Pop Sci-Fi - Could the ID4 Aliens be Entering the Predator Universe?

Yes, sometimes I watch science fiction movies made in the last fifty years. Some of my favourites belong to two 20th Century Fox (now Disney) franchises; Alien (originating in 1979) and Predator (1987). Therefore, I've been excited to watch the trailers for the upcoming Predator: Badlands. One shot in an early trailer has garnered an awful lot of fan speculation.

The Trophy Wall

Predator: Badlands (2025)

The Predators love their trophy walls, as any franchise fan could tell you. They hunt other lifeforms for sport, including humans, and they want to show off their achievements. The trailer for Predator: Badlands includes one such wall. Among the skulls on display (including what appears to be that of a tyrannosaurus rex), there's a skull that resembles that of an alien from another Fox franchise, Independence Day (1996), often styled as Id4. In the sequel, these interstellar resource hogs are called the Harvesters.

Given there is already a strong connection between the Predator and the Alien franchises, the idea of bringing Id4 into the fold may excite some fans and worry others. Many consider Independence Day to be far weaker than the other two franchises, and few consider its sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence (2016), any more than they have to.

Is the Skull That of a Harvester?

Predator: Badlands (2025)

With its sweeping, diamond-shaped crest, the skull certainly does conjure the image of those pesky invaders, the Harvesters. However, in one trailer, Elle Fanning, who plays an android in Predator: Badlands, examines the skull. This is relevant because her sister, Dekota Fanning, starred in War of the Worlds (2005), Steven Spielberg's adaptation of H. G. Wells' 1898 novel, The War of the Worlds. The aliens depicted in War of the Worlds are different in many ways from those in ID4, but they share a very similar head shape. If the skull is, in fact, based on the WotW aliens, it could simply be a wry nod to the aliens encountered by Elle Fanning's sister's character.

Independence Day (1996)

After some examination of the skull and the head shapes of the two aliens, I'm pretty convinced that the skull flares out to the sides too near the face for it to belong to an ID4 alien. In overall shape, I think it more closely resembles a WotW alien's head. The upward sweep at the back of the crest is also a closer fit with the WotW aliens.

Does that mean War of the Worlds is now canonically part of the Predator franchise? Well, let's talk a bit about canon.

Canon or Wink to the Audience

War of the Worlds (2005)

Apart from the fact that the WotW aliens would be no worthy prize for a Predator, what with them being physically quite weak, it seems unlikely Disney would want them or be allowed to include them in the Predator universe. It seems more likely that it's a throw away inclusion. To the audience, it's a reference to another movie. In universe, it can be assumed to be just the skull of a creature hunted down by a predator, that happens to have a skull resembling that of an alien from another franchise. For that reason, whatever the trophy skull references, without a clear statement that it actually belongs to a particular species, a simple skull on the wall can never establish canonical connections. That fact, that it could just resemble another fictional creature, will be important later.

So, what if it is a Harvester Skull?

I really doubt that it's a Harvester skull. But, what if it is? What are the consequences of including the ID4 aliens in the Predator franchise?

The disadvantages are clear. It would mean Earth had been invaded previously, causing the deaths of millions, and it had never been mentioned in the Predator franchise or, significantly, the Alien franchise. Independence Day was set in 1996, the year of its release. This is a year before Predator 2 (1990) was set. Although, that movie has its own issues of continuity with the real world, showing slightly futuristic handguns that never turned up in real life.

Of course, the Harvester invasion could retroactively be decided to have taken place at a later date, were it not for the sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence specifically referring to it having taken place in 1996. Still, few people would care if that movie were rejected for inclusion in a new, Harvester inclusive timeline. It did no favours to the original film, or to the Harvesters' lore, and would be fundamentally incompatible with any Predator or Alien timeline.

Canonical Complexity

Can we just reject movies, or elements of movies, from such a timeline? Well, it's messy, and people sometimes disagree with what fits in canon and what does not. Two movies in particular cause a conundrum.

