Character page for the 2010 film Predators.
For the other character pages of the Predator franchise, see here.
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Humans
Royce
Royce
"There is no hunting like the hunting of man. And those who have hunted armed men long enough, and liked it, never really care for anything else thereafter."
Played By: Adrien Brody
A mercenary dropped in the game preserve. Cold and ruthless, he slowly and reluctantly emerges as the leader of the group.
- A Lighter Shade of Black: He's amoral and selfish, but he's not as evil as some of the other characters. That's for sure.
- Anti-Hero: Of the vicious, Unscrupulous Hero type.
- Awesome by Analysis: He makes judicious use of the Sherlock Scan and Batman Gambit.
- Badass Boast: Once Isabelle tells the group about the events from the first film and he realizes that the Predators can be killed."Whatever it is, wherever they're from, we're gonna kill'em all."
- Blood Knight: He freely admits that he loves to kill and has no moral qualms about it.
- Changed My Mind, Kid: After apparently turning his back on the other survivors to get to an alien ship, he comes back and saves Isabelle's life.
- Character Development: He's become a nicer, somewhat more sympathetic person by the end of the film.
- Combat Pragmatist: Possibly the biggest in the Predator series. He doesn't hesitate to set the entire battlefield on fire, blocking the Black Predator's thermal vision, or use the body of a teammate as a booby-trap for it.
- Contrasting Sequel Main Character: To Dutch from the first movie. Dutch was a burly, patriotic commando with strict ethics who starts off with a loyal team containing a Sixth Ranger Traitor. Royce is a wiry loner, fights because he likes killing, gets made the leader of a 'team' he barely cares about, and at one point betrays them to flush out the Predators.
- Cultured Badass: With the Hemingway quotes to prove it.
- Everyone Has Standards: In the comics, he refrains from killing women and children, believing it's something only for psychos and perverts.
- Genius Bruiser: He's a very capable combatant, and also a skilled tactician and survivalist. He quickly figures out that Edwin is planning to kill him in the finale.
- Licked by the Dog: Isabelle's faith in him is one of the first signs that he's not all bad.
- Lightning Bruiser: Though he is a heavily muscled guy with a big gun (just about a notch shy of being a full-blown BFG), he is still impressively quick, as he showcases when one of his teammates tries to backstab him.
- Made of Iron: When he squares off with the Berserker Predator, he shrugs off its blows much easier than a normal person should.
- Morality Pet: Isabelle quickly becomes his.
- Mysterious Past: Almost nothing definitive is ever stated about him. Isabelle conjectures that he is ex-black ops turned mercenary, and he doesn't deny this assessment. She also surmises that something happened to him in the past to make him into the cynical loner he is now, but he just scoffs. Ultimately, we find out his name is Royce and that he does what he does because he enjoys it, but nothing else.
- Noble Demon: Although it only develops slowly over the course of the movie, most notably with Isabelle.
- "Not So Different" Remark: He tries to pull this with Isabelle."You know what the difference between you and me is? We both do the same thing. You just do it for a country, so you don't have to admit you like it."
- Pet the Dog: He goes all out to save Isabelle from a pit trap early in the movie, one of the early signs that he's not entirely heartless.
- Pragmatic Anti-Hero: All over the place, but probably best exemplified by his response to the group after they all question what’s going on or where they even are."It doesn’t matter what happened, or why. We’re here. Only question is, how do we get out?"
- Private Military Contractor: He plays all the negative stereotypes straight, though Isabelle also pegs him as former special forces.
- Psycho for Hire: Played with. He freely admits that he likes battle and killing for its own sake, but that said, he's not unstable, and has lines he refuses to cross.
- Shirtless Scene: He serves up double-barreled fanservice by showing off Brody's astonishing abdominals in an unsubtle Internal Homage to the first movie.
- Shotguns Are Just Better: His weapon of choice is the AA-12 automatic shotgun.
- The Unfettered: Royce takes everything thrown at him in his stride, and is willing to engage in tactics that disgust his teammates in order to survive.
- Unscrupulous Hero: To the extent that he walks the line real close to being a Nominal Hero. Ultimately, he proves himself to fall on the side of good.
Noland
Ronald Noland
"I'm the one that got away. The one you don't fuck with."
Played By: Laurence Fishburne
A veteran warrior who's survived in the Yautja game preserve for many seasons.
- Ambiguously Gay: He makes a joke about wintering in the Riviera, and raises his eyebrows when he mentions the local men. He might have just been trying to get under Stans' skin, though.
