It appears that the Predator will learn what it means to face the God of Thunder as an upcoming variant for Thor #15 shows the famous Asgardian hero facing the iconic extraterrestrial hunters. This image is one of the latest celebrating their recent addition to the Marvel Comics universe with a new ongoing series scheduled to premier in June. Although there has been no confirmation that the Predators will meet or battle any of Marvel's iconic heroes yet, their history of hunting or coming into contact other famous costumed heroes or comic characters is sure to spark much debate among fans.
The Predator first appeared in the self-titled film in 1987 where it strategically stalked, hunted, and killed a group of soldiers on a rescue mission in a Central American rainforest, famously outsmarted and defeated by Alan "Dutch" Schafer portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Although it took years for the Predator film franchise to materialize, the heavily armed, relentless yet honorable hunters found a second life in comics, where more of their backstory was fleshed out and elaborated upon. Known as the Yautja, these creatures travel to different planets and hunt for sport, leading to many confrontations ranging from soldiers to Batman to even Riverdale's Archie Andrews. While later films focused on their enmity with another iconic alien species, Alien's Xenomorphs, 2018's The Predator saw a return to focus on the Predators, who are constantly ending up back on Earth looking for one more hunt and trophies to take back home.
In July 2020, Marvel announced that they had acquired the comic book rights to the Predator franchise, as well as their famous chest-bursting enemies, and slowly revealed news of the upcoming series by Ed Brisson and Kev Walker along with the gallery of beautiful variant covers celebrating the event. The Predator hunting Spider-Man or the fighting the combined might of the Fantastic Four treads on new but familiar ground, but having him come into contact with Jane Foster's Valkyrie or Asgard's current All-Father Thor takes the hunt in a completely new direction as seen by artist Razzah's variant cover below:
The Predators have taken on many opponents but we've never seen how they'd fare against someone from another dimension, much less one considered a living god with enough power to back up that claim. Razzah appears to draw the bruised and blood Thor ready to deliver one final blow or blast of lightning from his famous Mjolnir while the defeated Predator has triggered his self-destruct sequence, choosing to die with his shame and potentially take out his opponent in the ensuing blast. Unfortunately for Thor, it would appear the battle is far from over as within the branches of what could be the World Tree Yggdrasil are the shapes and laser sightings of other Predators, ready to see if they can best this new warrior.
Although the Predator has taken many human lives, it appears to have difficulty when facing those with extraordinary abilities or training. They often end up eventually dying or retreating out of respect, leaving the surviving heroes hoping that they've seen the last of them. These comics helped contribute to the rich lore of the Predator franchise, which also spawned novels, video games, and other notable references in pop culture. While the new series tells a story wherein the Predators are the ones being hunted, these covers could simply be testing the waters for a Yautja ship to eventually crash on Marvel's Earth where they are well-versed in alien encounters and how to handle them. The cover will be in stores when Thor #15 is released on June 23rd, 2021.