1715 Flintlock Pistol

Creation

During the finale of Predator 2, an elder Predator hands Mike Harrigan the flintlock pistol, which has inscribed on it "Raphael Adolini 1715." This was part of a potential sequel script conceived by screenwriters Jim Thomas and John Thomas, which would take place in a time when no modern weapons were available to combat the Predators, much like in the finale of the first Predator film. As this sequel was ultimately not made however, the story of Raphael Adolini was later expounded upon in issue one of A Decade of Dark Horse.

Major Story Arcs

Predator: 1718

In 1718, the pirate ship of Captain Raphael Adolini dropped anchor off the coast of Guinea. After going ashore to bury a case of stolen gold however, Adolini came into disagreement with his crew over the gold, with Adolini insisting it be returned to the church from which his crew had stolen it. This angered his crew and they staged a mutiny. Observing the ensuing battle from afar, a Predator saw Adolini as a promising prey to hunt, and approached the pirate to face him in one-on-one combat. The rest of Adolini's crew arrived at this point however, and Adolini and the Predator fought back-to-back to overcome their now mutual enemies.

With the crew soon dead at their feet, Adolini and the Predator turned and faced each other to resume their own fight, only for a surviving crew member to shoot Adolini in the back. The man then tried to make off with the gold, but was shot by the Predator, furious for having been denied his trophy kill. With his dying breath, Adolini handed his ornate flintlock pistol to the Predator and told him to take it. Giving Adolini something resembling a burial, the Predator pondered the turn of events and respectfully left his own sword with Adolini's body, repeating Adolini's words, "Take it."

Predator 2

After relentlessly opposing a Predator all throughout Los Angeles, LAPD cop Mike Harrigan finally killed the hunter aboard its ship with one of its own weapons. More Predators then revealed themselves, making Harrigan think the fight wasn't over yet. The Predators instead simply departed with their fallen comrade, and one of them even handed Harrigan the flintlock pistol as a trophy, telling him, "Take it." Presumably, this was the same Predator that had faced Adolini back in 1718, now granting Harrigan the same respect he had to Adolini. The inscription on the pistol also informed Harrigan that the Predators had already come to Earth long ago, and would undoubtedly do so again.