(Fan-theory) Predator gender in the films

[clickymandibles]

Whether it's Big Mama or the female Predators of Hunting Grounds, most tie-in media proposes that female Predators exist - it's just that the films never showed them. This is all fan conjecture since AFAIK the production staff never discussed anything like this, but could the films already have shown both male and female Predators?



There appear to be two core design archetypes for these creatures. The first type features dull and mottled coloration, a wide and smooth cranium with a single crease down the middle of the forehead, and a preference for stealthy, careful, and strategic combat. This encompasses the Jungle Hunter and Scar, as well as both Elder Predators (whose facial quills seem to begin sprouting with advanced age). This cautious and observant nature could also account for these Elders surviving for so long.



The second type has a prominent row of blunt horns which frames the edge of their cranium and a more complex, stitch-like forehead crease. They seem to have much more vivid coloration, but this dichromatism appears to fade with age (as Wolf was designed to be "middle-aged"). Their temperament is more aggressive and favors direct conflict, diving directly into encounters in which they have a significant disadvantage (City Hunter trying to fist-fight a heavily armed Harrigan, etc). Whereas the Jungle Hunter stalked primarily to separate and pick off members of Dutch's team until only the strongest survived, the City Hunter appears to stalk Harrigan mostly to torment and provoke him.

This dimorphism suggests to me that most of the Predators we see in the films are female, with the City Hunter and Wolf being the only two males. How this relates to newer Predator designs like Feral (who exhibits traits of both "types"), I have no idea.



One last theory is that the tiny (and incredibly unimpressive looking) skulls that Predators adorn themselves with are relics of their youth. Predators appear to share many traits with terrestrial reptiles, so abandoning their young is a distinct possibility. Could these skulls be trophies taken from creatures that prey on newborn Predators? These decorations might display the earliest victories of the infant Predator as it struggles to survive to maturity.

Of course, a Predator's anatomy isn't going to be directly analogous to the genders or characteristics of any lifeform we know because it's

so who knows.

[[cancerblack]]

I go the opposite route. The females are bigger, uglier and more aggressive but also more foolhardy (because they hunt less frequently). It's the only bit of Perry lore I bother with.

That's why the bigger, uglier Preds in Predators had a twink tied up in their camp.

[SuperiorIronman]

They did toy with the idea for the third one but it went unused.

The making of book for The Predator also refers to both Fugitive and Assassin as male. That's not perfect but it was the Making of book for the movie so I can only assume that's what they assumed they'd been when making it. They also refer to Jungle Hunter as male but but Fugitive and Assassin feel a little more concrete given it was their movie.

[(Bad Blood)]

Personally I like the idea that we have yet to see the females and when we finally do, it will be quite the show. I feel as though they are saving them for something really impressive, maybe even a predator that will actually survive to a sequel due to better fighting tactics and patience. Just my thoughts anyway.

[SiL]

I like the old idea from the EU Bible that the only way to know is to look under the codpiece and they're otherwise indistinguishable.

[[cancerblack]]

That's also infinitely preferable to making them slim-thicc with big bazongaz.

But I still prefer my headcanon. 

[(Bad Blood)]

I liked actually how they portrayed them in Hunting Grounds. It was tasteful and not overly dramatic and over sexualized. It was the best rendition I've seen visually to how I would imagine a female of their species would look. Not every species has to be Xenomorphs where there is no clear sexual differences, like that of humans.                         
     I see a lot of writers making females the opposite or not in the realm of the definition of what human females would be. However just because they are a separate species does not mean they don't follow a similar structure. I think Predator could get away with a similar structuring to humans. Considering how similar they look to us biological anyway (minus the head) and also have a mammalian like birthing process.                               
                                                                                                                                         
    I know I sound silly here, but I can't see Scarface or Bad Blood going home after a hunt and getting ragdolled around the room by their significant other. It just doesn't add up, where does all this pride and arrogance come from when they hunt if they don't even have a handle on the home front? If they know deep down they are second fiddle to their female counterparts then it just doesn't really make much sense to be acting like their the boss in battle lol. Anyway If they go a different route it's ok, they have already played with different ideas, I am open to anything and will always love this franchise, just my observations.

[Samhain13]

I'm okay with how they handled the designs on Predator: Hunting Grounds, both males and female clearly look that way based on masculine/feminine traits like humans.

[(Bad Blood)]

I'm okay with how they handled the designs on Predator: Hunting Grounds, both males and female clearly look that way based on masculine/feminine traits like humans.

Agreed.

[SiL]

It just doesn't add up, where does all this pride and arrogance come from when they hunt if they don't even have a handle on the home front? If they know deep down they are second fiddle to their female counterparts then it just doesn't really make much sense to be acting like their the boss in battle lol.

It makes perfect sense. They're second fiddle at home so they go out hunting to compensate. On the hunt they get to be big tough scary hunters throwing prey around.

Alternatively their sense of pride isn't as fragile as human males and it's all just part of normal life for them.

[(Bad Blood)]

It just doesn't add up, where does all this pride and arrogance come from when they hunt if they don't even have a handle on the home front? If they know deep down they are second fiddle to their female counterparts then it just doesn't really make much sense to be acting like their the boss in battle lol.

It makes perfect sense. They're second fiddle at home so they go out hunting to compensate. On the hunt they get to be big tough scary hunters throwing prey around.

Alternatively their sense of pride isn't as fragile as human males and it's all just part of normal life for them.

Hahaha I suppose that's one possibility, they just simply are not as jaded as the standard human male after such occurrences. Hunting = Predator Escapism lol

[Corporal Hicks]

I'm never going to like seeing breasts or slim waists or etc on a female Predator. I completely understand that the Predator is humanoid in design and so obviously based on our own form, but it's just a design I can't appreciate it. It just feels artistically lazy to me.

I much prefer the idea that there's some other more subtle different, like the skin patterns or, as @clickymandibles suggests, the heads. For a while now I've liked the idea that all the Predators we've seen are just females anyway.

[SiL]

I'm all for smooth head one sex spiky head another, why not.

[(Bad Blood)]

I'm never going to like seeing breasts or slim waists or etc on a female Predator. I completely understand that the Predator is humanoid in design and so obviously based on our own form, but it's just a design I can't appreciate it. It just feels artistically lazy to me.

I much prefer the idea that there's some other more subtle different, like the skin patterns or, as @clickymandibles suggests, the heads. For a while now I've liked the idea that all the Predators we've seen are just females anyway.

Fair enough, I can understand the sentiment. I don't need them to be specifically noticably female looking, so take the Hunting Grounds design as template, add a little more muscle and less breast showing and widen the waist and I would be fine with that myself. I just would prefer they be of a slightly smaller/slimmer or similar size to their male counterparts but not bigger if that makes any sense?

[[cancerblack]]

I'm never going to like seeing breasts or slim waists or etc on a female Predator. I completely understand that the Predator is humanoid in design and so obviously based on our own form, but it's just a design I can't appreciate it. It just feels artistically lazy to me.

I much prefer the idea that there's some other more subtle different, like the skin patterns or, as @clickymandibles suggests, the heads. For a while now I've liked the idea that all the Predators we've seen are just females anyway.