Predator Prequel is In the Works, And It's Coming Soon

4 days ago 6

Marvel Comics is about to give fans the Predator: Badlands prequel comic they didn't even know they needed.

Per a press release from Marvel Comics, writer Ethan Sacks and artist Elvin Ching are about to take readers on a ride through the world of the franchise's next feature film with the release of Predator: Badlands #1 this November. The prequel story will follow "a young Yautja warrior" whose father tasks him with retrieving a piece of tech from a long-abandoned spacecraft that crashed down years prior. Of course, nothing about the mission is as simple as merely picking up and coming home with his prize, especially not when "an ancient and deadly threat lies in wait."

The Hunt Begins in Predator: Badlands #1

Written by ETHAN SACKS
Art by ELVIN CHING
Inks by OREN JUNIOR
Main cover art by JUAN FERREYRA
Variant cover art by CAFU

Writer Ethan Sacks said of the title, "For a writer who grew up a lifelong fan of the Predator franchise, there is no bigger game than the chance to hunt with the Yautja. Working hand in hand with the filmmakers behind Predator: Badlands, we made sure this prequel story fits into the cinematic saga like a puzzle piece." Sacks added, "It's going to give fans a deeper, richer experience – especially when they get to feast their eyes on Elvin Ching's art."

Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg, who also directed 2022's Prey and the hit animated anthology film Predator: Killer of Killers, sang high praises of his own of the prequel comic. "Badlands is the first Predator movie to draw inspiration so heavily from the comic books. So it’s with great delight that you and I now get to look at splash pages, from the minds of Ethan and Elvin, of a formative adventure for our characters that serves as a perfect companion to the film... Dek kicking ass in his very own comic book is a dream come true."

Predator: Badlands is set to introduce the world to Dek, a young Yautja warrior (portrayed by Dimitrius Schuster-Kiloamatangi) who is treated as an outcast by his people for being the runt of his tribe. The film will also introduce Elle Fanning in two different roles, one of those being the Weyland-Yutani synth known as Thia. Although they are an unlikely pair to be sure, Thia and Dek find kindred spirits of sorts in one another upon crossing paths, leading to a team-up that fans of the franchise never would have imagined for themselves. As of the time of writing, Predator: Badlands is slated to arrive in theaters on November 7, giving fans a little less than a week to see the movie before the prequel comic hits store shelves.

Predator: Badlands #1 goes on sale November 12 from Marvel Comics.