The infamous Yautjas, sometimes known as Predators, requires little introduction. The extraterrestrial beast has been a pop culture icon in the sci-fi world since its first appearance in 1987. Predators have ravaged the worlds of movies, games, cosplay, and comic books with an unquenchable rage. In terms of comics, Dark Horse Comics has been in charge of the apex hunters for quite some time and has cooperated with a number of publications, including D.C., to combine the Predators with other characters.
These master hunters have shared space with the best detective in the world, Batman, the son of Krypton, Superman, America’s favorite teen, Archie, the ruthless enforcer of the law, Judge Dredd, and many others, including Tarzan and the entire Justice League of America. In this video, we will discuss the ten most thrilling and fascinating Predator comic crossovers, and at the end, we will offer our recommendation for the top five Predator crossovers that we must have.
Predator vs. Judge Dredd
In the totalitarian and futuristic Mega-City One, Judge Dredd is the judge, jury, and sometimes even the executioner. He’s basically the law itself. But the only law that the Predator knows is to hunt and kill. Battles like these often go down in the pages of history. For once in his life, Judge Dredd wouldn’t mind taking help from Psi-Judge Schaefer, a descendant of the legendary Alan Schaefer, who had seen a fair share of Predators in the past. The comic was published in 1997 by Dark Horse Comics and Egmont Fleetway; written by John Wagner. So, are you ready for some blazing futuristic guns against the master hunters of the galaxy?
A Predator comes to Mega-City One to wreak havoc on the already dystopian homeland of Judge Dredd. There was a skirmish going on between the criminals and the Judges, who were being led by the ultimate law enforcer, Judge Dredd. The Predator entered the scene of action and completely stole the thunder of the Judges by indiscriminately killing criminals and Judges alike.
Some might say he was a fair and just beast. Just kidding! Judge Dredd manages to temporarily fend off the master hunter with his trusty handgun. The Predator flees the spot and goes inside a warehouse. In the warehouse, Judge Dredd felt dread when the Predator managed to overpower and subdue him, but when the other judges came with back up, the Predator knew it was best to run away and come another day. After this ambush, the Judges went to recover and regain their strengths, and make a plan of action. Interestingly, the great-granddaughter of Dutch Schaefer, Psi-Judge Schaefer, was a psychic who used her abilities to find out the location of the Predator. However, the Predator attacked again and killed more Judges at a shopping mall.
It soon became clear to the Judges that the Predator was seeing the whole lot of them as prey and wanted to hunt them all. Schaefer seemed to have lost contact with the Predator. However, after she drank a bit of its blood, she managed to build a psionic link with the creature. She revealed that the creature was sick and was taking refuge in the ruins of what used to be New York City. After a fierce battle, Dredd succeeded in sinking his combat knife into the Predator’s chest, finally ending the menace. Schaefer later deduced that the Predator knew about the arrival of the Judges and wanted to die an honorable death, in a final challenge and not of his disease and illnesses.
Tarzan vs. Predator
In this four-issue crossover comic, the unnamed king of the jungle clashes with an apex Predator that’s far deadlier than any beast Tarzan has ever encountered. The comic was published in 1996 by Dark Horse Comics. It remains the most unique and apt crossovers of the Predator ever made because it pits two beings who are adept with the rules of nature and hunting. Written by Walter Simonson, the comic “Tarzan versus Predator: At the Earth’s Core” is definitely a reading recommendation from our side.
Pellucidar, the bastion of primeval forests, lies at the center of the Earth. Due to its position and history, the Lord of the Jungle, Tarzan, considers the place a sacred ground that should be respected and honored. But for the Predators, it is nothing more than the ultimate hunting ground. Strange things begin to happen in and around Pellucidar, as its strongest beasts and most lethal warriors start mysteriously getting killed. Furthermore, the ruler of Pellucidar and Tarzan’s friend David Innes disappears. When Tarzan hears about these suspicious events, he is left with no choice but to visit the core of the Earth to investigate and bring his friend back from wherever he is.
The denizens of Pellucidar breathe a sigh of relief in knowing that their protector, the mighty Tarzan, is on his way. On the other hand, the Predators prepare for their greatest challenge; they will be facing a foe that knows no limits when he gets going. Tarzan arrives at Pellucidar only to discover the devastating, horrific events that took place in the past few days. Man and beast alike, no one was spared from the wrath of the mysterious force. He ultimately chanced upon these horrifying beasts from outer space that hunted not for food, but for the thrill of it, as their trophies.
