‘Predator: Badlands’ Makes an Aliens Reference That Puts ‘Alien: Romulus’ to Shame

Sometimes, the biggest issue with franchise films is how they cannot help but obsess over the past. Whether it is a belief that all fans care about are cameos or Easter eggs, or the fact that some projects are clearly studio-driven, many pieces of larger IPs feel more like fan service than their own cohesive narrative. An example of this was Alien: Romulus. While Romulus was a good film in its own right, there were clear issues with how much effort it made to highlight its similarities to past projects. However, Predator: Badlands emphasized this issue by how much more effectively it used Easter eggs. During the final battle between Thia (Elle Fanning) and Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), Badlands included a clever reference to James Cameron’s Aliens without overdoing it. Part of that subtlety is exactly why Badlands only heightens how bad of a job Romulus did in alluding to what came before, as Badlands made its own narrative, while Romulus can arguably be accused of straight copying at points.

‘Predator: Badlands’ Uses Easter Eggs to Organically Expand the Narrative

Image via 20th Century Studios

A significant issue with Romulus‘ Easter eggs was how they felt like fan service, more than an essential piece of the narrative. If this had happened once, it would be fine, but this occurred over and over again. Instead, Badlands‘ nods to other projects in the franchise felt organic and actively improved the plot at the moment. When Thia faces Dek, she does so in an advanced version of the loader seen in Aliens, when Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) battled the xenomorph queen.

This wasn’t fan service, but a tool that Thia had to use to give herself a level footing against Dek and the Kalisk. Not only was it logical, as a piece of advanced Weyland-Yutani technology, but it was different from what came before. With an increased fluidity and buzz saw, the loader felt like a piece of tech that stood out on its own, rather than how Romulus brought back Ash (Ian Holm) in essentially the same role, which focused more on the late actor’s inclusion than his contribution to the narrative.

‘Predator: Badlands’ Was Subtle in Its ‘Aliens’ Reference

Badlands‘ reference to Aliens excelled in comparison to Romulus‘ direct quote of previous Ripley lines and the use of the Prometheus black goo because it was not specifically pointed out or over-explained in the moment. In Romulus, there was heavy exposition around things like the black goo or the pulse rifles, which made it clear that this was something the audience was meant to be amazed by. In comparison, Badlands‘ loader simply exists within the world. Nobody explains what it is or where it comes from. Viewers would only notice it as a fun detail if they cared about the franchise on a deeper level, whereas casual viewers could still gain the same level of enjoyment from the battle, without the need for previous knowledge. When we compare this to Andy’s (David Jonsson) quoting Ripley when he says, “get away from her… you bitch,” unless the audience cared about that line in 1986’s Aliens, it would only serve as a distracting moment of awkward tension that has no real payoff.

The Loader is One of the Few References in ‘Predator: Badlands’

The inclusion of the loader in Badlands is heightened by the fact that it is the only clear Easter egg in the entire film that links back to other entries in the Predator or Alien franchises. Weyland-Yutani and its corporate interests, communicated by MU/TH/UR, are closer to a character in and of themselves rather than a callback, since they are active members of the plot, not trophies to gawk at. Similarly, the trophy room of Dek’s brother, Kwei (Stefan Grube), doesn’t contain any skulls that reference other films, and the room itself is an unavoidable piece of Yautja culture that isn’t automatically fan service. Because of this, the loader feels far more special when it is revealed, whereas Romulus had nods to previous films in what felt like every scene, which can lead viewers to focus more on the background of scenes than the actual plot unfolding before them.

Overall, Badlands and Dan Trachtenberg simply did a better job than Romulus at making sure it paid homage to what came before, while also creating something unique. It is an easy trap to fall into, especially considering the love of these franchises that countless creatives possess. However, at the end of the day, it is the story, not the Easter eggs, that the majority of audiences come to the cinema to see, and Badlands found the perfect balance of that.

Predator: Badlands is now playing in theaters.

Release Date

November 5, 2025

Runtime

107 minutes

Director

Dan Trachtenberg

Writers

Dan Trachtenberg, Patrick Aison, John Thomas, Jim Thomas

Producers

Brent O’Connor, John Davis, Marc Toberoff, Dan Trachtenberg, Ben Rosenblatt

Franchise(s)

Predator

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  Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi

  Dek / Father