The Alpha

I see a lot of movies.

As an AMC Stubs A-Lister, I’m afforded up to four movies a week, and believe me, I take healthy advantage. (I went 33 times in 2025. Follow me on Letterboxd.) Some movies are good (hello, Sinners) and others are not (looking at you, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey).

When I reserved a ticket for Predator: Badlands in November, it was unclear which camp it would fall into. I’m not a so-called “Pred-head” as some diehard fans describe themselves, but I knew enough about the franchise to expect big, loud, turn-your-brain-off action. What I didn’t expect was a stunning comment on modern masculinity.

Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

Predator: Badlands follows a character named Dek who, desperate to prove himself worthy to his clan, seeks to single-handedly kill the unkillable beast known as the Kalisk, convinced that this display of strength will win him acceptance with the family that once rejected him. However, when he quickly finds himself in trouble, Dek reluctantly teams up with a robot companion named Thia, who challenges Dek’s belief about what it means to truly be an alpha.

Thia: On Earth, there's a predator known as the wolf. It's a powerful creature. They hunt in packs. They're very loyal. The leader of the pack is the alpha, known as the most dominant.

Dek: This alpha must be a great killer. I will hunt it too.

Thia: No. The alpha isn't the wolf who kills the most. He is the one who best protects the pack.

There’s a lot of talk about “alphas” these days. Football teams need an alpha to demand the ball on third down. Companies need an alpha to wipe out the competition. Girls need an alpha to make all the others look insignificant. In most contexts, the alpha is regarded as the one who advantages himself to the disadvantage of those around him. He’s the one with the brightest spotlight, the loudest voice, the most girls. The one who kills the most.

I think Thia is right—I think we have it backwards. The true alpha disadvantages himself to the advantage of those around him. He puts the needs of others above his need for status. He’s a protector, not a provoker. He seeks communal prosperity, not personal glory. His pack doesn’t cower in fear, saying, “He will trample us.” They follow with reverence, saying, “He will not let us be trampled.”

The world doesn’t need men who stomp on heads to look taller. It needs men who offer shoulders as footstools for the weaker.

Protect your pack.

Be the alpha.