Every Member Of Dutch’s Team In Predator, Ranked By Skills

The original Predator movie follows a paramilitary unit into the jungle, and they each bring their own unique skills to the table. In some ways, Predator is a typical 1980s action movie, concerned with big muscles and big explosions. However, the sci-fi element is the first hint that Predator is more sophisticated and nuanced than other action movies of the era. Predator also has elements of slasher horror, as the Predator gradually picks off the members of Dutch’s elite unit one by one.

The original is still arguably the best Predator movie of them all. The formula seems simple enough, but it hasn’t been easy to replicate the original. Part of the problem is that it’s impossible to create suspense and horror once the audience is already familiar with the Predator, but another problem is that the characters in the original are all so distinct. From Jesse Ventura’s musclebound action man to Sonny Landham’s stone-faced jungle tracker, the characters each have their own strengths and weaknesses.

A composite image of an unmasked predator looking at the camera in front of a predator kneeling at the mouth of a cave in Prey Related Badlands: Confirmation, Cast & Everything We Know About The Standalone Predator Movie

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8 Rick Hawkins

Shane Black

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Poor Rick Hawkins doesn’t stick around for too long, as he becomes the first victim of the Predator. Before his death, Hawkins stands out from the rest of the team due to his relatively slim build and his comically oversized glasses. Hawkins doesn’t look like he belongs in the field with the rest of the team, but he still holds his own in a firefight. He isn’t the type of soldier who goes in all guns blazing like Blain or Mac. He prefers to hang back alongside Billy and take out as many enemy combatants as he can using his stealth and intelligence.

Hawkins stands out from the rest of the team due to his relatively slim build and his comically oversized glasses.

Hawkins is the one who chases after Anna when she tries to escape through the thick jungle. It’s hard to imagine some of the other members of the team being able to maneuver so swiftly to capture her. Unfortunately, one of Hawkins’ biggest strengths proves to be his downfall, as this leads him into the path of the Predator. Hawkins is also noteworthy for his litany of dirty jokes. If nothing else, this can keep morale high among the hypermasculine team. He even gets a laugh out of the otherwise stoic Billy. Shane Black has enjoyed a long career as a writer and director since Predator. He even returned to the franchise to direct 2018’s The Predator.

7 Poncho

Richard Chaves

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Predator has often been viewed as an allegory for the role of the United States military in the Vietnam War, so it’s apt that Richard Chaves actually served in Vietnam before working as an actor. Jorge “Poncho” Ramirez therefore feels like a genuine paramilitary specialist, even though he doesn’t get as much attention as some of the others. Poncho is fluent in Spanish, which is essential for any mission in Central America. This is a big reason why he gets saddled with the responsibility of guarding Anna most of the time.

Poncho takes his eye off of Anna for a moment, but this is long enough for her to attempt an escape.

Poncho takes his eye off of Anna for a moment, but this is long enough for her to attempt an escape, and this ultimately gets Hawkins killed. It would be harsh to blame Hawkins’ death directly on Poncho, but he does neglect his duties momentarily. In another stroke of bad luck, Poncho is crushed by one of the traps the team sets for the Predator, and he becomes virtually incapacitated until his death. Poncho’s finest hour comes during the fight with the guerrillas. He causes chaos with his grenade launcher, and he even finishes off the last of his opponents while zinging Blain with a one-liner at the same time.

6 Anna

Elpidia Carrillo

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Anna isn’t a real member of the team, but once the threat of the Predator is fully understood, Dutch cuts her restraints. Anna transitions from an enemy to an ally, as every human has to band together to maximize their chances of survival. She reveals that she was merely feigning her inability to speak English, which highlights her cunning nature. She also has a deeper understanding of the local area and local mythology better than anyone else, which ordinarily would prove useful if it weren’t for the alien invader hiding in the jungle.

It’s worth noting that, despite her lack of paramilitary experience, Anna is the one who gets to the chopper.

Anna is the last surviving guerrilla, and she manages to sneak up behind Dutch’s back with a loaded gun. However, her hesitation to pull the trigger leads to her capture. This illustrates that she isn’t much of a fighter, as she seems to lack the willingness to take someone else’s life. She isn’t an ordinary member of the team, but this turns out to be her biggest strength. It’s worth noting that, despite her lack of paramilitary experience, Anna is the one who gets to the chopper. Admittedly, she gets lucky that the Predator has no interest in unarmed victims.

5 Al Dillon

Carl Weathers

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Dillon has a history with Dutch, and he joins up with the rest of his team even though he isn’t a regular member. In their initial exchange, Dutch teases Dillon by saying that he has been made weak by his pencil-pushing office job. He shows some signs in the field that Dutch may be right about him. During the firefight with the guerrillas, Dillon is hesitant to wade into the action alongside the rest of the team. He still handles his machine gun capably, even taking out two guerrillas before they can flee in a helicopter, but he certainly doesn’t have the same sheen of invincibility as Dutch, Blain or Billy.

Dillon’s biggest weakness is that his duplicity makes him hard to trust.

Dillon’s biggest weakness is that his duplicity makes him hard to trust. He leads Dutch’s team into the jungle under false pretenses, giving them a potentially fatal mission that they otherwise never would have taken on. However, Dillon gradually begins to show remorse for his actions, and he clearly wants to put things right. He commits to the team and often puts himself in danger to help them out. His death is one of the most iconic scenes in the Predator franchise, and it gives him some slim form of redemption for his earlier actions.

