This article covers the known references to the Predator franchise in popular culture. Owing to the nature of the article, this list is ongoing and may not be complete.
The Predator films have been parodied several times on the stop-motion comedy series Robot Chicken:
Alien vs. Predator.
In the 2005 episode "A Piece of the Action", a brief skit showed an Alien and a Predator quietly playing a game of chess, parodying the Alien vs. Predator films.
The 2005 episode "The Sack" featured another Alien vs. Predator skit, in which the titular characters were transposed to a television dating show, similar to long-running reality series Blind Date. The date, between Susan the Alien and Douglas the Predator, initially goes well, but when Douglas attempts to kiss Susan as he drops her off at home, she protests and eventually plungers her inner jaw into his neck. The mortally wounded Douglas then activates his Self-Destruct Device, killing them both (and the camera crew). The skit was later reused in the 2008 episode "Adultizzle Swizzle".
The 2007 episode "Werewolf vs. Unicorn" features a skit where California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says that he has dealt with many aliens in the past, and points to a board which contains pictures of a Predator and a Terminator (the T-1000 from James Cameron's film Terminator 2: Judgment Day).
The 2011 episode "Malcolm X: Fully Loaded" features a skit where the City Hunter is cornered by two soldiers armed with an M16 and M60. The City Hunter begins using his wrist gauntlet and the soldiers gun him down fearing what he is doing with it. It is revealed that the Predator was simply sending a text telling them that he was surrendering. The Predator figures seems to be the NECA or McFarlane one, and is likely the one used in all other episodes featuring the City Hunter.
The 2011 episode "Casablankman" features a skit where the Falconer (instead of the Jungle Hunter) is about to kill Dutch, but is stopped when a group of Predators who oppose sport hunting arrive and activate his Self-Destruct Device which detonates (strangely, in an explosion only small enough to kill the Falconer). The Predators then "free" Dutch, who is then attacked by a snake. Ironically, the Berserker is part of the group who opposes sport hunting, although he features the jaw of another species on his bio-helmet. The Predator figures used here all appear to be NECA ones.
The Predator films have been referenced several times in animated series American Dad!:
Roger dressed as a Predator.
In the 2007 episode "Joint Custody", one of the outfits Roger tries on when preparing to become a bounty hunter is a Predator costume.
In the 2008 episode "Oedipal Panties", a Predator helmet can be seen inside Roger's closet.
South Park has also referenced Predator:
In the 2008 episode "Imaginationland Episode II" of South Park, Butters finds himself in Imaginationland just as numerous movie monsters and villains are invading. At one point, the Mayor is killed by a Xenomorph, before Butters runs into the Predator.
In the 2012 episode "Jewpacabra", the first person view of the hunter looking through the binoculars is supposedly a reference to Predator. Thermal vision is also used in the episode and James Cameron is mentioned.
The Predators have been referenced several times in various Star Trek series:
In the 1994 episode "Genesis" of Star Trek: The Next Generation, several members of the USS Enterprise crew devolve into more primitive lifeforms, with Lieutenant Commander Worf devloving into a "proto-Klingon" that bears several visual similarities with the Predator, not least of all prominent mandibles around the mouth.
A Hirogen trophy cabinet in Star Trek: Voyager.
The Hirogen species, who appear in several episodes of Star Trek: Voyager, base their society around a culture of ritualistic hunting, much like the Predators. Like the Predators, they wear elaborate, tribal-themed masks while taking part in hunts, and collect the skulls of their prey as trophies, displaying them prominently in trophy cabinets. Crew on the series have admitted the Hirogen were inspired by the Predators.
Animated comedy Archer has made reference to the Predators several times:
In the 2012 episode "El Contador", Archer begins nervously scanning the tropical jungle around him when Cyril suddenly disappears, believing a Predator to be responsible. Lana attempts to point out how ridiculous he is being, stating that, for starters, the Predator is invisible, but Archer interrupts her, correcting, "Not totally, he has a tell-tale shimmer."
