The upcoming Predator prequel Prey, soon to be streaming on Hulu, has reignited a chilling old debate. Prey is highly anticipated, working as an addition to a universe originally an Arnold Schwarzenegger-helmed (portraying the elite army commander Dutch), gory, and gloriously ’80s monster horror that captivated a generation of testosterone pumped and violence enthralled teens.

However, Prey repurposes the classic Predator concept of “man in the woods fighting an inhuman, invincible monster and triumphing” by placing a highly-skilled, Comanche warrior woman in the ring with the Predator as she defends her people.

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This really exciting and promising twist on an old hit highlights the importance of the most crucial storytelling tactic: give the audience the same thing, only updated. Also exciting and intriguing is how this new film reminds us of the brilliantly 2000s crossover film Alien vs. Predator, which saw the Predator facing off against the slew of antagonists that the pivotal, genre-defying action heroine Sigourney Weaver once obliterated.

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The Predator and Alien franchises were previously unconnected. The idea came from a comic book publication and was pursued cinematically by studios afterward. The crossover united the poster children of each franchise, the Predator and Xenomorph, but did little to bridge the themes, styles, and overtones of the films’ heroes that made the original installations Earth-shattering popular and agelessly fantastic.

A reboot has the opportunity to change all that, and fans have been calling one for a long time. Now that their attention has been restored and their hopes renewed, the internet is crying out afresh for attention on this subject. Here’s why, yes, Alien vs. Predator absolutely deserves a reboot!

A Predator vs. Alien Reboot Could Make Important Statements on Gender Roles

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It’s difficult to explain just how iconic Sigourney Weaver’s tough and unapologetic, secure, but fearlessly vigorous Ellen Ripley was. To this day, the character is the gold standard for monster-hunting protagonists, especially strong women warriors. Predator, meanwhile, achieved the same status, but let’s face it, it is mostly for the guys who want to enjoy two manly men engaging in the most intense bro-shake since the gladiator days of ancient Rome. It seems a direct product of the ’80s wrestling and martial arts culture that bled so heavily into the decade’s action films. Make no mistake, there is nothing at all wrong with this.

To turn our attention to the Weaver-led Alien franchise, meanwhile, is simply to note that this franchise had more intrigue, more intellectualism, and more problem-solving through scientific study, teamwork, and analysis. Not to mention its explosive emphasis that women are more than capable of harnessing the same mastery over violence, monsters, and humanity, as well as machine gun-pumping, cursing, hard-knocks, and villain-dissing one-liners that categorize all classic action films.

Also, whereas Predator sees the ruthless slaughter of all the protagonist’s companions, leaving him the soul champion over the enemy, Aliens’ Ripley, specifically in the hailed sequel, embraces empathy by saving a child happening into her care as well as her love interest.

Overall, the female-led Alien franchise has more heart but no less blood, gore, and action than Predator. There was a difference between the male-led franchise and the female-led franchise. This dichotomy wasn’t something Alien vs. Predator overtly capitalized on, but it could ratchet up the significance of breaking traditional gender stereotypes in a reboot to significant social and narrative effect and through both action and humor.

It could be gripping to see the two sides distinguished, playing against each other in a socially relevant fashion, then united against their common enemies. This crossover of two iconic, insidious killing machines could go much deeper if pressed. Who doesn’t want to know if a Ripley couldn’t beat a Dutch? (She could and absolutely would)

Why the Original Alien vs. Predator has a lot to Work With

     20th Century Studios

With everything from ancient aliens, otherworldly pyramids, Egyptian and Aztec fringe lore, and great low-rise jeans, it’s about time more grungy favorites like this flick made their way back into the mainstream, where they can be appreciated once again.

In the age of the Hayden Christensen renaissance, there’s a lot of material here that a reboot could harness besides drawing back to the two films that spawned this whole, decades-spanning franchise. A fun play on the ancient alien’s phenomenon could be in order, and we mustn’t forget the style of sleek, horrifying gore set down by the Prometheus movies, which could give a reboot slightly more sophistication.

Ultimately, the studios can see that there’s definitely an audience for an Alien vs. Predator reboot. Clearly, there are quite a bit of unexplored narrative pathways a reboot could exploit to great, entertaining effect. We hope that Disney takes notice and utilizes its company acquisition once again to give us something awesome, gnarly, and action-packed that we all really want!