Rory

Lore & Background

Rory McKenna is the son of Quinn and Emily McKenna. He has a form of autism and is bullied in school. When his father, U.S. Army Ranger sniper Quinn McKenna, mails home parts of a Predator's armor to prove the existence of extraterrestrial life, Rory goes trick-or-treating in the armor. Evolutionary biologist Casey Bracket later suggests that Rory's autism enables him to translate and understand Predator technology. Rory draws a map to the crashed Predator ship, which Traeger uses to find the ship. The second, larger Predator takes Rory, believing his autism represents an advancement in human evolution and therefore makes him a worthwhile subject for hybridization. After the Predator's ship crashes, Quinn and Bracket rescue Rory, and the three manage to overpower and kill the Predator with its own weapons.

In Their Own Story

Rory McKenna is introduced as the autistic son of Quinn and Emily McKenna. He is bullied at school. After his father mails home parts of a Predator's armor, Rory puts it on and goes trick-or-treating, hoping to avoid detection from bullies. Quinn and his team find Rory in time to stop a pair of Predator Hounds from ambushing him. Later, Casey Bracket concludes that Rory's autism enables him to translate and understand Predator technology. Rory draws a map to the Predator spaceship. Government agent Will Traeger sees the drawing and takes Rory to the ship. The second Predator arrives, kills Lynch, and takes Rory, assuming his autism is an advancement in human evolution making him a worthwhile subject for hybridization. The Predator flies away in his ship with Rory. Quinn, Nebraska, and Nettles land on the ship's exterior. Nebraska sacrifices himself by sliding into the ship's turbine, causing it to crash. Quinn sneaks into the ship and attacks the Predator. After the crash, Bracket arrives, and the three manage to overpower and kill the Predator with its weapons. Later, Quinn and Rory are seen in a science lab watching the opening of cargo found on the Predator's ship.

Reader's Guide

Rory McKenna is a child character whose autism is portrayed as a strength rather than a weakness. His preternatural ability to learn languages allows him to translate Predator technology. His drawings provide a map to the Predator spaceship. He is taken by the Predator as a subject for hybridization, but is rescued by his father and the team. Rory's role in the story is to demonstrate that human evolution, including neurodiversity, can be an asset against the Predators. He is not a fighter but a key player due to his intellectual abilities.

Did You Know?

• Rory McKenna is played by Jacob Tremblay in *The Predator* (2018).
• Rory's autism is described in the source as enabling him to translate and understand Predator technology.
• Rory goes trick-or-treating in the Predator armor to avoid detection from bullies.
• The Predator takes Rory because it assumes his autism is an advancement in human evolution making him a worthwhile subject for hybridization.
• Rory draws a map to the Predator spaceship, which leads government agent Will Traeger to the ship.