In the 2013 episode "The Wind Cries Mary", Archer finds a pile of Cyril's discarded clothes in the snow and initially mistakes them for skin, wondering aloud whether Cyril might have been killed by a Predator. He goes on to reassure himself that the Predator only hunts in tropical jungles.
The television series Stranger Things, among numerous homages to popular 80s films, includes several references to the Predator series:
One of the show's main characters is named Jim Hopper, a reference to Jim Hopper in Predator.
The show's setting is the fictional Hawkins, Indiana, referencing another Predator character, Rick Hawkins.
The show's humanoid monster makes a trilling sound distinctly similar to that made by the Predator before it attacks.
In the 1991 episode "Bart's Dog Gets an F" of The Simpsons, when the scene changes to Santa's Little Helper's point of view, a small explosion sound is heard; this sound is used in the film Predator, when the camera switches to Predator's point of view.
The 1993 episode "People Who Live in Brass Hearses" of horror anthology series Tales from the Crypt features a character reading a comic book titled Jesse James vs. Predator. Additionally, the episode stars Bill Paxton, who played Jerry Lambert in Predator 2 (as well as Brad Dourif, who played Dr. Gediman in Alien Resurrection).
Nerdator in Freakazoid!.
The 1996 episode "Nerdator" of Freakazoid! is a parody of Predator. When all the nerds and geeks in the world get kidnapped, Freakazoid investigates the issue in order to find out what is going on. He soon learns that the "Nerdator" is behind the kidnappings and that he wants to steal the knowledge of all the world's nerds in order to become a super-genius.
In the 2004 episode of Danny Phantom, Femalien is a female parody of Predator.
Femalien in Danny Phantom.
In a 1996 episode of Dexter's Laboratory, the segment "Dial M for Monkey: Huntor" has, once Huntor loses Monkey's trail, Monkey covering himself in mud, setting up traps, and yelling in front of a fire to call his opponent's attention, like Dutch in Predator.
In the 1999 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 featuring the film Blood Waters of Dr. Z, Mike Nelson quotes Blain, using the line, "I ain't got time to bleed."
In 2000, a robot named The Predator was entered into British robot combat game show Robot Wars. Appearing in Heat P of Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars, the robot was (as its name suggests) modeled after the Predator creature from the film franchise of the same name, featuring a decorative head with remote-controlled mandibles and dreadlocks made from beads, as well as a miniature skull trophy on its shoulder.
In the 2008 episode "Hygiene Hijinks" of My Gym Partner's a Monkey, Mr. Hornbill teaches a class of prey, that by lathering themselves in mud, they can make themselves invisible to the infrared-thermal vision of nocturnal predators. We then cut to Hish-qu-Ten, sitting at a desk and shrugging his shoulders in agreement, saying "It's true."
The 2011 episode "Desperation Day" of How I Met Your Mother features many references to Predator. The character Barney mimics the Predator's clicking sounds and thermal vision while at a bar.
Gumball showing a Predator's mandibles.
In the 2014 episode "The Pizza" of the animated series The Amazing World of Gumball, the titular character's mouth briefly morphs into a Predator's mandibles.
In the 2015 episode "Couples Costume" of sitcom The Goldbergs, Beverly dresses up as a Predator for Halloween. Adam and his girlfriend Dana also dress as an Alien and Ripley, respectively, in the episode.
In the 2016 episode "The Cruise" of comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Detective Peralta suggests the hitman aboard the cruise ship may be "camouflaged in the shrubbery, Predator-style".
In the 2016 episode "Breadator" of the animated series Breadwinners, the main characters encounter a character named "Breadator" who challenges them to basketball. The name and appearance of Breadator are an obvious reference to the Predator, right down to his wrist gauntlet.
In a 2020 episode of Bob's Burgers, The Breadator is a parody of Predator.
Breadator in Bob's Burgers.
