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Predator (alien)
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The Predator aliens are a fictional extraterrestrial species featured in the Predator science-fiction franchise, characterised by their trophy hunting of other dangerous species for sport, including humans and their fictional counterparts, Aliens.
First introduced in 1987 as the main antagonist of the film Predator, further members of the species were subsequently represented in a sequel, numerous novels, video games, comic books, and a crossover franchise.
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Encyclopedia
The Predator aliens are a fictional extraterrestrial species featured in the Predator science-fiction franchise, characterised by their trophy hunting of other dangerous species for sport, including humans and their fictional counterparts, Aliens.
First introduced in 1987 as the main antagonist of the film Predator, further members of the species were subsequently represented in a sequel, numerous novels, video games, comic books, and a crossover franchise. While a definitive name for the species is not given in the films, the names Yautja and Hish have been alternatively used in the expanded universe.
Created by brothers Jim and John Thomas, the Predators are depicted as large, sentient humanoid creatures who possess advanced technology such as active camouflage and energy weapons, and are capable of interstellar travel.
Concept and creation
Design
The Predator design is credited to special effects artist Stan Winston. While flying to Japan with Aliens director James Cameron, Winston, who had been hired to design the Predator, was doing concept art on the flight. Cameron saw what he was drawing and said, "I always wanted to see something with mandibles". Winston then included them in his designs. Stan Winston's studio created all of the physical effects for Predator and Predator 2, creating the body suit for actor Kevin Peter Hall and the mechanical facial effects. They were hired after attempts to create a convincing monster (including Jean-Claude Van Damme wearing a much different body suit) had failed. Arnold Schwarzenegger recommended Winston after his experience working on The Terminator.
The Predator was originally designed with a long neck, a dog-like head and a single eye. This design was abandoned when it became apparent that the jungle locations would make shooting the complex design too difficult. Originally, the studio contracted the makeup effects for the alien from Richard Edlund's Boss Film Creature Shop. However, problems filming the alien in Mexico resulted in the makeup effects responsibilities being given to Stan Winston. According to former Boss Films make-up supervisor Steve Johnson, the makeup failed because of an impractical design by McTiernan that included 12-inch length extensions that gave the Predator a backward bent satyr-leg. The design did not work in the jungle locations. After six weeks of shooting in the jungles of Palenque, Mexico, the production had to shut down so that Winston could make a new Predator. This took eight months and then filming resumed for five weeks, ending in February 1987.
Film portrayals
Jean-Claude Van Damme was originally cast as the Predator, the idea being that the physical action star would use his martial arts skills to make the Predator an agile, ninja-esque hunter. When compared to Schwarzenegger, Weathers, and Ventura, actors known for their bodybuilding regimes, it became apparent a more physically-imposing man was needed to make the creature appear threatening. Jesse Ventura's autobiography also alleges that Van Damme intentionally injured a stunt man. Eventually, Van Damme was removed from the film and replaced by actor and mime artist Kevin Peter Hall. Hall, standing at an imposing 7 foot 2, had just finished work as a sasquatch in Harry and the Hendersons.
Hall played the Predator in the first and second movies, having been in many suits before, including Harry and the Hendersons. He was trained in the art of mime and used many tribal dance moves in his performance, such as during the fight between Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Predator at the end of the first movie. In Predator 2, according to a "making of" featurette, Danny Glover suggested the Los Angeles Lakers to be the other Predators because Glover himself was a big fan. Hall persuaded some of the Lakers to play background Predators because they couldn't find anyone on short notice. Hall died not long after Predator 2 was released in theaters.
In Alien vs. Predator, Welsh actor Ian Whyte, a fan of the Predator comics and movies, took over as the man in the Predator suit, portraying the Predator dubbed "Scar" for most of the movie, and also the "Celtic" Predator during Celtic's fight with an Alien warrior. Whyte returned to portray the "Wolf" Predator in Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.
Special and make-up effects
The Predator's blood is made from a combination of the liquid out of glow sticks mixed with K-Y Jelly. The mixture dries up quickly, so on set new batches have to be quickly made between takes. The technique is used in all 4 films featuring the Predator.
The camouflage effect was designed by R/Greenberg Associates, under the direction of Joel Hynek. The idea for the effect came in a dream, one of the Thomas brothers (who wrote the film) had, in which there was a chrome man who was inside a reflective sphere. The man blended in, perfectly camouflaged, reflecting from all directions and only visible when in motion. It took quite a while before they figured out how to do it, which was basically an image repeated in a pattern of ripples in the shape of the Predator's body. It proved very effective and was a new way of presenting an "invisible man." Before there was digital technology all of the camouflage was done optically using photo-chemical means. This meant that you would never get the same result twice from combining the pieces of film.
