Predator's New Crossover With A $2.5B Mega-Franchise Makes One Key Change To The Sci-Fi Classic
Published Aug 22, 2026, 8:30 AM EDT
Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows.
Sign in to your ScreenRant account
This year, Predator's biggest crossover updates an important piece of Yautja lore to demonstrate how different their newest prey truly is. Throughout centuries of ritualistic combat, the Yautja consider the Xenomorphs their ultimate adversaries. Young warriors seek out the lethal beasts to achieve full clan acceptance and prove their worth in brutal trials. Face-to-face combat against a Xenomorph demands flawless precision, as the Alien creatures possess sharp tails and corrosive blood that melts solid steel. A victory over such a supreme specimen grants a Yautja immense prestige and the revered title of Blooded.
The 2004 Alien vs Predator movie famously captures the Yautja and the Xenomorphs' rivalry across frozen subterranean landscapes. They have also faced off in the Dark Horse crossover comics, which elevate the concept further with their landmark 1990 print issues, where human soldiers find themselves caught in brutal crossfire. More recently, the Yautja have targeted the Marvel Universe, eliminating high-profile superhumans in Predator Kills the Marvel Universe, as well as the upcoming Predator vs. Punisher comic, releasing November 2026.
Besides the humans, the Xenomorphs, the Kalisk from Predator: Badlands, and the Marvel Universe's mutants and superhumans, Predator's Yautja also place their sights on a familiar species: apes.
39 Years Later, Predator Vs Planet Of The Apes Changes An Iconic Line
Predator Vs Planet Of The Apes #2; Written By Greg Pak; Art By Alan Robinson & Espen Grundetjern
In Planet of the Apes vs Predator #2, after witnessing many of his warriors being slaughtered while attacking the speaking human Arch, General Ursus realizes that Arch, Zira, and Cornelius may actually be telling him the truth about the culprit. Ursus stops dead in his tracks and sniffs the area before telling his apes, "if you can smell it... you can kill it." In a remarkably rare exception for his species, the Yautja hunter preying on the apes is spotted despite his cloaking system, and the apes shoot directly at him.
Dutch's iconic quote "if it bleeds... we can kill it" is both one of the most memorable lines in Arnold Schwarzenegger's career and in action movie history, and it perfectly summarizes the Predator franchise. The Yautja and their prey represent the ultimate challenge for each other, often appearing impossible to defeat until the other draws first blood. In Predator vs Planet of the Apes, the Yautja hunter starts bleeding early on, which puts him at a disadvantage against the apes and forces him to find new ways to reduce their numbers on their home turf.
The Apes May End Up Being The Yautja's Most Formidable Prey
The Apes Are Better Warriors Than Humans, But They Have A Poetic Weakness
Modern human society has been the Yautja's most common target throughout history. And yet, despite lacking a lot of the advanced weaponry and technological tools of regular human beings, the apes may have a high chance of beating their Yautja predator in record time. The apes featured in Greg Pak, Alan Robinson, and Espen Grundetjern's crossover have an unmatched unity as a species, having subjugated humanity long enough to render many of them unable to communicate. They're experts on the battlefield, and they can spot invisible predators in a matter of seconds.
On the other hand, Planet of the Apes vs Predator #2 teases the apes' biggest weakness, which most of them don't even know may spell their end. As teased by the solicitation for Planet of the Apes vs Predator #3, the Forbidden Zone teased in issues #1 and #2 is filled with human prisoners who will likely serve as an improvised army for the Predator. Leading a rebellion of mutated humans, the Yautja will likely face the dwindling ape population, aided by their human captives in a war that will conclude with at least one of the three species out of commission.
Who do you want to see win in Planet of the Apes vs Predator?
Planet of the Apes vs Predator #2 is available August 26 from Marvel Comics
-
First Film Predator
Cast Carl Weathers, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Peter Hall, Peter Cullen, Derek Mears, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Walton Goggins, Françoise Yip, Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Amber Midthunder, Dakota BeaversCreated by Jim Thomas, John Thomas
Movie(s) Predator, Predator 2, Predators, Predator, Prey
-
Video Game(s) Planet of the Apes, Revenge of the Apes, Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier, Crisis on the Planet of the Apes
Cast Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, Linda Harrison, Mark Wahlberg, Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Roth, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti, James Franco, Andy Serkis, John Lithgow, Freida Pinto, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jason Clarke, Toby Kebbell, Judy Greer, Woody Harrelson, Amiah Miller, Kevin Durand, Dichen Lachman, William H. Macy, Owen Teague, Freya AllanCreated by Pierre Boulle
TV Show(s) Planet of the Apes, Return to the Planet of the Apes
First TV Show Planet of the Apes
What's Your Reaction?
Like
0
Dislike
0
Love
0
Funny
0
Wow
0
Sad
0
Angry
0
Comments (0)