Things got worse when the Predators struck Tarzan’s Jane. What started out as a fight had turned into a war, now that Jane was involved. Tarzan lets out his famous and frightening war cry, and now it was time for the Predators to become prey. Meanwhile, the Sauroid hatches/ the Sauroids hatch an elaborate conspiracy to seek control of Pellucidar. Tarzan finally meets his adversaries in the midst of the jungles, and the ensuing battle was of a ferocity that the Jungle had never witnessed before.
Aliens versus Predator versus The Terminator
This four-issue comic was published in 2000 by Dark Horse Comics and was written by Mark Schultz. The comic revolves around an evil supercomputer named Skynet, which is hell-bent on the extermination of humans. At the core of the story, is the technology that splices human D.N.A. with that of the Xenomorphs to create deadly Terminator Xenomorph hybrids. Earth’s only chance at survival resides with Ellen Ripley and an unlikely alliance with another terrifying race—the Predators. What will be the end result of the war that has three deadly beings as its stakeholders? Not to forget, all of them love a good fight!
This great comic begins with a small and poor community of people who reside in sewers. However, a few personnel are looking for someone in those sewers. A decrepit and frail woman suddenly attacks the people who found her, and stops only when Annalee Call introduces herself to this frail woman. It turns out that this woman was none other than the clone of Ellen Ripley. Ripley goes with Call to the latter’s base, where Call briefs Ripley of a military operation on the science station named Typhoon.
The lead scientist of the project, Dr. Trollenberg, intends to create a hybrid Alien super-soldier. An artificial beast intended to have the traits of humans, the terminator, and the Aliens. Naturally, Trollenberg is a mad scientist with no qualms for the scientifically crazy. When Trollenberg demanded cybernetic parts for his project, General Helm refused to oblige and asked the scientist to kill the project. This ended in General Helm’s death at the hands of Trollenberg. Call requested Ripley to join the mission intended to stop Trollenberg, but Ripley refused as she was in a state of despair. However, when Call blackmailed her, she agreed to come along.
Meanwhile, a Predator reached the Typhoon base, just as Ripley and Call reached the place with other personnel. To everyone’s surprise, the Predator kills Trollenberg, only to be chased down by a super-soldier. In a shocking turn of events, the super-soldier catches up with the Predator and manages to kill it. They all learn about the great powers and strength of these super-soldiers, who could take in insane amounts of damage and had the ability to absorb metal to regenerate. They find a recording by John Connor, the protagonist of the Terminator franchise, which informs them about a Skynet Resurrection Program, through which terminator models named Crypto-Terminators would attempt to take over the Earth and maybe even other worlds. Soon, a Predator ship approaches them and abducts Ripley.
Interestingly enough, the Predators don’t kill or even harm Ripley; instead, they offer her a chance to fight and die alongside them. It becomes clear that the Predators understood the balance of life in the galaxy, and wanted to maintain that balance. They gave Ripley their ceremonial and traditional weapons, along with the war paint. The battle culminated on Black Asteroid, where all the stakeholders converged.
Ripley and the Predators found out on Black Asteroid, that the super-soldiers were increasing in numbers, and the newer models were far deadlier than the previous ones. They were so invincible that even the self-destruct device of the Predators was rendered useless. However, Ripley unleashed a horde of Aliens on the super-soldiers, and the Predators used this opportunity to open heavy fire at the artificial beasts. But one of them managed to escape, and Ripley pursued it. Ripley later died fighting the last of the super-soldiers, and the comic ends with Call eulogizing Ellen Ripley.
Superman vs. Predator
This three-issue comic places Superman and the Predators in the same universe, and pits them in a story that’s rich and satisfying. We know that Superman is one of the greatest superheroes of the D.C. Universe and is clearly more than a match for the Predators, who are strong but lack superpowers, unlike our Man of Steel. So, how did the writer David Michelinie manage to pen a story, that made the battle between Superman and the Predator a prudent and equalizing one! Well, let’s find out.
The story begins in Central American jungles, where Star Labs finds a mysterious alien object and sends its people to investigate. The place where the object was located was called the jungle of shadows, and naturally, it was a sign that the place was not a regular jungle. Lois Lane learns about the event and the mysterious finding and plans a trip to the jungle of shadows. Meanwhile, Superman accompanies the personnel of Star Labs to the location. While investigating the ship, all he could find was a self-destruct device. The ship was of strategic importance as it bore advanced technology that could modernize humanity to great levels.