After the original movies, Amalgamated Dynamics took over from Stan Winston Studio in creating the props for the Predators in the Alien vs. Predator movie and a number of effects houses worked on the various other effects.
Film appearances
First appearing in the 1987 film, Predator, the titular character lands on Val Verde via starship. It begins hunting down a United States Army Special Forces group, stationed there to rescue presidential cabinet ministers kidnapped by guerrilla forces. The Predator dispatches the soldiers one by one with a vast array of weaponry until Major Dutch Schaeffer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is the last one alive. The two later engage each other in single combat, which is at first dominated by the Predator, until Dutch sets a trap which seriously injures the creature. The dying Predator commits suicide and tries to take Dutch with it by activating a self-destruct device, though ultimately failing to eliminate its opponent.
Appearing later in the 1990 sequel set 10 years after the events of the first film, a new Predator sets its sights on Los Angeles, attracted by the summer heat and drug wars between Jamaican and Colombian druglords, as well as the L.A.P.D. attempting to fight both gangs. After eliminating the leaders of both gangs, the Predator begins actively targeting the L.A.P.D. officers attempting to investigate its handiwork, specifically Lieutenant Michael Harrigan (Danny Glover) and his three partners (Ruben Blades, Maria Conchita Alonso and Bill Paxton), as well as a federal agency group led by Peter Keyes (Gary Busey) bent on capturing it. The Predator is ultimately confronted by Harrigan in its own ship and killed when Harrigan uses its own weapons against it. The Predator's clan-mates carry away the dead Predator's body and give Harrigan a flintlock dating from 1715 as a sign of respect. The film also makes a reference to the Alien films, as shown in the Predators trophy room, which has an Alien skull.
In 2004 a Predator ship arrives in Earth orbit to draw humans to an ancient Predator training ground on Bouvetøya, an island about one thousand miles north of Antarctica. A buried pyramid which gives off a "heat bloom" attracts humans led by Charles Bishop Weyland (Lance Henriksen), who unknowingly activates an alien egg production line. Three Predator hunter initiates enter the structure, killing all humans in their way with the intention of hunting the newly-formed alien warriors. Two Predators die in the ensuing battle, while the third allies itself with the lone surviving human, Alexa Woods (Sanaa Lathan) in order to battle the escaped Queen Alien. The Queen is defeated, but not before she fatally wounds the last Predator. The orbiting Predator ship uncloaks and the crew retrieve the fallen Predator. A Predator elder gives Alexa a spear as a sign of respect, and then departs. Once in orbit it is revealed that a chestburster was in the corpse, though this specimen has Predator mandibles.
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Set immediately after the previous film, the Predalien hybrid on board the Predator scout ship, which just separated from the mothership from the previous film, has grown to full adult size and sets about killing the Predators on-board the ship, causing it to crash in Gunnison, Colorado. The last survivor activates a distress beacon with a video of the Predalien, which is received by a veteran Predator who sets off towards Earth. When it arrives, the Predator tracks the Aliens into a section of the sewer below town. He removes evidence of their presence as he goes by using a corrosive blue liquid. It uses a laser net to try to contain the creatures, but when its dual plasma cannons misfire in a fight, the Aliens escape into the town above. The Predator fashions a plasma pistol from its remaining plasma caster and hunts Aliens all across town (accidentally cutting the power to the town in the process). During a confrontation with human survivors, the Predator loses its plasma pistol. The Predator then fights the Predalien singlehandedly, though the battle is interrupted when the US military drops a tactical nuclear bomb on the town, incinerating both combatants as well as the few remaining humans in the city. The salvaged plasma pistol is then taken to Ms. Yutani.
