What is Bud in Predator: Badlands? Who is that little alien that follows Dek around the entire movie? This article explains what Bud is, her unique traits and abilities and lesser-known facts. Be warned, this article does contain spoilers for Predator: Badlands.
Where does Bud come from?
In Baldands, Bud is introduced within the first half of the film. She discovers Dek and Thia on Genna as they're trying to devise a path through a field of Razor Grass – grass made of razor-sharp glass-like material. Bud however, seems to be unphased by the Razor Grass as she runs and rolls through it with ease. It's unknown how long Bud was following Dek before making herself known.
Weyland-Yutani Undocumented Variant
To the surprise of Thia, her records do not contain any information on Bud upon her introduction. This is a unique detail because Thia's job on Genna was to document all living creatures and establish a robust database for the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. Bud was not on the list and so, remained a mystery for most of the film.
Unique Traits & Abilities
Bud is highly intelligent and inquisitive. Even in her infant state, Bud is extremely curious about Dek, his mannerisms and takes a real liking to him. Both Bud and Dek save each other at numerous points in the film, establishing a unique bond. For Bud, she imprints on Dek by spitting on him – this marks Dek with unique scent and pheromone signatures which establish him as one of Bud's kind.
In terms of strength, Bud is extremely strong for her size. She is also very agile and resourceful. She is capable of mimicking body language, auditory cues and establishing patterns and problem solving. In addition to being overly strong and highly intelligent, she also has a rigid body, her back especially has a tough shell-like covering, much like an Armadillo, which protects her from being chewed on by giant tree bugs.
Bud's link to the Kalisk
To the surprise of both Dek and Thia, it is revealed later in the film that Bud is actually a baby Kalisk. Thanks to Bud's imprinting (spitting) on Dek earlier in the movie, Dek is spared becoming Kalisk dinner after their battle. The adult Kalisk, later established as Bud's mother, smells the pheromone signature on Dek left by Bud and quickly disengages her battle with him. She was unable to sense the pheromones however until she got very close to Dek.
The future of Bud
Predator: Badlands concludes with Dek, Thia and Bud on Yautja Prime, waiting to meet Dek's mother. By this time, Bud had grown immensely and was entering the adolescent stage of her development. She was notably larger than her time on Genna and had begun to grow in her thicker, fur-like coat. She is loyal to Dek and acts as a companion to him, alongside the rogue Weyland-Yutani Synthetic Thia. The future of Bud is unknown, but we're certain her story with Dek is just getting started.
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