Dark Horse’s Predator: Hunters had humans hunting Predators near islands around Fiji but a sinister twist revealed bloodthirsty fanboys were nearby.
It’s no secret Predator is one of the most beloved action/sci-fi franchises of all time, with ’80s and ’90s fans forever defending its honor. Whether it’s video games, board games, novels or comics, the lore continues to be expanded on, and has reached peak heights with the Alien crossover across different mediums.
While modern films such as Predators and Shane Black’s The Predator didn’t catch fire as hoped, Dark Horse was intricately building the universe out, detailing adventures of the alien hunters in depth all over Earth. Marvel has now taken over the property, but before the publisher begins its new vision, let’s dissect one intriguing concept 2017’s Predator: Hunters touched on with the monster having its own cult close to Fiji.
Hunters focuses on Jaya and her black-ops team hunting the beasts all across the world and stealing their tech. Her family did it for centuries and with a wealth of money and resources, they travel to the Bunting Islands, pretending to be reef researchers. There, they meet Henry Bunting, who discloses Kehua, an abandoned part of the family’s archipelago, is an eco-habitat where they left animals to multiply and form a reserve. However, Jaya knows humans have been attacked after engaging in black market activity so her team sneaks in, only to be ambushed by a group of Predators. They’ve been exiled and left without tech, and with four survivors left, it’s all-out war. Jaya’s team can’t take the heat, though, and while the aliens are primitive, they’re very ruthless, sending the human running back to their ship. But the sinister twist unfolds when boats filled with dozens of entities in Predator gear approach. It turns out they’re led by Henry who’s rigged Jaya’s boat, the Durga, to blow up. He takes Jaya’s mercs hostage and reveals this cult is his family’s legacy. Along with the remaining natives on these islands, they’re loyal to the sport and for years they’ve been marooning people there for the Predators to kill.
His ancestors found the aliens after they crash-landed and battled them, with many lives lost on both sides. The aliens eventually lost and the survivors were starved, but the family soon looked at them in awe. They put the weakened aliens on Kehua and started dropping animals in for them to hunt, followed by humans — whether it be criminals, trespassers, or ordinary people for game. They were obsessed with learning the art of war and became fans of watching the aliens evolve, all while resting comfortably knowing the Predators couldn’t get off the isolated island. Henry’s clan carved Predator gear and armor from trees and since then, they’ve been worshipping and wanting to fight like them.