Predator: Badlands makes the bold choice to shift the antagonistic Yautja from their usual role in the franchise to the central protagonist. Dek is a young Yautja, considered the runt of the clan, who vows to kill an unkillable creature to earn his father's respect. Unfortunately, Dek's father wants the young warrior culled to eliminate the perceived weakness in the clan. Dek's brother sacrifices himself to save the young Yautja from death, sending him to Genna, a world described as the "death planet," so he can hunt his prey.
Genna quickly lives up to its name, with Dek running afoul of numerous alien creatures within moments of crashing onto the planet. While the Yautja is after a single fearsome target, his journey is poised to be perilous, with even Genna's plant life and tiniest bugs posing never-before-seen threats. Whether it's vines looking to make a meal of Dek or monsters swooping down from the sky to take a bite, Predator: Badlands features a barrage of new alien creatures.
9 Kalisk
20th Century Studios
The creature Dek vowed to kill in the opening scene is one of the largest and most terrifying predators roaming Genna, but to survive all the planet's threats. Even Dek's father is said to fear the Kalisk, as it is an unkillable creature, which is nearly true. The initial fight with the Kalisk quickly sees the beast living up to its moniker, as even after Dek beheads it, its head pulls back to its body, reconnecting and healing as if nothing happened.
The Kalisk's abilities are also what attract the Weyland-Yutani androids to the planet, who are looking to capture and study the animal's healing properties for profit. While they ultimately fall short of their goal, the antagonistic android Tessa does show that the Kalisk can be killed. The only weakness shown to audiences is that the Kalisk is unable to heal after a cryogenic explosive is detonated from inside of it.
8 Bud
20th Century Studios
Throughout Predator: Badlands, Bud becomes a companion to Dek and his android helper, Thia. Bud is initially introduced as a creature that even Thia doesn't recognize from her vast database. However, it quickly shows unique properties, as Bud can roll through sharp razor grass without issue, even looking ideally suited for the planet's forests when it springs into action to save Dek and Thia from a Luna Bug.
The traveling companions soon learn that Bud is actually a young Kalisk, which helps explain many of its resilient qualities. Through Bud, audiences are also shown the Kalisk's nature and familial structure. Bud spits into Dek's face at one point, and while it could be an insulting gesture, Thia realizes that the Yautja was being marked as a member of the young Kalisk's clan. This action helps Dek with his Kalisk fight later, and even sees Bud being folded into their found family.
7 Bone Bison
20th Century Studios
The bone bison is a herbivore, resembling a cross between an elephant and a rhinoceros, with a long snout that can be hidden inside a hard, protective casing that pushes harmful razor grass out of the way and snaps shut rapidly. While docile when grazing, these imposing creatures are highly territorial and present a deadly threat when approached too closely.
Dek is forced to contend with a bone bison during his journey across Genna, besting the creature after a chase. The bone bison also comes into play later in the film as part of Dek's improvised weaponry. He grabs things like the spike pod plants he encountered when first meeting Thia to use as grenades of a sort, but Dek also crafts armor from the bone bison's protective casing and a knife from its teeth.
6 Vultures
20th Century Studios
Vultures are flying, reptilian carnivores, and they are the first thing Dek encounters on Genna. As Dek is barreling toward the planet's surface in an escape pod jettisoned from his ship, a vulture flies into him, with its vast wingspan dwarfing the vessel while attacking the Yautja in flight.
He later encounters vultures when he first meets Thia, with the intelligent creatures using the spike pods to their advantage, setting them off to stun Dek, turning him into a meal. Thia saves Dek from the potentially deadly encounter, though her circumstances highlight more about the avian creature's nature. While also being aggressive hunters, Thia was collected after her legs were severed, with the vulture keeping her long after she was noted as not a viable food source.
5 Tree Vines
20th Century Studios
When Dek crashes into the planet's surface, he is attacked by killer vines. The vines camouflage as a standard tree attribute, appearing commonplace throughout the forest. However, they are highly aggressive, attempting to grab Dek in any way they can. He's able to fight them off, but the unassuming tree feature poses an early example of how anything on the planet can potentially kill Dek.
While the vines don't reach beyond the forest, they pose a veiled, quick threat that could put any skilled warrior out of commission. They are shown to be stoppable via cutting, or even with guns, as seen with Weyland-Yutani androids, making them a bigger threat to anyone unarmed, though capable of overwhelming groups with sheer speed and numbers.
4 Rock Biters
20th Century Studios
Rock Biters are giant worms seen dangling from the cliffs of Genna throughout Predator: Badlands. Director Dan Trachtenberg is said to have taken the name from The Neverending Story, with Rock Biter being used as a nod. While never a direct threat to Dek during his journey, the enormous worms are shown alongside the title card, helping set the tone for Genna's mysterious alien creatures early.
A Rock Biter is seen feasting on a vulture, highlighting the animal ecosystem on display, and noting the creature's carnivorous nature and gargantuan stature. Yet, not much else is revealed about it, nor does Dek ever encounter one up close, leaving one of Genna's largest creatures shrouded in mystery.
3 Luna Bug
20th Century Studios
The Luna Bug is first introduced by name, with Thia warning Dek of their possible presence. In name alone, the Luna Bug doesn't sound particularly threatening, but what Dek soon learns is that it's another, enormous, deadly threat. The Luna Bug is a scary presence, with a gaping maw centralized on its pod-like body, with long tentacles it uses to quickly traverse from tree to tree and snatch up its prey. The Luna Bug looks like a terrifying land octopus.
Dek and Thia find themselves wrapped up in one of the Luna Bug's tentacles, with their lives hanging in the balance as they are slowly lifted toward its mouth, highlighting its indiscriminate eating habits. However, they also recently met Bud, who saves them with little time to spare, allowing Dek to slay the beast, which makes for a fine meal shortly thereafter, proving to be a viable food source.
2 Imbre Anguis
20th Century Studios
The Imbre Anguis is another creature whose name comes from Thia's exposition throughout the latest Predator movie. Their fitting name is Latin, essentially translating to "by a shower of snakes." Looking like a cross between a snake and an eel, the Imbre Anguis show vast numbers, living among slimy rock faces near water, and are happy to nibble on small treats thrown their way. While they initially look to pose another threat, they are proven to be highly trainable.
The most notable attribute of the Imbre Anguis is its ability to spit separate fluids that combine upon release into an acidic substance. This is used by Dek when he assembles his found weaponry, training an Imbre Anguis with food rewards, after which it takes the place of his shoulder gun, spitting acid at enemies.
1 Explosive Grub
20th Century Studios
Dek sees the explosive grubs early in his journey. They initially look like simple, green worms, which he sees resting atop a plant. However, after deciding to pick one up, it rapidly grows, with its underbelly swelling and turning orange. Dek grows concerned and throws it away, only to see it explode moments later.
The grub becomes another alien creature that Dek folds into his armory, utilizing its explosive capabilities to aid in his mission. While another minor, unassuming feature of the alien planet, the explosive grubs help further highlight how deadly every aspect of Genna can be, even in its smallest creatures.