In a 2016 episode of Teen Titans Go!, Alien Skull Collector is a reference to the "Predator", not to be confused with the Alien or Xenomorph, which is a common mixup. Although he has a inner jaw like a Xenomorph. He's also quite similar to the Skaarj Warriors from the Unreal video game series because they both use sharp retractable talon devices on their wrists to pierce through an opponent's skin.
Alien Skull Collector in Teen Titans Go!.
In the Duck Dodgers episode "K-9 Quarry" Wile E. Coyote plays a very obvious Predator homage.
Predator-like Alien Hunter in K-9 Quarry.
In the 2023 Rick and Morty episode "How Poopy Got His Poop Back", there are three references to Predator, as Rick and the others dab themselves in mud to camouflage themselves like Alan "Dutch" Schaefer, Birdperson and Gene are captured by Gul'Karna like Max Stafford, and Gul'Karna gives a flintlock pistol to Mr. Poopybutthole as a trophy in a way reminiscent of the Raphael Adolini 1715 gun.
Movies[]
In the 1988 film Action Jackson, the theatrical poster for Predator can be seen on a Los Angeles street wall; Action Jackson stars Carl Weathers (Dillon) and features Bill Duke (Mac) and Sonny Landham (Billy) in supporting roles. Robert Davi also appears in the film, and would later go on to play Deputy Chief Heinemann in Predator 2.
The 1992 Jackie Chan film Police Story 3: Super Cop features an homage/rip-off of the jungle camp assault from Predator, including a sequence where a sniper is shot down from his sniper perch and falls through the roof of a straw hut, landing near several of the main characters inside, just like the unnamed guerrilla shot out of a tree in Predator. The sequence of the man falling into the building in Super Cop is even filmed using nearly identical camera angles.
In the 2005 animated film Chicken Little, when Chicken Little, Runt of the Litter and Abby Mallard enter the alien spaceship looking for Fish out of the Water, Runt says that maybe the aliens want to incubate their babies in him, or perhaps put his skull on the wall like a trophy. This is a reference to both the Alien and Predator films.
The 2005 film Doom features a scene where the character Goat catches an orange hit in his direction with a bat without looking up, mimicking how Hawkins catches the ball thrown at him aboard Redbird Two Two.
The 2007 computer-animated film TMNT featured a scene set in a Central American jungle where the character Leonardo remained hidden until he was spotted by someone who asked "What are you?" which is a direct reference to a scene from the 1987 feature film Predator.
In the 2007 film Murder Party, a chainsaw has the name "Ol' Painless" written along the blade, in reference to Old Painless from Predator.
The "Hunter" in AVH: Alien vs. Hunter.
The 2007 film AVH: Alien vs. Hunter is an obvious rip-off or "mockbuster" of Alien vs. Predator (which was released in the United States under the title AVP: Alien vs. Predator). The film's plot likewise involves two hostile alien species doing battle on Earth, with humans caught in between. The titular "Hunter" also shares some similarities with the Predator — both are humanoid interstellar warriors that do battle in tribal armor, including masks, and both utilize energy weapons. The film's release was timed to coincide with Alien vs. Predator's sequel, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.
The 2008 Futurama film The Beast with a Billion Backs features a scene where Leela aims three pistols at Fry, the laser sights forming a triangle of red dots on Fry's forehead, a reference to the laser sight on the Predator's Plasmacaster.
The 2009 film Aliens in the Attic features a scene where a character looks down at an alien lying on the ground and says, "You're one ugly alien." This mimics the scene at the end of Predator where Dutch looks down at the Predator lying on the ground and says, "You're one ugly motherfucker."
Crankcase in Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
In the 2011 film Transformers: Dark of the Moon, the Decepticon Crankcase bears some physical resemblance to a Yautja, particularly in the design of his head, which features a flat, sloped forehead, dreadlocks and mandible-like appendages around the mouth. However, it is possible this similarity is merely coincidental.
