They come during the hottest seasons; hunting their prey to prove their worth with a variety of iconic weapons. An alien race of hunters known as the Yautja who search for the ultimate prey: humans and Xenomorphs. After their debut in 1987 with Predator, the Yautja hunters have become an icon of cinema.
This has led to a mega-franchise spanning four main movies and two spin-offs. Add video games and comic books, the Predator franchise is massive. With each new movie, they added new hunters to the roster, sometimes up to three in one movie. Which of these Yautja hunters are apex predators and which are unworthy of being blooded?
Updated on July 26th, 2022 by Melody MacReady: With the Predator franchise making a comeback with a Hulu original film titled Prey, now is the opportune time to look at all of the titular alien hunters of the series. The new movie introduced a new Yautja Hunter that hunts in the 1700s, something far different from what fans have seen so far.
That's one of the few things that can be praised about the Predator movies: each movie does something different with its Predator. Whether it's new mannerisms, masks, weapons, hunting strategies, how they obey the Yautja code of honor, or even their secret Predator names.
Ultimate Hunter - The Predator (2018)
Every Predator movie had a new gimmick, something to make their star Yautja stand out. Unfortunately, the gimmick for the Hunter in Shane Black's The Predator backfired. The Ultimate Predator was unimpressive in every way; this was due to studio meddling causing most of The Predator to be changed and reshot, resulting in one of many horror movies that need a director's cut.
The reasoning for the upgrades retconned the Yautja's entire motivation for why they hunt. The CGI for the Ultimate Hunter is really bad in some scenes and even the so-called upgrades are lackluster. The Ultimate Hunter didn't even make up for it with kills; they were just a bunch of CGI splatter-fests.
Chopper - Alien vs. Predator (2004)
Remember this Yautja? No? Well, there's a reason for that. Chopper existed just to be killed by the Xenomorph threat in Alien vs. Predator. He manages to kick one human then immediately gets impaled and murdered by a Xenomorph.
So with only a minute of screentime and no impressive feats, Chopper just felt like a waste. Even the bio-helmet, which was reused from the many Predators aboard the ship in Predator 2, is one of the weaker designs.
Fugitive Hunter - The Predator (2018)
If there was anything somewhat good to come out of The Predator, it was the Fugitive. This Yautja looked great, sounded great, and was performed brilliantly by a parkour artist. Nearly every time the Fugitive was on screen, it was the best part of the movie.
Unfortunately, the Fugitive is ruined by plot holes, inconsistencies, and needless unfunny gags. Then it is killed off way too early by the aforementioned Ultimate Predator. From the looks of things, Prey seems to have learned from the mistakes of The Predator.
Tracker - Predators (2010)
Despite a unique mask and a memorable death thanks to Nikolai, the Tracker didn't do much in Predators. In a way, that is the point of this Super Predator: it commands the dog-like beasts that attack the party of the hunted characters.
However, the actual Super Predator himself does nothing memorable. Instead, his pets provide a more memorable scene. Predators as a whole would have been even better if the Super Predators were given more showcases.
Falconer - Predators (2010)
The Falconer from Predators suffers from minimal screentime as well. Unlike his Tracker brother, the Falconer at least features a memorable fight with Yakuza alongside his bird-like drone gimmick.
Add in a decent bio-helmet, Falconer definitely stood out more. The fight with Yakuza was great and displayed more honor than the other two Super Predators.
Crucified Hunter - Predators (2010)
The Crucified is an example of a Yautja who makes an impact in a short time. The obvious thing to note about him is that he's designed to look straight out of the first Predator movie. This provides quite a contrast from the grotesque Super Predator.
He's portrayed by Derek Mears who some might know as Swamp Thing or one of the scariest portrayals of Jason Voorhees. The Crucified is another Yautja that displays honor: he helped Royce attempt to escape the Preserve in return for freedom. Then the Crucified does battle with the Berserker and a great fight as well that shows the blood feud between the two races.
Greyback Elder - Predator 2 (1990) & Alien Vs Predator (2004)
Due to the near immortality of the Yautja race, it is possible that the Elders that appear in both Predator 2 and Alien VS. Predator are the same. In both, the Elder is an example of telling stories without even telling them.
