Hulu’s Predator: Killer of Killers has cemented Dan Trachtenberg as the exact voice the Predator franchise needs. Between the new film and the critical success of Prey, Trachtenberg has created the two of the best installments of the franchise, and even including that 1987 film it’s mighty close. Even for fans who can’t usually get into an animated film, Killer of Killers is a breezy ride with intriguing characters and a compelling structure. Speaking of that structure, Killer of Killers plays out by telling three individual stories one after the other, then merging them. All four segments are equally enjoyable.
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But the fourth segment is the most bombastic…and it goes out with a fun Easter Egg. What is that Easter Egg? Spoilers for Predator: Killer of Killers follow.
What Does the Final Shot of Predator: Killer of Killers Hint About the Future of the Franchise?
Trachtenberg is no stranger to throwing curveballs at the audience, which includes the existence of some of his previous movies. For instance, 10 Cloverfield Lane and, well, Predator: Killer of Killers. Neither one of those films was announced until relatively shortly before its release. But it’s not likely that the follow-up to Killer of Killers will follow that path. After all, the end of the film sets up a sequel. Even still, the end of Killer of Killers throws a curveball all its own. Specifically, we see Naru, played by Amber Midthunder in Prey. It seems, like Killer of Killers protagonists Ursa, Kenji, and Torres, Naru has been captured and placed in suspended animation.
This is what the Yautja do with a warrior they respect, a human who is able to defeat or even kill a member of their advanced weapons-toting species. At first this happens to the trio only for them to be awoken and placed in a gladiator arena on the Yautja world. And, by film’s end, Kenji and Torres are flying away from the Yautja Warlord while Ursa has essentially sacrificed herself to ensure they are able to do so.
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This results in two things. First, the Warlord orders his subordinates to initiate a pursuit of the escaping duo. Two, the Warlord doesn’t kill Ursa, but rather puts her in suspended animation once more. This sets the stage for two major stories in a sequel to Predator: Killer of Killers, be it a live-action film or an animated one. Or, really, three stories.
What Stories Might a Killer of Killers Sequel Focus On?
The Yautja’s pursuit of Kenji and Torres would undoubtedly be a substantial part of a Killer of Killers sequel. We need to see if they get away (or, really, how long they’re able to evade the Yautja before they’re captured once more and brought back to fight alongside Ursa once more). The second story that’s directly set up is Ursa’s. She’s frozen right now, but the Yautja have made a habit of learning their greatest adversaries’ strengths and tactics then adapting to those strength and tactics.
This brings us to Naru. The last time we saw Midthunder’s character, she had lost her brother to the Mupitsi (AKA the Feral Predator) and, after outwitting and defeating the Yautja with its own mask and spear gun, is declared her village’s War Chief.
As the War Chief, Naru has the power to direct her people to alter the location of their village. However, the credits hint that it’s too late for such a move, as three Yautja vessels are already in route to the tribe’s location. We now know that, for one, they found the tribe and, two, we know what their goal was, they wanted Naru.
So, the third story of a Killer of Killers sequel would most likely be Naru’s. The question is, would it be an elongated flashback sequence taking place between the events of Prey and the events of Killer of Killers or would Trachtenberg leave things where they are? We already know they captured her, perhaps we don’t need to see how they did so.
Which begs the question of whether a Killer of Killers sequel will be an anthology. It could very well be a more straightforward narrative. We know the four principal players now, so the sequel could just alternate between the Yautja pursuing Kenji and Torres’ and their unfreezing Naru and Ursa before ultimately bringing all four together in the third act.
