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This article contains spoilers for Predator: Killer of Killers.

Here's a fun occult fact for you: the process of diving fortunes via skeletal remains is called "osteomancy." Here's an even more fun fact - Popverse is about to do some osteomancy of our own, particularly in regards to what we think may be a new cinematic universe on the rise. That would be the shared universe of 20th Century Studios' Alien and Predator franchises, a space all but confirmed via the marketing of the upcoming Predator: Badlands. But here's the thing - there may just be more to the shared cinematic saga than those two properties...

At least, according to the bones.

OK, let's start by talking about what we already know: that is, that Alien and Predator are on the road to crossing paths again. You may recall reading about the fact that Thia, the android played by Elle Fanning in Predator: Badlands, was shown in the trailer to bear the logo of Weyland-Yutani, the sinister corporate villain at the heart of the Alien movies (as reported on by Bloody Disgusting). Predator: Badlands will be released later this year, but as it turns out, fans didn't even have to wait that long to see the an Alien in a Predator movie.

As pointed out by Empire Online on June 9, an Alien appears to show up in the just-released Predator: Killer of Killers on Hulu, in the form of xenomorph remains (bones, baby, bones!). The xenomorph's iconic barbed tail is seemingly what makes up the garb of the Predator's hulking leader, encountered by the film's protagonists while on the homeworld of the Yautja (the name of the species we know as 'Predator'). It's an exciting easter egg (and probable tease) for Alien fans, but then again, we already know that the newly rebooted Predator universe contains a multitude of other alien species.

You may recall that the trailer for Predator: Badlands featured what looked to be a Predator trophy room, pictured above. The internet went wild when they noticed that the skull in the center is very close to that of the alien species that invades Earth in the Independence Day films. But what didn't get discussed as much was the gorilla skull immediately to its left. Know that I understand how conspiratorial I sound, but I can't help but wonder if, with all of the skeletal east eggs we've seen before, this this isn't a reference to the Planet of the Apes movies, another IP owned by the same folks that keep the rights to the non-human antagonists discussed above.

Oh yeah, did we forget to mention that? The Alien, Predator, Independence Day, and Planet of the Apes film franchises are all owned by the 20th Century Studios. 

Funnily enough, the whole Alien vs. Predator idea has its origins in bones. Though the two creatures technically met for the first time in the 1989 Dark Horse comic of the same name, 1992's Predator II first introduced the idea of the properties crossing paths on film, with the skeleton of a xenomorph on display in the Predator's trophy wall. Thirty-odd years later, can you blame us for imagining that these same background props are the - er - backbone of another, even bigger crossover?

I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. I'm new to this whole osteomancy thing, after all, and even if I had it cracked, I'd be looking for winning lottery tickets before cinematic universes of days to come.

Predator: Killer of Killers is on Hulu now, with FX's Alien: Earth heading to the streamer August 12, and Predator: Badlands heading to theaters November 7.

If you love aliens bursting out of chests and hugging your face, then we have all you could want from  Popverse's Alien watch order, details on where Romulus fits into the Alien timeline, and all you need to know  on the upcoming Aliens TV show with Timothy Oliphant.