Description
Characteristics
| "Broad concept's the same. The difference is, this is a different individual. A different individual of the same species. As is a snake is a snake is a snake, but different snakes are different. Their colorings are different, different parts of their characteristics, their facial structures, subtle differences." | | — Stan Winston describing the Predator in Predator 2 and explaining the reason for the varying designs and looks of the Predators. |
Predators are physically distinguished from humans by their greater height, arthropod-like mandibles and long, hair-like appendages on their heads. Their bodies are resilient to damage, capable of recovering from multiple gunshot wounds and radiation doses which would be fatal to humans. They are much stronger than humans, having been portrayed as being easily capable of outmatching a conditioned adult human male and shattering solid concrete with their bare hands. They are also skilled climbers, and will readily move through trees or across rooftops in pursuit of prey. Though capable of surviving exposed in Antarctic temperatures for an extended period of time, it is implied that Predators have a preference for hot equatorial climates. Their blood is luminescent phosphor green in color. Their vision operates mainly in the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum; they can easily detect heat differentials in their surroundings but are unable to easily distinguish among objects of the same relative temperature. A Predator's hunting helmet increases its ability to see in a variety of spectrums, ranging from the low infrared to the high ultraviolet, and also filters the ambient heat from the area, allowing them to see things with greater clarity and detail. They are capable of breathing Earth's atmosphere. Their dietary habits are mentioned in Predator 2, where it is revealed that the creature regularly visits a slaughterhouse every two days to feed on the stored meat there.
Throughout their film appearances, Predators have undergone numerous design variations. In Predator 2, the main Predator was designed to look more urban and hip than its predecessor. Design changes included tribal ornamentation on the forehead, which was made steeper and shallower, brighter skin colouration and a greater number of fangs. In Alien vs. Predator, the appearance of the Predators was redesigned to make them seem more heroic. Redesigns included a reduction in head and waist size, broader shoulders, a more muscular physique, piranha-like teeth on the upper jaw and dryer, less clammy skin to further differentiate them from the Aliens. In Aliens vs Predator: Requiem, the Predator was returned to the sleeker design concept prior to Alien vs. Predator.
Culture and history
| "The Predator society builds sophisticated spaceships, yet they should not look as sleek and hi-tech as a Star Wars stormtrooper. They are a tribal culture, yet their look should not be as primitive as the orcs from Lord of the Rings. They are also a warrior culture, so the ornate cannot conflict with the practical." | | — Alec Gillis on Predator designs. |
Predator culture revolves around the hunting and stalking of dangerous lifeforms. After making a kill, Predators typically skin or decapitate the carcass, converting it into a trophy. Failure in a hunt results in the Predator involved committing an honorable suicide. It is often alluded to that the reason Predators hunt is not for sustenance or elimination of threats, but as entertainment, as they will only attack life forms that have the ability to provide them with a challenge.
Predators made contact with early human civilizations such as the Ancient Egyptians, Cambodians, and Aztecs, as well as a fictitious culture inhabiting what is now modern day Bouvetøya. Upon arriving on Earth, the Predators were worshipped as gods by humans, and they taught many of the civilizations how to build pyramids (an explanation as to why many of these different ancient societies had distinctly similar cultures and architecture), but in return expected sacrifices of humans for use as hosts for huntable Aliens. The Predators returned to Bouvetøya every century to consummate the bargain, until at one point in the ritual, the Aliens spread out of control, resulting in the Predators destroying the entire area of the infestation. Relations with humans deteriorated, with the Predators from that time on viewing humans as little more than another quarry to hunt.
Predators feature prominently in the folklore of certain cultures; some Latin American people refer to the species as, "El Diablo que hace trofeos de los hombres" (Spanish for "The Demon who makes trophies of men"), while Jamaican superstition identifies Predators as demons from the spirit world. When hunting humans, Predators normally avoid certain individuals such as children and some adults if they are unarmed, though they will spare armed ones if they happen to be pregnant or sickly. A human who has managed to kill a Predator in single combat or has fought alongside one is usually spared by the deceased hunter's comrades and given a gift (often a rare or exotic weapon) as a sign of respect.
Predators have a deep respect for Aliens and consider them to be worthy as hunting trophies. Warrior Aliens are used to train and test young Predators by fatally weeding out the weaker initiates. A learner's first successful Alien hunt is completed with the marking of his forehead with the acidic blood of his kill. Predators apparently keep Alien Queens in captivity in order to obtain an easily accessible supply of eggs. It is shown in a brief scene in Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem that Predators have had prior contact with the Space Jockeys. This is confirmed in the film's DVD commentary.
Language
The language of the Predators is expressed in the films and other media through written patterns of dashes. These written symbols appear on the creatures' gauntlet displays, their helmets, architecture, and many other surfaces. Predators will mimic human language on occasion. Author Steve Perry designed a specific language set for the Aliens vs. Predator novel series.