Predator 2 (1990)

After years of the Alien and Predator franchises being connected in computer games and comics, they were finally fused on the big screen in Alien vs. Predator (2004), and its sequel, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). Due to the widespread (but not universal) opinion that both these movies are just utterly dire, they're largely considered to exist in their own continuity, thus decoupling the Alien and Predator franchises again. Certainly, the AVP movies are inconsistent with Ridley Scott's Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017), both of which seem to be being embraced by recent Alien releases. However, some prefer to think of the AVP outings as being part of the Predator timeline, especially as they're referenced on screen in The Predator (2018). Others might prefer to reject that movie too, as it's unpopular in many circles.

Cobbling Together a A/P/H Continuity

So, it wouldn't be out of the question that Independence Day: Resurgence could be ignored. What are the benefits of cobbling together a potential Alien/Predator/Harvester timeline?

Arguably few, but there are some. Firstly, it would add a little more lore to a shared universe. The remains of planets and civilisations strip-mined by Harvesters might prove interesting locations, and the threat of encountering more Harvester groups might weigh heavily on humans exploring the galaxy.

Of course, the three franchises are generally very different in style, but they share a certain quality that's important to all three. Many cinematic encounters between humans and aliens hold a mirror to our warlike nature and colonial inclinations. They frame us as being on the receiving end of those same qualities as an advanced alien race tries to colonise Earth. These three franchises have a far more cosmic horror approach. The xenomorphs of Alien aren't invading; we're just part of their life cycle. The Predators aren't invading; we're just another animal to hunt. The Harvesters clearly never saw their attack as an invasion; we're just a part of the planet they're going to exploit for resources. All three species ignore our precious humanity, because out there, beyond earthly bounds, it's just not relevant. We can't negotiate with these species. There can be no diplomacy. They'll take what they want and move on.

On a narrative level, a failed Harvester invasion contributes very little. Perhaps, humanity's exploration of space is made possible largely because of salvaged Harvester technology. In Alien, when Captain Dallas announces the Nostromo has been rerouted after picking up a signal, Ripley asks, 'Human?' There's no other indication I can think of, from within the Alien franchise, that suggests humanity has encountered another intelligent, technologically advanced species. Perhaps Ripley was concerned about the ship encountering more Harvesters. In a Predator timeline, the Harvesters are probably worthy of being hunted just as long as they're in their biomechanical suits.

Those meagre offerings are all that immediately spring to mind, but that's not to say a further story couldn't include Harvesters and their technology.

Are the Alien and Predator Franchises Definitely Linked

Predator: Badlands (2025)

One thing we can definitely take away from the Predator: Badlands trailer is a confirmation. If we assume any media beyond film and television (comics, video games, etc) are not canon, and we ignore the AVP films, as indeed we must (and probably want to), then we don't have much to say these two franchises are actually components in a megafranchise. What appeared to be a xenomorph skull appeared in Predator 2 thirty-five years ago, and in the more recent animated entry, Predator: Killer of Killers (2025), a Predator king appears to be wearing a cloak of xenomorph tails. If the skull in the Predator: Badlands trailers is just a wink to an audience who'll recognise the vague connection War of the Worlds has through its sibling actors, these apparent indications of the presence of xenomorphs in the Predator universe could equally be dismissed. That skull could just be of a species with a head that resembles a xenomorph's, especially so as it would predate the xenomorph origins in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.

But, now, the trailers give us direct confirmation that the two franchises are connected, and perhaps, that they exist together with a shared timeline. Elle Fanning's character is an android made by the mega corporation Weyland-Yutani, which has never before appeared in the main Predator universe, but is a fundamental part of the Alien franchise. The Wayland-Yutani logo flicks up on her eyeballs, and can be seen behind her. It may seem trivial. We still might not ever get another run at a clash of these two classic science fiction titans. But it means that future installments of either franchise can pick elements from the other if necessary. Personally, I think what Disney is currently doing is probably the best way to go; creating semi-sequels and semi-prequels that slot between stories already told. I have no desire to see a Predator and a xenomorph on screen together these days; but you just know someone, somewhere is tasked with working on it. Nor am I eager to see either species get tangled up with Harvesters; but you just know someone, somewhere is at least thinking about how to do it.

Nebuleena's Thoughts

'Surely the real question is how these aliens support those huge heads with those scrawny necks.'


All screenshots taken by me for purposes of review. If you dispute the fair use of these images, contact me at ptbyrdie@gmail.com.