An alternate ending for The Predator featured the return of Newt from Aliens. A lot of deleted material for The Predator has come to light since the movie’s release. Following disappointing test screening results for Shane Black’s original cut, it was decided to greatly simplify the storyline. This led to the third act being almost completely reshot near the start of 2018, leading to various creatures and action scenes being cut. The plot also had to be retooled to accommodate these changes.

This narrative tinkering is visible in the final cut of The Predator, with the story often jumping around abruptly. There was also a last-minute reshoot to add a sequel hook to the climax. The Predator currently ends with humanity learning the Fugitive Predator came to Earth to gift them with a Predator Killer suit, which will help even the odds in a future sequel. It recently came to light that three endings were shot for this Predator Killer reveal, with the second revealing it was actually Ripley in the pod wearing a Facehugger-style breathing mask.

Related: All The Predator's Alternate Endings Explained

Ripley was played by a stuntwoman in this unseen ending and now effects artist Yuri Everson has revealed on Instagram (via AVP Galaxy) that yet another alternate cliffhanger featured the shock return of Newt. Newt's full name - Rebecca Jordan - can be seen on the pod, and what’s especially interesting to note is that the character is an adult in this ending.

There’s a lot to unpack from this ending, not the least of which is the character being alive. Newt was infamously killed off in the opening of David Fincher’s Alien 3, so the fact she’s alive and grown-up implies either an alternate timeline or some kind of cloning scenario. Sadly, Everson provides no context for how Newt is appearing in the present day - Aliens is set over a century after the events of The Predator - but it’s likely the filmmakers hadn’t actually figured this out either.

The Ripley and Newt endings were slapped together at the last minute, and it's doubtful either one would have proved exciting to fans. The Predator does nothing to set up their arrival, and any possible explanation - be it time-travel or otherwise - would have been nonsensical at best. It feels like the studio was so desperate for a shock cliffhanger they were willing to try anything, but at the very least, they wisely opted not to include either Ripley or Newt.

This isn’t the first time in the franchise resurrecting Newt was considered. Newt was intended to be the lead character in Alien Resurrection until the studio decided Ripley had to come back instead. Neill Blomkamp’s proposed Alien 5 would have brought back Newt, Ripley and Hicks following their untimely demises in Alien 3, but that project was cancelled so it won’t conflict with Ridley Scott’s Alien prequels. It’s unlikely The Predator’s Newt ending will be released now, as the studio seemingly has no interest in releasing material from Black’s original version of the movie.

More: The Predator Reshoots Explained: Every Cut And Change Fox Made To Shane Black's Movie

Source: Yuri Everson (via AVP Galaxy)