Predator: Killer of Killers (2025): Cast, Plot & Lore
Predator: Killer of Killers is an adult animated science fiction action anthology film directed by Dan Trachtenberg and written by Micho Robert Rutare. It was the first animated film in the Predator franchise and one of the series' oddest entries. Instead of following one hero in one setting, the movie split across three different historical stories before bringing its surviving characters together for a final confrontation on an alien world. That setup put the Yautja against Vikings, samurai, and World War II pilots, then tied the survivors into a larger piece of Predator lore.
Film Overview
Released in 2025, Predator: Killer of Killers took an anthology approach that set it apart from earlier Predator movies. The film divided into four chapters: The Shield, The Sword, The Bullet, and The Battle. Each of the first three stories followed a human warrior from a different era who survived a Predator encounter. The fourth chapter revealed that these victories made them valuable to the Predators, who preserved them in suspended animation and later forced them into a gladiatorial contest. In an unusual event for the Predator franchise, Dan Trachtenberg released two Predator movies in 2025, the other being Predator: Badlands, which was released in November.
Plot Summary
The first chapter, The Shield, took place in Scandinavia in the year 841. A Viking warrior named Ursa led her son Anders and her clan on a mission to kill the Krivich chieftain Zoran, the man who forced her to kill her own father Einar when she was a child. Ursa and her warriors destroyed Zoran's people and finally reached him in his stronghold. After Zoran mocked the death of her father, Anders beheaded him. That victory did not last long. A Predator (nicknamed the Grendel) attacked the group immediately afterward and began killing Ursa's clan one by one. Ursa managed to kill the creature in a brutal underwater fight, but Anders died from his wounds, turning her revenge into tragedy.
The second chapter, The Sword, shifted to Japan. Two brothers, Kenji and Kiyoshi, were once ordered by their warlord father to duel for succession. Kenji refused to fight, but Kiyoshi attacked him, scarred his face, and drove him into exile. Twenty years later, Kenji returned as a shinobi to confront Kiyoshi, who had become lord of the region. Before their conflict could truly end, a Predator (nicknamed the Oni Predator) began hunting Kenji through the castle. Kenji defeated Kiyoshi in a sword fight and scarred him in return, but when the Predator attacked, the brothers were forced to fight together. They killed the Predator, though Kiyoshi died from his injuries.
The third chapter, The Bullet, moved to 1942 during World War II. John J. Torres, a mechanic drafted into the U.S. Navy, served under Captain Vandenberg, known as Vandy. Their squadron investigated a mysterious hostile aircraft that had been destroying Allied forces. The threat turned out to be a Predator pilot flying an advanced alien craft. Torres tried to warn the others, but the Predator systematically wiped out the squadron until only Torres and Vandy remained. Vandy sacrificed himself so Torres could survive. Torres outmaneuvered the Predator and tricked it into destroying itself, then crashed into the water and was seemingly rescued. After the war, while back in civilian life, Torres was abducted by another Predator ship.
The final chapter, The Battle, revealed how these stories connected. Ursa, Kenji, and Torres awakened in captivity after being held in suspended animation by the Predators because each of them killed one of their hunters. Fitted with explosive collars, they were taken to an arena on Yautja Prime and forced to fight under the watch of a Yautja warlord called the Grendel King. The three could not properly speak to one another because of the language barrier, but they soon realized they had a better chance of surviving together than apart. Instead of turning on one another, they rebelled against the Predators and tried to escape.
The Grendel King upped the challenge by unleashing a giant alien beast into the arena. Torres was swallowed, but survived, while Ursa and Kenji worked together to kill the creature. The three then made a break for the Grendel King's ship. Their escape turned into a full battle against the warlord and his forces. Kenji lost his right arm during the fight, and Predator soldiers grounded the ship with a harpoon launcher. Ursa slid down the harpoon cable using her shield and destroyed the launcher, sacrificing herself so Torres and Kenji could escape. The Grendel King placed Ursa back into suspended animation, and the ending revealed that she was stored alongside other captives who also killed Predators, including Naru, Mike Harrigan, and Dutch Schaefer.
Main Cast And Characters
- Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy) - A Viking warrior seeking revenge on the chieftain who destroyed her family and one of the three main protagonists.
- Young Ursa (Cherami Leigh) - A younger version of Ursa seen in flashbacks to her childhood and her father's death.
- Kenji Kawakami (Louis Ozawa Changchien) - A disgraced shinobi who returned from exile to confront his samurai brother and later fought a Predator.
