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 deadThere 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 centerIn 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