At this point it is a known fact that the Xenomorphs (which is less of a ‘love’ and more of a ‘cultural rite of age’, but anyway), though it is absolutely unheard of that they would accept a Xenomorph into their clan beyond chaining it up like a wild animal–but, as weird as it sounds, that’s what happened, as one Xenomorph proved so deadly, the Yautja made it an honorary Predator.
The aforementioned rite of age within Yautja culture is known as the Blooding Ritual, and it dictates that a Predator kill a Xenomorph (or a team of Predators wipes out an entire hive) before that Predator is a worthy hunter within their clan. After the Blooding Ritual is complete, the surviving Predators are allowed to brand themselves with the mark of their clan, signaling to the other Yautja they’ve succeeded. While most Predators follow this practice, there is one clan of Predators that doesn’t hunt Xenomorphs, they train them. This clan made its debut in Aliens vs Predator: Three World War, and they are referred to not as ‘Predators’, but as ‘Killers’. The Killers’ methods are the closest a Predator has ever come to aligning itself with a Xenomorph–at least, until Fire and Stone.
Elden, the Xenomorph/Synthetic Hybrid, Is an Official Predator
In Alien vs Predator: Fire and Stone #2 by Christopher Sebela and Ariel Olivetti, a team of Predators boards a human space vessel, yet little do they know, the Xenomorph/synthetic hybrid, Elden, boarded the ship as well–and he brought a pack of Xenomorphs with him. In an earlier storyline, Elden was injected with a syringe of Black Goo (the substance that would eventually lead to the creation of the Xenomorph species), and he was mutated by it, effectively becoming a Xenomorph-hybrid. The Xenomorphs saw Elden as their own, and even followed his command. This chain of events led to an inevitable conflict between the Xenomorphs and the Predators, and while the Yautja were able to handle themselves against the relatively small number of Xenomorphs, they couldn’t touch Elden.
Any attack the Predators launched against the Xenomorph-hybrid, Elden just laughed off before rapidly healing himself. Seeing that they had no chance against him, one of the Predators offered Elden the highest sign of respect: the Yautja branded him with the mark of their clan, making Elden a legitimate Predator–something that is recognized by another Predator (who had nothing to do with this mission) later in this storyline.
Predators Respect What Kills Them
While it is true that Elden wasn’t a proper Xenomorph in the more traditional sense, he was–in every sense–a Xenomorph-hybrid, which is just as legitimate, as hybridization and advanced mutation is the cornerstone of the entire Xenomorph species. In fact, Xenomorph-hybrids are met with even more disdain in the eyes of the Predator, as they are viewed as true abominations that blur the line between predator and prey (which is something that goes against their religion). The Predators’ hate for Xenomorph-hybrids was first noted in Aliens vs Predator: Duel, and has remained true ever since–until, that is, these Predators came face-to-face with Elden.
The multi-book Fire and Stone crossover series is one of the most thought-provoking and impactful Alien vs Predator stories ever written, as it beautifully melds the current continuity of the Alien franchise stemming from Prometheus with the extended-universe canon. Not only that, but this series also introduced fans to the one Xenomorph so deadly, the Yautja made it an honorary Predator.
