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Timeline

Predators (2020) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2020 · 88 mins · Russian
Directed by
Stepan Sokolov
Starring
Oleg Taktarov, Fyodor Lavrov, Vladimir Sychev, Sergey Styopin, Alyona Babenko, Sergey Byzgu

A personal growth coach and author finds himself embroiled in a bizarre conflict with a wealthy man intent on tearing down the garage where he stores his Jaguar. Forced to prove his leadership skills, he must confront a series of escalating challenges. The confrontation quickly descends into a chaotic game involving kidnapping, blackmail, forgery, and even a giant St. Bernard, leading to a cascade of comedic emergencies.

On this page (4)
  1. 1 Events in order (14)
  2. 2 Timeline questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Every angle

14 events in order · contains spoilers

Predators Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Predators (2020) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Heat wave and cartel firefight draw Predator's attention

    In a sweltering Los Angeles, a turf war erupts between Colombian and Jamaican drug cartels. A Predator watches the chaos from the shadows as Harrigan dives into a street firefight to rescue two wounded officers. Harrigan and his team push the Colombians back toward their hideout, where they discover the slaughtered Colombians after the assault.

    When
    1997 summer heat wave
    Where
    Los Angeles – Colombian cartel hideout area
  2. Gang leader spots Predator on the roof

    On the Colombians' rooftop, the crazed gang leader glimpses the Predator and opens fire. The creature dodges the shots, then the leader falls to his death. Harrigan later dismisses the sighting as a mirage born of heat and acrophobia.

    When
    afternoon
    Where
    Colombian drug lord's rooftop
  3. Harrigan called to the station; Keyes arrives

    Back at the police station, Harrigan is reprimanded for disobedience. Special Agent Peter Keyes arrives to helm a task force investigating the cartels, and Detective Jerry Lambert is introduced as the newest member of Harrigan's team.

    Where
    Police station
  4. Jamaicans murder the drug lord; Predator retaliates

    That evening, Jamaican enforcers invade the Colombian drug lord's penthouse and murder him. The Predator arrives and kills the Jamaicans in turn, leaving a brutal scene that mirrors the earlier massacre. Harrigan's team notes the similarities as Keyes's unit arrives to remove the bodies.

    When
    later that evening
    Where
    Colombian drug lord's penthouse
  5. Archuleta encounters the Predator

    Archuleta returns alone and discovers a Predator spear tip, hinting at the killer's presence. The creature ambushes him and kills him, deepening Harrigan's resolve to stop the hunter.

    Where
    slaughterhouse vicinity
  6. Forensics identify the spear; Harrigan seeks King Willie

    Forensic analysis reveals the spear tip is unlike any element on the periodic table. Harrigan then seeks answers from Jamaican drug lord King Willie, hoping the voodoo-practitioner might know more about the mysterious killer.

    Where
    police lab and King Willie's domain
  7. King Willie believes the killer is supernatural

    King Willie believes the killer is supernatural and urges Harrigan to prepare for battle. The Predator finally claims Willie's head as a trophy and moves on, vindicating the Jamaican lord's fears.

    When
    that night
    Where
    King Willie's lair
  8. Lead to slaughterhouse; Cantrell and Lambert head to warehouse

    A lead points toward a slaughterhouse where the Predator may be found. Cantrell and Lambert ride the subway to join Harrigan, but the Predator ambushes them, killing Lambert and sparing Cantrell because of her pregnancy.

    When
    night
    Where
    subway and warehouse district
  9. Trap plan fails; Predator outsmarts Keyes’s team

    Keyes's team outfits themselves with thermally insulated suits and ultraviolet lights to trap the Predator, but the creature uses its infrared vision and scanners to track their footsteps and slaughter Keyes's men. Harrigan arrives and wounds the Predator, though it destroys his weapon.

    When
    night
    Where
    slaughterhouse/warehouse area
  10. Keyes killed and rooftop confrontation

    The Predator kills Keyes by throwing a Smart Disc, then pursues Harrigan toward the roof where their battle resumes with deadly intensity.

