Badlands Have A Post-Credits Scene?

The “Predator” franchise spent decades trying to find a direction, with disappointing installments like “The Predator” and “Alien vs. Predator” making fans wonder if there was a future for the franchise at all. Filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg proved that it could thrive with his 2022 revival, “Prey,” which brought the action straight to streaming on Hulu. Trachtenberg has now been unleashed freely onto the franchise, returning the apex hunter-alien Yautja to the big screen for 2025’s “Predator: Badlands,” a surprisingly kid-friendly sequel with plenty of thrills. Fans are in a frenzy as stellar reviews pour in, wondering if there’s a post-credits scene.

In short, the answer is “yes.” But a fuller answer makes it a “sort of,” because it’s not that simple. There is indeed a “stinger,” but it comes before the credits, after the film’s final title card arrives on screen. That makes it hard to miss, but don’t go in expecting anything too earth-shattering. It doesn’t do much to set up the future of the franchise, and is more of a capper to the story of Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), the young hunter who, throughout the film, is out to prove his worth to his father, Njohrr (also played by Schuster-Koloamatangi). 

While many may have been hoping for a post-credits scene that would set up a sequel — like the questions the bold but flawed “Predator: Killer of Killer” left behind — there’s nothing that monumental to be found. 

Ever since they crossed over in the pages of Dark Horse Comics’ “Aliens vs. Predators,”, fans have clamored for an equally epic crossover between the two movie franchises. Unfortunately, when it finally happened with 2004’s “Alien vs. Predator,” it was a bit less than what fans had hoped for. Now both franchises have been revived, and both are booming. “Predator: Badlands,” meanwhile, does seem to be setting up another crossover between “Aliens” and “Predator.”

The presence of a Weyland-Yutani android in the film, in the form of Thia (Elle Fanning), is the biggest indicator that the studio may be hoping to revive a crossover sub-franchise. Director Dan Trachtenberg states that Thia’s appearance in the film is the crossover itself and not to get our hopes up otherwise. Still, it’s hard to believe the discussion ends there, especially with both franchises in talks with their original stars to return. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger has spoken with Trachtenberg about reprising his role as Dutch in live-action after the “Predator” hero had a silent cameo added to the animated “Predator: Killer of Killers” (one of the best action movies of 2025 so far). Meanwhile, Sigourney Weaver has acknowledged that she’s been in talks with Disney about returning as Ellen Ripley.

Is it possible that “Predator: Badlands” is setting up a crossover that could see both Schwarzenegger and Weaver back in their iconic roles, teaming up to battle xenomorphs and Predators? Highly unlikely. Still, when it comes to these two franchises, anything is possible.