Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg is giving fans a better idea of what to expect when they finally meet Dek’s mother on screen. The filmmaker recently opened up about his plans for the character in the upcoming sequel, confirming that her arrival will be handled with more care and purpose than how female Yautja have been shown in other media.
The last few minutes of Predator: Badlands, which hit theaters in November 2025, set up a major conflict for the young Yautja protagonist. After Dek defeated his father Njohrr in a duel and took his cloaking device, a ship appeared on the horizon. Dek told his companions Thia (Elle Fanning) and Bud that the ship belonged to his mother, and he got ready for another fight .
Now that the film is available for people to watch at home, Trachtenberg is sharing more details about what comes next.
Dan Trachtenberg Wants To Avoid The Usual Tropes With Dek’s Mother
In a recent interview with ScreenRant to talk about the Predator: Badlands home media release, Trachtenberg explained his thinking behind introducing Dek’s mother . He pointed out that female Yautja have only ever appeared in comics and video games like Predator: Hunting Grounds, never in a live-action movie .
The director said he and his team “haven’t quite gotten into design [planning] yet” because they are still focused on who she is as a character first . But he did share his main goal for her introduction.
“I want it to be a little unexpected and avoid the tropes as much as possible,” Trachtenberg said. “It’ll be more intentional and focused on the cool of what the Yautja culture can bring to the screen. We might not be pulling straight from how they’ve been rendered in the comics” .
Trachtenberg also talked about this in another conversation with Bro Bible, where he explained how he wants to handle a female warrior character differently.
“Often I think I’m having an original idea and someone tells me it was in the comics. But from what I’ve seen, the portrayals aren’t how I’d approach it. I want to avoid tropes — especially how female warriors are often handled in fantasy” .
This approach makes sense given how the Predator franchise has evolved under Trachtenberg’s watch. With Prey and now Badlands, he has shown he is interested in expanding the mythology of the Yautja species while keeping things fresh.
What Happened In The Badlands Ending That Set Up Dek’s Mother
To understand why Dek’s mother is such a big deal, you have to look back at how Predator: Badlands ended. The movie followed Dek, a young Yautja who was cast out by his clan for being smaller and weaker than the others . He crash-landed on a dangerous planet and formed an unlikely bond with Thia, an android created by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation .
The climax of the film saw Dek return to Yautja Prime and demand a cloaking device from his father Njohrr as a reward. When Njohrr refused and ordered his guards to kill Dek, the young Predator challenged his father to a duel. Dek managed to get the upper hand by cutting off his father’s arm and trapping him. When Njohrr begged for his life and promised to accept Dek into the clan, Dek said he had already found his own family with Thia and Bud. At that moment, Bud bit off Njohrr’s head, and Dek took the cloaking device for himself .
But the victory was short-lived. A Yautja ship appeared, and when Thia asked if it was friendly, Dek simply said, “It’s my mother,” and readied his sword for another battle .
That cliffhanger has left fans wondering what kind of character Dek’s mother will be. In Yautja culture as shown in comics, female Predators are often larger and more dangerous than the males. They usually serve as leaders of their clans and prefer careful, smart hunting over the reckless style that males sometimes show . Some female Yautja even form “Widow Clans” after their mates die, choosing not to find new partners .
Since Dek just killed his father in a duel, his mother is now a widow. That could make her a very dangerous enemy in the next movie.
The First Female Yautja In Live-Action
Bringing Dek’s mother into the sequel is a big moment for the franchise. For almost 40 years, movie audiences have only seen male Predators on screen. The creatures have always been portrayed as big, dreadlocked hunters who grunt and roar. But the expanded universe in comics and novels has shown a much more complex society.
Trachtenberg confirmed that a female Yautja has only “been portrayed in comics” before, which gives him room to create something new . He suggested that he might not follow the comic book designs exactly, preferring to create a version that fits his vision for the story.
This is similar to what he did with Prey, which took the franchise back to 1719 and introduced a Comanche Nation protagonist in Naru (Amber Midthunder). That movie was praised for breathing new life into the series without changing what made the original work.
Predator: Badlands took another risk by making a Yautja the main character for the first time. The movie follows Dek’s journey and shows his point of view, which had never been done before . Early reviews praised this choice, with THE WEEK calling it “the most moving entry in the ‘Predator’ franchise yet” and noting that “the parent-child bond — fractured or otherwise — is revealed as a recurring motif” .
Now, with Dek’s mother on the way, that family drama is about to get a lot more complicated.
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What’s Next For The Predator Franchise
Fans do not have to wait long to watch Predator: Badlands again and look for clues about the sequel. The movie is currently streaming on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ in other countries . It arrived on the platform on February 12, 2026 . For those who want to own a physical copy, the 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD versions will be released on February 17, 2026 .
The home media release includes bonus features like deleted scenes, featurettes about how they created the Predator, and an audio commentary with Trachtenberg and his team .
As for the next movie, Trachtenberg confirmed he is working on it alongside his new deal with Paramount Pictures. Some fans worried that the Paramount deal might mean he was done with Predator, but the director set the record straight in an interview with i09.
“It does not mean that,” Trachtenberg said when asked if the Paramount deal would end his Predator plans. “I am simultaneously figuring out all of the next steps for the Predator franchise. I’m in this moment that I was in when Prey came out, where I was like, ‘What do I do next?’ and got very excited about a Predator protagonist and got very excited about an animated movie with multiple time periods, and then they just happened to go at the same time. And so that’s where I’m at with Predator now, is, ‘Oh my God, there are so many exciting things we can do’” .
He added that he is still in the “ideation process” for the next installment, considering ideas like Prey 2 or a follow-up to the Predator: Killer of Killers cliffhanger .
For now, fans can enjoy Predator: Badlands at home and start guessing what Dek’s mother will look like when she finally arrives on screen.
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