Dan Trachtenberg pulled off the impossible once with Prey in 2022 and doubled down with Predator: Killer of Killers in 2024. Both films resurrected the franchise and made fans sit up again. But with Predator: Badlands arriving on November 7, 2025, fans are already targeting their red lasers at Trachtenberg.
The criticism so far is that Trachtenberg might be straying too far from the formula. The first trailer already shocked fans by showing the story from the Predator’s own point of view. That’s new territory for a franchise that usually leans into humans getting picked off one by one. And now, thanks to a leaked Funko Pop! figure, things just got weirder.
Funko Pop! #1932 apparently reveals that the film’s lead Yautja, Dek, won’t be roaming the Badlands alone. He’ll have a buddy. Not another hunter. Not a hardened marine. Not a synthetic. A small green alien named Bud. Imagine if Baby Yoda and a Gremlin morphed into one. That’s Bud. Kind of.
Reactions online haven’t been kind. One redditor in r/predator wrote, “Not feeling this baby Yoda thing.” Another compared Bud to Godzilla’s Minilla. And one fan summed up the confusion perfectly: “Did I miss something or who is his bud?” To be fair, Bud hasn’t shown up in the trailer or any official promo material, so the figure was a genuine curveball.
Some are already speculating about what role Bud plays. One fan compared him to Doug from Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, hoping he’ll be a chaotic little menace tagging along with Dek. And if that’s the case, suddenly the film’s reported working title — “Backpack” — makes more sense. Maybe Dek literally carries Bud around like an intergalactic schoolbag.
While fans debate whether Bud is a clever addition or a shameless merchandising ploy, there’s another layer to consider. YouTuber Tachyon Pulse claims Trachtenberg is slowly building toward an Alien vs Predator crossover. He’s got some credibility with leaks, and when you connect the dots, it actually adds up. Predator: Badlands isn’t just about a new hunt. The story throws Weyland-Yutani androids, futuristic tech, and a far heavier sci-fi angle into the mix. That’s Alien-adjacent territory if there ever was one.
Trachtenberg himself hasn’t exactly denied it either. In fact, he teased, “Both Killer of Killers and Badlands make that universe SO MUCH bigger.” That doesn’t sound like a filmmaker who’s just making one-off Predator films. It sounds like someone carefully laying the foundation for the big crossover fans have been waiting for since the days of Alien vs Predator comics in the ’90s.
Whether Bud turns out to be a cute distraction or the franchise’s next breakout star, Trachtenberg should be praised for not playing it safe. From POV storytelling to toy-friendly alien sidekicks, Predator: Badlands is shaping up to be the wildest entry yet.
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