The Alien vs. Predator franchise is littered with canonical holes and continuity problems. However, it is pretty clear that the primary Alien films, Predator films, and Prometheus are all canon. The Alien vs Predator films are not canon, but I’ve included them anyway, just for fun. There are also a lot of video games, books, and comic books in the series. Most of these are non-canon, but Fox did endorse the recent two Alien video games as canon, so I’ve included those as well. So hopefully that’s not too confusing.
For those who want to see all of the comics and books that are part of the Alien/Predator timeline, I’m sorry there’s little I can do here, since this timeline focuses just on the canon. Little of the tie-in media has any care for continuity. But with pop culture’s recent glorification of “canon” there may be some comics or novels that become part of this timeline in the future, especially with more films on the horizon. This timeline does, however, include the novelizations for certain films, so you can enjoy reading those at least. Here’s the Alien/Predator story timeline.
| # | Time: | Buy: | Name: | Type: | Author/Director: | Year: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1980's | Buy | Predator | Film | John McTiernan | 1987 | |
| 2 | 1980's | Buy | Predator 2 | Film | Stephen Hopkins | 1990 | |
| 3 | Modern | Buy | Predators | Film | Nimrod Antal | 2010 | |
| 4 | Modern | The Predator | Film | Shane Black | 2018 | ||
| 5 | Modern | Buy | Alien vs Predator | Film | Paul W. S. Anderson | 2004 | |
| 6 | Modern | Buy | Alien vs Predator Requiem | Film | Colin Strause | 2007 | |
| 7 | 2093 | Buy | Prometheus | Film | Ridley Scott | 2012 | |
| 8 | 2103 | Alien: Covenant | Film | Ridley Scott | 2017 | ||
| 9 | 2122 | Buy | Alien | Film | Ridley Scott | 1979 | |
| 10 | 2122 | Buy | Alien | Novel | Alan Dean Foster | 1979 | |
| 11 | 2137 | Buy | Alien: Isolation | Game | The Creative Assembly | 2014 | |
| 12 | 2179 | Buy | Aliens | Film | James Cameron | 1986 | |
| 13 | 2179 | Buy | Aliens | Novel | Alan Dean Foster | 1986 | |
| 14 | Shortly after 2179 | Buy | Alien 3 | Film | David Fincher | 1992 | |
| 15 | Shortly after 2180 | Buy | Alien 3 | Novel | Alan Dean Foster | 1992 | |
| 16 | Shortly after 2181 | Buy | Aliens: Colonial Marines | Game | Gearbox Software | 2013 | |
| 17 | 2379 | Buy | Alien: Resurrection | Film | Jean-Pierre Jeunet | 1997 | |
| 18 | 2379 | Buy | Alien: Resurrection | Novel | A. C. Crispin | 1997 |
Pretty good timeline, although the first part could be more specific (Predator and AvP movies) and there are some mistakes in the later part. Check out my timeline for the Alien and AvP movies, it is a bit more elaborate: https://www.avpcentral.com/alien-timeline
You included the AvP movies in a well put together timeline. But why not include the Predator movies in with it?
Predator 2 takes place in 1997 not the 80s.
The Predator was announced to be set before Predators. And it was going to make the AVP movies canon again.
1987 – Predator
1997 – Predator 2
2004 – Alien Vs Predator
2004 (again) – Alien Vs Predator: Requiem
2010 – Predators
This film can’t take place after “the predator” (Royce using AA 12 automatic combat shotgun 2005 version)
2018 – The Predator
(The film ends with a cliff hanger and basically they are getting ready for invasion coming to earth…. So this plot hole contradicts predators being after it because the invasion would happened and humans in predators would know about them)
Can you do Freddy vs Jason/nightmare on elm street and Friday the 13th
The Predator is actually set before Predators.
Can some one explain how predators is after
the predator. It makes no sense placing it their because there’s a civl war going on between in the predator and super predators. Placing the movie after contradicts the predator bigger plot….
1987 – Predator
1997 – Predator 2
2004 – Alien Vs Predator
2004 (again) – Alien Vs Predator: Requiem
2010 – Predators
This film can’t take place after “the predator” (Royce using AA 12 automatic combat shotgun 2005 version)
2018 – The Predator
(The film ends with a cliff hanger and basically they are getting ready for invasion coming to earth…. So this plot hole contradicts predators being after it because the invasion would happened and humans in predators would know about them)
are u going to add the new Predator movie
1987 – Predator
1997 – Predator 2
2004 – Alien Vs Predator
2004 (again) – Alien Vs Predator: Requiem
2010 – Predators
This film can’t take place after “the predator” (Royce using AA 12 automatic combat shotgun 2005 version)
2018 – The Predator
(The film ends with a cliff hanger and basically they are getting ready for invasion coming to earth…. So this plot hole contradicts predators being after it because the invasion would happened and humans in predators would know about them)
1st question: the little probes used for mapping in Prometheus surely would have been improved upon by the time Ripley is recovered 57 yrs after the Nostromo incident. When the Marines show up to check on the LV426, why didn’t they use some advanced tech to scan the colony and reactor from orbit? Having done that and discovered the xenomorphs, they could have nuked the site from orbit and saved billions of dollars in equipment and personnel as I suspect a starship costs more than a fusion reactor.
2nd consideration: if all the predator and avp movies and what-not are canon, then having a hidden subroutine in all ship computers to attempt to obtain a specimen of a top secret alien species would make more since to wake up a crew and risk millions or more in ship and cargo of a mining ship. It would have made more since for Mother to report the odd find upon returning and let a salvage/rescue operation go check it out.
Therefore, my hypothesis is that that the gov and its top contractors who become the super corporations controlling the world and colonies know of the Aliens (and probably Predators) but keep it top secret so no one fears going out into space. The desired live capture of these creatures would better explain Mother’s actions on the Nostromo (and no Ash’s) as well as the expenditure of lives and resources in the 2nd movie.
I recommend adding the following.
Comics: Fire & Stone and Life & Death comic crossovers, Aliens: Defiance, Aliens: Dead Orbit, Aliens: Dust to Dust, Predator: Hunters, and Predator: Hunters II
Novels: Alien: Covenant Origins, The Predator: Hunters & Hunted, The Rage War Trilogy, Alien: Out of the Shadows, Alien: Sea of Sorrows, Alien: River of Pain, and Alien: The Cold Forge
Can you put in the three canon Alien novels: Out of the Shadows, River of Pain, and Sea of Sorrows? And the Fire and Stone/Life and Death comic storylines?