VMP2: PREDATOR 2: Is the City Hunter Predator "bad blood"?

[Voodoo Magic]

So is the City Hunter Predator from PREDATOR 2 "bad blood"?

First, for all those who do not know, what is "bad blood"?

• Bad Blood is the phrase used for any Yautja that has turned against its own kind and severely violated aspects of the Yautja Honor Code - intentional or not. (Xenopedia - Thank you Cruentus/HuDaFuk)

* I feel compelled to note that Predators violating aspects of the Yautja code is turning on its own kind, and therefore synonymous, all fitting under the phrase "Bad Blood".

Now with that said, presuming what the Yautja honor code entails, the City Hunter Predator did indeed follow code during different parts of the film by:

Not killing the young child at the graveyard with the toy gun.


And not killing Leona Cantrell because she was pregnant:


Yes, this is what we'd come to expect from a city hunting Predator following the Yautja honor code. Until we get to its sadistic nature.

For those who are unfamiliar with the term "sadistic", here is its definition:

• 
  sa·dis·tic
  /səˈdistik/ adjective
  deriving pleasure from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others.
  "she took a sadistic pleasure in tormenting him"
  (google)
  

This torment, this deriving pleasure from inflicting pain, suffering or humiliation doesn't seem aligned with the nature of the Yautja honor code. Would a Predator slay someone's entire group of friends or family just so this someone is forced to watch?

Because that's exactly what the sadistic City Hunter Predator did to Mike Harrigan. Instead of killing its prey when it had the chance, the City Hunter watched Mike and seemingly aimed to kill all the important people he came in contact with. King Willy. Jerry. Mike's best friend Danny. That sadistic killer from outer space even went so far as to mentally f*ck and torture this cop by hanging Danny's necklace at the cemetery for him to find. What Yautja honor code is this?





Did the Predator get off on this? How far would it have taken it?  The Predator's people-tied-to-Mike sadistic killing spree stopped, when it discovered Leona was pregnant. If it wasn't for that, Leona would have been the City Hunter's next victim, viciously torturing Mike that much more.

Is this cruelty a method to bring out the best sport from a prey?  Maybe, but I see no levels of honor in this mental torture.

Or did the other Predators that made an appearance at the end of the movie realize the "bad blood" City Hunter was getting out of hand?  Armed or not, the slaying of subway commuters seemed more mass murder than trophy seeking. Could the other Predators have arrived from a different ship, and boarded the City Hunter's ship just in time to see Mike kill the City Hunter?  And if the City Hunter was indeed "bad blood", was that flintlock tossed to Mike more than a sign of respect, but also a thank you? 

Maybe... just maybe.



ADDENDUM: February 16th, 2019:

It appears I found a smoking gun to confirm that the City Hunter was not following by all the Yautja Honor Code rules, a.k.a. "Bad Blood". And who would know more than Kevin Peter Hall himself, the actor portraying the Predator in "Predator 2"?

Per the bonus material on the "Predator 2" Special Edition DVD:

• KEVIN: "He's off on a wild trip. This one is not doing what normal Predators do, you know, which is hunt and go by the rules. He's definitely breaking all the rules. So he's a wild boy."
  

In an earlier draft of the "Predator 2" script, the City Hunter was still breathing after his last fight with Harrigan, only for the Grayback Elder Predator to behead the City Hunter with a flash of a knife. Even though the reasoning for the beheading was left unambiguous in the script and originally could be perceived as punishment for losing a fight with Harrigan, it is now also reasonable to conclude (after hearing Kevin's own words) that the Predator was originally intended to be punished for his dishonorable behavior.

Original "Predator 2" Storyboards:










* Note: It's important to remember a Predator does not need to ignore all the laws of their code to qualify as dishonorable, or "bad blood". It only needs to ignore one of them, when applying logical thinking. One does not have to break every law to be a criminal. One does not have to break every commandment to be a sinner.  One does not have to break every rule your parents inforced to get punished. Etc.



ADDENDUM: February 26th, 2019:
Supplementals, some inspired by conversations with this great community.


Honor in handling the dead

There is a case to be made that the body of the City Hunter Predator was dragged out dishonorably.

One could suggest four Predators were needed to honorably carry the body of the City Hunter. By just using two, one Predator was forced to grab the City Hunter by the crook of its knee, while the other leg of the City Hunter was left dangling, made seemingly obvious by the accompanied sound effect of it dragging across the ship floor. This method certainly doesn't feel very respectful.



Compare that to the apparent honorable treatment Scar's body received in the 2004 film "Alien vs Predator", where four Predators carried Scar's dead body out on a stretcher.



Including AVP as canon or not, it's just an example that carried by four is seemingly (to human eyes) more respectful than two, in just the way they can handle the load.


The City Hunter is the first Predator to hunt in a high population center

In unused dialogue from the second draft of the "Predator 2" script, Agent Peter Keyes alleges that in 700 years of unverified accounts of Predator visits on Earth, the City Hunter was the first Predator to hunt in a high population area.



Could this practice of hunting in a high populated area be dishonorable and against Yautja code? Quite possible. Or is it just too dangerous? Either way, if Keyes is correct, hunting in the city is not at all normal Predator behavior.

Is being reckless dishonorable?

The City Hunter Predator is obviously young and reckless. Even John & Jim Thomas, the writers of both "Predator" and "Predator 2", have declared it as such in various publications.




