Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Predator: Killer of Killers!
Predator: Killer of Killersis finally setting up the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch, but it also creates a major problem for the franchise. While the original protagonist of thePredatorfranchise was the first character seen to survive a Yautja, it took until a surprise change to this year’s animated anthology film for him to reappear.
Theoriginal ending ofPredator: Killer of Killerswas shocking, with the Viking Ursa getting captured by the Yautja rather than killed. She is placed into suspended animation and brought into a massive warehouse filled with other individuals who have killed Predators. The film ends with a look at one of the other champions who is in suspended animation:Naru, the protagonist ofPrey.
However, thePredator: Badlandspanel at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 revealed thatPredator: Killer of Killerswould be getting a new ending. Later that night, Hulu updated the film, with the movie also showing that Schwarzenegger’s Dutch and Danny Glover’s Mike Harrigan are in suspended animation chambers next to Naru. Thus, thePredatorandPredator 2protagonists are finally back.
Predator Will Have To De-Age Arnold Schwarzenegger In A Live-Action Return Now
Thanks To The Suspended Animation Chambers
Dutch’s return inKiller of Killersis incredibly exciting, as it means that Arnold Schwarzenegger can finally come back to thePredatorfranchise. It’s now canon that sometime after Dutch killed the Predator, the aliens returned to Earth, abducted him, and preserved him for future combat, as is clearly their practice. However, this justification for the character’s return creates a major issue.
AlthoughKiller of Killers' main characters lived hundreds of years apart, each of the Yautja-killers is the same age that they were when they defeated their alien during the film’s final section. This is a product of the suspended animation chambers, allowing these characters from different time periods to come together.
This means that,if Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch does return, he must be the same age that the character was in the originalPredator. While Schwarzenegger was 40 years old whenPredatorwas released in 1987, he is 78 now. This means that the actor would have to be seriously de-aged if he ever comes back in live-action, complicating his return outside of animation.
If Schwarzenegger is only back to lend his voice to aPredator: Killer of Killerssequel, given how well the first movie was received, audiences should be no less excited.
This makes Dutch appearing inPredator: Badlandsseem unlikely, but there are some potential workarounds. If Dutch broke out of his chamber around 40 years prior to the events ofBadlands, Schwarzenegger’s age would match up with perfectly with his character’s. Although, surviving on a Yautja planet for that long might be a stretch.
The other option, of course, is that Dutch could only appear in animatedPredatorprojects. This would make the character’s age, as well as any action scenes, a lot easier to deal with. If Schwarzenegger is only back to lend his voice to aPredator: Killer of Killerssequel, given how well the first movie was received, audiences should be no less excited.
Predator: Killer of Killers
Cast
Predator: Killer of Killers is an animated anthology released in 2025, featuring stories of historical warriors: a vengeful Viking raider, a ninja opposing his Samurai brother in feudal Japan, and a WWII pilot confronting an alien threat, each showcasing epic battles and personal pursuits across eras.
