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"If it bleeds, we can kill it."
Dutch (from Predator)

Major Alan Schaefer,[4] better known as "Dutch" and also nicknamed "Onyx",[5] was a mercenary and the leader of a private military team. In 1987, Dutch and his men were hired by the U.S. military and the CIA for a "rescue mission" in Guatemala. After discovering that their mission was a set-up to dupe them into eliminating the rebels in the area, Dutch's squad came into contact with a Predator that stalked and killed the elite mercenaries one-by-one.

Dutch was a specialist in guerrilla engagements and had been posted in both Da Nang and Cambodia during and after the Vietnam War, alongside Al Dillon. He was one of only two survivors of the encounter in Guatemala, the other being guerrilla member Anna Gonsalves. He was subsequently interrogated by the OWLF regarding the incident, but he later escaped from their custody and disappeared.[6]

Biography[]

Background[]

In his school days, Dutch had been a football star.[7] After leaving college, he attended boot camp with Jim Hopper in 1967[8] and had a brother named John who was a detective in the NYPD.

Army years[]

Dutch went on to serve in the Vietnam War alongside his close friend Al Dillon, seeing action at Da Nang.[9] At one point during the war, Dutch was captured and brutally tortured by the Viet Cong; the prolonged interrogation eventually caused him to become resistant to pain. Following the Vietnam War, he served in various commando units, including a mission in Malaysia in 1979 with Hopper that nearly claimed both of their lives.[8] He later reunited with Dillon for operations in Thailand, and while serving there the men obtained matching lighters of personal significance.[10]

Working as a mercenary[]

"We're a rescue team, not assassins."
Dutch to Dillon, regarding the ethical code he follows as a mercenary (from Predator)

In 1980, Dutch left the United States Army and set up his own private military company, mainly recruiting other US Army personnel.[11]

Dutch's team saw operations in Angola, Cambodia, Lebanon and Afghanistan.[12] More recently, the team dealt with a terrorist siege at the Sudanese Embassy in Berlin, Germany, assaulting the building and eliminating seven terrorists in under ten seconds. Not only did the operation in the center of the city go totally unnoticed by the world's press, the terrorists were eliminated before they even had a chance to call in their demands.[13]

A notable condition of employment for Dutch and his men was that they only ever operate as a rescue team, and he refused to take on any mission where the prime objective was the elimination of enemy personnel, such as a proposed operation in Libya that he turned down.[14]

Mission to Guatemala[]

"Once we cross that border, we're on our own."
"This is getting better by the minute."
Dillon and Dutch, discussing the mission (from Predator)

In 1987, Dutch and his men were deployed to Conta Mana in Central America,[15] meeting there with Al Dillon, who now worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. The team had been hired for a mission to rescue a Conta Manan cabinet minister and his aide, who had been kidnapped by guerrilla forces in neighboring Guatemala. After being inserted into Guatemala aboard Redbird Two Two, Dutch's team quickly discovered the wreckage of the helicopter that had been carrying the captured cabinet ministers and, later, six US Army Special Forces soldiers, who had been skinned alive and hung from the trees; one of the dead men was Dutch's old friend Jim Hopper. Dutch and his men pressed on to the guerrilla camp where the hostages were being held, arriving just in time to witness a Soviet military advisor executing a hostage. Dutch's team launched their attack, wiping out the camp in short order, although they found that the other hostages were also already dead.

Dutch and his men quickly deduced the "cabinet ministers" had actually been CIA agents, and, after confronting Dillon, he learned the mission had been a set-up from the beginning — the agents had been captured reconnoitering for an attack and, after Hopper's team vanished while attempting to rescue them, Dillon created the cabinet minister story to manipulate Dutch into destroying the guerrillas. Infuriated that a once close friend had betrayed him, Dutch and his men made for their extraction point, although Dillon ordered them to take along the sole surviving guerrilla, Anna, as a prisoner.

Last stand[]

"Dillon, we make a stand now, or there will be nobody left to go to the chopper."
Dutch, arguing with Dillon (from Predator)

It soon became clear something was stalking Dutch's team. Despite Dutch's improvised attempts to kill the creature, including an elaborate ambush involving traps constructed from the forest itself, over the next 24 hours Hawkins, Blain, Mac, Dillon, Billy and Poncho were all killed, leaving just Dutch and Anna alive, the latter apparently spared, because she was unarmed. After sending Anna on ahead to the extraction helicopter, Dutch made a stand against the Predator that had hunted his team, although he was quickly outmatched and lost most of his equipment in a desperate escape over a cliff and down a waterfall. However, when he accidentally covered himself in wet mud, he unintentionally rendered himself invisible to the Predator's thermal vision, thereby learning a crucial lesson.

