As a die-hard Predator fan who’s suffered through more stilted sequels and bland reboots than I care to remember, I wasn’t expecting much when I first heard whispers about Killer of Killers, a new animated film coming to Disney+ in 2025. But hearing it’s earned a staggering 97% from early critics-and draws legit comparisons to Arcane and Into the Spider-Verse-well, that’s worth pausing your skepticism for. If you’ve been waiting for this series to claw back its edge, this may finally be it.
Killer of Killers isn’t some lazy cash-in movie or a bland rehash of the ‘80s formula. Instead, we’re getting a bloody, three-part animated anthology directed by Dan Trachtenberg (who genuinely impressed with Prey) and Josh Wassung. Each chapter drops our iconic extraterrestrial hunter into a different era: brutal Viking-age battlefields, feudal Japanese shadows, and the skies of World War II. Three fresh settings, three new human badasses facing down the Yautja—finally, a Predator film with real creative teeth.
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Disney |
| Release Date | June 6, 2025 |
| Genres | Animated Sci-Fi, Action Anthology |
| Platforms | Disney+ (Streaming) |
I’ve seen plenty of franchises try to “do animation” and fall flat, either by going kiddie or just animating the same tired storyboards. That’s not the vibe here. Killer of Killers puts Trachtenberg back at the helm (his work on Prey was legit the best the series has been since the original), and pairs him with Josh Wassung to bring a stylistic flex that the Predator universe has desperately needed. No offense to the last handful of movies, but the Yautja had basically become a b-movie slasher meme—and not in a fun way.
This time, the creative team goes for a bloody, globe-trotting horror-anthology, letting the Predator’s mythic brutality breathe across wildly different time periods. We’re not locked in the jungle (or the city). Instead, we get: a Viking warrior squaring off with interstellar death incarnate; a feudal Japanese ninja forced into an impossible hunt; and a WWII fighter pilot’s desperate final stand. If you ever found yourself wondering what these monsters would do with human prey besides muscle-bound mercenaries, this is your answer.
What really fascinates me—especially as someone who’s seen every messy offshoot of the franchise—is that the production isn’t afraid to go all-in on the wild stuff you can’t pull off in live-action. The animation doesn’t just look stylish (though, from the trailers, it absolutely does), it lets the violence, world-building, and mythmaking crackle in ways practical effects never could. Dan Trachtenberg put it best: “Animation lets us amplify the spectacle and go deeper in building a visual myth.” That’s how you bring Predator to a new generation without neutering its edge.
Early critics are eating it up, too. 97% on aggregator scores. Liz Shannon Miller from Consequence calls it “a return to form that respects the franchise’s foundation.” TheWrap’s William Bibbiani highlights how each segment “packs a feast of film ideas into one wild, action-soaked package.” Sure, some skeptics have nitpicked uneven scripts, but even they concede the sheer joy of watching the Predator tear up new worlds in this format.
This isn’t just some generic streaming spinoff with the Predator slapped on top. Disney seems to have actually learned from past mishaps—not recycling, not sanitizing, but finally letting the core idea run wild in a format built for spectacle and experimentation. That’s a rare win for fans battered by decades of diminishing returns. If Killer of Killers can land its balance of hard R-rated violence, fresh myth-making, and stylish animation, it instantly vaults near the top of the Predator canon.
Gamers—especially anyone who appreciates the kind of daring animation we’ve seen in recent years—should keep this firmly on their radar. Genre-blending animation aimed at adults is finally breaking through, and this could do for Predator what Spider-Verse did for superheroes: refresh, reinvigorate, and open the door for more bold adaptations. It’s not just fan service—there’s serious potential for new kinds of storytelling in this universe.
If you thought Predator was dead in the water, Killer of Killers might be the reason to care again. Animators and directors are going wild—three time periods, savage action, deep new lore, and a style that finally breaks free from the usual Hollywood box. If you’re craving a true adult animation experience, or just want to see the Yautja finally get their due, this one looks primed to deliver. I haven’t been this curious (or hopeful) about a Predator project in decades—and that’s saying something.