In the movie Paul, the Grey Alien's cloaking ability is compared to the Predator's Cloak, although the ability is natural and requires no technology. Finding humor in this, Paul goes on to mock the Predator, using his fingers to pretend that he has mandibles.[1]
The 2014 film The Expendables 3 features a scene in which Arnold Schwarzenegger's character shouts, "Get to the chopper!" quoting himself in Predator.
The 2015 film Jurassic World features a sequence reminiscent of the scene where Dutch first learns that wet mud renders him invisible to the Jungle Hunter. In the scene, Zach and Gray are pursued through the jungle by the Indominus rex, eventually finding themselves cornered above a waterfall and forced to leap into the lake below. After the creature leaves and they resurface, they swim to the shore where they lay in the wet mud with the waterfall in the background, in a shot nearly identical to the similar scene in Predator. Additionally, much like the Yautja, the Indominus (being a genetically modified hybrid) also possesses thermal vision and an ability to camouflage itself.
In the 2015 film Ted 2, a Super Predator briefly appears in a fight scene set at Comic Con.
Video Games[]
The Halo series (which also heavily references the Alien franchise) includes references to Predator:
The four mandibles of the Sangheili are similar to those of the Predator.
Active camouflage used in the Halo universe bears parallels to the Cloak of the Predator.
The game Halo: Reach features the Energy Dagger (used only by the Sangheili), which is similar to the Yautja's Wristblades.
A cutscene from the Halo Wars level "The Flood" that introduces Fire Team Charlie resembles the sequence in Predator where Dutch and his men are dropped into Guatemala. Both show their respective teams being deployed into jungle-like terrain from an aerial vehicle (a Huey helicopter in Predator and a Pelican dropship in Halo Wars).
The Elites' honor system resembles the Predator's.
The cover to Headhunters.
Art for the short story Headhunters shows a Spartan holding up the head of an Elite, similar to when a Predator is seen holding up the head of a dead human or Xenomorph.
There are also several references to Predator in some of the more recent games in the Call of Duty franchise:
In Call of Duty: Black Ops, placing the Commando assault rifle in the Pack-a-Punch weapon upgrading machine in Zombies mode will give the player the Predator assault rifle, a twofold reference to the films of the same name; both Commando and Predator are movies starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Call of Duty: Ghosts features a reference to Predator in the multiplayer map "Warhawk" — a brick building in the map carries an advertisement for a tobacco company called "Slackjaw Tobacco", a nod to Blain's famous quote regarding his teammates when they refuse his offer of chewing tobacco.
The Predator, as seen in the Devastation DLC for Call of Duty: Ghosts.
In the Devastation DLC for Call of Duty: Ghosts, players can actually play as a Predator on the map "Ruins", provided a unique Field Order is obtained. The Predator is based on both the Jungle Hunter and Scout from Predator 2.
One of the unlockable reticles for the Recon scope in Call of Duty: Black Ops III is named "Predator"; it replicates the Predator's iconic triangular Plasmacaster laser sight.
The 1987 game Contra, specifically the version for the Nintendo Entertainment System console, features on its packaging images of its two central characters, one of which is clearly inspired by Dutch (the other being inspired by John Rambo from the Rambo franchise). Additionally, the poses of both characters are based on promotional images of Dutch created for Predator.[2]
In the 1996 game Duke Nukem 3D, Duke Nukem uses the line, "I ain't got time to bleed."
In the 2003 game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, clicking on an archer unit repeatedly will cause her to say, "We move, 5 meter spread, no sound," a line used by Dutch in Predator.
In the 2003 game Manhunt, one of the Wardogs shouts out, "I'm gonna have me some fun! I'm gonna have me some fun!" a quote from Mac.
The 2004 game Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater features a fight with boss character The Fear in which The Fear wears active camouflage, uses a laser sight to target the player and jumps between treetops during the confrontation. Additionally, defeating The Fear in the Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection re-release of the game awards the player with a trophy/achievement called "If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It".
