Spoiler Warning: The Following Post Contains Spoilers For Prey.Last Friday, Hulu’s latest entry into the Predator franchise, Prey, was unleashed on the streaming hub. The Predator is one of the more famous movie monsters to come out in the latter quarter of the 20th century. The creature revels in The Most Dangerous Game, always seeking out the strongest opponent to hunt. The more the challenge, there’s more the thrill to be had.
This time the Predator has been dropped into Comanche Territory within The Great Plains of North America in the 19th Century. Unfortunately for the Comanche or anyone else who resides there, access to a mini-gun isn’t available for another couple of centuries. With the vast difference in technology between the Predator and its prey, the characters in Prey showed varying degrees of bravery.
10 Raphael
Raphael was an individual who was associated with the wrong crowd at the worst time. His role as the designated translator for the group of fur-trappers is crucial when he tries to employ Naru to their cause in capturing the Predator.
When diplomacy fails, Raphael doesn’t protest when his fellow trappers torture Taabe and use him and Naru as bait for the Predator. His meekness and cowardice is proven more so during the Predator’s slaughter of his compatriots as he hides behind a tree. Eventually, he would attempt to play possum to avoid the Predator, if only they were a little more tolerant of pain.
9 The Fur-Trappers
The result of growing capitalism in the western hemisphere, the fur-trappers merely see what profit is to be gained from their conquests. Their thrill of the hunt is more for the prospect of fortune than it is for sport or survival.
Towards the climax of the film, they attempt to trap the Predator and utilize Naru and Taabe as bait, showcasing their cowardice in utilizing innocents for their gain. But when it comes time for the Predator to show up, they do somewhat competently execute their trap only to vastly underestimate their target. The fur-trappers’ actions are a display of bravery and stupidity in equal measure.
8 Wasape
Wasape is the hot-headed member of Naru’s tribe and the most vocal in their misogyny against her attempts to become a hunter. A proud warrior, there is no denying that he is capable in the hunt and has a strong sense of self but his attitude towards Naru and dismissal of her warnings would only be his undoing.
His overconfidence in his skill led him into situations where he viewed himself as the top of the food chain. Unfortunately for him, this would get the better of him as he doesn’t recognize fear when needed to and ultimately becomes the Predator’s first on-screen human kill.
7 Itsee
Itsee is another case of it’s not a matter of whether their bravery is up for debate, it’s a matter that the audience didn’t get a chance to see it before he was quickly killed off. Being a Comanche warrior comes with a lot of skills and the mindset for any hunter to be envious of.
He does have one moment where he attempts a team-up with Naru in trying to take down the alien. His calm and cool in the face of danger is on full display. Unfortunately it quickly fades when Naru correctly points out that they don’t have a chance against the superior foe and are forced to flee.
6 Ania
Before Taabe and Naru have their chance to face off against the Predator, Ania together with his friend Huupi challenge the powerful foe to avenge their friend, Wasapi. Despite seeing the disparity in weapons and size, the two proud warriors attempt an offensive.
After being flown in the air and giving off a Wilhelm scream, Ania returns to the fight, no hesitation, and manages to strike a blow and draw blood from the Predator. It’s an impressive feat that proves the tenacity a Comanche warrior wields, yet sadly it doesn’t matter when faced off against the aforementioned disparity in strength in a one-on-one with the Predator.
5 Huupi
Together with Ania, Huupi gathers the courage to fight the Predator head-on even after it’s turned off its camouflage cloak, revealing their true appearance. Even after seeing the Predator roar in fury, Huupi doesn’t hesitate to coordinate an attack with Ania and hopefully get the chance to avenge their friend.
Spear in hand they manage to hold off the Predator in a duel for a hot second before they are bested by the Predator’s advanced weaponry. All hope lost, Huupi still cries in defiance before he is summarily taken as a worthy trophy for the sport-obsessed hunter.
4 The Predator
Even though the Predator featured in the film is considered the main antagonist, it would be remiss to not mention what separates this Predator from previous iterations. The “Feral” Predator as some have dubbed it, has an absolute lust for battle with a prideful sense to get up close and personal with its targets.
In one of the film’s best action sequences, the Feral Predator fights a grizzly bare-handed. This could be viewed as the Predator wanting to experience a true test of its own strength against a worthy opponent. Its fight with the grizzly goes poorly at first with them taking on multiple wounds until they manage to regain their composure and win the fight in a one-hit knockout. The Predator could have easily dispatched the feral beast with its arsenal but chose to fight close quarters instead thus earning its victory “bloodbath.”
3 Taabe
Taabe is the quintessential model for the Comanche warrior, he’s tactful, knows his prey, and has the brawn to back it. Throughout they prove themselves to be more than capable to remain calm and collected when faced with danger, whether it be lions or galactic alien-hunters. He is effectively the Dutch stand-in as he even gets to call back to one of Arnie’s lines from the original film.
His courage and bravery are recognized by all of those in their tribe and at one point is awarded the title of “war chief” for his efforts in hunting down the lion that had maimed and killed other hunters. But his true moment to shine comes from his ultimate sacrifice to save his little sister, Naru. Knowing his fate, he takes the moment to encourage his sister in her hunt of the Predator and holds the creature off for an impressive amount of time before he becomes another trophy.
2 Sarii
Throughout history, there have been tales of the courageous acts domesticated dogs managed when it came to in service to their handlers or the love they shared for their owners. Sarii is no exception to their owner and trainer, Naru. Time and time again, Sarii can chases down and draws away creatures five times bigger than themselves.
In fact, it’s because of this cunning and the bravery they’ve instilled that proves crucial in defeating the Predator towards the climax. Without command or a warning to heed from Naru, Sarii jumps to protect their owner from the seven-foot-tall monster despite the danger of the Predator possibly seeing them as a worthy target.
1 Naru
Without a doubt the film’s protagonist, Naru is the epitome of what it means and what it takes to be brave even if she doesn’t see it herself. Naru is the one to choose the Predator to be the subject of her kühtaamia upon seeing its footprint, and she is able to determine that it’s a bigger threat before anybody else.
Bravery isn’t necessarily to be defined as charging in blindly despite all odds but to charge a head and recognizing the fear to be had when facing insurmountable odds. Though she feels downtrodden when believing that the Predator doesn’t see her as a “worthy” opponent, she quickly realizes that she can capitalize on that and execute a plan to ultimately defeat it.