Superman decided to tear the ship apart to find out more, but he got stuck with an electronic beacon. The beacon sent out a signal that was picked up by a Predator scout ship in the depths of space. However, the electronic beam somehow infected Superman with a virus that adversely affected his powers, making him weak. In the meantime, a terrorist organization began executing its plan of committing mass murder on a global scale by using the technology of the ship. They reached the spot and Superman tried to fend them off, but due to his weakened state, he had to leave with the others.
Just then, the Predator who had received the signal from the beacon arrived to destroy the ship, and remove all evidence of Predator technology. Lois Lane arrives at the jungles and Superman saves her despite his weakness. Sometime later, they get captured by the terrorists and are taken to a prison of sorts. They manage to escape anyhow, but Superman returns to the ship to find a cure for himself. He witnesses horrid sights like swarms of flies and piles of skulls, and later comes face to face with the Predator, who was in the process of exploring the ship. The damage from the ship’s explosion doesn’t affect Superman, and the Predator saw him as a formidable opponent.
The Predator goes to collect more weapons and tools as prep for a final battle against the Son of Krypton. The two of them fight each other in a high-octane battle, where Superman successfully overpowers and imprisons the Predator. They join hands in the near future because they both not only respected each other for being righteous but also saw each other as honorable opponents. The Predator destroyed all evidence of his kind’s technology and gave Superman a cure for the virus as a mark of respect and honor. The story ended almost as soon as it picked up the pace. We would have been glad if there was more depth to it, like Batman vs. Predator.
Aliens vs. Predator
This five-issue comic is practically the godfather of all Aliens and Predator crossovers ever. Written by Randy Stradley, it was published by Dark Horse Comics in 1990. The protagonist of the story Machiko Noguchi later appears in “Aliens vs. Predator: War” and “Aliens vs. Predator: Three World War”. Furthermore, references to this comic were made in later comics like “Aliens vs. Predator: Duel” and “Aliens vs. Predator: Blood Time”. Although it is the first crossover comic between Aliens and Predators, a short story by the same name was published in 1989. The story revolves around the ranching colony planet of Ryushi; the lives of the colonizers are devastated when a Predator mothership brings Xenomorphs to their planet for the ceremonial blooding ritual.
Machiko Noguchi was born to a loving mother and a wealthy father, but her father was involved in a tragedy and committed suicide. In his dying moments, he asked Machiko to regain family honor. Young Machiko made it her life’s only objective to fulfill her father’s dying wish, no matter what the cost. She joined the Chigusa Corporation and shortly got several promotions. Finally, she was given the responsibility of leading a ranching colony on the hot and arid planet of Ryushi. The planet had two suns which made the climate scorching and parched, and life extremely difficult. What the residents of the planet didn’t know was that it was also an ancient hunting ground for Yautja hunters.
They would come to the planet with Young Blood Yautjas to complete their blooding ritual and get the status of an adult Yautja. The colony of Prosperity Wells was attacked by a Yautja hunting party and the Xenomorphs that they had unleashed for their younger Yautjas. The Predator Dachande was leading the party and in his mother ship remained a Xenomorph Queen, whose only task was to lay Ovomorphs for the hunt. In no time, the face-huggers that had emerged out of the Ovomorphs started to impregnate Ryushi animals called Rhynths. Dachande or Broken Tusk didn’t expect to find any humans on the planet, but the human settlers soon overpowered him and took him, prisoner.
Indeed, the other Predators changed their target and started hunting humans. Meanwhile, an alien hive quickly came into being as the Xenomorph Queen had laid a royal Ovomorph, that later birthed a Xenomorph Queen on Ryushi. As the Predators and the Xenomorphs started to attack each other as well as humans, the latter became sandwiched between these two races who lived to kill and, one may say, killed to live. A doctor on Planet Ryushi along with Machiko, finally free the Broken Tusk. Dachande then takes it upon himself to free Ryushi of the Xenomorph infestation as he believed that humans were not supposed to die because of his wrong judgment. He sided with Machiko, and together, they destroyed the hive. Machiko fought valiantly against the Xenomorphs and gained the Yautja honor for slaying a Xenomorph queen by sheer resolve and fighting skills.
