weyland report remains in doubt, and there is no physical evidence to support that the 1904 desertion of Razorback was due to localized intergalactic conflict. It may be possible to re-open this investigation as a tragic mass hysteria incident such as the Smalls Lighthouse disaster or the 2016 clown panic.

A Predator's actions escape typical constructs of "good" or "evil." They merely want to find worthy adversaries to give them the best battle of their lives, and if they die in battle, so be it. That certainly appears to be the case for a Predator who touched down on Earth in 1930 to go after infamous mafia boss, Bruno Borgia (in the video game "Predator: Concrete Jungle"). However, this central Predator makes several grave errors. First, it gets detected, kicking off a manhunt where American authorities attempt to bring the creature down. Some of the Predator's blood also spills onto Bruno's wife, Isabella, and their son, Hunter. While the Predator survives the encounter, it's picked up by some of its brethren, who send the Yautja into exile. 

Up until this point, many haven't survived their encounters with Predators. Those who have lived to tell the tale probably weren't believed, which is why so much mythology surrounding them exists, even if they're referred to as "demons" or "spirits." It also provides an invaluable glimpse into Yautja culture where it's better to die in battle than to allow oneself to be seen and captured. If the other Predators hadn't intervened, then the one who went after Bruno Borgia may have been apprehended, his technology falling into human hands. That's something the rest of the Yautja can't abide by. (Mike Bedard)

Predators aappear to have an affinity for arriving on Earth when we're in the midst of battling each other in increasingly violent ways, so it makes sense World War Ii would encourage them to land here once again. However, the Predator arriving this time wouldn't put boots on the ground, as far as we know. This Predator would take the fight to the skies, targeting a battalion of American fighter pilots (The Bullet portion of "Predator: Killer of Killers"). As Allied and Axis forces battle in a North African campaign, there's word of an unknown ship taking out planes from both sides. Yautja don't discriminate, so anyone deemed a worthy opponent is fair game. 

But this Predator couldn't have anticipated the tenacity of one John Torres (Rick Gonzalez). His mission goes from warning his fellow pilots about the imminent danger they're flying into to finding a way to kill the Predator himself, which he accomplishes by having him blow up his own vessel. It's a daunting experience for Torres on top of the harrowing journey of being involved in World War II. But Torres' journey wouldn't be over yet, as after his time in the military, he would get abducted by Predators while trying to live a normal life, or as normal a life one can have after realizing trophy-seeking aliens exist. (Mike Bedard)

During the height of U.S. interference in Central and South American political affairs, CIA operative Al Dillon (Carl Weathers) hired mercenary Alan "Dutch" Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his team under the guise of a hostage rescue operation. While this was a cover and the actual operation was a guerrilla strike against a growing Russian and Central American alliance, it's moot in the face of the first confirmed Yautja encounter in modern military history ("Predator," 1987).

Dutch's team encountered the Yautja in mid-hunt. It had previously obliterated a Green Beret team sent by the CIA. The team captured one individual, Anna Gonsalves (Elpidia Carrillo), who eventually explained that previous Yautja hunts were alleged to have occurred in her country. Dutch and Gonsalves would be the only two to make it to extraction, with Dutch suffering major injuries and shock from a one-on-one encounter with the Yautja. While most other incidents suggest Yautja prefer honorable hunts, this one chose to incinerate itself and its surroundings with an explosive device.

In the years leading up to the turn of the century, Los Angeles endured a cartel street war as two competing gangs fought for turf. Unnaturally hot — presumably due to climate change — the already heightened conflict zone drew the attention of a Yautja. Los Angeles Police Lt. Harrigan (Danny Glover) took note of an unusually violent crime scene and a departing figure ("Predator 2," 1990), but the investigation remained focused on the cartel violence with the assistance of DEA officials.

As the violence continued to escalate and Harrigan's investigations uncovered extraterrestrial metal and other peculiarities, DEA liaison Keyes (Gary Busey), admitted he represented OWLF or the Other Worldly Life Forms Program, which had secretly investigated the 1987 incident with little assistance from Dutch. However, Keyes' attempt to capture and study the Yautja ended in the near-total loss of his team. Harrigan, meanwhile, engaged the Yautja in one-on-one combat, resolving in a human victory just inside the Yautja's vessel. At this time, it was made clear to Harrigan that the Yautja had not arrived alone, confirming that these predators have been hunting Earth regularly. Harrigan was given the Adolini flintlock by one of the departing Yautja.