- Asshole Victim: By the time he gets killed off, between his insanity and his backstabbing of the group, (and the implication that he's done this many times before) nobody is sad to see him get killed.
- Crazy Survivalist: He's been able to scratch out a living on a death planet for years, and he's completely lost his mind, and intends to kill any other people he meets in order to make use of their supplies.
- Death Seeker: Possibly. He seems resigned to his fate or possibly even glad when he sees the Predator who kills him.
- Deadpan Snarker: He's asked why he never tried to hijack a Predator ship to leave the preserve. He scratches his head thoughtfully and wonders aloud why he never tried to steal a ship he has no means of piloting.
- Despair Event Horizon: He's given up all thoughts of ever escaping the planet. Partially justified, as he points out that even if he could reach one of the Yautja spaceships, he wouldn't have any idea how to fly it back home to Earth.
- Evil All Along: See Slowly Slipping Into Evil.
- "Facing the Bullets" One-Liner Upon seeing the Black Predator that is the Tracker.Roland: Finally found me, huh, big dog? Well, what took you so long? note
- Imaginary Friend: He talks to one frequently.
- Large Ham: His introduction is fairly hammy, and it escalates when he attempts to kill the others.
- Ludicrous Gibs: He is reduced to this thanks to a Predator's shoulder cannon.
- Mr. Exposition: He goes over his experiences on the game preserve planet, giving the group a much better idea of what's going on, and he's the source of the backstory of the difference between the multiple groups of Predators.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: He has managed to kill two (or possibly three) Predators, no small feat, as killing just one is a tough enough task.
- Sanity Slippage: Almost immediately after taking the group to his base, he starts chatting with an Imaginary Friend, and as we come to find out later, he's slipped all the way down to murdering other people dropped on the planet to take their supplies, never mind teamwork and trust.
- Sixth Ranger: Subverted. He seems like a potential ally at first, but then it's revealed he only helped our protagonists so he could kill them for their supplies.
- Slowly Slipping Into Evil: He starts out friendly at first, but in actuality he wants to kill other people dropped on the planet and get their supplies. This is because of all the shit he's gone through in the ten seasons he's been there, and after his Despair Event Horizon mentioned above, he's decided he's better off acting for himself himself, and killing those he comes across.
- Villain Respect: Averted. You'd think that with the amount of Predators he's managed to kill by himself, or at least how many years he's managed to evade them, the titular hunters would absolutely consider him worthy of being taken as a trophy. When they finally find him, he's blasted into pieces by one of their plasma weapons, instead of having his skull taken as a prize. The way it happens almost makes it feel like the Predator considers Nolan's whole existence an afterthought.
Isabelle
Isabelle
"We're the monsters of our own world. It's probably better that we're never going back."
Played By: Alice Braga
A sniper for the Israeli Defense Force. Suffering from Survivor's Guilt, she takes it upon herself to keep the team's moral compass pointed in the right direction.
- Action Girl: Naturally. She's a sniper for the Israeli Defense Force, so it comes with the territory. She's a crack shot, too, even when she's still suffering debilitating paralysis via poison. And she's got enough sheer willpower to fight said powerful paralytic poison to save Royce from being killed by the Predator.
- However, her actual function is closer to being a Faux Action Girl. She's portrayed as being a capable combatant and member of the Israeli Defense Force, but she very rarely, if ever, gets to be badass, and spends most of the movie as a damsel in distress for male characters (mainly Royce) to save. It can come off as more than a little sexist, for obvious reasons.
- The Atoner: The reason she's so nice is Survivor's Guilt.
- Badass Israeli: Royce identifies her as IDF.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: Early, when the group is attacked by the Predators' hell-hounds, she is overwhelmed by one of them and draws her pistol. She can be briefly seen pointing the gun at her own head before the hounds are suddenly called away.
- Final Girl: She and Royce are the only ones to survive the movie, and she has most of the hallmarks of a classic horror/slasher movie Final Girl.
- Friendly Sniper: She's an IDF marksman, and aside from Nikolai, is the most noble and friendly of the group.
- The Heart: She tries very hard to be the moral compass to a group that is made up mostly of ruthless or amoral individuals.
- Hidden Depths: She places her faith in Royce, of all people. It pays off.
- Mercy Kill: She thinks she's performing one on Cuchillo when she shoots him while he's surrounded by traps.
- Morality Pet: For a long time, Isabelle's faith in Royce is the only external sign the audience gets that he's not an irredeemable prick. He saves her life more than once, in the last case passing up a chance to flee the planet on a Predator ship in order to come back and help her.
