The Predator franchise has an unwritten rule against featuring returning characters, except for a minor cameo by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator 2.
The Predator franchise has only brought back one named character for multiple films, despite the fact that it has been around for over thirty years.
The one constant in the Predator franchise is the presence of a Predator who hunts humans for sport, providing a flexible premise that has proven beneficial to the franchise over the years. However, due to the shifting focus and high casualty count, there have been few returning characters in the Predator film franchise. This shifting focus has become an unwritten rule of the franchise, with only a single exception to that rule being a minor cameo from over 30 years ago in Predator's only recurring character.
In the disconnected world of Predator, Anna Gonsalves (Elpidia Carrillo) is the lone exception, standing as a rebel fighter in an unnamed South American country during the events of Predator. Her allies are wiped out by Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his team, taken alive and subsequently escaping. Ten years later, Predator 2 shifts focus to Los Angeles when Michael R. Harrigan (Danny Glover) encounters a Predator during a citywide gang war.
Harrigan later meets with Special Agent Peter Keyes (Gary Busey) in the next chapter in the Predator franchise. This agent reveals the government's intelligence on the Predator, including a brief shot of an interview with Anna after the events of the Predator film. Even though Anna appears in multiple films in the franchise, she is the only character with a cameo appearance in this film.
Anna's cameo in Predator 2 is the only instance where a named character has appeared in multiple Predator films. While the filmmakers may have attempted to include more cameos, Anna's cameo stands out as a unique and significant contribution to the franchise.
That's partly what makes the possibility of someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger potentially returning to Predator such an exciting prospect. In an era where connective franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the Monsterverse dominate the box office, Predator has remained a singular force in its stories. The characters that survive Predator movies have proven their resilience and determination, and it would be thrilling to witness how they respond to one another or another encounter with the deadly alien. While Anna remains the only reoccurring named character in the Predator films, the possibility of seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger return is a compelling and exciting prospect.
Predator: Hunting Grounds was created by Jim Thomas, John Thomas, first film. Predator: Concrete Jungle was created by Jim Thomas, John Thomas, and first film.