Marvel’s New Predator #1 Series Debuts in March 2023

Marvel’s new Predator #1 series explained

Marvel’s first run of Predator comics began in August 2022 with Predator #1 by writer Ed Brisson and artist Kev Walker. That arc ran six issues, with the final one, Predator #6, due on January 11, and its collected edition, Predator by Ed Brisson Vol. 1: Day of the Hunter, was announced for summer. The announcement of a second series came in December 2022, when Marvel said that Brisson would continue the story under a new Predator #1 in March 2023.

The second series is not a direct follow-up of the first arc. Marvel describes it as set years after that opening story and designed to suit new readers as well as existing fans. The new series has a new cast, new Predators and, according to Brisson, some big surprises.

Netho Diaz takes over the art from Walker. Brisson stays on as writer, and his enthusiasm for the project is clear. In Marvel’s announcement he said his only problem with the first series was that it was over too soon.

The premise

The new series follows eight strangers who find themselves on a distant planet, trapped in a deadly game against three different Predators. The setup gives the story the shape of a hunt: a small group, a hostile environment and enemies who play by their own rules.

There is a second layer. Someone else is hunting the Yautja, the species behind the Predators, and has been searching for a long time for this particular game preserve. That means the strangers are not the only ones with a stake in what happens on the planet.

Who is Theta Berwick?

Theta Berwick is the series protagonist, a hunter who travels the galaxy with the goal of eliminating the Yautja. Brisson describes her as a bad-ass hunter unlike any seen since Dutch took down the Jungle Hunter in 1987, a reference to the original Predator film. She is the figure who drives the second half of the premise, the person trying to find the preserve while the strangers try to survive it.

Predator #1 key facts

• Announcement: Marvel announced the new series on December 19, 2022.
• Release: March 2023.
• Writer: Ed Brisson, who also wrote the first series.
• Artist: Netho Diaz, replacing Kev Walker, who drew the first arc.
• Setting: years after the first arc, with a new cast and new Predators.
• Protagonist: Theta Berwick, a hunter dedicated to eliminating the Yautja.
• Earlier series: Predator by Ed Brisson Vol. 1: Day of the Hunter collects the first six issues.

Marvel’s new Predator #1 series: why it matters

Marvel’s foray into the Predator universe began in 2022, and a restart with a new number one is a strong signal that the company wanted a fresh entry point. Starting over lets new readers join without the earlier issues, and it lets Brisson try the idea again with a larger cast.

The premise is also well suited to comics. A hunting game with eight strangers has built-in tension, since not everyone is likely to survive, and the three Predators give the story variety. The involvement of a second hunter adds the possibility of a three-way conflict.

Readers who want to catch up before the new series can start with the first collection, Day of the Hunter. Readers who prefer to start fresh are the audience the new Predator #1 was designed to welcome.

Sources

• Predator (franchise), Wikipedia — franchise background and comic publications