Netgun

The Netgun features in Predator 2 and Alien vs Predator. The Net Gun fires a razor-sharp net capable of pinning a target to a wall. The wires are so sharp that it begins cutting through the flesh of the victim. On the outer rim of the net, there are numerous spikes which impale the wall to hold the enemy in place.

Predator 2 (1990)

The Predator carries the Netgun in a leg holster. It first appears in Predator 2 when the City Hunter uses it against the Jamaicans in the apartment. The gun itself is bronze in colour and fires a net at one of the Jamaicans pinning him to the wall. The Netgun is later used against Harrigan in the Predator ship. The net is presumably indestructible but Harrigan used the Smart Disc to cut through the net.

Behind-The-Scenes: There was no way to get the net to fire accurately so a few different cuts were made. One where it was flying in the air and another pulling onto the actor that gets trapped by it into a separate cut. For the scene in the penthouse, a dummy of the actor was made so they could pull the net onto his skin and you would see the blood coming out.

 Alien vs Predator (2004)

In Alien vs Predator, the Netgun isn’t a separate weapon like in Predator 2, this time it’s integrated into the Predator’s wrist gauntlet. There’s two instances where the Celtic Predator uses his Netgun. Firstly, to net Stafford and it proves that it is really strong. It cuts up Weyland’s gloves when he touches it. Sebastian also can’t tear it open with his knife. It also should be noted that when a net impales someone to a wall, the net gets much tighter because of instruments connecting the net to the wall.

The Netgun is used again when Celtic Predator battles the Grid Alien. As the Grid is about to pounce on Celtic, the Predators manages to fire the net from his wrist gauntlet.  Grid can’t seem to break free from it by just using its claws. Instead the acid from the Alien’s head burns through the netting allowing it to escape. Just like his wristblades and armour, it seems that Celtic was surprised the acid was able to burn through his equipment.

Behind-The-Scenes: You can find some concept art from RK Post, Joe Pepe and Kurt Van Der Basch. The RK Post artwork is interesting as one design was going to have the Netgun as a separate weapon – instead it was integrated into the wrist gauntlet.