Why The Predator Doesn’t Kill Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch Immediately

The 1987 sci-fi action-horror movie Predator sees Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch face off and eventually triumph against a vicious extraterrestrial hunter, but before that, the Predator has an opportunity to kill him yet allows him to live. The iconic action movie features Schwarzenegger as the leader of a group of paramilitary operatives on a rescue mission in a Central American jungle, where they run afoul of the now-famous alien creature who hunts other dangerous organisms across the galaxy for sport. The Predator eventually picks off all members of the team except for Dutch, leading to a final face-off.

Once everyone else was gone, the Predator had a clear opportunity to kill Dutch, as he was unarmed, unarmored, and completely without support or backup. However, the Predator investigates Dutch up close, looking at his head specifically, before leaving him alone. From there, he disarms himself and takes off his own helmet, which is how he used his infrared tracking vision, and roars as a challenge to Dutch to engage in melee combat. With the ultimate goal being trophies, it seemed unusual that the Predator would pass up an opportunity to kill the toughest foe he encounters on that hunt.

The Predator Rarely Kills Unarmed Opponents

Most Predators Hold To A Code Of Honor On Their Hunts

The reason that the Predator lets Dutch live lies in the code of honor that the Predator's culture is based on. While different Predators across different media have displayed varying personalities and beliefs, the core principle of their trophy-collecting hunts is to find, hunt, and kill "worthy" opponents, and in a reasonably fair manner. As a result, the Predator rarely kills unarmed opponents, as the overwhelming weaponry and armor of all Yautja variants represents an unfair advantage for the hunter.

The moment in which the Predator examines Dutch's head is the best example of this code. The Predator had Dutch dead to rights, but he first checks to see if Dutch's face is actually a mask (like his own), which the Predator would likely interpret as armor or a form of weaponry. Upon seeing that Dutch is completely free of both armor and weapons, the proud hunter removes his own mask and tosses aside his weapons, making it a completely fair one-on-one, hand-to-hand fight.

Dutch Had Earned The Predator’s Respect By That Point

He Was Clearly The Strongest, Smartest Opponent He Faced

While not all Predators hold as strictly to the code of honor that seems to be a foundational aspect of their society, the Predator that Dutch encounters in the jungle appears to be more honor-bound than most. As the last surviving member of the team of trained operatives, Dutch proved to be faster, smarter, and stronger than the rest of the men. Before their final showdown, Dutch even manages to wound the Predator by masking his body heat with mud and ambushing it. He earns the Predator's respect as a worthy adversary.

That's why the Predator decides to make it a fair fight instead of an execution. To this particular creature, the honor and sport of the hunt comes from taking down organisms that it deems to be legitimate threats. An enemy needs to have presented some measure of challenge; those who are not as worthy wind up skinned and left as warnings, as Dutch and his team discover early in the action. While other franchise installments feature Yautja that are much more loose with their killing, the one in Predator embodies the species' code of honor in the hunt.