245e1 Predator

Dutch confronted by the Predator.

After constructing improvised traps and weapons, including a bow, spears, incendiary grenades and several explosive arrowheads (using unfired rounds for his M203 grenade launcher), Dutch once again covered himself in mud to mask his thermal signature and confronted the Predator one final time. Though the creature fell victim to a number of Dutch's traps, they failed to kill it. The situation deteriorated when Dutch fell into a pool of water during the confrontation, stripping him of his camouflage, and he was forced to face the Predator in a hand-to-hand duel. Despite Dutch's impressive physique, he was no match for the creature and received a savage beating. In desperation, Dutch managed to lure the Predator underneath the counterweight for one of his traps, triggering it and causing the huge log to crush the creature.

The Predator, mortally wounded, activated its Self-Destruct Device and Dutch narrowly escaped the resultant explosion, eventually being picked up by the extraction helicopter.

Disappearance, sightings and legacy[]

"What kind of, er, work did your brother do?
Covert operations, their dirty jobs. Last thing I heard he was leading a squad into Central America. Then he disappeared.
"
Rosche and John Schaefer discussing Dutch.

After being rescued from Guatemala, Dutch began experiencing adverse health effects akin to radiation sickness, apparently from exposure to the explosion of the Jungle Hunter's Self-Destruct Device.[6] While hospitalized, he was interviewed by Peter Keyes of the OWLF regarding what had happened in the jungle. Dutch subsequently escaped from the hospital and disappeared.[6] Several years later, Dutch's older brother John would encounter the Predators while searching for him.[16]

In certain circles, it seems Dutch's story became legendary. Even the Yautja race became aware of Dutch's activities, through records automatically returned to Yautja Prime aboard the deceased Jungle Hunter's ship.[17] The information led some Predators to revere Dutch and his achievements, most notably the City Hunter, who regarded Dutch, and by extension the human race in general, with great respect.[18] Over the years, reports of Dutch (or at least someone matching his description) began to frequently pop up, usually associated with PMC groups and some of the most dangerous firefights in the world. At one point during an OWLF search in South America which turned up no leads on the Yautja, Dutch encountered the OWLF and met with Keyes.

Although there was initial tension, the encounter passed without incident, with the two even drinking together that same night and trying to retrieve information from each other. While Keyes was disheartened about Dutch's refusal to join the OWLF, Garber believed that Dutch was still upset over Keyes' handling of the aftermath of the Guatemala incident.[19]

Ten years after the Guatemala incident, Keyes would make mention of Dutch's encounter with the Predator whilst he and his OWLF taskforce attempted to capture another Yautja in the city of Los Angeles.

As it happened, Dutch would seemingly briefly resurface during the latter stages of the manhunt in Los Angeles. After the Yautja managed to kill most of the OWLF team sent to apprehend it, Adam Garber became the default head of operations onsite, ordering an OWLF chopper to bring him to where the Yautja was heading. When the chopper finally arrived, Dutch once more appeared attempting to commandeer the helicopter. When Garber recognized Dutch a brief argument ensued however Dutch quickly persuaded Garber to work with him in getting to the site of the Yautja's destination as quickly as possible. After reaching the site, Dutch realized that they were too late to stop the Yautja, and he quickly convinced Garber to leave him at the site to retrieve any remaining alien weaponry onsite.[20]

Likewise, Isabelle told the individuals stranded with her on the Game Preserve Planet about Dutch and his team, including the mission to Guatemala and details of the creature that stalked and killed them.

Reappearance[]

Alan "Dutch" Schaefer in 2020

Dutch in 2025.

Dutch later reappeared in 2025. Stories of his whereabouts over the years had also been discovered at this point, with Dutch himself telling his stories in tape recordings. Beginning in September 1987, Dutch began keeping a record of his experiences with the alien Yautja species, as a form of insurance should any harm befall him. He was interviewed by Agent Peter Keyes regarding the incident, who was apparently hoping to recover the alien technology. Dutch himself soon became obsessed with learning more about the creature that had massacred his team, and leaving the hospital where he was being treated for radiation sickness, he began the difficult journey back to South America to the site of the encounter, hoping to hear more of the native stories that Anna had first told him.

