Summary SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Prey 2 needs to bring back one of the Predator's most iconic weapons after it was cut from Prey. While the titular alien hunters were introduced in the original Predator, most of the lore surrounding them didn't come around until Predator 2.
Various Predator movie sequels have added more advanced tech for the hunters, but 2022's Prey was an interesting case in scaling back the creature's box of its tricks. The Feral Predator seen in Prey wields some familiar gadgets like the invisibility cloak or the wrist blades, but it cut the more high-tech toys of later entries. It also lacks the famous plasma caster introduced in the original film, with this weapon being replaced by a more primitive bolt gun instead.
Prey Was Right To Cut The Plasma Caster For The First Movie Prey was still smart to cut the plasma caster because that story was a stripped-down, back-to-basics approach that the franchise needed. The weapon itself is something of a cheat code for the hunters too, as it tends to fall any foe in one shot. Prey was telling a primal survival story, and the Feral Predator already had enough advantages without a plasma cannon added on top.
Prey 2 needs to take the story in a new direction, as the refreshing simplicity of the previous entry wouldn't work a second time. For better or worse, the stakes need to be raised, and the sequel needs to offer a fresh spin on the franchise's formula. Of course, it doesn't need to get as wild or goofy as 2018's The Predator, but Naru being chased through the jungle by a bigger hunter won't quite work either.