Batman Vs. Predator
This was the first comic that crossed Aliens/Predator/Aliens vs. Predator with other characters. Published in 1991 by D.C. Comics and Dark Horse Comics and written by Dave Gibbons, the comic’s basic story revolves around the hunter becoming the hunted as Batman, the world’s ultimate detective, takes on the galaxy’s most prolific hunter, the Predator. None are willing to break down or compromise with the other, ensuring that the readers have a thrilling ride with each page they turn.
In the comics, mob bosses Leo Brodin and Alex Yeager attempt to settle their professional feuds by organizing a boxing match and making their best professional boxer fighting in the ring. Yeager’s boxer Marcus won the bout. But in a strange turn of events, Marcus soon gets killed by someone in his own apartment. Initially, people start to speculate that Brodin’s men killed the boxer out of anger and for revenge, but the dead boxer was missing his skull and spine. This kind of brutality was something that was rather alien to the mob bosses of Gotham. Given the seriousness and the mystery of the crime, Batman is called to join the investigation.
However, more murders start to crop up at the gym. When Batman returns, he sees before him the bloody aftermath of the massacre. The only survivor was a blind elderly boxer. Batman soon realized that the killer was following a weird code of honor and was choosing to kill only those that he found worthy. Meanwhile, the mob bosses Yeager and Brodin met to discuss the issues. The Predator was observing all of these events from a distance. Batman quickly managed to locate the Predator’s hideout, and after a gruesome fight with the apex hunter, Batman was incapacitated but not killed. After defeating Batman and making him almost bed-ridden, the Predator went on to take down the mob bosses and their henchmen one by one in a very calculated and organized fashion.
As Batman lays in his bed trying to recover as soon as possible, bodies start to pile up; even Gotham’s mayor was now dead. To take care of the situation, the national guard was called to Gotham. Batman barely healed and could only walk, when he donned the cape and cowl once again to have a final confrontation with the Predator wreaking havoc. He custom-made a sonar suit to help him in the fight.
After a long and violent battle, Batman managed to defeat the Predator. The fight that started on the roof of the Gotham City Police Department finally ended in the Wayne Manor. Like the Predators had given the sword of Adolini to Mike Harrigan at the end of Predator 2, Batman also received a sword as a memento and believed that the Predators wouldn’t return now that they have met an equally formidable enemy in Gotham.
J.L.A. vs. Predator
We saw Batman and Superman individually taking on the Predators in separate comics. In 2001, D.C. Comics and Dark Horse Comics published a one-shot comic that pitted the Justice League against the Predator. Written by John Ostrander, the comic’s title would make people wonder how creatures like the Predators, who have relatively lesser powers and abilities than the Justice League members, could take on the League. Well, the Predators featuring in this comic had abilities similar to the J.L.A. members because they were engineered in that fashion by the Dominators.
The Dominators captured a few Predators to transform them genetically. For those of you who don’t know who the Dominators are; they are D.C. characters from the far ends of the universe who are highly advanced technologically and expert geneticists with elaborate knowledge of D.N.A. splicing and gene enhancement. Much like Xenomorphs who follow a caste system, the Dominators also follow a similar system; the bigger the red circle on their heads, the higher their caste.
The story of the comic begins with a Dominion spaceship passing by the J.L.A. watchtower on the Moon, which the Martian Manhunter guarded. Through the conversation of the Martian Manhunter and Oracle on Earth, we learn that the Dominators had once tried to conquer Earth in the past. The Martian Manhunter saves three of the Dominators from their burning ship and brings them inside the Watchtower. However, another intruder was aboard the ship, and Martian Manhunter informs Oracle about the situation at hand.
Before any of the other Leaguers were dispatched, he wanted to ascertain the enemy himself. Just as the Martian Manhunter could do any real damage, a bladed weapon appeared from behind him, and he went silent. When the Oracle fails to establish communication with the Martian Manhunter, she contacts Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern and briefs them about the crisis. Batman’s League teleporter seems to be locked out, so he stays behind for the time being and suggests the Oracle contact the other Leaguers. Meanwhile, Superman and Green Lantern head to the Moon to discover what menace had threatened the Martian Manhunter, one of their strongest members.