In the 2010 game Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Redford uses the line, "They're dug in like an Alabama tick," a quote from Blain.
In the 2011 game Kingdom Rush, one of Alleria Swiftwind's quotes is, "If it bleeds, I can kill it!"
In the 2011 Steam game Dino D-Day, there is an achievement called "If it bleeds we can kill it".
The 2012 video game Borderlands 2 features many references to Predator:
Several of the skills that can be applied to the character Salvador reference dialogue spoken by Blain in Predator, including "Sexual Tyrannosaurus" and "Ain't Got Time to Bleed".
The challenge "You're One Ugly Mother..." is a reference Dutch's line when he first sees the Jungle Hunter unmasked.
The achievement "Unseen Predator" could be a reference to the Predator's Cloak, especially as the corresponding icon shows Zer0 activating his invisibility.
The loading screens may offer a tip regarding the stalker enemies, stating "If it bleeds, you can kill it, etc." Stalkers additionally have the ability to turn invisible.
The red text on the CHOPPER assault rifle is a reference to the line, "Get to the chopper!"
The 2013 game Saints Row IV opens with the team riding in a helicopter as "Long Tail Sally" plays. Some of the Zin Empire's soldiers also look very similar to the Predator.
The 2013 game Grand Theft Auto V features a mission called "Predator", during which the player character uses a sniper rifle fitted with a thermal imaging scope to search for targets in woodland, likely a reference to the 1987 film and its titular creature.
The 2013 Far Cry 3 stand-alone expansion Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, which pays homage to numerous iconic sci-fi and action films from the 80s and 90s, features several obvious references to both the Predator and Alien franchises. Predator references include:
The game's opening level begins with a section where the player fires a futuristic minigun from a helicopter while "Long Tall Sally" by Little Richard plays in the background; this same song memorably plays during the scene where Dutch and his team are taken into the jungle by helicopter in Predator. When taking control of the minigun at the start of this sequence, the player character Sergeant Rex "Power" Colt says, "I'm gonna have me some fun," which is both a line from the song and a quote from Mac in the film.
Later in the game, players are able to use the same minigun handheld, a common feat in video games inspired by Blain's use of Old Painless in Predator. When drawing the weapon, Colt will "cock" it by twisting the barrels, just as Blain does in the film.
The cutscene following the opening helicopter section features Colt and Spider recreating the famous "handshake" scene between Dutch and Dillon from the beginning of Predator, including a lingering close-up of their bulging biceps.
At one point, Colt describes Colonel Sloan to Dr. Darling as "one ugly motherfucker".
After breaking through the main gate into Sloan's fortress, Colt says, "Knock, knock..." before opening fire on the enemies within; this mirrors the moment in Predator where Dutch kicks in a door and says the same before shooting the Russian advisor.
The description for the Really Huge Mag upgrade for the Galleria 1991 shotgun reads "Even larger mag because you ain't got time to bleed".
The sound effect used whenever the player activates or deactivates Colt's cyber-eye is the same as that played whenever Yatuja thermal vision is seen in the Predator films.
When engaging in stealth combat with Omega Force soldiers, the game's ambient music samples the distinctive jungle drums featured heavily in Alan Silvestri's soundtracks to Predator and Predator 2.
The Predator DLC for the 2015 game Mortal Kombat X adds a playable Predator character to the game, with three variations — the Warrior Predator, the Hunter Predator and the Hish-Qu-Ten Predator. A second piece of DLC released simultaneously, titled the Predator/Prey Pack, adds three new skins for existing Mortal Kombat characters that all reference Predator — the "Commando" skin for Johnny Cage, based on Arnold Schwarzenegger's outfit in the film (and likely also a reference to Schwarzenegger's film Commando), the "Infrared" skin for Scorpion, based on the Predator's thermal vision, and the "Carl Weathers" skin for Major Jackson "Jax" Briggs, which is not only based on Carl Weathers' appearance in Predator, but also replaces the character's usual dialogue with new audio recorded by Weathers. Furthermore, if Johnny Cage is in the "Commando" skin and Jax is in the "Carl Weathers" skin, Johnny will shake Jax's hand and say "Son of a bitch" before the match starts, a reference to the handshake between Dutch and Dillon where Dutch delivers the same line as Cage.