Technology
Predator technology is unique in many aspects, not in the least due to its ornate, tribal appearance masking deadly, sophisticated weaponry. It is shown in Predator 2 that at least one Predator weapon uses a metal that does not correspond to the periodic table, and some weapons have been shown to be completely resistant to the effects of acidic blood belonging to Aliens. In addition, several of these tools make use of thermal imaging to track prey. The Predator's mask also houses a viewing system that allows the creature to see primarily in infrared. The Predator also makes use of a light-bending cloaking device. A flashback sequence in Alien versus Predator indicates that some aspects of their technology have been in use for millennia.
Expanded universe
In the Aliens vs. Predator novel series based on the Dark Horse Comics by David Bischoff, Steve and Stephani Perry, the Predators, known in the series as "Yautja", are depicted as living in a matriarchal clan-based society bearing similarities to a pack mentality, with the stronger and most skilled of the group being leader. The Predators are portrayed as sexually dimorphic mammals, with females being larger and stronger than males and sporting more prominent mammary glands (like human females). Both genders give off a strong musk to signify aggression, while females can also emit it when in estrus. This musk can be detected by other Predators and canids, though it is imperceptible to humans. Predators in the Perry novels are not monogamous, and it is not uncommon for veteran warriors to sire hundreds of offspring (known as sucklings) with multiple mates. It is also revealed that their blood has the capacity of partially neutralizing the acidity of Alien blood. Their religion is partially delved upon in the series, showing that they are polytheistic, and that their equivalent of the Grim Reaper is the so called "Black Warrior", who is seen as an eternal adversary who eventually wins all battles.
Though female Predators are occasionally referred to in Steve and Stephani Perry's novel series, one does not make an actual appearance until the graphic novel Aliens vs Predator: Deadliest of Species. The female's design however contradicts the descriptions given in the Perry novel series, as it superficially shows little distinction from males.
In Randy Stradley's graphic novel Aliens vs. Predator: War, it is revealed through the narration of the character Machiko Noguchi that Predators were responsible for the spread of Aliens throughout the galaxy, though the Predators themselves deny this, stating that their large interplanetary distribution is due to simultaneous convergent evolution.
In John Shirley's stand alone novel Predator: Forever Midnight, Predators, now referred to as "Hish", are shown to possess a gland located between their neck and collarbone which secretes powerful hormones into their bloodstream and which drives them to hyper-aggression. When this gland is over-stimulated, it sends the creatures into a frenzied rage, causing them to attempt killing any living thing in sight, including members of their own species. This "kill rage" can be contagious and spread from one Predator to another, driving them all to attack each other. The Predators as a species barely survived the wars provoked by their kill glands, and they have learned to control the gland's secretions with artificial hormone regulators.
In John Vance's graphic novel Predator Homeworld, it is revealed that Predators breathe 1% more oxygen, and 4% more nitrogen than humans, and that they are capable of adapting themselves to Earth's atmosphere for one week at the most if deprived of a breathing apparatus. In Ian Edginton and Alex Maleev's graphic novel Aliens vs. Predator: Eternal and the videogame Predator: Concrete Jungle, Predator flesh and blood, if consumed, is shown to have the capacity of greatly lengthening a human's lifespan.
In popular culture
The Predators have been involved in a number of spin-offs in a range of media that include novels, comic books and video games.
Alien vs. Predator
The largest of these crossovers is the Alien vs. Predator franchise, in which the Predators hunt the Aliens. This was an idea that came to comic book artist Chris Warner in early 1989. He and other people at Dark Horse Comics were trying to come up with a good character combo for a new comics series. Dark Horse had been publishing Aliens comic book under license from 20th Century Fox since 1987. At Warner's suggestion, Dark Horse head publisher Mike Richardson phoned the head of Fox licensing Pam North with their idea, expecting to have a long negotiation ahead. Instead, North was immediately enthusiastic about the concept. The deal that brought the two characters together was credited as "Deal of the Year" by Capital City Distributors.
In 1990, the first depiction of the idea in film appeared in Predator 2, when an Alien skull appeared as one of the trophies in the Predator spacecraft. Alien vs. Predator, released in 2004 with director Paul W. S. Anderson at the helm, incorporates several elements from the comic books, although it has a completely different story.
In other media
As well as Alien-franchise crossovers, there have also been many other comic book crossovers with various other companies like DC Comics where works such as Superman and Batman pit the titlular characters against the Predators. Even Dark Horse Comics' own works such as Tarzan and The Terminator have been used, where they are shown as a force of balance on a cosmic level, working to stop a flood of Terminators from destroying the population of the galaxy.
See also
External links
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