Epic Handshake Meme

What does the Epic Handshake meme mean?

Epic Handshake — also called the Predator Handshake — is a template for celebrating common ground. Two impossibly muscular forearms clasp in the middle of the frame; the poster labels each arm with a group, fandom, or idea and writes their shared trait where the hands meet. The joke is the grandeur of the image: an ordinary agreement is staged like the climax of an action movie.

Origin

• 1987: the still comes from Predator, in which Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) greets his old war buddy Dillon (Carl Weathers) with a dramatic forearm clasp.
• Around 2007: clips of the scene circulate on YouTube as a tribute to the film's over-the-top machismo.
• August 2018: the image breaks out as an object-labeling meme template — Daily Dot covers its return on August 14, 2018 — and the labeled version becomes the standard form.
• Today: the template is used for everything from programming-language truces to fandom alliances, and unlabeled "agreement" reaction posts.

Examples

• Two rival fanbases, both arms labeled, meeting in the middle: "waiting three years for the sequel."
• Corporate versions label arms with two departments agreeing on exactly one thing (usually complaining about the third).
• It works as a pure reaction image too — just two people agreeing hard.

Translation

• Literal reading: two strong men greeting each other.
• Actual meaning: two usually opposed parties celebrating one shared thing — the agreement is real, the drama is the joke.
• Cross-language note: only the labels need translating; the image is recognizable worldwide thanks to Schwarzenegger's global fame.

FAQ

What does the Epic Handshake meme mean?

Two labeled arms clasp in an exaggeratedly muscular handshake. Each arm stands for a different group, fandom or idea, and the clasp celebrates that they share one specific thing — the punchline is the surprising common ground between unlikely allies.

Where does the Epic Handshake image come from?

From the 1987 film Predator: Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Dillon (Carl Weathers) greet each other with a dramatic forearm clasp. Clips of the scene circulated on YouTube from around 2007, and the image became an object-labeling meme template in August 2018.

What is the Predator handshake meme?

The same template under another name — the two muscular arms from Predator with labels added on each side, used to picture alliances, agreements and shared traits between two parties.