It's obvious that the Elder is probably one of the apex predators in the galaxy. The Elder sticks to the honor code and even has respect for humans; this is shown through his rewards for both Mike Harrigan and Lex for their efforts.
Celtic - Alien vs. Predator (2004)
Wearing one of the most unique bio-helmets in the entire series, Celtic is a formidable Youngblood. After his brother-in-arms Chopper is killed, Celtic takes on Grid, one of many Xenomorphs in the franchise. This is easily the best Alien versus Predator fight in the movie.
Ian Whyte, the actor behind all the Hunters in the film, really nails the physicality of the Yautja. The way they fight, move, and operate is perfectly handled. Whyte especially excels when playing as Celtic but, unfortunately, Celtic is killed off by Grid after the first fight.
Scar - Alien vs. Predator (2004)
Scar is the remaining Hunter for the rest of Alien vs. Predator after Celtic's demise. While Ian Whyte definitely delivers in making Celtic into an iconic hunter, Scar is the superior Hunter due to personality. Despite operating off either silence, growls, or roars, Whyte manages to give Scar a lot of character.
Scar displays charm and depth through his different expressions, movements, and mannerisms. Scar manages to have a strong connection to Lex despite their differences; it shows that the Yautja are not just mindless slasher villains.
Berserker - Predators (2010)
Probably the most villainous of the Yautja. The Berserker is the leader of the three Super Predators: honor is not a priority for this Hunter. All that matters is the hunt and he abducts the most dangerous prey while stringing up members of his own race.
Berserker is pure evil: every kill he makes has the brutality meter to the max. It's what makes the overpower of the classic Predator so much more impactful. By definition, Berserker ends up being the best Hunter in Predators since he is the last Yautja standing.
City Hunter - Predator 2 (1990)
The first movie's Hunter was more straightforward about his hunt whereas the City Hunter is more devious. The City Hunter enjoys his kills in Los Angeles and is addicted to hunting. He even toys with Mike Harrigan to turn him into better prey for the hunt.
The City Hunter racks up quite the body count with plenty of memorable kills. Yet he still has the honor to spare a pregnant woman: showing that the Yautja are complex in nature. This Predator even has his own one-liners in Predator 2.
Wolf - Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
By far, one of the best about Alien vs. Predator: Requiem is its star Yautja. According to AVPGalaxy, Wolf is named after Harvey Keitel's famous character from Pulp Fiction and he is an elite hunter. He comes to Earth to clean up the mess left from the first movie.
From his gadgets, mannerisms, tactics, and kills: Wolf always steals the show. Even fans have wanted to see more from the character; show why he's missing a mandible and how he made a Xenomorph tail into a whip. Wolf came close to being the best Predator in the franchise in the much-maligned sequel.
Feral Hunter - Prey (2022)
Wearing a more primitive mask made from a skull, the Feral Hunter is the first of the Yautja to ever hunt on Earth. As a result, he's not this perfect hunter like the others: he gets wounded a lot and even struggles against the local fauna of Earth. Due to the three-hundred-year leap to the past, this Yautja is more of an ambush attacker; the only ranged attack he has is his bolt caster which is not entirely reliable.
So, the Feral Hunter is much more hands-on when it comes to how he fights, delivering some of the gnarliest kills in the franchise using blades, a shield heavily inspired by God Of War, and his own bear hands. He's ruthless but he still has the honor code that most Yautja have displayed and fun to see what weapons he has that are precursors to the classic Predator.
Jungle Hunter - Predator (1987)
The classic Jungle Hunter is the apex predator that took on Arnold Schwarzenegger. Without this particular Yautja Hunter, there would be no franchise. What makes the Jungle Hunter so great is that he's rarely seen; he doesn't even get a reveal until over an hour into the movie.
However, whenever the Jungle Hunter is on-screen, he is performed perfectly by Kevin Peter Hall in 1987's Predator. The subtle nuances, the honor-based removal of the bio-helmet, and the brutality are what turned this intergalactic hunter into an icon. It helps that the movie around him is also an all-time classic.