Underrated Predators: Lesser Known Yautja Individuals

The fan-favorite Predators are often the likes of Wolf, Dark, Ahab, Scarface, Dachande and the first Jungle Hunter. However, there are several other lesser known Predators who deserve the spotlight. These are the Yautja that no NECA or Hot Toys figures have been made and probably never will. Many of them even survived their hunts, a rare occurrence in the case for the Yautja.

Mega-City One Predator

The Predator that visited Mega-City One was one tough bastard and Judge Dredd had three rounds of fights with him during the Predator vs. Judge Dredd comic series. The Predator started by hunting down criminals but moved on to killing Judges as well. The Judges had to employ PSI Judges and robotic war droids to take him down but it wasn't enough. Finally, Judge Dredd took him on in a single one-on-one melee fight, with both fighters using any armor. Judge Dredd managed to stab the Predator in the chest and kill him, while taking serious damage himself. Although the Mega-City One Predator is from a crossover story and isn't canon in the Predator universe, he is canon in the Judge Dredd universe, being one of the many creatures that the Judge had to chase down during his long career. Judge Dredd had a later run-in with the Yautja in the Predator vs. Judge Dredd vs. Aliens: Splice and Dice comic series, where it ended in a more friendly manner and they worked together against the Xenomorphs.

Captive Predator

The Captive Predator was held in a biodome in the Nevada desert by humans in the near future. He lost his right arm along with the wrist-gauntlet during the capture. He was not much hindered by it, as his left arm was abnormally big and strong with giant razor-sharp claws. The humans thought they had the situation under control, but actually, that was far from the truth. The Predator figured out their security system and was always one step ahead of them. In the end, he faked his own death, killed his captors and re-acquired his wrist gauntlet. He made the whole base explode by his self-destruct device. His final fate is unknown, but it is unlikely he survived. This all occurred in the acclaimed Predator: Captive comic book.

Nazi Hunter Predator

The Nazi Hunter Predator from Predator: Demon's Gold was a legendary Yautja who hunted in Mexico shortly before or during WW2. The Germans spearheaded by a squad of SS soldiers were looking for hidden Inca treasure in the mountains to finance their war effort. They burned down several peaceful villages until they found a boy who would take them to the gold. In the mountain caves, they were suddenly attacked by a huge Yautja, who made short work of the Germans. He took the trophy of the squad leader and left the boy as the only witness. Demon's Gold is a great and short black-and-white comic that is not well known and makes up the final part of the last Predator Omnibus.

Ancient Predator

The Elder Predator from Predator: Homeworld had transcended his elder status and become more like an ancient Predator. It was speculated that he was more than a thousand years old. He was not leading any clans at that point but was living a quiet tribal life on Yautja Prime. When three young Predators went on a killing spree in Yellowstone park on Earth, the ancient elder went after them and hunted them down. Despite his age, he was able to dispatch the three bad-bloods in a bloody fight and survive. Later he took some time off to hunt bears in the park. The ancient elder is an interesting viewpoint of what happens to a Predator in his older age.

Vega 4 Predator

The main Predator from the Alien vs. Predator SNES game doesn't get mentioned enough. He came to the aid of the humans on the colony of Vega 4 to clear out the Xenomorph infestation. However, his intentions were to have an enjoyable hunt, not so much to save the humans. He was also one of the few Predators to visit the Xenomorph Homeworld - and kick ass while doing it. The Predator mostly used melee weapons and took down different types of Xenomorphs - including a flying Alien and Snake Alien that were inspired by the Kenner toy line.

Light-Stepper

Light-Stepper was a one-handed Predator that was featured in three different Predator stories and survived each one. This is a big achievement for the Yautja who usually die at the end of their stories and seldom cross comic boundaries. His first appearance was in Aliens vs. Predator: Blood Time where he was blooded and lost his right hand. His most prominent role was in Aliens vs. Predator: Duel, where he fought against Colonial Marines and later helped take down a Predalien, also a rare occasion for Predators. Finally, Light-Stepper met Machicho Noguchi in a cameo appearance in Aliens vs. Predator: War. He acted rudely to the female hunter and helped shape Machico's decision to rejoin the human race.

Unnamed One

The unnamed Predator from Aliens vs. Predator Classic isn't so famous because he doesn't have a name and the main Predators from the game's sequels - Prince and Dark, get all the spotlight. The disjointed Predator campaign (only the 3 first missions are connected) may also be an issue to some. However, the Unnamed One is a great Predator who took down swarms of Aliens and squads of Colonial Marines to rescue his clan brethren. When the rescue failed and a Predalien emerged from his comrade, he obviously killed it. Later he visited Fury 161, the only Predator to do so and hunted down an Alien Queen in an honourable fight- using no energy weapons.

Bet-Karh

Bet-Karh from Predator: Flesh and Blood is one of the few Predators we get to have a POV story from, meaning there are chapters in the book dedicated to the inner thoughts of this awesome Predator. Beth-Karh was a leading member of one of two different clans of Predators who decided to join their forces on a single hunt. The hunt took them to a mining planet with two groups of organized crime members having a feud. Similarly to humans, the Predators started to fight amongst themselves due to differences in principles. In the end, only human Andar Ciejek and Bet-Karh remained standing. Bet-Karh let the survivor live out of respect and decided to restore honor to his failing clan. Out of the four DH Press Predator novels, Beth-Karh is the only Predator to survive, a grim statistic.

Smiley

Smiley was the leader of a clan of Predators hunting on an unnamed colony world at the end of the 24th century. His great nickname was given by a group of humans for his stoic nature. Smiley ignored the humans and let them live, even though they carried weapons. When Smiley's clan members were killed by a swarm of Xenomorphs emerging from an ancient temple, Smiley went on a rampage and killed scores of Aliens. The rampage ended with him facing an ancient Alien Queen inside the temple. While it initially seemed that Smiley was killed, it was later revealed that Smiley was victorious, although gravely wounded. He lost an eye and was covered in blood. Smiley's only appearance was in the Alien vs. Predator: Civilized Beasts comic book, which was itself a sequel to Alien vs. Predator: Thrill of the Hunt.

South China Sea Predator

The South China Sea Predator is underrated because the book is not read by many due to the fact that it is so hard to find. You can get the book for about 100 dollars on eBay. The Predator himself is a total badass - he wrestles an alligator, kills more than a 100 human soldiers and surfs around the swamp on a hoverboard. He is only taken down in the end by a precise shot by a sniper to weak spot in his armor. The cover by Stephen Youll is awesome and writer Jeff VanderMeer gained a lot of fame later with his Annihilation trilogy. Predator: South China Sea is seriously needing a rerelease, possibly together as an omnibus with the other DH Press novels.

Want to know more about the Yautja expanded universe? Check out the list about the best Predator comics and the best Predator books.