The beginning of the 21st century was marked with global conflict, as the United States pursued the War on Terror against the Middle East following the events of 9/11. There were also multiple Yautja sightings during this period, and at this point in human history, it goes without saying that humanity, or at least a certain segment of it, is well aware that Predators regularly visit the planet to take out the strongest among us. This has led to the formation of a Predator Hunters squadron, a group of skilled individuals who have all killed Predators in the past (from the "Predator: Hunters" comics). There's a familiar name among this bunch — Jaya Soames, the descendant of Captain Edward Soames, who passed down his Predator-hunting prowess generation to generation. 

Another member of the team, Tyler Swain, recalls working in Afghanistan, when he encountered a Predator that wiped out his whole team as well as members of the Taliban. He was ultimately too scared to kill the Predator when he had a chance, which may explain why the Yautja let him go, making him unworthy prey. Swain's failure to kill the Predator right then and there would lead to many other deaths (as noted in the sequel storyline "Predator: Hunters II"). The same Predator that killed Swain's unit has also been killing Jihadis in the area and taking trophies to its hideout. The people of the area once again ascend the Predator's status to that of a myth, referring to it as a "djinn" protecting them, but the Yautja have no time for trivial matters like protecting. They just want a good game. (Mike Bedard)

With the true identity of Charles Bishop Weyland (Lance Henriksen) in doubt, much of the rest of the 2004 incident is questionable. Independently wealthy, Weyland gathered a small crew of experts from a variety of fields to investigate the Bouvet Island "temple" location ("Alien vs. Predator"). Upon arrival at the ruins of Razorback Station, this field team, along with Charles, claimed to enter the temple via a tunnel alleged to be of recent Yautja creation.

Inside the temple, the team entered a conflict between Yautja and the reawakened Xenomorphs. Weyland is alleged to have died in the temple to help other field team members to escape. One survivor, Lex (Sanaa Latham), claims to have allied with the Yautja to push back a possible Xenomorph escape. With the temple and its Xenomorph queen destroyed, the alliance was successful. There is no clear evidence of Weyland's actual goal. However, a diagnosis of terminal lung cancer may have been a factor in his actions. Lex's story is uncorroborated, though OWLF later recovered a Yautja-style bone spear.

The mystery of Charles Bishop Weyland is compounded by the involvement of someone who claims to be a Ms. Yutani (Françoise Yip), who may have also released the initial Razorback Station report. Miss Yutani's secondary report alleges that a further situation arose from the Bouvet Island temple encounter, involving a mutated Yautja, or rather a Predator with Xenomorph characteristics ("Alien vs. Predator: Requiem," 2007).

This chaotic and generally unreliable report (12 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) suggests that not only was the town of Gunnison, Colorado, at the mercy of a Yautja attempting to contain this "Predalien" situation but that it went out of control so far as to require a scorched earth response from the United States military. To date, there is no confirmed tactical nuclear response — much less on U.S. soil — and no global radiation reading to suggest the Gunnison event happened. In truth, this situation may be best explained as a false flag report left as a watermark to trap an agent selling confidential documents with the event taken out of context by conspiracy theorists.

The greater politics of the Yautja aren't clear, leaving the society and laws of this predator species up to speculation. Some sources (NECA toyline lore, "Predator: Bad Blood," written by Evan Dorkin with art by Derek Thompson) suggest that conflict within their society was becoming a new normal. A subspecies of Yautja had developed, carrying larger physiques and a disregard for traditional methods of hunting.

By Earth's early 2000s, the schism between the traditional hunter clans and these enhanced predators saw the new breed strike out and create a planetary game preserve ("Predators," 2010) to suit their preferred, more merciless style of hunt. Traditional Yautja set about hunting them instead, sometimes losing their lives to the new clan. One such preserve had a suitable ecosystem for a regular prey creature: humans. Within this closed system, even a successful prey opponent like Ronald Noland (Laurence Fishburne) could only be expected to prolong survival but not escape.

Although the circumstances are unclear, at least eight humans were abducted from varying locations across the globe and delivered to the new Yautja game preserve planet ("Predators"). Former Special Operations soldier Royce (Adrien Brody) maintained loose leadership of several mercenaries, soldiers, a death row inmate reported missing from San Quentin (Walter Scoggins), a Yakuza (Louis Ozawa Changchien), and a Los Zetas cartel enforcer (Danny Trejo). One arrival, Isabelle (Alice Braga), recognized their hunters as the species involved in the '87 Guatemala incident.

Adaptation to the environment was quick, but nonetheless, many of them died quickly. As their numbers dwindled, Royce and the rest encountered a crucified, smaller Yautja at one of the hunting camps. Later, Noland, otherwise proving himself untrustworthy, explained some details he'd gleaned about the feud between the two tribes of Yautja. Eventually, a brief truce was arranged with the captured Yautja. Unfortunately, this did not result in Royce and Isabelle's escape from the game preserve.