- Small Girl, Big Gun: Though not of cartoonish proportions, her weapon of choice is a long-barreled, high-caliber sniper rifle, and she's rather petite.
- The Smurfette Principle: She's the only woman among the main characters.
- Survivor's Guilt: She is haunted by the loss of her spotter, who was killed in action shortly before she was kidnapped by the Predators.
- Token Good Teammate: Only Nikolai comes close to being as unambiguously good as she is.
Edwin
Edwin
"Can someone please just tell me, uh, what the fuck is going on here?"
Played By: Topher Grace
A doctor with no combat background or seemingly any reason to have been taken until it's revealed he's actually a serial killer.
- Action Survivor: He's the only one who makes no active contribution to the firefights.
- Ax-Crazy: He's ultimately revealed to be just as crazy as Stans.
- Big Bad Wannabe: He appears to be a serious threat when his true nature is revealed, but he is quickly bumped off after Royce deduces what he really is.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He exaggerates both his niceness and helplessness so no one thinks he's a threat.
- Combat Medic: After his job as a doctor is revealed, the implied explanation for why he is there at all is that the Predators brought him to help the humans to survive longer in the game. While this possible role is never directly refuted, he is actually there for being a Serial Killer.
- Deadly Doctor: A doctor who is a serial killer.
- Deadpan Snarker: As is standard for Topher Grace, he makes a lot of dry remarks about the situation they're in.
- Dirty Coward: He shows no mercy to his victims and relies on sneak attacks and making them helpless, but pathetically cowers and begs when his own life is at risk.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: More like "evil cannot comprehend brutal but noble warriors". He seems to think that, as a depraved and sadistic killer, he would get along great with the Predators and be welcomed as one of them, failing to see that the Predators are warriors with a strict code of honor and bravery who only kill other trained warriors in a fair fight, not merely sadists who target those who can't fight back like Edwin.
- Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: He has Topher Grace's boyish good looks, but is a depraved monster underneath.
- Faux Affably Evil: He seems like a charming, friendly guy. To say that's not his real personality would be a massive understatement.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: Shortly after Nikolai bites it, Edwin then stole the Russian's Fatal Family Photo and shows it to Royce and Isabelle, claiming that they were "his" children (which Royce and Isabelle doesn't know, but the audience does). He betrays them barely one scene later.
- A subtler forewarning can be spotted soon after his very first scene. When Royce asks Edwin if he has anything with which he can cut himself free from his parachute, Edwin answers (with what seems like perfectly natural confusion and indignation) that he doesn't — but only a few minutes later, when telling Nikolai about the poisonous plant, Edwin takes out a leather pouch which proves to contain a scalpel. That a doctor would have such tools isn't a surprise, but his immediate lie to the rest of the group about it betrays that he is not what he seems.
- Foil: To Stans. Both are skinny blade-wielding serial killers who seem badly out of place next to the professional mercenaries and killers they're with. However, Stans is not afraid to get physical, and has a better grasp on whose side he should be on. He's also a team player, and displays a strong sense of loyalty to others, even sacrificing himself for them. Edwin is a coward deluded into thinking the Predators see him as an equal when he is just prey for them. In addition, Stans, as awful as he is, makes no secret of what kind of person he is, while Edwin is a deliberate Bitch in Sheep's Clothing.
- For the Evulz: He doesn't seem to have any motive for his actions beyond sheer sadism, relishing in his victims' pain and fear.
- Hate Sink: He's the only character in the whole film with absolutely no humanizing moments. Even Stans, the creepy, bigoted, homicidal maniac, is easier to like and has at least some redeeming traits.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Royce stabs him in the throat with the same scalpel he was planning to kill Royce with.
- Horrible Judge of Character: He badly misjudges the Predators, seeing them as sadists like himself who kill for fun and would welcome him among their ranks rather than the warriors with a strict code they truly are. Had he lived, chances are they would have simply killed Edwin in disgust.
- Kick the Dog: Even before the full truth about him is revealed, he pulls a real dick move. When he's injured and trying to convince the others to help him, he goes all I Have a Family, and pulls out the photo Nikolai had shown him of Nikolai's kids. And this after Nikolai had died to save him and spent much of the movie looking out for him.
- Lack of Empathy: Which hints at his true nature.
- Lean and Mean: He has Topher Grace's skinny frame, and is as bad as they come.
- Lethal Joke Character: Even though he's not a combat vet like the rest of the team, he's a good doctor who's able to make medicine out of the jungle plants around him. Unfortunately, he's also lethal in a more straight-up way, although he ultimately defies the trope by dramatically overestimating himself and underestimating everyone else.