By 1991, Dutch had been living in country for some time under an assumed identity, masquerading as an author researching the stories of the fabled "demon who makes trophies of man" from locals in the area. While most stories were falsified, Dutch managed to uncover some consistencies within the tales that matched with his own personal encounter, and realised that the aliens had been coming to Earth to hunt for a very long time. By 1992, Dutch had lost a considerable amount of weight due to radiation sickness, and was planning to leave the country as the OWLF previously had when Keyes arrived in person with two other agents. Greeting Dutch "like an old friend" they shared a drink in a local bar and swapped stories about the aliens and their technology. Dutch noted that Keyes still seemed obsessed with recovering Yautja technology, whilst Dutch realised that the biggest problem was what they were on Earth for in the first place.

By 1996, Dutch had set up yet another private military company dedicated to performing search and rescue operations. However, the true objective of the unit was unknown to the men Dutch recruited, whom he described as "haunted soldiers." Whilst the men regarded Dutch as a hero and a legend, Dutch coldly admitted that he was merely using the men as bait in his hunt for alien life, quite like how Dillon had used Dutch's team years earlier. Eventually, the team accepted a mission in the Congo to investigate a remote outpost that had gone silent. When the team reached the outpost and found multiple casualties with their skin removed, Dutch realised that his patience had paid off. The Predator eventually returned to the area and Dutch, who had been waiting and watching, immediately engaged the alien, with his team following suite. Unfortunately, a stray bullet caught a crate of RPG ammunition, which exploded and caused a chain reaction. Dutch survived the resulting explosions, but his team, and the beast, were all killed. Seizing the opportunity, he salvaged what tech he could find and fled the area, allowing himself to be counted amongst the dead.

A year later in 1997, Dutch had made his way to Los Angeles, where he had heard news of a violent gang war amidst the hottest heat wave on record. Realising that these were perfect conditions for a hunt, he returned to the US for the first time in years and brought his stolen technology with him. Unfortunately, Dutch was too late, as LAPD Detective Mike Harrigan had already fought and killed the City Hunter that had been stalking the streets. Dutch became sloppy in his pursuit of the aliens, and was recaptured by the OWLF. Counting on his past acquaintanceship with Agent Keyes to bail him out, Dutch was forced to barter his stolen Yautja technology with the OWLF after learning that Keyes had been killed by the City Hunter. Dutch brokered a deal with the OWLF to work together to hunt predators and to share their respective knowledge. In his own words, he would "work with them, not for them."

Over a decade later, Dutch and the OWLF had become good at hunting Yautja, and they had retrieved more of their technology than ever before. In 2008, Dutch was tracking a female Yautja in Laos. Losing track of her momentarily, she was able to get the jump on Dutch, ensnaring him with a Netgun which began to tighten around his body and painfully slice into his skin. After twenty years of hunting the Yautja, Dutch was fully prepared to accept his death, and resigned himself to his fate. However, in a strange act of mercy, the female Yautja released Dutch and disappeared into the jungle. Dutch didn't know why she had done this, but one of his theories were that she had possibly recognised him from stories amongst her own people. The netting left Dutch with a permanent grid shaped scar on the right side of his face.

By 2018, the OWLF had been disbanded when their funding was eventually cut, and in its place Project Stargazer was formed, with Dutch noting that the group had recruited operatives from numerous disavowed agencies, including the OWLF. He also came to realise that despite their objective, Stargazer was incredibly inept when it came to hunting aliens, and were also quite corrupt. He was amused at their lack of knowledge toward the Yautja race, and was present in Mexico when they captured the Fugitive Predator alive. Dutch considered this an absolutely terrible and stupid idea, recognising the aliens to be too dangerous to be captured alive, and that the only prize should be a corpse or the technology that they bring with them. After this course of action resulted in a horrific number of gruesome deaths, Stargazer was almost rendered defunct, but continued to operate through shadowy methods in the jungles of South America, in areas not too different to where Dutch had first encountered the predators over thirty years prior, in the hopes that they could actually capture another predator alive.

By 2025, Dutch had begun working with the newly reinstated OWLF. Despite being 78 years old, Dutch was still fighting, as after an encounter with another Yautja had left him critically wounded, he agreed to an experimental treatment to bond his DNA with that of a Yautja. The procedure was a success, and Dutch returned to service, working with Sean Keyes, the son of the deceased Peter Keyes who had been rescued following the Stargazer incident. Dutch described Sean as a gifted scientist, and the OWLF as being larger than ever. However, Dutch noted that the number of encounters with the alien hunters had increased three fold in recent years, and he feared that the Yautja would see their continued defiance at becoming prey would be seen as a challenge by the aliens, and that they would one day decide to burn the Earth and the human race itself from existence. Until then, Dutch would continue to hunt the hunters and work with anyone who shared similar goals.