- Kiyoshi Kawakami (Louis Ozawa Changchien) - Kenji's ambitious samurai brother who became ruler of their region and later joined Kenji against the Predator.
- John J. Torres (Rick Gonzalez) - A World War II mechanic drafted into service who survived an aerial battle with a Predator pilot.
- Vandenberg "Vandy" (Michael Biehn) - A veteran fighter pilot and Torres's mentor who sacrificed himself during the Predator attack.
- Einar (Doug Cockle) - Ursa's father and the former Earl of Ladoga whose death shaped her quest for revenge.
- Anders (Damien Haas) - Ursa's son who fought beside her during the Viking raid and later died after the Predator attack.
- Freya (Lauren Holt) - One of Ursa's Viking warriors and a member of her clan.
- Ivar (Jeff Leach) - A Viking warrior who followed Ursa into battle against Zoran's tribe.
- Gunnar (Piotr Michael) - Another member of Ursa's clan who participated in the raid.
- Zoran (Andrew Morgado) - The Krivich chieftain who killed Einar and forced Ursa to murder her own father.
- Delgado (Alessa Luz Martinez) - A World War II mechanic and friend of Torres.
- Mr. Torres (Felix Solis) - Torres's strict father who discouraged his son's reckless flying.
- The Grendel King (Britton Watkins) - A Yautja warlord who captured elite warriors and forced them to fight in an arena.
- Naru (Amber Midthunder likeness) - A Comanche warrior shown in suspended animation after defeating a Predator.
- Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover likeness) - The LAPD detective who killed a Predator and was later revealed among the captives.
- Dutch Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger likeness) - The Dutch commando who survived a Predator hunt and appeared in the captured warriors chamber.
The Grendel King
The Grendel King served as the main Predator antagonist of the final chapter. Rather than behaving like a lone hunter, he acted more like a warlord overseeing a ritualized contest. He collected worthy survivors, stored them in suspended animation, and forced them to fight in an arena on Yautja Prime as a public piece of Predator culture.
Anthology Structure
The film split into three hunts, then an arena. The Shield put Ursa against Grendel in a Viking raid. The Sword put Kenji against the Oni Predator in a castle. The Bullet put Torres against a Yautja ace over the Pacific in 1942. The Yautja Prime arena had been planned for an early Predator 3 script.
Predator Lore And Continuity
Killer of Killers added a new angle to franchise continuity. The ending implied that the Predators did not simply kill every opponent who defeated one of their hunters. In some cases, they preserved those survivors and kept them for later contests. That reshaped how the wider Predator timeline could be interpreted. Killer Of Killers also included the Raphael Adolini pistol, which appeared both in Predator 2 and Prey.
Naru, Dutch, And Harrigan Reveal
The closing reveal is one of the film's biggest hooks. Ursa was shown in suspended animation beside other captives who also killed Predators, including Naru, Mike Harrigan, and Dutch Schaefer. That moment gives the film a much larger franchise significance than a simple standalone anthology. It suggests the Predators have been collecting exceptional human survivors across time, and it opens the door for future crossover stories involving multiple protagonists from different parts of the series.
Behind The Scenes
Predator: Killer of Killers was directed by Dan Trachtenberg from a screenplay by Micho Robert Rutare, based on a story by Trachtenberg and Rutare. It was the first animated Predator feature, produced by 20th Century Animation, Lawrence Gordon Productions, Davis Entertainment, and Toberoff Entertainment. Animation was by The Third Floor. Benjamin Wallfisch wrote the score.
Voice work included Lindsay LaVanchy, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Rick Gonzalez, and Michael Biehn. Kenji Kawakami had already appeared in Predators (2010) as a Yakuza enforcer. Concept designer Farzad Varahramyan drew early Feudal Japan hunter options with Alec Gillis at Studio Gillis, one of the time-piece briefs Trachtenberg sorted before animation.
Release And Reception
Predator: Killer of Killers was released on June 6, 2025 on Hulu in the United States and internationally on Disney+. It runs for 85 minutes and became the first animated Predator movie. The film received a strong critical response, with praise focused on its action, voice cast, direction, score, and the way it used animation to expand the series. A later extended version added Dutch Schaefer and Mike Harrigan more clearly to the ending reveal, giving the final franchise tease even more weight.
Legacy
Killer of Killers was the first animated Predator feature, with three hunts (Viking, samurai, and World War II) then an arena on Yautja Prime under the Grendel King. Ursa was put back in stasis beside Naru, Mike Harrigan, and Dutch Schaefer.
External Sources
Tag Categories: Predator Movies
