While it is a known fact that Predator’s Yautja and Alien’s Xenomorphs have been cosmic adversaries since the first Alien vs Predator crossover, many fans may not know that Predators don’t just hunt Xenomorphs–they worship them.
Xenomorphs were first introduced in the 1979 film Alien while Predators didn’t hit the Sci-Fi scene until 1987’s Predator, and in the beginning, the two franchises had nothing to do with each other–that is, until a Xenomorph skull shockingly appeared within a trophy case inside a Yautja ship in Predator 2. This moment indicated that Xenomorphs and Yautja existed in the same universe, and while this easter egg would eventually blossom into a short-lived live-action film franchise, the idea itself would be fully realized within the pages of comic books, novels, and video games. Every addition to the shared continuity of Alien vs Predator only added to the lore of both franchises. Through AvP, fans learned that Predators were the reason Xenomorphs were so prevalent in the galaxy as they transported Queens to planets all over the cosmos to ensure their continued existence in order to hunt them forever. Plus, fans learn that the reason Predators did this was that Xenomorphs were necessary for Yautja development. Predators weren’t seen as fit hunters until they killed their first Xenomorph, meaning that their culture revolved around Xenomorphs’ continued existence while Xenomorphs relied on Predators for universal expansion–however, one comic proves their symbiotic relationship goes much deeper than that.
In Aliens vs Predator vs The Terminator #3 by Mark Schultz and Mel Rubi, Ripley8 (the clone of the original Ripley from Alien Resurrection who was merged with Xenomorph DNA) has been abducted by Predators as they needed her help to take down the resurgent Skynet before the killer-AI merged Terminators with Xenomorphs and become the deadliest creature in the cosmos. While among them, Ripley8 is fully indoctrinated into the Predator culture as they viewed her not as a human or a Xenomorph, but as a powerful individual worthy to carry their proverbial banner into battle. During a ritual that readied the Predators’ minds, bodies, and spirits for the war that was to come, Ripley8 realized the purpose of the Predator species. In Ripley8’s own words, “Their prey and their god and their universal vision are all one”.
The Hunt is the Predators’ Religion, & the Xenomorph is Their God
While on the surface this seems heady and confusing, it actually makes a lot of sense upon further consideration. Predators and Xenomorphs are in a cosmic dance of universal balance, one which the Predators not only have the utmost respect for, but also have fitted their entire culture around. Predators don’t hunt for vanity or to prove their superiority, they hunt to preserve a cosmic balance–and within their belief system, the predator, the prey, and the universe in which they exist are all necessary for that cosmic balance to remain in-check. Without prey, the predator could not exist, meaning their prey is their god since they ‘give them life’ in a spiritual sense as a race of hunters–and since Xenomorphs are the most significant prey to Predator culture, they are revered as the Yautja’s ultimate gods.
Xenomorphs are the most important prey to Predators (with killing Xenomorphs being something of a rite of passage for Yautja), so this understanding of Predator culture–as described by Ripley8–means that they regard Xenomorphs as gods, and the only way to truly honor the Xenomorphs, and themselves, is by killing them. In other words, universal balance is the Predators’ religion, and Alien’s Xenomorphs are the gods they worship with an honorable and ceremonial hunt.