Predator: Badlands Is A Disney Indoctrination Movie — Just Like 28 Years Later

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Disney’s Predator: Badlands doesn’t feel much like a typical Predator movie. Instead, it focuses on a message of connection, similar to how Sony’s 28 Years Later shifted its story to be about finding a new sense of family.

The signs are hard to ignore once you look closely.

A Heavy Feminist Messaging Pattern

A major weakness of Badlands is its portrayal of male characters. Every single one is depicted as terrible, easily discarded, or a full-on villain – and they all die except for the protagonist.

Even Dek, who’s presented as a fighter, actually starts out as a weak and unwanted member of his community. He wouldn’t have survived infancy if his older brother hadn’t stepped in to protect him.

After this, the movie introduces a shift in Dek’s story: he begins to find meaning and inner strength not through his own background, but through a loving foster family of women who support him both emotionally and practically.

So, who rescues Dek? First, a disabled female robot. Then, Bud, a character similar to Baby Yoda, who is also female. After that, Bud’s mother. And ultimately, it’s Bud who wins.

People caught up in the action might not realize how often this happens, but when you look closely, the underlying message becomes clear.

The Pattern in Badlands

This is the structure that has raised eyebrows:

  • Dek’s biological family: all male, all hate him, all want him dead.
  • Dek’s new family: all women.
  • “Bud,” the cute creature they adopt? Female.
  • Bud’s parent? A single mother.
  • The synths? Female-coded and answering to “Mother.”
  • Male synths? Cannon fodder.
  • Does Dek take over the clan? Or does he rejoin his foster mom family?
  • The final parental figure who returns? His mom. No father. No reconciliation.

As I mentioned in my review, this movie follows Disney’s familiar theme of rejecting one’s original family and searching for a better one.

Look, Dek has some seriously cool moments, but honestly, the story feels a little heavy-handed. It’s pretty clear where the filmmakers stand – strong women are the leaders, and every male character, even the alien ones, is either a terrible tyrant, a bully, a cheater, or just a complete failure. It’s just…all of them. It felt a bit one-sided, if I’m being honest.

The movie bends over backwards to make Dek dependent on a new matriarchal support system.

This Is the Same Playbook as 28 Years Later

If this sounds familiar, it’s because 28 Years Later used the same beats:

  • The movie starts with a traditional family structure with the dad as the clear leader.
  • Plot twist: he’s suddenly painted as a cheater.
  • The son abandons the father and sides with the mother.
  • The mother befriends the infected, mirroring how Dek befriends what he was sent to hunt.
  • The son then rejects his family outright and joins a new, cult-like group — just like Dek finding a new “chosen family” of women.

Both movies present survival stories traditionally focused on men, but they explore themes of mistrust towards men, the breakdown of traditional families, and the creation of new, supportive relationships—often found in chosen families—that reflect contemporary storytelling trends emphasizing diversity, equity, and inclusion from a feminist perspective.

The classic story of a boy proving his worth is outdated. Modern stories about growing up, like Predator: Badlands and 28 Years Later, show that guidance and mentorship now come from women, not fathers or traditional male figures.

Fans Fell for the Action — But Missed the Message

People are leaving Badlands thrilled with the action, the unique creatures, and the nods to other films – and that’s precisely how the movie subtly gets its message across.

With the male characters consistently removed from the story, the focus shifted to a support network of women, and the male lead was portrayed as helpless until he connected with them. This clearly demonstrates the story’s underlying message.

This isn’t a mistake; it’s a deliberate pattern. The earlier Predator movies were known for being intense, dark, and focused on traditionally masculine themes. That’s no longer the case.

And Badlands follows it beat-for-beat.

If Prey cracked the door open, Badlands walks through it proudly.

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2025-11-14 00:02