- Lethally Stupid: He is not really useful even with his medical knowledge, and gets himself killed when he decides to target his allies because of his sociopathic tendencies.
- The Load: Discussed. Royce openly wonders if Edwin, a civilian seemingly out of place with the soldiers and killers, was dropped in as part of the group specifically to slow them down. It turns out to be more complex than that. He may be The Load, but he is a killer just like the rest of them; he's a problem because he's a threat to other members of the group.
- Manipulative Bastard: A lot of his actions come off this way, especially when he uses Nikolai's kids to try and earn sympathy points with the others when his life is in danger.
- Nice Guy: Fuck no, he's not.
- Non-Action Guy: He mostly gets through combat by ducking behind Isabelle or Nikolai. Even after he reveals his true nature, he is still not much of a fighter, and Royce easily defeats him.
- Only Sane Man: Naturally, as he's an ordinary man and his companions are either Blood Knights or Psychos for Hire. Subverted! He may well be the craziest of the group.
- Parachute in a Tree: He's first introduced hanging upside down from his parachute that's stuck in a canopy. Royce shoots the branch, causing Edwin to fall in a pond below.
- The Quisling: He wants to hunt his fellow humans with the Predators out of revenge against humankind for labeling him as a serial killer, which ruined his medical career and Earth-based life.
- Sadist: He makes a point of telling Isabelle how, even though he's paralyzed her, he's going to make sure she feels everything he does to her.
- Serial Killer: He's secretly one, with a specialty in drugging his victims.
- The Smart Guy: He can identify obscure ancient plant life, and knows its toxic properties.
- The Sociopath: Hopelessly manipulative, sees other people as objects to be used or exploited, feigns human emotion, utterly devoid of genuine sympathy, pity, or remorse... he's a surprisingly realistic one.
- Soft-Spoken Sadist: He never raises his voice, even after revealing his true nature, and it's absolutely chilling.
- Stupid Evil: His own murderous nature ends up dooming him when he turns on and tries to kill Isabelle and Royce, conveniently forgetting in his Ax-Crazy bloodlust that not only are they both seasoned and experienced veterans of combat while he's merely a doctor, but that they’re also the only reason he’s still breathing. When they quickly regain the upper hand, both of them team up on and kill Edwin swiftly.
- They Look Just Like Everyone Else!: There's absolutely nothing about his appearance or demeanor to hint at the monster lurking underneath.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Despite Isabelle saving him, he betrays her and plans to horrifically murder her, only being stopped by Royce's timely return.
- Walking Spoiler: He's certainly more than meets the eye...
Hanzo
Hanzo
"...I talk too much."
Played By: Louis Ozawa Changchien
A silent member of the Yakuza.
- The Atoner: His actor feels that the experience of waking up in the alien planet turned Hanzo away from his Earthly murderous views. The character's behavior in the film supports this: he is the least confrontational of the team, often goes first whenever there is danger in front of them, and ultimately offers his own life to buy the rest time to escape in a crucial moment.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: As any self-respecting mob enforcer should be.
- Battle Strip: He performs one before engaging a Predator in melee combat, stripping down to only his pants.
- Deadpan Snarker: He manages to be this with only one line.
- Decomposite Character: Like Billy from the first movie, Hanzo challenges a Predator to a ritual duel in order to buy his three remaining companions time to escape. Billy's strong jungle sense and ability to sense the Predators' presence is given to Mombasa.
- Dying Moment of Awesome: See Mutual Kill.
- Expy: To Billy from the first movie, being the quiet, spiritual, non-white member of the group who later challenges a Predator to close combat in order to buy time for his team.
- Handicapped Badass: He is missing two fingers, but wields a katana extremely well.
- Katanas Are Just Better: When he finds one in Noland's base, he chooses to take it with him instead of guns, grenades, landmines, or anything else. Partially justified because his teammates are already carrying and/or taking all of the above, as well as because, being an urban hitman instead of a professional soldier, Hanzo is possibly not familiar with explosives and heavy weapons. Although it's been sitting in a jungle for God knows how long, he manages to kill a Predator with it in one-on-one single combat. Even considering he dies in the process, this is a pretty impressive feat considering guys who try that in this franchise usually get tossed around by a foe with both Super-Strength and Super-Toughness compared to a human.
