Archie's Strangest Comic Turned The Predator Into Him
The strangest crossover in the Archie Comics universe actually saw the Predator from the Predator movie series turning into the beloved red-haired high schooler. Archie and the Riverdale gang have had their fair share of comic crossovers in the publication's 80-year run. From meeting Marvel Comics' The Punisher to taking on the dreaded Sharknado, the students at Riverdale High have come face-to-face with some pretty iconic characters, for better or for worse. However, none have been as bizarre and incredible as the crossover between the Archie gang and the Predator, which sees the characters engage in a bloody duel with the alien hunter.
The battle of the ages was kicked off in Archie vs. Predator by Alex de Campi in 2015. When the students of Riverdale travel to a resort for Spring Break, they cross paths with the Predator who's doing his own getaway to hunt down new targets. He follows them back to Riverdale where an absolute bloodbath ensues. No character is safe as he kills off notable characters like Jughead, Sabrina and even Archie himself. As if it wasn't bizarre enough though to see these wholesome-looking characters meet grisly ends, it's where the story ends and the sequel picks up when the strangest choice really kicks in.
At the end of the first Archie vs. Predator, Archie has been killed much to the horror of Betty and Veronica. Utilizing a healing machine to heal their wounds, Betty also uses it to transform the Predator into Archie himself. He can't speak outside of emojis in the speech bubbles, but it's a spitting image of the girls' longtime crush and by far the strangest form the Predator has ever taken. It goes even further though in the 2019 sequel Archie vs. Predator II, also by de Campi. Predator Archie actually joins Betty and Veronica on a journey through the multiverse to try and get their friends back after leaving a decimated Riverdale behind. He's following them around to protect them and ends up fighting on behalf of the new Riverdale when other Predators find their location.
So why exactly does Predator Archie come around to following and helping Betty and Veronica after cruelly murdering their friends? It's actually, funnily enough, a reason that's fairly common in the Archie comics: he's grown a crush on Betty. That's right, the blood-drenched hunting machine has succumbed to the trope that's led to numerous love triangles through Archie's long comic history, making this version of Predator the strangest in the character's history...and also kind of adorable. Seeing him fumble around when being called lovingly by Veronica, hinting that he's also picked up a bit of Archie when turned into him since he's constantly divided between the two girls, is pretty wholesome and funny to see. Plus, the fact that he still maintains his Predator hunting instincts makes the moments when he's got murder in his eyes while wearing the campy Riverdale sweater vest even more hysterical.
The entire Archie vs. Predator saga is nothing short of a fever dream. With the first taking on the classic style to show the family-friendly characters brutally killed off and the second taking the more Riverdale approach with a grounded art style, it's a series that must be seen to be believed. Nothing that comes out of it though will be as memorable as what happens to the Predator himself. While the Predator is strange in some respects, it's also one of the most famous monsters in movie history, and the fact that Betty turns him into lovable goofball Archie Andrews is comedy gold. Archie vs. Predator is undoubtedly the strangest but most effective Archie Comics story out there, and the hunter turning into Archie is going to go down as one of the oddest forms the Predator ever took.