Personality and Traits[]

"My men are not expendable. And I don't do this kind of work."
Dutch to Dillon, after realizing he has been set up (from Predator)


Dutch was an intelligent and resourceful leader and was both liked and respected by the men under his command. His extensive experience in the military had made him gruff and battle-hardened, but at the same time he was always sure to protect his team from unnecessary risks and always adhered to his strict moral code to only undertake rescue missions.

After the incident involving his first encounter with the Predator, Dutch grew obsessed with learning more about them and actively sought them out in order to kill them. This eventually led to a decrease in his morals regarding how his team was utilized under his command, as he admits in an audio log that his team was expendable in his pursuit of the predators and he intentionally allowed them to believe what they wanted about him and his reputation so long as they were useful in drawing the predators out.

In battle, Dutch was a lethal combatant, both aggressive and inventive, often improvising and adapting to great effect. Physically he possessed incredible prowess, able to lift huge weights single-handed, although he was still no match for the Predator in unarmed combat. Dutch would later go on to form a new team and would successfully hunt and kill other Predators.

Quotes[]

  • "You Son Of A Bitch." - Dutch to Dillon
  • You never were that smart.
  • "Stick Around...Knock Knock"
  • My Men are Not Expendable.
  • "He Couldn't See Me."
  • "Bleed Bastard."
  • One Ugly Motherf***er.
  • Kill Me.

Equipment[]

Dutch fires M16

Dutch fires his M16.

Dutch carried an original model AR-15/SP1 slab-side M16 rifle (fitted with M16A1 birdcage muzzle flash suppressors to appear more modern) fitted with an M203 Grenade Launcher (with a 39mm bore diameter & a perforated forend typical for the M203) as his primary weapon in Guatemala. He also had a holstered IMI Desert Eagle Mark I as a backup sidearm, although he never had a chance to use it. In addition to his firearms, Dutch carried an array of M67 hand grenades (to start the guerrilla battle), M18A1 Claymores and satchel charges, as well as a large combat machete.

After losing virtually all of his equipment escaping from the Predator, Dutch constructed a bundle bow from materials found in the forest, along with an array of arrows and spears. He used the warheads from two 40mm grenades that he had left to create an explosive-tipped arrow and spear, while he used the propellant to create several leaf bombs. Since Dutch's reappearance, he fights the Yautja with updated equipment. He uses the QR5 Hammerhead assault rifle, which is based around the M4 and similar to the M16 he used prior, armed with an M203 40mm underslung grenade launcher by the year 2025. He also sports a Yautja Bio-helmet on his uniform, likely as either a trophy or just as a pauldron. He even wields a custom-made knife, which was taken from the Yautja's Wristblades. Dutch sports a Yautja-styled Wrist gauntlet on his forearm as well, but whether he took it off a fallen Predator or made by the OWLF is unknown.

Behind the Scenes[]

Canceled reappearances[]

Arnold Schwarzenegger was originally intended to reprise the role of Dutch in Predator 2, and the actor was supposedly close to signing up. However, according to producer John Davis, a pay dispute amounting to $250,000 meant that the deal fell through and Schwarzenegger walked away from the project.[21] Schwarzenegger also admitted his dislike for the script, specifically the city setting.[22] The Dutch role was subsequently rewritten as Peter Keyes.

When Robert Rodriguez came to make Predators, he also intended to have Schwarzenegger reappear as Dutch, in the form of a cameo at the film's end — after defeating Berserker, Royce and Isabelle sit bloodied and exhausted in the jungle when a Yautja ship lands nearby and a host of Predators emerge.[23] Too tired to fight, the survivors await their fate, but the Predators do not attack. Instead they split into two single-file lines flanking the doorway, and through the gap in the center their leader emerges from the ship, his armor covered in trophies. The leader would then remove his helmet, revealing it to be Dutch, who tells Royce, "Not bad, kid... Not bad at all."[23] The scene was dropped due to Schwarzenegger being unavailable, but Rodriguez has mentioned a desire to include the sequence in any potential Predators sequel.