- Martial Artists Are Always Barefoot: He takes off his dress shoes upon arriving, noting them to be cumbersome in the jungle mud, and seemingly doesn't even take them with him in the hope of more fitting terrains. Given that he turns out to be an expert in Japanese swordsmanship, which is usually trained and practiced barefoot, it's likely he is just accustomed to be that way.
- Mutual Kill: He manages to kill a Predator in combat with the katana, but is fatally wounded by the Predator's wrist blades in turn.
- The Quiet One: His only lines of dialog are to note how long the Predators must have been putting on these hunts when he finds a katana, and to indirectly explain why he doesn't talk more.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Complete with a Waistcoat of Style!
- Shirtless Scene: He does a Battle Strip before taking on a Predator.
- Suddenly Voiced: He spends most of the movie without saying anything until a katana that Noland found draws his interest.
- Tattooed Crook: Hanzo has a large Yakuza tattoo covering his entire back.
- The Rest Shall Pass: He ends up staying behind to duel one of the Predators so the others can continue their escape.
- Yakuza: Naturally he has the trademark tattoos, a suit that is straight pimpin' by any objective standard, and three fingers on one hand. Eventually, he even acquires a katana.
- Yubitsume: He's had to undergo it twice.
Nikolai
Nikolai Fedorov
"Ну и рожа у тебя!"
Played By: Oleg Taktarov
A Russian Spetsnaz agent. Tough and courageous with a family back home, he's one of the more co-operative members of the misfit team.
- BFG: He carries a handheld M134 Minigun.
- Big Brother Instinct: He quickly decides to look after Edwin, the most helpless of the group.
- The Big Guy: He's easily the largest of the group, and packs the weapon with greatest firepower.
- Bruiser with a Soft Center: He's the only one to introduce himself and offer a handshake like a normal person, and he also treasures his picture of his kids.
- Composite Character: Taktarov has described Nikolai as a combination of Dutch, Mac, and Blain from the original Predator movie.
- Fatal Family Photo: Oh, Nikolai. If only he'd seen TV Tropes, he'd know not to proudly pass around a photo of his kids in a combat zone.
- Gatling Good: His main weapon is a minigun, although he doesn't get a chance to show it off much.
- Genius Bruiser: Maybe not a genius exactly, but he's a pretty smart guy.
- Genre Blind: By this point, shouldn't everyone know about the family picture cliche?
- Heroic Sacrifice: He kills himself and the Tracker Predator by detonating a Claymore mine, thus saving Edwin and the rest.
- Husky Russkie: He easily has the largest build of the group, and has the accent to match. Combined with the minigun, he's highly reminiscent of Heavy.
- Made of Iron: He takes a lot of damage before his Heroic Sacrifice, including getting hit through the chest by a Predator's energy blast, which put a hole through Blaine and blew Dillion's arm off in the first film, and being impaled by the same Predator's blade weapon.
- Mutual Kill: A Predator impales him through the chest with its wrist-blades, but Nikolai's shirt falls open to reveal that he has several Claymore mines strapped to himself (which he stole from Nolan). He chokes out "You're one ugly motherfucker!" in Russian, then detonates the mines. The point-blank blast is enough to actually kill the Predator, the first one any of them even manages to kill, providing a brief Hope Spot.
- Odd Friendship: With Edwin. Given what we learn about Edwin's manipulative and calculating nature, it's likely that a big part of the reason Edwin saved Nikolai from the dangerous plant was to invoke this and place himself under Nikolai's protection.
- Token Good Teammate: Only he and Isabelle can be said to be basically good people. The rest run the gamut from Anti-Hero to Stupid Evil.
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Possibly, judging from him carrying a picture of his kids.
Stans
Walter Stans
"Who do you think you're dealing with, hoss?"
Played By: Walton Goggins
A death row inmate responsible for killing 38 people. Stans may be small and armed only with a prison shiv, but he's not to be underestimated, as he is unpredictable and moves with startling speed and viciousness.
- The Apocalypse Brings Out the Best in People: The alien hell-world is probably the only place in the universe his blend of total psychopathy, bloodthirst, and cold-blooded pragmatism would drive him to heroics, instead of making him a menace to society.
- Ax-Crazy: He's a psychopathic Serial Killer, two days from being executed when he was taken by the Yautja, and he did what he did For the Evulz.
- The Berserker: When we first see Stans, he's fighting Mombasa with a knife, then improvising with a heavy branch. He's actually out-fighting him too. Later, Stans gets stabby when pinned by one of the Tusker beasts, earning his respect. Then, later, he jumps on a Predator and starts stabbing it in the back, and isn't the slightest bit afraid when it pulls out his spine. He'll fight anything without an ounce of fear (or self-preservation).
