Comics and Novels In the
Aliens vs. Predator novel series (based on the
Dark Horse Comics) by
David Bischoff,
Steve and
Stephani Perry, the Predators are depicted as living in a
matriarchal clan-based society bearing similarities to a pack mentality whose strongest and most skilled of the group lead. The Predators are portrayed as
sexually dimorphic mammals. It is also revealed that their blood has the capacity of partially neutralizing the acidity of Alien blood. Their
religion is partially explored 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. The comic series
Predator and
Aliens vs Predator: Three World War introduce a clan of Predators referred to as "Killers," who are enemies of mainstream Predators (here called "Hunters") because of their tradition of training Aliens as attack animals rather than hunting them, as well as their desire for killing as opposed to honorable hunting. The character Machiko Noguchi notes in issue #1 of
Three World War that "You have to understand the mindset of the Hunters, and the honor they place on facing a worthy opponent on an equal footing ... a kill is the end result, but it's not the point of a hunt ... For the 'Killers', that wasn't the case. They were all about the killing." They are first seen in the 2009
Predator series, where a number interfere in an East African civil war, coming into conflict with both humans and their Hunter counterparts. By the time of
Three World War the Killers are assumed to have been wiped out by the Hunters, but some survive and begin attacking human colonies, forcing Noguchi to forge an alliance between humans and the Hunters in order to deal with them. 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 overstimulated, 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 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.
Video games In the 2020 video game
Predator: Hunting Grounds, the Predator species appears as one of two playable factions in the asymmetric multiplayer mode known as Hunt. The mode pits a single player-controlled Predator against four player-controlled Human
special operations soldiers called the fireteam, which mirrors the setup of the first
Predator film. The Predator player hunts the fireteam from a third-person perspective and attempts to prevent their escape before the timer expires, using weapons and abilities taken from the films and comic books. The fireteam works together to complete objectives and escape while avoiding the Predator and hostile AI units, which they encounter through a traditional first-person tactical shooter perspective. At the start of each match, the characters are unaware that a Predator is nearby, which serves as the narrative reason for the conflict. The game is presented as a spiritual successor to the original films and tells additional story content through fully voiced cassette tapes. These recordings expand the timeline and connect characters such as Dutch (
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Predator 1987), Sean Keyes (
Jake Busey,
The Predator 2018), son of Peter Keyes (
Gary Busey,
Predator 2 1990), and Isabelle (
Alice Braga,
Predators 2010). All tapes are voiced by the original actors. Dutch's activities between the 1987 Val-Verde incident and the game's 2025 setting are detailed in free DLC recordings voiced by Schwarzenegger. In 2025 Dutch is in his late seventies, although his life has been extended unintentionally through Predator medical technology, giving him the strength and physique of a man in his forties. After the events of the original film, Dutch devoted himself to hunting Predators and now serves as a consultant and mercenary for the OWLF ("Other Worldly Life Forms").
Animated series Aliens vs. Predator: Annihilation In May 2023,
Alien Day founder Josh Izzo revealed that "10 episodes of a fully completed
Alien vs. Predator anime series" had been completed at
20th Century Fox, intended for a
Netflix release prior to its
acquisition by Disney, had been produced by Eric Calderon and Dave Baker, and directed by
Shinji Aramaki, but was yet to see official release from the
Disney Vault, despite completion. Originally developed as an adaptation of
Dark Horse Comics'
The Machiko Noguchi Saga, with Izzio using the comic as the basis for storyboards in his pitch, the series was redeveloped by Aramaki as a "deep future"-set story set years after the events of
Alien Resurrection, told from the perspective of a Predator clan (including a cyborg and a bone-weapon-wielding warrior named "Bone") as they hunt down Xenomorphs. The unreleased anime series was revealed to be titled
Aliens vs. Predator: Annihilation. ==Critical reception and legacy==