Initial Thoughts
All hell has broken loose at the Bloodshed tournament as the Yatuja continue their chase of the best and strongest fighters on Earth, hoping to prove themselves the best hunters. They're now also targeting the greedy billionaires who started the whole mess. As the billionaires look for a way off the island, the contestants team up with the Yatuja to fight off the henchmen trying to trap them in the arena. The ultimate showdown between Kai and the Predator still awaits—if they can survive that long.
Predator: Bloodshed #3 struggles because the creative team rarely takes risks, sticking closely to established franchise formulas. This makes the story feel constrained and prevents it from reaching its full potential. While there are moments fans may enjoy, the lack of bold choices limits the narrative's impact and originality.
All Roads Lead to…
All roads seem to lead to a battle between Kai and the Predator Alien as the final battle at the end of the story. Kai feels disrespected that the Yatuja doesn't see him as a threat, which challenges his sense of honor and compels him to prove his worth. Fueled by a desire to earn respect and validate his strength, he will eventually demonstrate, at least to the Yatuja, that he is indeed a threat. The two questions, at least for me, are yet to be determined: how many fighters — and billionaires — will not make it to the end, and how Kai will defeat the alien intruder. We will talk about it later, but I really hope it's similar to the original Predator movie.
Not All is Bad
The main character, Kai Daniels, is extremely upset that the Yatja doesn't see him as a threat and doesn't want to kill him. While most people would feel relief in this situation, Kai wants validation as a worthy opponent. He sees his value in being recognized by the best in the universe, and wants to prove he belongs at their level. His ego is so big that he can't get over the fact that even a murderous alien predator doesn't see him as a challenge. As mentioned above, this will obviously lead to a final battle between the Yatuja and Daniels, and what happens is still to be determined.
He seems to be the only one not to have bought superpowers--as far as we know thus far--which will make their fight so much more interesting in the end. It reminds me a lot of the original Predator movie. It will be a battle of wits and not necessarily of brawn. Dutch had no chance to beat the Yatja in one-on-one combat. So Dutch had to outsmart it. I hope that is the route Kai takes. However, the story is leaning towards Kait beating him in a fight, to prove he is the ultimate threat. I hope the ending is the former.
Obviously, one major reason I'm coming back and finishing this series is that I want to make sure the billionaires get their comeuppance. Not in a grim way, but in a comic book villain way. One thing that really got me excited about Bloodshed was its connection to real-life situations that got many of the fighters in the tournament in the first place. So, if they keep those themes at the end of the series, it will have come full circle and been a successful ending in my eyes.
We’ve Had Better Predator Stories
The dialogue, especially from the wrestling character Kim Linton, feels so forced that it teeters on the edge of cringy. I know that almost every modern comic book needs this type of character--the wise-cracking, never-serious pun machine. However, I would like these Predator comic books to be separate from the rest of Marvel's comic book writing. At least for me, it takes me out of the story. If it's not Deadpool, Lobo, or even Booster Gold---when he's not taken over by Darkseid-- it's okay to not have this archetype in your comic book.
As I outlined in my review of Predator: Bloodshed #1, the Yautja have been significantly downgraded in the story. The human participants of the tournament were given shoehorned powers to upgrade their abilities and to give them a chance against the Predator. I guess I have this vision of the movies, where these stories should be a cat-and-mouse game, not an equal fight — except when it's against already-established superheroes.
While these critiques could be dismissed as nostalgia or resistance to change, I recognize the Predator franchise's potential. The concept of a tournament where Earth's best face a Yautja should reach higher standards than this story currently achieves.
The Art Shines Where it Can
The art is fine. It's the standard Marvel-licensed, crystal clear style. While it's good, it starts to look like all other Marvel-licensed art. This makes the originality and creativity in other books seem lacking. If you look at any Marvel book, known IP outside Disney, you'll see a uniform, cookie-cutter look across all their crossovers. And I get it: You don't want to upset the corporate overlords by doing something too experimental. A little extra creativity can reinvigorate excitement for these franchises. Once it all starts looking the same, all the series will look the same—which is obviously not a great thing.
I appreciate that Roland Boschi and Ruairi Coleman take artistic liberties when possible. The violence is a prime example. When given the chance to get gory, Boschi and Coleman highlight the Yatuja's viciousness. The scene of the Yatuja’s fist through the goon’s head was spectacular. The violence throughout the book stands out as a series highlight. That is an element I don't think they could ever “Disney-fy” in Predator. The Yatuja are violent by nature, and that can't be scrubbed out. I hope we continue with that as we conclude Predator: Bloodshed #3.
Final Thoughts
Predator: Bloodshed #3 was a fun enough romp where, if you're already in this deep, you'll probably finish the 5-issue series. The clunky dialogue, teetering on the cringy side, and the shoehorned superpowers do dilute the story's impact; however, if you are a Predator fan, you will always appreciate seeing the Yautja tear people in half. This is where the very cookie-cutter art excels. However, there is enough in the story itself to keep any Predator fan interested, and while the reason why the projected final fight might baffle some people, Bloodshed #3 is still entertaining.
I have found the Predator adaptations far less interesting than the Alien Marvel adaptations, which is a shame because the Predator is just as interesting an IP as the Aliens franchise, but hasn't seen the same vigor as the Alien franchise has with Marvel. Hopefully, Bloodshed can end on a high note and set the tone for a book that is as good from start to finish.