Like a Yautja in the trees, hidden details and Easter eggs were present in Prey for fans who knew where to look. The latest installment in the Predator franchise follows a young Comanche warrior named Naru (Amber Midthunder) who takes on one of the galactic hunters in 1719, when the Predator is as wild and untamed as the Great Northern Plains it claims as its hunting grounds.
Though it takes place hundreds of years before the events of Predator, the prequel includes many homages to that film and others in the series. From specific throwback quotes and references to the Predator comics, to direct connections to Predator 2, these Easter eggs are the true trophy for any die-hard fans of the Predator franchise.
Throwback Lines From Predator
It's only fitting that the movie that's being called a spiritual successor to the original Predator movie make subtle use of its dialogue. When Naru questions whether the galactic hunter can be stopped, her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers) uses a line that Dutch would employ centuries later, "If it bleeds, we can kill it." Later on, when Naru confronts the Predator for one final battle she screams, "Do it! Do it now!" to entice it to fall into her trap.
Even if some of Prey come from another movie, they don't pull fans out of the plot, and they are stated in an organic way that fortunately doesn't take away from the unique contributions that Prey makes to a franchise that, up until recently, didn't have a lot of new things to say.
Skull Trophy Collecting
Yautjas always collect a trophy to commemorate killing a worthy opponent, and later films in the franchise have featured Predators collecting a variety of skulls, from humans to xenomorphs. Prey sees the feral Yautja do the same, beginning with the skull of a wolf. Using an interesting piece of alien tech, the Yautja sprays a mist that melts the pelt and tissue off the wolf's head to reveal the prize beneath.
Not only does this scene convey the same grossly attention to detail of later movies (both Predator and Predator 2 featured the hunter melting the flesh from a few decapitated skulls), it also helps to establish Yautja customs further.
Yautja Weaponry
While it might come as no surprise to longtime fans of the franchise to see highly advanced Yautja weaponry sported on the hunt, it's still thrilling to see particular devices used in the early 18th century that get changed or refined in later Predator movies. Fans will take note of the iconic double-bladed gauntlet, the net, and even the retractable spear from Predator 2.
It's interesting to find that the Yautja as a species has made some improvements to their weaponry since 1719, and considering the different worlds that have encomed their hunting grounds, it just makes sense. When a hunter returns to Earth centuries later, it's evolved by hunting much more cautiously, and even going so far as to replace its bone helmet crest with a metallic mask.
Hiding From Thermal Detection
After a member of the lion hunting party gets attacked, Naru declares that only a certain wild plant will be able to stop him from bleeding out. This plant "cools the blood", an aspect that should have immediately jumped out at fans of Predator who understand that the main component of the Yautja's hunting tech is thermal detection.
Later on, when Naru ingests some of the plant during her final confrontation with the Predator, it cools her own blood enough to make it difficult for it to track her movements. It's a fun twist on a trope that has persisted in every movie in the franchise and helps demonstrate the benefits of having the home-field advantage.
Camouflage
A near-death experience in a bog forces Naru to use her rope-fastened tomahawk as a grappling hook, pulling herself from the mud that threatens to swallow her. As she crawls to sturdy land, she's the spitting image of Dutch after he's covered himself in mud to lower his body temperature and avoid the Yautja's sensors.
A lot of the methods that Naru uses to divert, avoid, or confront the Predator are based on accidental discoveries added to her wealth of knowledge tracking and gathering herbs. Just as the Predator adapts to hunt its prey, so does its prey learn how to hunt the Predator.
Chest Carving
When Taabe decides to help Naru, he becomes embroiled in her aggressive dealings with the French fur trappers, and eventually used as bait to draw out the Predator. Not understanding that the Yautja won't bother with any prey that it can't hunt itself, they slice him across the chest in the hopes that the blood will attract the alien hunter.
In Predator, First Nation character Billy Sole (Sonny Landham) slices his chest open just before he enters into battle with the Predator, but then their confrontation happens offscreen. With a nearly identical wound, Taabe acts as a stand in for Billy when he takes on the Predator to protect Naru, and his warrior's death onscreen that was denied to Billy makes Predator.
Wordless Communication In The Tall Grass
When Naru has become one of the last of her hunting party to survive, she stumbles upon Itsee in the tall grass. He beckons her to remain still with her eyes trained to the tree line for signs of the Yautja emerging. They communicate in sign language to avoid detection in a way that pays homage to Predator.
In that movie, Mac grabs Dillon and pulls him into the bushes, urging him to be silent while the Predator was hunting. Unfortunately, Mac was caught in the hunter's laser and was killed, which nearly happens to Itsee. He almost manages to run to safety with Nary when the Predator enters the field, but he stumbles, and the Yautja rips him to shreds with its gauntlet.
Booby Traps
Already an established tracker, Naru must prove herself as a hunter in her village, but due to her relative small stature she has to use her natural environment to her advantage. She learns to make sinister booby traps using wooden spikes and stakes carved into trees, knowing that the Yautja will follow the trail and pace she sets through the forest.
Her traps are reminiscent of the ones Dutch makes in order to ensnare the Predator, using the jungle's resources to combat the Predator's advanced technology. The traps are deadly, but it's Naru's mind that is deadlier as she predicts the Yautja's movements and thought patterns in order to become someone capable of killing a Predator.
Humans As Bait
There's nothing a Predator likes more than a worthy opponent, which is why captive bait is rarely enticing. That's why several human characters throughout the Predator franchise have learned to get creativ where bait is concerned, and use each other. Not only are Taabe and Naru used as bait by the French fur trappers, Naru turns the tables on their leader and uses him as bait in order to draw out the Predator.
In order to do this, she has to make her bait look like a viable threat to the Yautja, which she does by making him grab a rifle and try to shoot her, instead aiming at the Predator and incurring its wrath. This is similar to when Royce used Edwin as bait by strapping the criminal with bombs.
Raphael Adolini Flintlock Pistol
One of the biggest Easter eggs in Prey arrives at the end when, after defeating the Yautja and returning to her village, Naru presents a flintlock pistol to the chief with the words "Raphael Adolini 1715" inscribed on a small gold plate. This is the same weapon that's presented as a trophy to Lieutenant Mike Harrigan in Predator 2 by a group of Predators who arrive to retrieve the body of the Yautja warrior he killed.
While an intriguing reference, it potentially generates a plot hole unless future sequels to Prey explains how other Yautja have the pistol centuries later. Fans of the Predator comics published by Dark Horse will know that the pistol appears in other Yautja adventures, most notably among pirates. Its presence in Prey is a fun way to expand on the lore of the franchise, and renewing fan interest.