OWLF's later reports of an incident within an unidentified U.S. suburb ("The Predator," 2018) do not leave investigators with a clear understanding of events. What is known is that a Yautja landed near an active military operation, getting into conflict with soldier Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook). Both survived, with the soldier shunted into a treatment facility. Meanwhile, an organization primed to replace OWLF, Project Stargazer, was intent on studying the Yautja prisoner and the recovered alien materials. Unfortunately, another larger Yautja soon arrived.

It is not clear why this Yautja deviated from its purpose and attempted to abduct a child with autism. The explanation of possible future hybridization makes no sense and is detrimental to discussions of autism. The conflict was reportedly resolved, with McKenna and other combatants carrying the day, while the initial Yautja's arrival was apparently meant to warn humanity about a possible future invasion and offer technological assistance via an armored suit. The Yautja's intentions were unclear because it promptly fought armed forces. This incident may be verified by OWLF but retains numerous disappointing elements (Rotten Tomatoes score: 33 percent) and may be disregarded as future developments unfold.

OWLF has operated since before the 1987 Guatemala incident. Confused with a variety of other alphabet soup organizations, the Other Worldly Life Forms Program remains the standard in investigating Yautja incidents on Earth. However, during the 1997 incident, the program realized that the previously unhelpful survivor, Alan "Dutch" Schaefer ("Predator") had now begun a private operation that was both parallel and counter to OWLF's work ("Predator: Stalking Shadows" by James A. Moore and Mark Morris). Dutch interfered with a soldier named Scott Devlin who was assigned to assist OWLF in controlling the Yautja landing site.

This prompted Devlin to begin his own investigation of OWLF and a tentative friendship with Dutch. Dutch would report an overall increase of Yautja hunts, observing the arrival of a newer, freshly adapted Yautja in Malaysia. By the mid-2020s, Dutch was now working directly with OWLF and a survivor of the previous 2018 Stargazer incident. Devlin would be retained by the organization to run their operations command center. The nature of future Yautja incursions is currently unknown, though Dutch agrees that a full assault on Earth could be possible.

100 years after a Predator makes itself known in New Way City, it returns. The Yautja, who now goes by the name Scarface, emerges from its 100-year exile with an offer to redeem himself. He can return to Earth to retrieve stolen Yautja technology humanity has used to advance its own development (in the other portion of the video game "Predator: Concrete Jungle"). It's a vastly different world from the one Scarface first touched down on, including the fact he now has to contend with cyborgs. However, Scarface soon learns that it's not only Yautja weaponry that humanity has benefitted from. 

Scarface once again meets Isabella, who's still alive due to her exposure to Yautja blood 100 years prior. It prolonged her life, and she used the technology he left behind to create her own empire, Borgia Industries. She reveals her ultimate plan to create an army of Yautja via cloning, although it seems like overkill once she reveals she also has an army of Xenomorphs at her disposal. But that's not a match for a Yautja with something to prove, as he eventually kills Isabella and her son, Hunter, who underwent genetic experimentation to become a half-human/half-Yautja hybrid. Scarface completes his mission and is accepted by his brethren once more. 

Mr. Weyland and the Yutani Corporation swoop into Borgia Industries at the end of this chapter of Predator history, further folding Earth's history with Yautja with that of Xenomorphs, which is a rich mythology all of its own that's worth analyzing. (Mike Bedard)

Yautja appreciate a worthy adversary. One might assume they would have an unrelenting respect for anyone of any species who manages to kill one of their own. In a sense, that's true even if it means survivors aren't out of the woods yet when it comes to Predator battles. One instance we know of is when a Predator clan retrieved Ursa, Kenji, and John from across history, putting them in cryostasis (as implied in the epilogue to "Predator: Killer of Killers"). Despite the fact they all come from vastly different points in human history, they're all still alive to battle one another for the amusement of a Predator warlord. 

How far in the future have these individuals been taken? No one can say for sure, and if they ever manage to make it back to Earth, it may look very different from what they're used to. As they all should've learned by this point, working together is a key tactic in defeating Predators, so Kenji and John manage to fly away in a stolen Yautja spaceship. Ursa allows herself to be captured to buy them time, and the last we see of her she's been placed back on ice. 

Someone else who's held in captivity is Naru from the Great Plains Comanche incident. It appears the Predators came back to retrieve her as well, and it's unclear how many others they have within their chambers. There's a possibility Dutch has been captured, too, after his various run-ins with Predators, leaving the door open for all these Yautja survivors to join forces and show them what humanity is made out of. (Mike Bedard)