The Predator End Credits Went Viral Again For The Most Hilarious Reason
"Predator" is a quintessential 1980s action flick. It has a scary monster and ample gunfire to get the adrenaline pumping. All those factors make it a bit odd that the end credits showcase the main cast smiling and laughing at the camera, with some people realizing it overlays perfectly with any sitcom theme song from the '80s or '90s.
This phenomenon has been around for years. In 2021, X (formerly known as Twitter) user @alamofilmguy posted one such example of the end credits going with "Thank You For Being a Friend" from "The Golden Girls." However, people periodically rediscover this meme and post new ones on social media.
@evanwalsh76 Predator end credits "Different Strokes" Works with any 80's Sitcom theme. #predator #predatorendcredits #predator80s #comedy #sitcom
On TikTok, user @evanwalsh76 got in on the fun by setting the "Predator" end credits to the "Diff'rent Strokes" theme song. TV show theme songs aren't really a thing anymore, but pulling from the '80s and '90s is a genius move. The upbeat tempo and positive lyrics match perfectly with the "Predator" characters hamming it up for the camera or taking a swig from a flask. Clearly, these shots come from when the cast was still in good spirits before an alien began picking them off.
Director John McTiernan explained why he did the Predator end credits that way
After watching all of "Predator," with the titular hunter killing several people with some amazing weapons, it may seem odd to have a silly end-credit sequence with the cast smiling and laughing after we just saw them get maimed. However, director John McTiernan explained to RadioTimes.com why he decided to end on that note: "It was just a wonderful, old fashioned, theatrical, funny thing to do. We just did it because it was fun. We were a bunch of 14-year-olds who got turned loose in the fairytale shop." It appears to be a callback to past war movies, like "The Dirty Dozen" and "The Great Escape," which also bring the cast's faces back.
While there's a reasonable explanation for doing the "Predator" end credits that way, it hasn't stopped the trend from blowing up on TikTok. Numerous videos with different theme songs have permeated the platform, and they all work pretty well. Arguably, the best of the bunch belongs to TikToker @moviedeathblows, who remixed the ending with the theme song to "Full House." Heaven knows Al Dillon (Carl Weathers) needed "a hand to hold onto" after the Predator blew off his arm with a plasmacaster.
Whatever "Predator 5" ends up being, it should bring back these hokey end credits with everyone having a good time. It could reinvigorate the meme once more.