- Boring, but Practical: When they're in Noland's hideout, there are piles of various weapons that Nolan has scavenged from other people who were dumped on the game reserve and killed, such as hand grenades. Several of our protagonists stock up on supplies: Nikolai takes some Claymore mines, and Hanzo takes a vintage katana. Stans had previously complained about not having a gun like the others, but what does he choose to take? It turns out, just a bulletproof vest — and it saves his life later when the lead Super-Predator shoots him in the back with its plasma-caster. He's still injured, but the Predator assumed the shot killed him, allowing Stans to get the drop on it from behind and shiv it in the neck.
- Brother–Sister Incest: Pretty strongly implied, considering his tattoo.
- Even Evil Has Standards: His What the Hell, Hero? speech is full of this. Calling Royce out on getting Mombasa killed is essentially prison etiquette — it's fine to fight each other, but the clique sticks together, and even different cliques should drop differences to team against the screws. He also tends to inspire this in others.
- Face Death with Dignity: It may not exactly be dignity, but it's certainly brave; he eggs on a Predator to Finish Him! while showing no fear, even when given a Cruel and Unusual Death by having his spine and skull ripped out while he was still alive. Justified, as Stans, at the time when he was abducted, was a death row prison inmate, so he knew that he was going to die soon no matter where, and was always prepared for what's fatally coming to him.
- Faux Affably Evil: Sure, he's funny and personable, but he's always a second away from doing or saying something horrific.
- For the Evulz: His reason for killing 38 people (from a deleted scene)?Stans: Well, my lawyer said I was crazy, but you want to know the real reason; why the fuck not?
- Heroic Sacrifice: Already wounded, he throws himself at a Black Predator with a knife and slows it down enough for the others to escape.
- Hidden Depths: He's a serial killer and all-but-stated to be a rapist as well, as opposed to most of the others on the team who have some sort of military or professional background. Despite all that, he actually causes far less trouble on the team than the audience might expect, given his hardened criminal characteristics. He's also not above sacrificing himself to allow the others to get away.
- Laughably Evil: He is both the most evil and funniest character in the group, and has several scenes that show that neither cancels the other out.
- Pet the Dog: Even as the most obvious Token Evil Teammate, he gets a few of these: his What the Hell, Hero? to Royce, for one, and the Heroic Sacrifice.
- Psycho Knife Nut: Has both the skills and the personality for this archetype. However, he quickly recognizes how limiting his shiv is and at one point demands a gun from one his better armed "companions".
- Red Herring: Just from his serial killer background and making some sleazy comments towards Isabelle, one might expect Stans to be the one who would ultimately try to backstab the heroes in some way. However, he does no such thing, because Edwin happens to have been the Bitch in Sheep's Clothing the whole time, and it is HIM who tries to murder Isabelle later on.
- Redemption Equals Death: His Heroic Sacrifice does seem to be making up for all the horrific crimes he committed back on Earth.
- Serial Rapist: Heavily implied with his comments about how when he gets home he's going to "do so much cocaine and rape so many fine bitches."
- Sociopathic Hero: He's unambiguously a homicidal psychopath, but he's brave, skilled, and pragmatic enough to be a valuable member of the team.
- Stupid Evil: While his backstory, especially his For the Evulz attitude mentioned in the deleted scene, play this straight, it's surprisingly averted in the events of the film. While he's open and proud of being a sadistic serial killer with a 38-person kill count (leading viewers to suspect that he'll turn on the group at the right moment), he's actually smart enough to realize that their only chance against the Predators is if they stick together. He apparently learned this as prison etiquette: if the inmates fight each other, it makes it easier for the guards to keep them under their thumb. He's crass and combative with the others, but he never comes to blows with them.
- Token Evil Teammate: It's almost sad that it's half-masked by his hilarity, but you have to remember that the mercs are Punch Clock Villains who killed for money, while Stans killed people for the hell of it. Some people don't need a reason, just an excuse.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Of all people, he joins Isabelle in directing a minor one at Royce after Mombasa's death.Royce: I needed to know who we're up against. Now I do.
Stans: A man is dead because of that.
Royce: This morning you were ready to kill him.
Stans: Well, it ain't this goddamn morning, is it?
Mombasa
Mombasa
"I am ready to die. Are you?"
Played By: Mahershala Ali
An RUF member and a Sierra Leone death squad officer.
- African Terrorists: Was a member of the RUF
, a Sierra Leone paramilitary group. - The Atoner: Maybe. He doesn't seem sadistic or particularly proud of his actions, but he's killed before we can learn more about his character.
