How does Prey end and is there a post credit scene? Plus what we know of a sequel

The ending and potential Easter eggs explains, and whether Prey 2 could be in the making

Released on August 5, 2022, Prey is the latest installment to a franchise spanning more than 35 years. Beginning with the 1987 horror classic Predator, Prey is the fifth instalment in the franchise, and a prequel to the existing 4 films. Set in the 1719 North American Great Plains, a young Comanche woman named Naru witnesses a Predator spaceship landing on earth. Wanting to become a great hunter, Naru and other members of her tribe must use the skills they have, to attempt to kill the Predator. This comes with great difficulty as the species' advanced strength and infrared vision give them an advantage over humans. Here, we uncover the meaning behind the film’s end credit scene, and what we know of a possible sequel.

Not the only film to keep audiences watching past the very end, the end credit scenes in Thor: Love and Thunder (opens in new tab) gave fans multiple reasons to get excited. Those that didn't catch the film during its theatrical release, should take note of the Thor: Love and Thunder release date on Disney Plus (opens in new tab). Whilst Prey fans wanting something similar to watch next should check out the Resident Evil franchise on Netflix (opens in new tab)

How does Prey end? Ending explained 

While still hunting for the Predator, Naru’s brother Taabe is captured by French voyageurs. These were the men previously responsible for killing and skinning the bison - they work in the fur trade. When they also capture and cage Naru, Voyageur leader Raphael Adolini questions her about the Predator. With Naru refusing to offer him answers, Adolini reveals the voyageurs also have Taabe captive, torturing him with knives to get Naru to change her mind. 

To entice the Predator to their camp and find out more about him, the fur traders leave the siblings tied up and left as bait.  Responding to the bait, the Predator arrives, but immediately kills most of the voyageurs - Naru and Taabe manage to escape. 

Retrieving her beloved dog Sarii during the escape, Naru stumbles across a seriously injured Adolini - one of the only men not left dead from the Predator attack. Knowing Naru is a skilled healer, Adolini begs her to heal him in exchange for a gun. At this point, Naru realises the herb she is giving to stem blood loss, also lowers body temperature. This prevents the Predator from finding human prey with his thermal detection vision. 

When the Predator reappears, Adolini is able to play dead. His plan goes horribly wrong when the alien killer - unable to see him due to the herbs, steps on his leg. The resulting scream gives away his presence, and Adolini is killed instantly. Naru and Taabe escape once again, but it’s not long before the Predator catches up with them and kills Taabe. During the fight, Naru realises the Predator’s skull mask controls the aim of his weapons. With this knowledge, she finds one final voyageur still alive, and uses him as bait. Imbibing the herbs to mask her body temperature, Naru is able to unmask the Predator as he attacks the final voyageur, leading to their final battle. 

Realising her dream of becoming a renowned warrior, Naru lures her foe to a muddy swamp and uses the mask to turn his projectile weapon against him. Dead from his wounds, Naru severs its head to bring back to her tribe. Painting her face with the alien’s fluorescent green blood, she delivers the Predator’s head and the pistol given to her by Adolini to her tribe, and is made a War Chief.

What is the meaning of the pistol in Prey?

It is the same pistol handed to Lieutenant Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover) at the end of Predator 2, acting as an Easter egg linking the two films. 

During the finale of 1990’s Predator 2, LAPD officer Michael R. Harrigan kills the Predator. Retrieving the body to take with them on their spacecraft, fellow Predators offer Harrigan a pistol as a trophy. The flintlock pistol has the same engraving as the one Naru hands to her tribe in Prey, reading “Raphael Adolini 1715”.

According to Gizmodo (opens in new tab), this could have serious implications for Naru’s future. Her tribe is still in possession of the pistol at the end of Prey, but in the future it's handed to Harrigan by Predators. This implies the Predators return to 1719 and possibly kill the tribe to retrieve the pistol. Interestingly, the original prop pistol from the 1990 film couldn’t be located for the filming of Prey. A replica was provided by a fan of the franchise.

Director Dan Trachtenberg said “Our prop master sought it out. We did not have it. The only way he could find it was he was watching a YouTube fan replica maker, and he saw it on his shelf behind him and he reached out to him and we got that gun. So that was provided by a fan of the franchise.”

One fan shared a picture of the replica prop and the engraving to Twitter. They captioned the photo “Really glad that I watched Predator 2 and this pistol given to Danny Glover is the pistol Naru Uses in Prey”. 

Prey: Post credit scene 

Although there is no new scene during or after the credits finish rolling, the main credits are displayed alongside drawings that offer the extra content. 

According to Winter Is Coming (opens in new tab), the end credits are overlaid with a series of stylised paintings, emulating the ledger art of the Native American tribes of the Great Plains. Inspiration is taken from tribes such as the Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Comanche, to recreate Naru’s story throughout Prey. She is depicted developing from an aspiring hunter to Predator slayer, with the assistance of her dog Sarii.

Watching and interpreting the drawings to the end, the paintings show Naru with the Predator head, being proclaimed the tribe’s new War Chief. At this time, dark clouds and lightning appear in the sketches, and a trio of Predator ships are revealed above Naru’s village. The screen cuts to black, leaving viewers to decide on their meaning for themselves. 

Will there be a sequel? 

There have currently been no announcements made about a Prey sequel. Director Dan Trachtenberg has said the movie can easily be standalone, while also hinting that it sets the scene for future films.

Speaking to Comic Book Movie (opens in new tab), about the film being standalone, Tratchenberg said “I think there’s definitely something…because so many movies are seen as franchise starters, there’s something inherently refreshing about a movie that feels complete. I hope this movie does feel complete”.

However, he later appeared to contradict this by saying about the credits art scenes “It leaves room for lots of different kinds of sequels to be made. I don’t know if we’re ready yet to say exactly what we want to do next, but I think there are lots of cool opportunities”. 

Prey: Rotten Tomatoes review 

Review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes (opens in new tab) currently has Prey standing with a 92% critics score, meaning it is certified fresh. It also has an 82% viewers score.    

The site's general consensus is that the film pitches adrenaline levels perfectly, without skipping essential character development. It asserts Prey as “a Predator sequel done right”. Noel Murray from the Los Angeles Times (opens in new tab), said the film is “the franchise’s best installment since the first, because director Dan Trachtenberg and screenwriter Patrick Aison seem to understand that what makes a ‘Predator’ picture exciting is watching grossly overmatched humans figure out how to stop the unstoppable.”

Writing in From The Front Row (opens in new tab), Mattie Lucas said “Prey is such an ingenuous concept, a film that almost defiantly bucks expectations of both its franchise and its genre and does its own thing, never overstaying its welcome or attempting to complicate the mythology of the original.” Pitching it as the best Predator sequel, he followed up with “it's a fascinating example of how to reframe and continue a beloved franchise without resorting to mere fan service or naked nostalgia. Prey both honors its roots and pushes its source material in a thrilling new direction”.

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