    When
    night
    Where
    slaughterhouse/warehouse area and rooftop
  11. Rooftop duel and the self-destruct thwarted

    The fight moves to the rooftop, and the Predator activates a forearm self-destruct. Harrigan severs the device with his throwing disc, disarming the alien at the last moment.

    When
    night
    Where
    rooftop
  12. Final pursuit to underground spacecraft

    The Predator retreats into an apartment to tend its wounds, then Harrigan traces it to a hidden underground spacecraft. In the climactic duel, Harrigan defeats the Predator with his disc.

    When
    final confrontation
    Where
    underground spacecraft complex
  13. Cloaked Predators arrive; Harrigan is rewarded

    A small group of cloaked Predators arrives to collect their comrade's body. The elder Predator presents Harrigan with an antique flintlock pistol as a reward for killing the hunter.

    When
    end scene
    Where
    underground spacecraft hangar
  14. Ending: Predators depart; future threats hinted

    The ship departs with the fallen hunter as Harrigan reaches the surface to rejoin Keyes's team. He mutters that the Predators will return, sealing the uneasy peace and hinting at further confrontations.

    When
    end of movie
    Where
    surface, city outskirts

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:55

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Timeline questions answered

Predators Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Predators (2020): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why did Lieutenant Harrigan think the Predator was a mirage?

Harrigan dismissed the Predator sighting as a heat mirage because he suffers from acrophobia (fear of heights). When he saw the creature on the rooftop during the Colombian cartel shootout, he was looking up at an elevated position while experiencing the brutal 1997 heat wave. The extreme heat creating visual distortions combined with his existing fear of heights made the alien figure easy for him to rationalize as a hallucination rather than a real threat.

  • harrigan
  • mirage
  • heat wave
  • acrophobia
  • predator
Q2

Why was Cantrell spared during the subway attack?

Cantrell was spared because the Predator's thermal scans detected that she was pregnant. The creature's infrared vision revealed the heat signature of a fetus, and according to its alien code of hunting only adults for sport, she was not considered a valid target. This detail saved her life while Lambert and many other passengers were killed.

  • cantrell
  • pregnancy
  • subway attack
  • thermal vision
  • spared
Q3

What was the Predator's forearm device that almost exploded?

The Predator's forearm device was a self-destruct mechanism built into its advanced technology. When Harrigan severed the creature's arm with a Smart Disc during their rooftop confrontation, the device was activated and counting down to destroy the entire area. By removing the arm, Harrigan prevented the explosion and saved himself from being killed in the blast.

  • self-destruct
  • forearm
  • explosion
  • rooftop
  • smart disc
Q4

Why did the Predators give Harrigan an antique pistol at the end?

The elder Predator presented Harrigan with an antique flintlock pistol as a ceremonial trophy for successfully killing one of their hunters. In Predator culture, this signifies respect for a worthy opponent who proved himself as a capable warrior. The gesture also acknowledges that a larger war exists among Predators, and Harrigan has now become part of that cosmic conflict.

  • elder predator
  • flintlock pistol
  • trophy
  • ceremony
  • respect
Q5

Why did the Predator target the drug cartels in Los Angeles?

The Predator was drawn to the violent turf war between Colombian and Jamaican drug factions because the chaos and gunfire created perfect hunting conditions. The creature hunts for sport across different worlds, and the intense firefight with multiple armed groups provided abundant targets and distractions. The Predator used the conflict as cover to hunt humans without immediate detection.

  • predator
  • cartels
  • hunting
  • drug war
  • sport
Q6

How did the Predator outsmart Keyes's trap at the slaughterhouse?

Keyes's team set up a trap using thermally insulated suits and ultraviolet lighting to hide from the Predator's infrared vision. However, the Predator's advanced sensors could still track their footprints and movement patterns despite the thermal protection. The creature followed their trail, anticipated their positions, and systematically slaughtered the entire team before they could activate the cryogenic weapons meant to freeze it.