4 Blain Cooper

Jesse Ventura

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Blain Cooper is a mountain of muscle, but he has a surprisingly varied skillset. Of course, Blain seems most at home when he gets a chance to pull out his minigun and tear his opponents to shreds. Before then, he shows enough finesse to defuse a mine alongside Mac. He also pulls off a couple of stealth kills as Dutch’s team approaches the guerrilla camp. Blain seems to love his work, as evidenced by the music he plays on the helicopter ride into the jungle and the broad smile that he has after the fight. He is the second member of the team to get killed by the Predator, as he is blasted with a plasma cannon.

Blain Cooper is a mountain of muscle, but he has a surprisingly varied skillset.

Jesse Ventura earned his spot in the WWE Hall of Fame for his fights as a heel. Blain is similar to his wrestling persona in some ways, as he’s a caricature of testosterone-fuelled ego. From spitting on Dillon’s shoe to making a few off-color comments, Blain is the type of character who seems as though he’s always looking for a fight. Still, he’s a valuable member of the team, and Mac seems heartbroken by his death. Blain also has one of Predator‘s most memorable quotes, as he says “I ain’t got time to bleed.” Ignoring his wound risks infection in the jungle, but it’s undeniably badass.

3 Mac Eliot

Bill Duke

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Mac is the kind of guy every team needs. He’s fiercely loyal and always watching other people’s backs. He makes it clear to Dillon that if his actions endanger anyone on the team, then they are going to have a problem. The fact that he does so by delicately picking a scorpion off his back with a knife shows that he has the skills and the nerve to back up his words. Mac also shows a variety of skills both in and out of combat. In a firefight, he’s as deadly as anyone on the team, but he also shows a flair for stealth, explosives and setting traps.

In a firefight, he’s as deadly as anyone on the team, but he also shows a flair for stealth, explosives and setting traps.

Mac has plenty of memorable moments which show off his skills. For example, he kills one guerrilla by imitating a bird call to lure him to his death. He also feels secure enough in his ability to set traps that he tells Dutch there is only one way into camp for the Predator. Mac scores extra points for actually making the Predator bleed, which is a lot more than most other members of the team manage to do. His big weakness is that he loses control of his emotions after Blain dies and the pressure starts to rise. Haphazardly firing the minigun into the jungle in the hopes of killing some unseen foe is the first sign that he’s about to crack.

2 Billy Sole

Sonny Landham

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Billy is one of the most valuable members of the team, and arguably the hardest to replace. He has a few skills which none of the other members of Dutch’s team come close to. He’s an expert tracker who shows remarkable observation skills. It’s no coincidence that he’s the one who finds the bodies of the three Green Berets hanging from a tree. He is also the first member of the team to figure out that they are being watched, and the first member of the team who fully comes to term with the fact that whatever is out there in the jungle, it isn’t human.

Billy is one of the most valuable members of the team, and arguably the hardest to replace.

Billy has enough of an understanding of the terrain to suggest that he could have had a reasonable chance of survival if he had kept his composure. He quickly learns that the Predator is watching them, and that it’s capable of unearthly feats, so it isn’t too much of a stretch to surmise that he could soon have figured out how to defeat it or escape unscathed. Unfortunately, Billy has a mental break, and he opts to face the Predator with nothing but a machete. This noble last stand could be Billy’s way of facing his death head on. He says much earlier that the whole team is doomed, and he never changes his tune.

1 Dutch

Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Dutch is the leader for a reason. He has excellent planning and delegation skills, but he also has the most complete skillset of the whole team. He has Blain’s muscles, Billy’s intelligence and Mac’s survival skills. He needs all three of these to eventually defeat the Predator in their epic final showdown. Still, Dutch can consider himself lucky that the Predator declines an easy kill shot. By earning the Predator’s respect, Dutch gets the chance to face off with the alien in a one-on-one showdown without the Predator’s impressive weapons and armor.

His final fight with the Predator shows his intelligent planning, but he also has the ability to improvise when Plan A starts to fail.

If Dutch has one weakness, it’s his poor situational awareness. Not only does he allow the Predator to get the drop on him, but he also allows Anna and one other guerrilla to sneak up behind him with a loaded weapon. Other than this, Dutch is the complete package. His final fight with the Predator shows his intelligent planning, but he also has the ability to improvise when Plan A starts to fail. Predator is one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best movies, because his performance as Dutch combines his action hero appeal with some of his best comedic one-liners.

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8.7/10 Predator (1987) RActionAdventureHorror Sci-Fi

A team of elite commandos led by Major Dutch Schaefer is sent on a rescue mission deep in the Central American jungle. However, they soon find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior with advanced technology and a penchant for collecting human trophies. As the creature picks them off one by one, Dutch must rely on his wits and combat skills to survive the ultimate test of man versus alien​.

Director John McTiernan Release Date June 12, 1987 Cast Arnold Schwarzenegger , Carl Weathers , Elpidia Carrillo , Bill Duke , Jesse Ventura , Shane Black , Sonny Landham , Richard Chaves Runtime 107 Minutes