Badlands Trophy Wall Skulls – The Most In-Depth Analysis

What are the skulls on the Trophy Wall in Predator: Badlands? This article provides the most in depth analysis and details the most accurate and up-to-date information on every skull seen in Kwei's ship! While some explanations remain speculative, some have been confirmed by the cast and director of Predator: Badlands! As new details surface, this list will be updated as we learn more about the unknown skulls. From left-to-right, top-to-bottom, the skulls are listed below. This is the most robust and in-depth analysis of the Badlands Trophy Wall skulls there is, we hope you enjoy!

1: (Unknown) Tusked Prey

The first skull on the far left of the room remains a mystery â however key details can be noticed: a flat head, eyes on either side of the head like a prey animal and two tusks protruding from the top of the mouth. It could very well be an ancient mammalian creature from Earth, closely reassembling the Dicynodonts which lived 270 - 201 million years ago and is one of the first documented mammals with tusks. However, this specimen on Kwei's wall is significantly larger. The animal this skull belongs to would have been a rather large, bulky creature.

2: Humanoid Cranium (Possibly Engineer)

The next skull mounted on Kwei's trophy wall is a massive Humanoid Cranium – very possibly belonging to an Engineer – the massive, Humanoid species from Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. These bipedal extraterrestrials are believed to have seeded Earth with their DNA, or having altered life on Earth to their benefit. Engineers pose a great risk and provide an even greater honor if killed in battle due to their significant size, strength and heightened intelligence. Engineers are one the most dominant alien species in the Alien / Predator universe.

3: Human

The third skull in order is an obvious one – Human. This skull is the only one with the spine still attached.

4: (Unknown) Extraterrestrial

The most puzzling and bizarre skull on Kwei's wall is definitely the last one mounted on the left of the room. This unknown trophy has a unique skull shape with a tubular mouth – possibly for a trunk of some kind. The skull reassembles an Elephant skull to some degree. The thin outer sides of the skull look like they would support soft tissue membrane of sorts, making the look of the creature this skull belongs to very alien.

5: Super Gorilla

Significantly larger than an Earth-dwelling Gorilla, the next skull on Kwei's trophy wall closely reassembles one better than any other creature we know. It's possible this enhanced Gorilla species are native to the Engineer homeworld – much like Humans and Gorillas share the same planet, Engineers could have evolved on a similar planet, where ecosystems afforded for larger versions of similar organisms. There are theories which suggest the Engineers are part of an infinite hierarchy of Humanoids which follow in the footsteps of their creators, creating smaller, altered versions of themselves in perpetuity.

6: White Spike (Tomorrow War)

While speculative, we suspect the next trophy on Kwei's trophy wall belongs to a White Spike – the hostile aliens in Tomorrow War. The shape of the skull also looks similar to the River Ghost which was introduced in 2010's Predators movie but they don't have teeth that protrude in a triangular fashion the way the White Spikes do. The White Spikes are highly aggressive and share a lot of similarities with the Xenomorph – both have a Queen, both operate with a Hive Mind and both are extremely hard to kill. They would make for very honorable trophies.

7: (Unknown) Grey / Mantid Extraterrestrial

The next skull on the Badlands trophy wall belongs to a more frail, smaller specimen – possibly belonging to a member of the Greys (an alien race some Humans believe exist in real-life) or of a Mantid Extraterrestrial race – judging by the small mouth cavity and enlarged eye sockets. This skull would belong to a highly intelligent alien, one that would rely on technology over sheer size and brute strength. This prey would require the Yautja to rely on their intelligence to outsmart the prey – earning the Predator a multi-faceted arsenal of hunting experience.

8: Harvester (Independence Day)

While there was some confusion throughout Badlands' marketing about whether or not the alien skull in the middle of the Trophy case belonged to a Martian from War of the Worlds or a Harvester from Independence Day – the debate was finally settled when Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi confirmed that director Dan Trachtenberg had confirmed, the skull was in fact that of a Harvester from ID4. The confirmation came from an interview Fanning and Schuster-Koloamatangi conducted with Jake's Takes on YouTube (at the 3:20 mark).

9: (Possibly) Engineer Subspecies

Another large, Humanoid skull adorns Kwei's wall, with a visible wound having struck through the cranium. This is likely another Engineer skull, or some other larger Humanoid Extraterrestrial. The exaggerated jaw bone suggest a large male Humanoid, which the Engineers are notoriously known for, however this specimen's jaw is quite large by comparison to the rest of the skull. Engineers were structurally perfect organisms – anatomically symmetrical and designed to be the pinnacle of Human-like aesthetics. This skull would give the Engineer a rather devolved look by comparison, if it belonged to one. For this reason, we suggest the skull belongs to a subspecies of Engineer – perhaps one of their seedling cousins who developed greater physicality over Humans but at the cost of heightened intelligence.

10: (Unknown) Reptilian

The next trophy mounted on the wall belongs to what we can assume to be a reptilian of sorts – the skull shape resembles that of a Crocodile here on Earth – however it appears to have eye sockets on either side of the head, rather than on top. However, the eyes are forward-facing which is a common trait of predatory animals, suggesting this alien is anything but a prey animal. The short snout / jaw suggests this creature would have a strong jaw and significant crushing power, making for a formidable opponent for the Yautja. Assuming its skull is promotional to its body, this creature would be quite large as well, easily 3 times the size of a Human.

11: Tyrannosaurus Rex

The last trophy placed on the wall inside Kwei's Predator ship is an easy one to spot – a Tyrannosaurus Rex! Yautja have been hunting big game across the galaxy for millions of years and this isn't the first time Dinosaur skulls have been referenced in Predator lore. The T-Rex was an apex Predator of prehistoric Earth, so it's a fitting addition to any Yautja trophy wall.

While this list contains some creative liberties, we feel this is the most in-depth and logically sound analysis of the skulls collected by Kwei in his ship. If new information ever arises to confirm or deny any of the speculations we've presented in this article, we will be sure to update this page with the most current and accurate information. All theories and words present in this write-up are original so please add proper credit if you borrow any of our ideas! Have theories of your own about the skulls? Share them with us in the forums!

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