Marvel to publish Predator Badlands prequel tied to film

Marvel Comics is expanding the Predator universe with an official prequel one-shot tied to the upcoming Predator Badlands film. Predator Badlands 1—written by Ethan Sacks with art by Elvin Ching and a cover by Juan Ferreyra, along with variant covers—hits shelves in mid-November, just days after the movie’s theatrical release. Produced in close collaboration with director Dan Trachtenberg, the issue is billed as a cinematic prelude that helps set the stage for the film’s events while offering fans a deeper introduction to the world of Dek, the young Yautja at the center of Badlands, and his Weyland-Yutani ally Thia.

Predator Badlands, set on a distant world, follows Dek, a runt among his people who embarks on his first major hunt. In the comics’ tale, Dek is given a deceptively simple task by his father: retrieve a piece of technology from a derelict spacecraft. Yet the mission quickly reveals an ancient and deadly threat waiting within the wreckage, underscoring the story’s intent to complement the film’s bold reimagining of the franchise. The one-shot is described as a “prelude” to the feature, and Trachtenberg contributed a foreword, reinforcing the connection between the...