The possibility of Schwarzenegger reprising the role of Dutch was again brought up for Shane Black's The Predator and an early draft of the script featured an appearance from Dutch at the end of the movie. Reportedly Schwarzenegger declined, telling Yahoo, "They asked me, and I read it, and I didn't like it — whatever they offered. So I'm not going to do that, no. Except if there's a chance that they rewrite it, or make it a more significant role. But the way it is now, no, I won't do that."[24]

Trivia[]

  • Dutch Schaefer actor Arnold Schwarzenegger played the titular Terminator in the Terminator franchise (minus Terminator Salvation), the first two films of which were written and directed by Aliens director James Cameron.
  • Dutch's full name is never spoken on-screen; while his surname is given in the film's novelization, his full name is only revealed in the novelization of its sequel Predator 2. His full name is also given in Predator's shooting script. In early drafts of the script, Dutch was known as Alan Matheny.[25]
  • In the novelization of Predator 2, Keyes mentions Dutch's "Olympian physique";[26] this is likely a humorous nod to Schwarzenegger, who won the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competition seven times before becoming an actor.
  • The 1994 arcade game Alien vs. Predator features a character named Dutch Schaefer who is based on the character in the film. Additionally, Dutch Schaefer in the game has a mechanical arm and is said to be a cyborg, likely a reference to Schwarzenegger's starring role in the Terminator series, particularly the second film which features a famous scene where Schwarzenegger strips the skin from his left arm, revealing the robotic structure beneath.
  • The real-life goblin spider species Predatoroonops dutch is named after Dutch Schaefer; every member of the Predatoroonops genus has a name that references Predator, due to the perceived similarity between the spider's mouthparts and the Predator's mandibles.[27]
  • Dutch's great-granddaughter, Psi-Judge Schaefer stars in the 1997 crossover comic, Predator versus Judge Dredd.

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

Figures[]

Predator: Hunting Grounds[]

References[]

  1. Bryan Thomas Schmidt. Predator: Eyes of the DemonAftermath (2022), Titan Books.
  2. Dutch's actor's (Arnold Schwarzenegger) height at the time was 6ft 1 ½ (186.7 cm), so that is also how tall Dutch would have been.
  3. James A. Moore, Mark Morris. Predator: Stalking Shadows, p. 332 (2020), Titan Books.
  4. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 135 (1990), Jove Books.
  5. Jeff VanderMeer. Predator: South China Sea, p. 32 (2008), DH Press.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 137 (1990), Jove Books.
  7. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 199 (1987), Jove Books.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Paul Monette. Predator, p. 37 (1987), Jove Books.
  9. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 110 (1987), Jove Books.
  10. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 20 (1987), Jove Books.
  11. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 118 (1987), Jove Books.
  12. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 3 (1987), Jove Books.
  13. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 9 (1987), Jove Books.
  14. Jim Thomas, John Thomas (writers), John McTiernan (director). Predator (1987), 20th Century Fox [DVD].
  15. Paul Monette. Predator, p. 1 (1987), Jove Books.
  16. Mark Verheiden (writer), Chris Warner, Ron Randall, Sam de la Rosa, Randy Emberlin (illustrators). Predator: Concrete Jungle (1989), Dark Horse Comics.
  17. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 21 (1990), Jove Books.
  18. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 35 (1990), Jove Books.
  19. James A. Moore, Mark Morris. Predator: Stalking Shadows, p. 17-18 (2020), Titan Books.
  20. James A. Moore, Mark Morris. Predator: Stalking Shadows, p. 15-23 (2020), Titan Books.
  21. "DigitalSpy - Arnold Schwarzenegger 'almost did Predator 2'". Retrieved on 2014-10-10.
  22. Why Arnold Schwarzenegger Didn't Return for Predator 2
  23. 23.0 23.1 "JoBlo - What could have been: Schwarzenegger's Predators cameo". Retrieved on 2014-10-10.
  24. https://www.yahoo.com/movies/arnold-schwarzenegger-talks-new-movie-aftermath-plus-predator-twins-conan-updates-195430705.html
  25. Hunter script (July 27, 1985 draft) by Jim Thomas and John Thomas
  26. Simon Hawke. Predator 2, p. 136 (1990), Jove Books.
  27. Brescovit, Bonaldo, Santos, Ott & Rheims, 2012: The Brazilian goblin spiders of the new genus Predatoroonops (Araneae, Oonopidae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, n. 370, pp. 1–68 (whole text).
  28. https://www.avpgalaxy.net/games/predator-hunting-grounds/gallery/concept-art/
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