Wolf Predator

The Wolf Predator, or simply Wolf, is a fictional character in the film Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem and subsequent video games in the Alien vs. Predator and Predator franchises, primarily portrayed by Ian Whyte. The character is an honorable "cleaner" who proceeds to Earth to exterminate both a Predalien and an infestation of xenomorphs, oblivious to the plight of the humans who come across his path. The first of his species to be depicted with an occupation other than big game hunter, while originally depicted as dying in the film, Wolf is retconned to have survived in the AVPR video game, in which he serves as the main protagonist, before returning as a playable character in the video games Aliens vs. Predator, AVP: Evolution and Predator: Hunting Grounds.

Wolf
Alien vs. Predator and Predator character
First appearance	Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
Last appearance	Predator: Hunting Grounds – Wolf Predator (2022)
Created by	Shane Salerno Greg Strause Colin Strause
Portrayed by	Ian Whyte[1][2] Ian Feuer (reshoots)[3]
Voiced by	Matthew Charles Santoro[4]
In-universe information
Species	Yautja
Gender	Male
Occupation	"Cleaner" Exterminator

The character received a largely positive critical reception in spite of the generally negative reception to the film he first appeared in, leading to his return in franchise media subsequent to the film.

Fictional biography

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

Main articles: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (video game)

In Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, in his office on the Yautja homeworld, exterminator Wolf picks up a distress call from a Yautja scout ship circling Earth, and on seeing via the security feed that the crew were killed by a Predalien Queen before the ship crash-landed, he dons his armour and immediately proceeds to the planet to kill it. Landing in Gunnison, Colorado, Wolf quickly locates the remains of the ship and its crew, and on discovering several Facehuggers had escaped the ship and had acquired hosts to create xenomorphs, he destroys it (and a witness) and begins to track down the xenomorphs and eliminate any and all evidence of their presence on Earth. After killing several in the town's sewers, due to the Predalien's interference he is unable to prevent the rest from escaping to the surface, where they decimate the population. After tracking down xenomorphs around the local power plant, swimming pool, gun store, and hospital, Wolf engages the Predalien in a one-on-one fight, electing to do so unarmed after his weaponry is damaged. After impaling the Predalien's head, Wolf is apparently mortally wounded, before the U.S. government drop a nuclear bomb on the town, apparently killing Wolf along with the Predalien, the xenomorphs, and the remaining humans. In the AVPR video game, retelling the events of the film solely from Wolf's perspective, he is revealed to have survived the blast, before successfully leaving Earth on his ship.^[5][6]

Predator: Hunting Grounds

Main article: Predator: Hunting Grounds

Added in a 2022 DLC update,^[7] Wolf must take on a team of special operations operators known as "Fireteam Voodoo" in a remote jungle location.

AVP: Evolution

Main article: AVP: Evolution

Over the course of his storyline in AVP: Evolution, Wolf must eliminate the Xenomorph Queen in order to prevent the "Super Predators" (from Predators) from annihilating his clan, as the "blood feud" between them rages.

Aliens vs. Predator

Main article: Aliens vs. Predator (2010 video game)

In Aliens vs. Predator (2010), Wolf is featured as one of the Elites overseeing the initiation rituals undertaken by Yautja Youngbloods to join the Elite Clan, present during Dark's initiation to the rank of Elite. Later, Wolf, Dark, and another Elite are sent to the planet BG-386 to investigate a distress call from Youngbloods, destroying the United States Colonial Marines' ship in orbit before splitting up on the surface to look around. Wolf then tracks down two of the Youngbloods just as they fall to a swarm of xenomorphs, before leaping into battle himself, leading the entirety of the swarm but for Specimen 6 to escape. As the two aliens engage in a ferocious duel, Wolf is ultimately impaled and crippled, before Specimen 6 removes his mask and allows a Facehugger to attach itself to him, implanting him with the embryo that would become "The Abomination".^[8]

Production

On his role as the "svelte professional" Wolf in AVPR in comparison to the "bulkier amateur" Scar whom he had portrayed in the preceding film Alien vs. Predator, Ian Whyte described himself as having "approached the role in much the same way with regard to my training [as] the shooting schedule crammed twice as much action into half the amount of time compared to the first one [with] over 18 hours [daily] on set",^[9] noting the "intensity" of the character's fight scene choreography, with Wolf's "character [being] governed by the necessity to convey emotion through body language because it's only when the mask comes off that we can truly see the malevolence within those deep set eyes".^[10]

The character's co-creators Greg and Colin Strause credited his name as originating from how Wolf is "basically Harvey Keitel['s Winston Wolfe] from 'Pulp Fiction.' He's the cleaner. He shows up and he's not there for the trophies [so if] anybody gets in his way, he'll just cut 'em in half",^[11] further noting Wolf's "cleaner case where he stores all his new weapons" and the design of his face under the mask as having "acid-blood scarring on his face [with one] of his mandibles [having] been melted off [as] a throwback to the one Predator called Broken Tusk in the comics [and] Freddy Krueger. You can tell this guy's been through a million battles".^[11] The film's special effects artist Alec Gillis further described Wolf as "not in the flower of his youth", relying more on brains than brawn, which inspired his eyes being modelled after those of a predatory cat.^[12]

Merchandise

A diorama of Wolf in combat with two xenomorphs was made available from Sideshow Collectibles in July 2009,^[13] an updated version seeing release in November 2019.^[14] A similar diorama was also published by Eaglemoss Collections.

Reception

The Wolf Predator was reviewed positively amongst negative reviews of the rest of Requiem, Screen Rant calling him "by far the most compelling and charismatic character in the movie, even without dialogue [and that] Alien Vs Predator: Requiem perks up whenever Wolf appears, [noting he] gets the coolest gadgets and most memorable moments, and even without exposition, it's always clear what he's trying to achieve in any given scene [proving] it's entirely possible to craft a Predator movie focused on a titular hunter without the need to make a human character the audience surrogate".^[15] Lifestyle Asia noted him as the third "best" Yautja in the franchise in terms of how he is written and designed,^[16] while Smart DHGate lauded the character's role as "this enigmatic force [who] commands the screen with that icy silent menace [and whose] design and character depth will keep him roaring in fandom for years, making him the perfect centerpiece for holiday gifting or cosplay adventures".^[17]

Appearances

• Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007 film)
• Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007 video game)
• Aliens vs. Predator (2010)
• AVP: Evolution (2013)
• Predator: Hunting Grounds – Wolf Predator (2022)