Badlands Trophy Wall: A Guide To Every Skull

The trailer for Predator: Badlands featured an impressive wall of hunting trophies. This collection showcases the skulls of various species hunted and claimed by the clan that Dek Predator belongs to. Unlike prior depictions, the Badlands Trophy Wall seems to be located on Yautja Prime, the homeworld of the Predator species. Although some skulls can be positively identified, many of them can only be speculated upon. This article presents an overview of the trophy wall, offering a systematic guide to each skull displayed.

The Full Badlands Trophy Wall

The trophy wall consists of a central display area embedded into the architecture of a Yautja vessel or structure. The wall is constructed from dark metallic materials with intricate engravings typical of Yautja design. The skulls are mounted in an orderly fashion, divided into three sections. The Predators seem to be somewhat obsessed with the number three (and the three-dot symbol), which indicates the number of suns on their homeworld. The lighting is subdued, with red holographic interfaces above, illuminating the wall with a minimalistic glow. There is a big ceremonial bowl in front of the trophies, possibly filled with sand and serving an unknown purpose (check the Yautja Skull section for more on this).

The Skulls On The Left

The left section of the wall contains four skulls, which are described moving left to right:

• Large Extraterrestrial Skull: The origins of this skull remain unidentified but it is speculated to be from a large feral and unintelligent herbivore, an exotic species from another planet.
• Large Humanoid skull without a jawbone: Possibly an Engineer skull. Engineers are considered to be one of the most prized trophies ever, as they are both rare and tough opponents.
• Human Skull with Spine: A classic trophy taken from human prey, with the spinal column still attached. Predators take human trophies both with and without spines, but without is more common.
• Big Alien Skull: A trophy that resembles the Boba Fett Mythosaur symbol, but could be the head of a juvenile Xenomorph Queen instead.
• Tribal Necklaces: 2 distinct tribal necklaces with teeth, nails, and bones attached to them. Possibly taken from Native Americans centuries before, hinting at the events of Prey.

The Skulls In The Middle

The central section of the wall is composed of 6 skulls, described moving left to right:

• Big Gorilla-like creature skull: Probably not an ordinary Earth gorilla, as it is bigger. The "Death Planet" Kalisk was shown to have giant ape-like furry creatures, which could be one of those.
• Small Alien skull (top left): Looks somewhat like a Xenomorph skull from the front, but is much shorter. Could be the River Ghost creature from Predators, and perhaps a juvenile, as it's so small.
• Small Monkey-like skull (bottom middle): A skull slightly smaller than a human, could be a feral monkey-like creature. Speculated to be an Ewok as a nod to Star Wars. The skull has a small hole on the top.
• Large ET (middle): Very similar to the Aliens from the Independence Day movies, who are called "Harvesters". The Harvesters used armored bio-suits for protection, but the skull seems to be from the Harvester itself.
• Big Orc-like Skull: A large humanoid intelligent being, who resembles an Orc from Warhammer 40k. The skull has a rectangular hole on the right side, from some exotic Yautja weapon.
• Lizard skull (bottom right): The skull is visible from the top down, with the creature facing downwards. Looks somewhat like a crocodile, which the Predators have fought with many times on Earth.
• Tribal Necklaces: Again, 2 tribal necklaces with attached teeth are displayed, hinting at a Native American connection.

The T-Rex Skull

The far-right side of the wall prominently features a Tyrannosaurus Rex Skull. Its inclusion signifies a symbolic hunt, highlighting the Yautja's history of seeking out the biggest and most formidable terrestrial predators. Predators have hunted dinosaur-like creatures before, which is already evident in the trophy wall seen in Predator 2. Although the skull on the Lost Tribe ship was possibly an extraterrestrial dinosaur (with strange mandibles), Predators hunted "classic" dinosaurs in the Tarzan vs. Predator comic book. In this crossover story, Tarzan travelled to the Core of the Earth, and witnessed the Yautja taking down both T-Rexes and Triceratopses.

The Location Of The Trophy Room

While the trophy walls from earlier films were found aboard hunting ships, the Badlands Trophy Wall might be located on Yautja Prime. Although the location is somewhat similar to the Lost Tribe Ship from Predator 2, the sandy motif matches the shots of Yautja Prime we see in the trailer. The trophy room could be located in a "Predator Citadel", hidden in a cave, or a Yautja structure in the mountains. This setting reflects a cultural or clan-specific hall of trophies, possibly serving as a status symbol for the Dek Predator clan, or its Clan Leader.

The Yautja Skull

One of the shots in the trailer reveals a Yautja skull, sitting on the edge of a ceremonial bowl, possibly the same one that is in front of the trophy wall. Dek Predator (or his brother) is seen lifting an old and hidden bio-mask from the sand inside the bowl. The skull and mask might belong to a deceased member of the clan or a rival Predator, suggesting that inter-clan combat and trophy-taking is part of their cultural tradition. No Yautja skulls are part of the bigger trophy wall, hinting that trophies of Predators are not taken, or are treated differently.

Similarities To The Mortal Kombat Trophy Wall

A very similar trophy wall exists in the Mortal Kombat X video game, where a Predator trophy room features numerous recognizable skulls. The game features both the Alien and Predator as playable characters. After defeating an opponent and ripping off their head, the Predator places the skull in a sleek trophy room, presumably located aboard his spaceship. This trophy room showcases a variety of exotic trophies, including the head of a mutated T-Rex (resembling the one seen in Predator 2), the skull of a Tyranid from Warhammer 40,000, and a skull from the Diablo video game series.

Conclusion

The Badlands Trophy Wall represents a detailed and lore-consistent portrayal of Yautja hunting culture. There is no hint of "Predators extract DNA from spines to hybridize themselves" from The Predator, which is a welcome omission. The trophy wall includes a total of 11 skulls and 4 necklaces, and is most likely located on Yautja Prime.

Tag Categories: Predator: Badlands Lore, Yautja Society