Aquaman, Flash, the Atom, Plastic Man, and Wonder Woman respond to the Oracle’s call. Superman and Green Lantern discover Martian Manhunter’s head on a spear and Superman quickly realizes that it’s the job of a Predator, with whom he and Batman already had had a run in. However, Martian Manhunter’s brain wasn’t inside the head when it was slashed; therefore, he was still alive and walking. They fix his head back on his body. Although he is alive, his system had taken quite a beating. The Dominators were quick to use this distraction and teleported themselves to three different locations. Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Plastic Mango to Venice to find one of the Dominators. There they are attacked by one of the Meta Predators in the water and in the air.
Green Lantern, Flash, and Atom found another one of the Dominators in the dense Amazon forests, but their Meta counterparts immediately confront them. By now, all the Dominators had been found. They all teleported to the lunar Watchtower so that the Dominators could be interrogated. However, the meta Predators followed Justice League of America to the Moon. They pick up how each Meta Predator was designed, based on the Leaguers. Initially, each League member was fighting their own counterpart, but when they realized that it would be a battle with no results, they were quick enough to fight the counterparts of other League members. However, only Superman took on his Meta. The Martian Manhunters’ were sent to the place where they came from, but their future remained rather unknown.
Archie vs. Predator
Published in 2015 by Archie Comic Publications and Dark Horse Comics, this comic takes the thrill to a whole new but rather a silly level by bringing together the favorite teen of America and the fiercest hunter of the galaxy. Out for Spring Break, Archie and his friends become the prime target of the Predator; will they realize the danger before it is too late? Let’s find out.
Archie and his friends take a spring break trip to Costa Rica at the Los Perdidos Resort. However, a Predator soon lands in the nearby jungle. Betty and Veronica engage in a fight during their stay at Los Perdidos Resort. Naturally, the fight attracts the attention of the extraterrestrial hunter. Their trip ends shortly and they go back home to Riverdale where the Predator follows them. The Predator sets his eyes on Veronica and attempted to kill her, but ended up slaughtering several armed people in the process.
Betty took the creature’s picture. Later, Kevin Keller’s father, who was a military general, identified the creature as the Predator, an alien race that’s devoted to hunting with high-end technology. They come with their own stealth fields that help them turn invisible with little effort. Furthermore, they possess wrist and shoulder weapons. It is clear that General Keller is terrified of the Predators, and rightly so. The Kellers and Archie’s friends set a trap for the Predator, and they use Jughead Jones as bait to lure the Predator into a kill zone.
However, the plan miserably fails and the Predator killed most of the hunting party. Some of the group members concluded that it was best to split up and hope that the beast would continue to follow Veronica, giving them the opportunity to escape. However, Dilton, Jughead, Betty, and Archie stay with Veronica. The Predator charged again, only to kill Jughead and Dilton while mortally wounding Archie.
Betty and Veronica flee the spot and take refuge at the Lodge Manor. They put Archie in an experimental healing machine. Nonetheless, the Predator was in hot pursuit and attacked the girls. Archie dies, and Betty and Veronica get severely wounded. The Predator showed signs of remorse at this sight because it all started with the Predator crushing on Betty. Betty then used the machine to heal herself and Veronica. She also transforms the Predator into an Archie look-alike. The Archie-Predator went on to spend his time with the two girls, but he always remained mute.
Motorhead vs. Predator and Predator vs. Magnus, Robot Fighter
In Predator versus Magnus, Robot Fighter, the rich and elite of Northam conduct illegal hunts and take trophies. One of these trophies is the helmet that was stolen from a Predator. Naturally, the Predator comes to Northam to take back what was his and has no qualms for violence and bloodshed to complete his quest. With the ongoing carnage and massacre, Magnus Robot Fighter will have to ensure that the good guys win. But, what’s more, beautiful of the comic is that it blurs the line between the good and the bad guys.
In Motorhead vs. Predator, the Predator lands in Steel Harbor in search of game and heads. However, he has never seen a head like Motor Head’s. These two comics are the underdogs of the list and naturally lack a fan base. If you feel that we should expand on these, then do let us know in the comments, and we will try to create a separate video on them.
Also, as mentioned at the beginning of the video, here is our list of Top 5 Predator Crossovers That Should’ve Been Here Already!
Predator vs. Conan The Barbarian
Predator vs. Punisher
Predator vs. Joker
Predator vs. Killer Croc
Yeah, we know we promised five, but how about we let you choose the last one yourself. Do let us know in the comments, your thoughts on the Predator Crossovers That Should’ve Been Here Already! If we find an exciting title, we will make a video to discuss how the comic’s story should be and the possible outcomes of the battle. Rest assured we will surely name the architect behind the genius idea!