Predator Healing: Medicomp And Other Abilities

One of the lesser-known aspects of the Yautja species is their remarkable resilience to damage and the sophisticated devices they use to aid their recovery. The Predators often get wounded on their hunts and have to use the portable medkit, also known as the Medicom with its wide array of specialized devices. With the blood flow stopped, wounds cauterized, and painkillers administered, the Yautja can continue their hunting.

Predator's Natural Healing Ability

The Yautja have an incredible regenerative ability that allows them to recover from wounds at an astonishing rate and continue hunting. This resilience is thought to be due to their advanced physiology, which includes multiple redundant organs and an extremely efficient circulatory system. In addition, the Yautja have incredibly high pain tolerance, allowing them to endure severe injuries without experiencing the debilitating pain that a human would feel. Many Predators have been known to lose limbs and still continue fighting, only worrying about the blood loss later. However, this recovery factor might only be temporary and the result of a substance similar to adrenaline, the Predators still need to use first aid after combat, or the hunt could be their last.

Predator Medicomp

The Medicomp is the Predator's main first aid device, containing many smaller surgical instruments for different purposes. The Medicomp is strapped to the Predator's shoulder pack and several different versions of it exist, depending on its user's clan or armor preferences. Usually opened straight after a battle, each Medicomp contains at least one instrument to help to stop the blood flow and another to administer pain relief. Using the Medicomp is often painful, and the Predators don't shy away from screaming or roaring across the hunting grounds, making their enemies uneasy. The first notable Medicomp belonged to the Jungle Hunter, who used it after getting shot by Mac in the leg.

Syringe

The syringe was the biggest item in the Jungle Hunter's Medicomp, although its purpose, in this case, is a bit unclear. First, the Jungle Hunter poured a green substance over his leg wound, possibly as a way to administer pain relief. Then he moved the syringe across it as well, although the syringe did not have a visible needle. However, the syringe seemed to have a clear substance inside of itself, that was possibly administered deeper inside the wound.

Wound Clamp

Finally, the Jungle Hunter used a wound clamp to close off the leg wound. This was the most painful part of the operation, as the Yautja roared in pain, which was visible to Dutch and his team. It seemed that the hunter did not remove the bullet from his leg, it is possible he decided to do this later on his ship, or the bullet already exited. Although the Jungle Hunter lost the battle with Dutch, he did not seem hindered by his leg wound, which was closed off well and already started healing.

Predator Medicomp Mark 2

The City Hunter had a slightly bigger Medicomp than the Jungle Hunter, with even more surgical devices inside of it. This was fortunate for the City Hunter, as he was much more gravely injured than the other hunter. It unlocked in a different way as well, with two sides opening like an eggshell. Although the City Hunter could have escaped to his ship, which was just under the same building, he chose to administer first aid, perhaps to not look weak to his clan mates on the ship. However, it would have been better to administer this first aid in a more remote location, as Harrigan could see everything from the hole in the wall, and could attack him from behind.

Burner

First, the City Hunter had to deal with his lost arm, a wound that was dripping blood and weakening him. A tool that came in handy was the burner device, an expanding plate with a hot flame in the middle. The device would burn any material that was added to the plate, creating different substances. The City Hunter added pieces of the bathroom wall, which would then be turned into a healing gel.

Blue Solvent

A vial of blue dissolving liquid can be combined with the burner and random substances to create a "healing gel". The same kind of dissolving liquid was later used by Wolf Predator, but for the purpose of erasing evidence of a Xenomorph infestation. Wolf took it from his Cleaner case, which was separate from the regular Medicomp case.

Cauterizing Gel

When the substance inside the burner has burned for a few minutes, it becomes a blue gel, that can be used to rub on open wounds. This gel helps to cauterize the wounds, stopping any bleeding. City Hunter rubbed it with a spoon-like device on the stump of his left arm and on the shotgun wounds in his abdomen. The process itself did not seem particularly painful.

Painkiller Syringe

As a final step in the first aid process of the City Hunter, he stuck himself in the abdomen with a giant syringe. This seemed to be the most painful part of the procedure, as the Yautja let lose a giant scream. What was inside the syringe can be debated, but perhaps it was a mixture of painkillers and an adrenaline-like substance. This gave the City Hunter the final push to make a mad dash towards the Lost Tribe ship, which was nearby. However, he was killed by Harrigan moments later, getting stabbed by the smart disc.

Breathing Mask

A device that is not directly part of the Medicomp, but can still be part of administrating first aid, is the breathing mask. If a Yautja loses his bio-mask in the field, he might have trouble breathing in Earth's atmosphere when wounded. The mask gives the Predator the right mixture of gases that he is accustomed to on Yautja Prime, including higher levels of methane and nitrogen. The City Hunter was wounded in the chest, so it is understandable that the reached for the mask several times before getting to his hidden ship.

Predator Medicomp Mark 3

The third version of the Predator Medicomp showed up in Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, used by Wolf Predator. Wolf had two cases, one dedicated to his cleaner responsibilities, the other for administering first aid in the field. The two cases were attached to his back side-by-side, while the Medicomp was considerably smaller. He only used the Medicomp once, for healing the wounds received when fighting the Xenomorphs in the sewers.

Wound Stapler

The third Medicomp had a wound stapler gun, for administering clamps similar what the Jungle Hunter used. It could close multiple wounds much faster than manual clamping. The Medicomp possibly had something to address the pain, but Wolf was not interested in that.

First Aid Gun

The Feral Predator did not have a Medicomp, but he took a lot of damage and still had to administer first aid in the field. His only healing device was the so-called first aid gun, which he kept on his belt. Instead of stapling wounds together, it cauterized them, stopping any bleeding. The Feral Predator used this after his long battle with the French trappers, where he sustained multiple injuries and had to heal his leg.

Health Shards

The final Predator healing device worth mentioning is the health shard, which shows up in most Alien vs. Predator games. Offering quick healing in true video game format, the Predator stabs himself with two different shards in the chest, instantly gaining most of his health. In the older AvP games, the shards would take power from the Predator's power pack. However, in Aliens vs. Predator 2010 the shards will run out after a few usages and need to be re-collected. Most likely, the health shards contain a cocktail of painkillers and other exotic boosters, allowing the Predator a quick recovery to continue the hunt.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Yautja species has a remarkable ability to recover from wounds due to their advanced physiology, high pain tolerance, and the use of sophisticated first-aid devices such as the Medicomp. These devices contain a wide range of surgical instruments to help stop bleeding, administer pain relief, and promote healing. The Medicomp's effectiveness was demonstrated by the Jungle Hunter and City Hunter, who were able to continue fighting after being gravely injured. Although the Medicomp is an essential tool for the Yautja, it is not always enough to ensure survival, and their recovery factor may only be temporary.