- Bald of Evil: His shaved head nicely complements his past of carrying out horrific deeds.
- Black Dude Dies First: Averted! Barely. He's the second to die.
- Churchgoing Villain: He's shown doing a salat (a daily Muslim prayer) during the respite and his DVD preview.
- Decomposite Character: Like Billy from the first movie, Mombasa has a strong jungle sense, and is able to tell when the Predator(s) are hunting/stalking them. He even stares intently into the trees at a cloaked Predator, to the confusion of his teammates. However, it's Hanzo who challenges a Predator to a duel in order to buy time for his three remaining companions to escape.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: He's impaled by a trap set by the Predators.
- Not Afraid to Die: See his quote if you are uncertain. It gives him an edge on Stans when the two are locked in a stalemate.
- "Not So Different" Remark: He notes the Predators are using a tactic he himself has used in the past — namely, luring other people into traps with a badly wounded ally's cries for help.
- The Rival: To Stans, at first. The two started to fight each other soon after landing on the planet, and take turns enjoying it when something bad happens to each other.
- Scary Black Man: Big, check. Black, check. RUF death squad member, check. Played by the Academy Award-winning actor destined to be the voice of the Prowler, Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes, and the next Blade after Wesley Snipes, check.
- The Stoic: He doesn't emote much, and just tends to take things as they come.
Cuchillo
Cuchillo
"This is Hell."
Played By: Danny Trejo
"Does this look like a teamwork-orientated group of individuals to you?"
A Mexican enforcer for the Los Zetas drug cartel.
- Actor Allusion: Danny Trejo plays a gunslinging, scenery-chewing, Mexican gangster named after a sharp implement.
- Churchgoing Villain: He carries a cross in a necklace and holds it while doing the sign of the cross in front of a dead soldier.
- Dead All Along: When he "calls for help". He's actually dead, and a Predator is just imitating his voice.
- Deadpan Snarker: Quite a few of his lines are sarcastic, complete with a very dry delivery.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He reacts this way to Stans in a deleted scene."When I kill someone, it's for the payoff, the big money. You do it just 'cause."
- From Camouflage to Criminal: Possibly. Royce guesses that he's an enforcer for the Zetas cartel, and the Zetas were initially founded by Special Forces troops who deserted from the Mexican Army.
- Gangbangers: He's identified by Royce as an enforcer for the Zetas cartel.
- Guns Akimbo: He tends to favor this style of combat, reinforcing his Gangbangers image.
- Jerkass: He is by no means a likeable guy, and adds onto it by throwing some sexism Isabelle's way in a deleted scene.
- Large Ham: It's Danny Trejo, after all.
- Only in It for the Money: Money is his major motivation for all his criminal activities.
- Straw Misogynist: In the deleted scenes, where he shows disdain for Isabelle just because of her gender.
- Tattooed Crook: Trejo's real life tattoos are visible, and Cuchillo is a dangerous criminal.
Predators / Yautja
In General
- Blade Below the Shoulder: Per usual for Predators. The variation shown here is that the Black Predators have a single long blade that can be fired out from their gauntlet.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: The Black Predators clearly do not share the Classic Predators' strict code of behavior. Their actions during the film would likely be frowned upon by their own culture.
Robert Rodriguez states that the Black Predators are in fact dishonored outcasts among their own kind. - Everyone Has Standards: The Black Predators were apparently banished for their honorless ways.
- The Exile: According to Word of God. Rodriguez even suggests the possibility that the "game reserve" may be where they were banished to (possibly excluding the Crucified Predator).
Berserker
Berserker / Mr. Black
Played By: Brian Steele
Berserker (or Mr. Black, as it was known by the production crew) is the leader of the Black Predators, who spend the entire film hunting the protagonists for sport. It decorates its mask with a trophy's jawbone, possibly that of a Xenomorph.
- Big Bad: It is the leader of the Black Predators, and according to its bio, the Badass Teacher for the Tracker and the Falconer.
- Combat Pragmatist: It accepts the Classic Predator's challenge to a fist-fight, but once the Classic starts scoring some hits, the Berserker resorts to using its plasma blaster.
- Cool Mask: As stated above, its mask is adorned with the jawbone of a Xenomorph it killed during its rite of passage.
- Crazy-Prepared: When it sees a Predator ship take off, which means one of its prey managed to reach it and escape in it, it triggers an explosive it planted in the ship in case anyone ever made it that far. Good thing Royce was never aboard it.
