Epic Handshake Meme: Predator Movie Origins & Meaning
Explore the origin of the Epic Handshake meme from the 1987 movie Predator. Learn how this iconic object-labeling template represents unexpected agreement.
If you’ve been online in the past decade you’ve likely seen two muscular arms gripping hands tightly, sometimes with text labeling each arm and the point where they meet. That image — known widely as the “Epic Handshake” meme — has been used again and again to show unexpected agreement or shared enthusiasm between two different groups. But where did this meme come from? Why does it look the way it does? And how did it become one of the internet’s iconic funny formats? Let’s explore its story. (Know Your Meme)
1. The Movie Scene That Started It All
The Epic Handshake meme has its roots in a very specific scene from the 1987 science fiction action film Predator. In that movie, two characters — Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) and George Dillon (played by Carl Weathers) — run into each other in a bar. Dutch yells “Dillon! You son of a…,” and the two share an intense, exaggerated handshake. The handshake isn’t a simple greeting — it turns into a kind of arm-wrestling grip, with both men flexing their muscles in an over-the-top, macho fashion. (Know Your Meme)
At the time, audiences may not have payed much attention to this scene, but years later, Predator’s fans and meme-makers saw something in it worth repurposing. (The Daily Dot)
2. The Early Meme Life: YouTube Remixes
The handshake from Predator first started circulating in meme-style content not as a macro image, but as remixed videos on YouTube. The earliest known tribute came in August 2007, when a YouTuber named kreshjun uploaded a video titled “A Tribute to The Handshake in Predator.” That tribute focused entirely on the handshake scene from the movie and helped draw attention to how striking and dramatic the moment looked outside of its original context. (Know Your Meme)
Over the next few years, other creators remixed the scene with music or visual edits — for example, pairing it with 1980s songs like Push It to the Limit or turning it into exaggerated parodies. (Know Your Meme)
Although these early face-value remixes weren’t meme macros in the modern sense, they helped make the scene memorable to online communities. That set the stage for what came next. (The Daily Dot)
3. How It Became a Meme Template
By the mid-2010s, fan art of the handshake scene began appearing online. Artists on platforms like Flickr and DeviantArt recreated the moment in different styles — one in watercolor, another in chalk — visually isolating the clasped forearms. These are the images meme-makers would soon use as templates. (The Daily Dot)
Around 2018, creators started adding captions to this watercolor or chalk style handshake. Instead of just showing the arms, meme-makers began labeling each arm and the handshake part with text representing two groups or ideas that agree on something. These object-labeled versions are what most people today recognize as the Epic Handshake meme. (Know Your Meme)
From there, the format spread quickly, especially on Reddit, Twitter (now X), and meme pages on social media. Posts would use the two arms to represent groups that normally wouldn’t seem to agree, finding a common point in the “handshake” area between them. (Know Your Meme)
4. What the Meme Means
At its core, the Epic Handshake meme is a visual metaphor for unexpected mutual agreement or shared enthusiasm. Imagine two different sides — communities, hobbies, opinions, stereotypes — looking like they have nothing in common. Then you show the handshake between them in the middle with a shared label, which represents something both sides surprisingly agree on. (Know Your Meme)
For example:
- One arm could be labeled “Programmers” and the other “Astronauts”, with the handshake text as “Obsessing over space” — the joke being both groups are into space. (Reddit)
- Another might show “Old people” and “College students” with the shared point “Eating meals at weird times”. (Reddit)
There are endless possibilities because the image works whenever you want to show that two seemingly different people or ideas still share a surprising point of connection. (Know Your Meme)
5. Why It Works as a Meme
There are a few reasons why the Epic Handshake image became so popular online:
Strong visual impact: The original handshake in Predator is extremely dramatic and eye-catching — not just a handshake, but a show of strength and camaraderie. (Know Your Meme) Clear structure for labeling: The image naturally divides into two arms and a point of connection, which is perfect for adding text in a meme. (AI Memes) Humorous contrast: Putting two seemingly unrelated groups together and giving them a shared “win” text often produces a funny and relatable moment. (Know Your Meme) Flexible usage: Unlike memes that are only about one joke, this one can be adapted for countless musical, social, or cultural observations. (The Daily Dot)
6. Variations Across the Internet
Because it’s so adaptable, the Epic Handshake meme has appeared in many creative contexts. On Reddit alone, you’ll find variations with multiple arms (not just two) representing even broader agreement between groups. Some are used for social commentary, some for everyday humor, and others for weird niche jokes that only certain communities understand. (Reddit)
The meme has also been used in animated GIFs on platforms like Tenor or Giphy, where the handshake is looped or turned into a short clip. (Tenor)
7. How It Reflects Internet Culture
The rise of the Epic Handshake meme is a good example of how internet meme culture works:
- A still moment from a movie becomes something separate from its original context.
- Fan edits and art help isolate the visual in a new form.
- Object-labeling meme structure gives viewears a simple, universal way to insert their own joke or observation.
- Social platforms amplify the format as people remix and share it. (Know Your Meme)
This is a pattern we see with many meme formats: they don’t necessarily start as memes, but become memes through reuse, reinterpretation, and community adoption.
8. A Meme That Continues to Evolve
Even now, years after it first appeared as a labeled format, the Epic Handshake meme keeps evolving. Some creators take it literally: they add extra arms, change the art style, or animate it. Others use it for more serious commentary, showing unlikely allies agreeing on issues as varied as politics, social topics, hobbies, or film franchises. (Reddit)
Because the meme’s structure is so simple and flexible, it’s likely to continue appearing in new creative ways for years to come.
9. Final Thoughts
What began as a dramatic, macho handshake in an action movie has become a visual shorthand for agreement between unlikely parties. From YouTube remixes to watercolor and chalk fan art to the modern label-your-own-text meme format, the Epic Handshake shows how a single image can take on a life of its own online. (Know Your Meme)
Whether you see it as a funny joke or a clever way to compare ideas, this meme is one of the more enduring formats of internet culture because it blends humor with a visual that everyone can recognize and reuse. (Know Your Meme)
References:
- Epic Handshake origins and meme spread — Know Your Meme. (Know Your Meme)
- History and detailed explanation of the handshake scene — Daily Dot. (The Daily Dot)
- Scene and template origin from Predator — AI Memes. (AI Memes)