Marvel has launched Predator Kills the Marvel Universe, a five-issue miniseries that pulls together everything from Predator vs. Wolverine, Predator vs. Black Panther, and Predator vs. Spider-Man. Think of it as the Avengers-style team-up event, but with the galaxy’s most ruthless hunters targeting Earth’s heroes. And leading this hunt is none other than Kraven the Hunter.
Trouble in Space with the Guardians of the Galaxy
The story opens aboard the Guardians’ ship, the Milano. Rocket Raccoon picks up a distress signal from a Stark Industries mining vessel near Saturn. While Peter Quill snoozes, Rocket wakes him with some banter, but things quickly shift into mission mode.
Quill insists they help, not Stark himself, but the everyday workers aboard the ship. Rocket reluctantly agrees, and the two head inside. The corridors are silent and unsettling. Quill jokes about introducing himself as Star-Lord, but Rocket senses something’s wrong. Moments later, laser sights line up on their chests.
In a flash, a Predator’s cannon obliterates Quill, ripping him apart. Rocket, panicked and furious, fires wildly but can’t land a hit. Back on the Milano, Gamora, Groot, and Drax prepare to intervene. Drax eagerly asks if he can finally kill something, but before he acts, his head is sliced clean off. Groot is blasted in half, and Gamora loses her arm.
Emerging from the shadows are not one, but two Predators, alongside a man in a skull mask. He removes it to reveal Kraven the Hunter. With a chilling declaration, Kraven announces: “Let the great hunt begin.”
Predator X and the Weapons Plus Program
The scene shifts to Virginia, where General Charlotte Pet arrives at the Weapons Plus facility. She pressures Dr. Cornelius about their ballooning budget, demanding results. Cornelius smugly leads her to a vault. When she steps inside, he locks her in and reveals his “creation.”
Standing before her is a Predator outfitted with Weapon X-style gear—the kind Wolverine once wore. Cornelius coldly introduces it as Predator X.
Earth Becomes the Ultimate Hunting Ground
Narration explains that Earth, one of the rare habitable planets, has now become a target for the Yautja. With the planet warming due to industry, it’s the perfect environment for their kind. A Predator ship lands on the moon, and Kraven is brought before the Predator King.
The King views Earth as both a preserve and a new home. Kraven, who had already proven himself by killing the deadly Predator called Skinner, is respected among them. He has lived with them, learned their ways, and earned their trust. Still, he must prove himself.
The King’s son, known as Graveyard, wields Wakandan vibranium weapons (a direct link to Predator vs. Black Panther). Kraven presents a “kill list” of Earth’s greatest threats, urging a surgical approach—eliminate the strongest one by one. Above all, he requests one trophy for himself: Spider-Man.
The Fantastic Four Under Siege
Meanwhile, on the moon’s blue area, the Fantastic Four are enjoying a rare quiet moment. Reed Richards, ever the scientist, mentions his “doomsday algorithm” has been triggered again, but Sue brushes it off as routine. The family shares lighthearted banter over coffee, a rare glimpse of peace.
That calm doesn’t last. Reed suddenly screams as something severs his arm, blood spraying everywhere. Sue rushes to save him, but the threat has arrived: Kraven and the Predators.
Kraven narrates their strategy. The Fantastic Four, as individuals, aren’t the true danger—it’s their unity as a family that makes them formidable. To win, the hunters must separate and dismantle them quickly.
Johnny Storm is the first targeted, strangled with a vibranium cable. The Thing charges in but is warned against close combat. Instead, vibranium energy blasts launch him into space. That leaves Sue and Reed.
As Sue drags Reed to safety, he analyzes his wound. It wasn’t inflicted by steel or even adamantium. Instead, it required a vibranium-powered energy discharge strong enough to destabilize his molecular structure. As he bleeds out, Reed tells Sue the tech is highly advanced, far beyond anything Earth has seen. Sue, desperate to save her husband, begs him to stay with her, but Reed collapses.
Closing Thoughts on Issue #1
The first issue ends on a chilling note. The Fantastic Four are fractured, Reed is on the verge of death, and Kraven has cemented his role as the leader of Earth’s extermination. With the best hunter on Earth joining forces with the deadliest hunters in the galaxy, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Marvel has set the stage for an epic showdown. The question now isn’t if Earth’s heroes will fall, but how quickly.