- Dramatic Unmask: The only one in the entire movie (at least from an actual Predator).
- Evil Redhead: The leader of the Predator pack hunting the main characters and sports red stained dreadlocks.
- Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: Sentient species are its favorite prey, as per the course for any Yautja.
- Laser-Guided Karma: While it was very unintentional on Royce's part, the Berserker's death is remarkably similar to how the Crucified Predator dies: beaten, bleeding, and decapitated.
- Obviously Evil: The eyes on its mask glow a hellish red, compared to the yellowish glow of all the other Predators. The red-stained dreadlocks don't help much either.
- Off with His Head!: This is how it kills the Crucified Predator. It later comes to be on the receiving end, when it gets decapitated by Royce in the climax of their final battle.
- Unflinching Walk: When it detonates its own spacecraft, it just walks away casually without even looking back at the end results.
Tracker
Tracker / Flusher
Played By: Carey Jones
Responsible for sending the hell-hounds after the humans, it also tracks them into Noland's refuge.
- The Beastmaster: The Tracker has trained a pack of spiny dog-like aliens to obey its commands.
- Cool Mask: Its mask has large tusks fixed to the lower part of it. The area around the left eye also bears the mark of a previous encounter, looking like a burn or acid may have caused it.
- Fangs Are Evil: The two warthog-like tusks jutting out from its mask.
- Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: Like its teacher, the Berserker.
- Loners Are Freaks: Aside from being part of criminal clan, according to promotional materials he prefers to hang out with his hounds rather than other Yautja.
- Neck Lift: In an Internal Homage to the first film, it does it to Nikolai.
- Phrase Catcher: As part of the above Internal Homage, it receives a "You're one ugly motherfucker!" in Russian.
- Scarily Competent Tracker: It uses spiny beasts as hunting hounds to flush out its prey.
Falconer
Falconer
Played By: Brian Steele
A Predator so named for using a falcon-like drone to seek its prey. Once it sees Hanzo raising his katana, it accepts the challenge, and summons its wrist-blade to battle him.
- Cool Mask: Falconer has a more angular looking helmet, which appears to evoke a bird-of-prey.
- Does Not Like Guns: Implied, due to its lack of shoulder cannon and penchant for melee combat — either that or it's too young to have one.
- Drone Deployer: It utilises a falcon-like drone to seek out its prey.
- Duel Boss: It takes on Hanzo in a one-on-one duel. Which, combined with its pride and need to toy with its prey, turns out to be a lethal mistake.
- Fatal Flaw: Pride. Toying with its opponents leads to its demise. That said, its death is a direct result of the pride evident in its entire species.
- Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: As with every Predator.
- Mutual Kill: It mortally wounds Hanzo, but dies at his hands regardless.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: Why it accepts the sword battle with Hanzo.
- Worthy Opponent: Strongly implied with Hanzo. It immediately recognises his "offer" of a sword fight, decloaking to engage him on those terms. Predators generally only engage worthy foes in melee combat, and as such the Falconer is showing him a great deal of respect. It's also notable considering Black Predators by and large care little for the honor of Classic Predators.
Crucified Predator
Classic Predator / Crucified Predator
Played By: Derek Mears
One of the traditional Predators, it's found having been trussed up by the larger Predators.
- Badass in Distress: It's first introduced chained to a pillar in the enemy Predator camp.
- Blood Knight: Natch, since all the Yautja are, canonically.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: The Classic Predators live by a strict moral code; that code happens to endorse hunting, killing, and taking trophies from human beings.
- Enemy Mine: It loosely allies with the humans after being freed.
- Honor Before Reason: Rather than try to escape, when it's freed it attacks the Berserker Predator.
- I Gave My Word: While not spoken verbatim, it keeps its nonverbal word after Royce frees it. Instead of attacking or strangling the human, it keeps its end of the bargain by using its wrist gauntlet to hack the Black Predators' spacecraft and send it to Earth.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: Again, canonically for the species.
- Remake Cameo: Its appearance marks the return of the original Predator design (which was absent from both Predator 2 and the Alien Vs. Predator movies).
- The Worf Effect: We know the Super Predators mean game for having captured one of the "classic flavor" Predators (and later, killing it). It's downplayed once it actually does get free, as while it loses the fight with the Berserker Predator, it puts up a far better fight than a malnourished, wounded Predator with poor equipment would be expected to, and the Berserker has to cheat in order to win.
- You Shall Not Pass!: It voluntarily stands between Royce and the Berserker before their fight, challenging its nemesis to a one-on-one while Royce runs for the spaceship.
