After six previous theatrical releases, the Predator series marks a first with the arrival of Prey on our screens. The ending of Prey, however, may leave some viewers perplexed, and thus requires explanation. Despite the fact that the movie has taken a different approach than its predecessors by opting for a streaming release, it still manages to capture the essence of the franchise through its action-packed sequences and thrilling suspense. Nevertheless, here's the Prey ending explained.
Check out the official trailer for Prey below:
Prey is the seventh movie in the Predator series, following Predator (1987), Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010), The Predator (2018), and spin-off movies Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Reqiuem (2007).
However, it takes place long before the original 1987 film, as it's set in 1719. As per 20th Century Studios and Hulu, here's the official synopsis for Prey:
Set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago during 1719, the film follows Naru, a fierce and highly skilled warrior, who has been raised in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters who roam the Great Plains. So when danger threatens her camp, she sets out to protect her people. The prey she stalks, and ultimately confronts, turns out to be a highly evolved alien with a technologically advanced arsenal, resulting in a vicious and terrifying showdown between the two adversaries.
— 20th Century Studios and Hulu
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The film opens to some sweeping and mesmerizing shots of the Great Plains, as we meet Naru, a young Comanche woman who is trained in healing, but aspires to become a hunter like her brother, Taabe.
Barely minutes into the film, with her dog Sarii, Naru sees what appears to be an alien spacecraft in the clouds, which she believes is a sign that she must indeed follow her dreams of becoming a hunter.
To try and prove to her tribe that she is worthy of hunting, she decides to hunt down a cougar that has attacked another one of the tribe's hunters, with the help of her brother.
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However, as her journey begins, Naru finds several clues that suggest there's something much bigger than any bear or cougar in their land. Naru tries to warn her people, but they aren't convinced by her concerns.
After discovering a herd of skinned buffalo, Naru is attacked by a large grizzly bear, which is in turn killed by the Predator, which naturally appears to be much less advanced than the version we meet in the 1987 film.
However, in her escape, Naru runs into some of the Comanche hunters, who begin to beat her for having ideas "above her station". But soon, the Predator returns and brutally dispatches the male hunters.
Related: Where to Watch and Stream Aliens vs Predator: Requiem Free Online
Naru escapes but is caught in a bear trap, at which the Predator decides not to continue pursuing her. Instead, Naru is captured by French voyageurs - who are the ones responsible for killing and skinning the buffalo.
It turns out that the French men are hunting the Predator, and even have Taabe captive as bait, whom they torture in front of Naru. But before long, the Predator re-appears and kills most of the men, allowing the siblings to escape.
Naru rescues one of the men, whose name is Raphael. In exchange for her medical treatment, Naru demands his flintlock pistol. Once she's given the weapon, Naru provides the man with herbs that reduce his body heat.
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As such, he is rendered invisible to the Predator. But when the alien warrior steps on his leg, he screams, and the Predator kills him. Taabe and Naru attack their enemy, but Taabe is ultimately killed.
After firing upon the Predator with the pistol and knocking its weaponized mask clean off, Naru lures the creature into a bog, where it is trapped. And when the Predator activates its laser projectiles, it ends up killing itself.
Naru returns to her tribe with both the flintlock pistol and the Predator's head. As such, Naru officially becomes a hunter. But while she has killed the Predator, she warns that her people must move to safer ground.
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During the end credits, cave painting-style animation depicts three Predator spaceships arriving in the Comanche land, suggesting that the aliens have returned either for revenge, or to face the great warrior, Naru.
As for the flintlock pistol, it's very likely that we'll get a follow-up to Prey, seeing as it's the same one we see in Predator 2, which the "greyback" Predators hand to Danny Glover's Mike Harrigan as a prize for defeating their warrior.
In other words, they're going to get it back from the Camanche tribe...
Prey is currently streaming on Hulu in the US, Star+ in Latin America, and Disney+ internationally.