So what does reckless mean?

• 
  reck·less
  /ˈrekləs/adjective
  marked by lack of proper caution : careless of consequences.
  Irresponsible.
  (Merriam-Webster)

So being reckless is indeed bad behavior. But the question becomes, does not-caring-of-consequences or being irresponsible ever equate to dishonorable behavior to Predators (aka the fan favorite phrase "Bad Blood")?

Does recklessness get a pass when you're young, but if you're a seasoned adult Predator, it's unacceptable? Could be. Or is it, no matter what the age, even though recklessness is bad behavior, it will never equate to dishonorable behavior? Could also be. Or is there ever a point of too much? Quite possible.

No matter where one may stand on the issue, the common ground is dishonorable or not, "bad blood" or not, most of us can agree that the City Hunter Predator in "Predator 2" was at least practicing some bad behavior.

fini

[Master]

No he is not.

[Voodoo Magic]

Ha. Well then. Case closed.   

[The Old One]

TBH, I don't really think reading the first two films with these concepts in mind (Bad Blood, Honor) etc really works, he's just havin' him some fun- even the old woman was fair game because she was a potential danger, any excuse he'll take it. The child was simply no threat to the Predator, no fun, same goes for the baby.

Boy I have an itch to play CJ now and decapitate some fools, new Predator game pls.

[Voodoo Magic]

So being a sadist to Mike Harrigan is just havin' him some fun-?  Remind me to bring a bodyguard if you ever host an AvPG party, Old One. 

[TheSailingRabbit]

Jungle Hunter did kill the entirety of Dutch's crew, but they were all fair game and it took place in a severely remote location where he could gain an easy upper hand.

Perhaps City Hunter thought Harrigan was the ultimate human trophy. King Willie was dispatched too easily. Jerry . . . well, he probably didn't appeal all that much to City Hunter either which means he's got bad taste. He watched Harrigan work and tested him and gauged him to be the biggest prize.

[Voodoo Magic]

Jungle Hunter did kill the entirety of Dutch's crew, but they were all fair game and it took place in a severely remote location where he could gain an easy upper hand.

And it was slim pickings for human prey in the jungle. And I don't think the Jungle Hunter was saving Dutch for last at all, based on the net trapping scene. The JH was just plain hunting.

Perhaps City Hunter thought Harrigan was the ultimate human trophy. King Willie was dispatched too easily. Jerry . . . well, he probably didn't appeal all that much to City Hunter either which means he's got bad taste. He watched Harrigan work and tested him and gauged him to be the biggest prize.

Oh yeah, the City Hunter certainly felt like Harrigan was the biggest prize. But then why waste time on the little prizes, the little boars, when the big boar, the big prize is right infront of you. This hunter is killing the little boars to affect the big boar. To anger him. To  enrage him. To hurt him. Again, the Predator is following Harrigan to kill his friends?  What code is that? And then hanging the necklace at the cemetery where Mike was mourning Danny? That's f*cked up!

[Kradan]

Very interesting thoughts anyway. However i don't think that intention of director and screenwriters was to portay City Hunter as betrayer of his own kind rules but as predator with his own personality and ways to running the hunt.

[D88M]

I did remember reading an interview ages ago of the Thomas broters or Hopkins saying that this Pred was younger and liked to take more risks, that is why he was hunting in the city.

[The Old One]

They should get the Thomas Brothers to write a Predator 3 before they kick the bucket.

[Stitch]

Oh yeah, the City Hunter certainly felt like Harrigan was the biggest prize. But then why waste time on the little prizes, the little boars, when the big boar, the big prize is right infront of you. This hunter is killing the little boars to affect the big boar. To anger him. To  enrage him. To hurt him. Again, the Predator is following Harrigan to kill his friends?  What code is that? And then hanging the necklace at the cemetery where Mike was mourning Danny? That's f*cked up!

He was working his way up to the prize buck. If you go after the big one first, then nothing else on your hunting trip will match expectations. If you lead up to it then you'll always have something bigger to aim for.

[Voodoo Magic]

Very interesting thoughts anyway. However i don't think that intention of director and screenwriters was to portay City Hunter as betrayer of his own kind rules but as predator with his own personality and ways to running the hunt.

It's hard to tell. It is left unambiguous I believe, as it should.

In an early draft of the "Predator 2" script, the City Hunter was still breathing after his last fight with Harrigan, only for the Grayback Elder Predator to behead the City Hunter with a flash of a knife. It didn't read to me that the Elder Predator was very happy with the CH.

[BigDaddyJohn]

Interesting topic indeed... I think overall it reflected more of City Hunter's personality, showing that he was more encline to attract attention and be reckless. Maybe like a younger person would indeed.

[Voodoo Magic]

Thanks brother John. You may be right, the City Hunter might be young and reckless.

Yet, I still have trouble watching the City Hunter pick off who's seemingly close to Mike including Danny boy with his gun originally holstered, just to f*ck Mike up...and reconciling those actions with ...the Yautja honor code. Geez, what would the City Hunter do if he followed Mike home to a family? Kids would likely be safe,, but..

Just following Mike to the cemetery to hang Danny's necklace as Mike is mourning, just to watch him go ballistic.... 

.... I can't imagine the Elder Grayback Predator approving of that.

[The Old One]

You're imagining Elder Greyback has a human's concept of morality though