The 2015 game Brofoce, which extensively references/parodies 80s and 90s action movies, also contains several references to the Predator films, particularly Predator:
One of the game's playable characters, Brodator, is directly based on the Jungle Hunter from Predator. As well as using several traditional Yautja weapons, Brodator will self-destruct after death, damaging any nearby enemies.
The objective in most levels is simply to fight through multiple enemies and "GET TO THE CHOPPER!" This is an obvious reference to Dutch's famous line in Predator.
A 2015 time-limited event for the Facebook game Soldiers Inc. added exclusive Alien vs. Predator-themed content to the game, including numerous Xenomorph and Yautja units that could be used in battle and a campaign for each species based around Weyland Corp discovering a huge Yautja pyramid in Africa.
In the 2016 game Darkest Dungeons, the Hellion — one of the hero characters — has an attack called "If it bleeds..."
The 2017 video game Agents of Mayhem features a skin for the character Braddock entitled "Going Dutch" that is an almost exact duplicate of Dutch's outfit in Predator. The Carnage à Trois Skins Pack also adds a costume for Braddock that is a reference to Vasquez from Aliens.
A 2017 time-limited event for the video game Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands introduced the Predator to the game, allowing players to hunt the creature for the chance to win exclusive Yautja equipment for their character. Additionally, the Predator Ghost Pack released alongside it features a number of items based on those seen in the Predator films, including facepaint patterns, clothing items and weapons. A character class based on Dutch is unlockable in Ghost War, the game's multiplayer component.
A 2019 trailer for the video game Total War: WARHAMMER 2 featuring the Skaven and Lizardmen races opens with a Lizardman archer, concealed in the jungle, firing an arrow into the back of a Skaven Ratling Gunner, sparking the rest of the Skaven forces to fire blindly into the jungle, as a reference to the scene from Predator where Blain is killed.
Literature[]
Comics[]
A Predator on the cover of The Transformers #284.
Issue 284 of the UK The Transformers comic series features cover artwork depicting Starscream being stalked by a largely unseen Predator; although the creature is not specifically identified and does not otherwise appear in the issue, it was later confirmed to be a Predator in the letter column of issue 293.
Music[]
The 2000 song "The Mercenary" by Iron Maiden references the first Predator film, with the lines "Diablo come again to make trophies out of men" and "Lose your skin, lose your skull, one by one the sack is full".
American heavy-metal band Austrian Death Machine, which serves as a parody of and tribute to Arnold Schwarzenegger's films, have recorded many songs that reference Predator, including "If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It", "Come on, Do it, Do it, Come on, Come on, Kill me, Do It Now" and "Get to the Choppa".
In the anime music video for the 2018 song "Dark All Day" by GUNSHIP, a member of the band's vampire-slaying security team commits suicide with a Predator Wrist Guantlet when he is overcome and feasted upon by vampires. GUNSHIP have also referenced Aliens in their music videos.
The music video for the 2018 song "When You Grow Up, Your Heart Dies" by GUNSHIP, which consists of fans recreating scenes from iconic 80s movies, includes several references to Predator, including an imitation of the famous "handshake" between Dutch and Dillon. Another clip features a fan dressed in cosplay as the Predator creature.
Gallery[]
Butters running away from the evil Imaginationland characters in "Imaginationland Episode II". A Predator is on the left and a Xenomorph is on the right.
How I Met Your Mother - Barney The Predator
Barney mimics the Predator.
The Predator in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands'
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