  • keyes
  • trap
  • slaughterhouse
  • infrared
  • thermal suits
Q7

What did King Willie know about the Predator?

King Willie, a Jamaican drug lord who practiced voodoo, believed the killer was a supernatural entity, a demon or spirit from another realm. He warned Harrigan to prepare for battle and claimed the creature could not be killed by conventional means. His belief was partially validated when the Predator eventually attacked and beheaded him, proving the creature was indeed something beyond normal human understanding.

  • king willie
  • voodoo
  • supernatural
  • prediction
  • beheaded
Q8

How was Special Agent Keyes killed?

Keyes was killed when the Predator threw its Smart Disc, a spinning razor-sharp weapon, directly at him. The disc flew through the air and decapitated Keyes while he was attempting to activate a cryogenic countermeasure against the creature. His death occurred during the failed trap operation at the slaughterhouse.

  • keyes
  • smart disc
  • decapitated
  • killed
  • weapon
Q9

How does the Predator's vision work?

The Predator possesses infrared vision that allows it to see heat signatures of living beings, making it able to track humans through walls and in complete darkness. It also has active camouflage technology that renders it nearly invisible. These abilities let it hunt effectively at night and in urban environments, though certain countermeasures like thermal suits and UV lighting can partially obscure its vision.

  • infrared
  • vision
  • thermal
  • camouflage
  • predator abilities
Q10

Why did more Predators arrive at the end of the movie?

A small group of cloaked Predators arrived to recover their fallen hunter's body, following their code of not leaving comrades behind. Their elder leader's decision to reward Harrigan with a trophy indicated they recognized him as a worthy opponent. This also revealed that Earth exists within a larger Predator hunting ground, and more hunts will continue as the Predators are drawn to challenging prey.

  • cloaked predators
  • elder
  • body recovery
  • trophy
  • future threat

Movie threads

More Movies Like Predators, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Predators tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Urban survival horror movies like Predators

Groups trapped and hunted by a superior force in a confined urban space. If you liked the high-stakes urban hunting grounds of Predators, you'll find more tense thrills here. These movies feature groups or individuals fighting for survival against overwhelming odds in city settings, filled with suspense and brutal confrontations.

  • tense
  • brutal
  • claustrophobic
  • suspenseful
  • violent
  • paranoid
  • Tone: dark, tense, brutal
  • Pacing: fast, unrelenting
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread typically begin with a sudden, violent incursion that turns a familiar urban setting into a deadly hunting ground. The narrative follows a desperate struggle for survival, often involving a group of disparate characters who must overcome their differences to devise a strategy against a technologically or physically superior enemy. The plot is driven by a series of violent encounters and narrow escapes, leading to a final, costly confrontation.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their shared core premise of urban predation, the high-intensity pacing of a chase, and the dark tone born from the feeling of being hunted in one's own habitat. They create a specific kind of claustrophobic tension, even in open city spaces.

Deadly cat-and-mouse chase movies like Predators

Deadly games of pursuit between hunter and hunted, where roles can blur. For viewers who enjoyed the relentless hunter vs. hunted dynamic of Predators, this collection offers similar high-tension stories. These films explore deadly games of pursuit, featuring smart protagonists and formidable adversaries locked in a battle of wits and violence.

  • suspenseful
  • tense
  • brutal
  • gritty
  • unrelenting
  • violent
  • Tone: dark, suspenseful, gritty
  • Pacing: fast, escalating
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves the establishment of a formidable hunter and a resourceful quarry. The story unfolds as a series of escalating confrontations, where each side adapts to the other's tactics. There is often a turning point where the prey learns to fight back on their own terms, leading to a final, explosive showdown that tests both parties to their limits.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here by their central oppositional structure—a clear hunter/prey relationship—and the specific mix of fast pacing, high intensity, and dark tone that this conflict creates. They share a focus on tactical escalation and the raw survival instinct.

Every angle

Predators (2020) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Predators in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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