Alien: Romulus May Have Finally Debunked Ridley Scott’s Worst Alien Theory

Warning: Spoilers for Alien: Romulus below!Alien: Romulus seemed to confirm a wild Ridley Scott Xenomorph theory – before completely debunking it. Of all the Alien movies, Ridley Scott’s prequel duology Prometheus and Covenant might be the most divisive. With these entries, Scott tried to reassert his authorship over the property, which included explaining who the Space Jockeys were and how the Xenomorphs were created. Covenant even suggested they were made by David (Michael Fassbender), an android with a God complex who wanted the creatures to destroy mankind. With this sequel, Scott even suggested the Xenos were immortal.

This side of their biology wasn’t depicted onscreen, though Scott made this claim during Alien: Covenant’s audio commentary, stating a destroyed creature would eventually reshape itself offscreen. That’s a huge retcon, considering sequels like Aliens showed them being cut to smithereens by Pulse Rifle gunfire. For Romulus, Scott handed the director’s chair over to Fede Álvarez but still remained as a producer. This 2024 sequel also featured the return of Alien’s “Big Chap,” the original Xenomorph, which felt like a perfect time for Scott to make his immortality theory canon.

The Death Of “Big Chap” In Alien: Romulus Permanently Debunks Scott’s Immortal Xenomorph Theory

“Big Chap” seemed poised for a comeback following Romulus’ opening sequence

The atmospheric prologue of Alien: Romulus features a Weyland-Yutani probe scooping through the wreckage of the Nostromo, and recovering a cocoon with the original Xenomorph (AKA “Big Chap”) inside. The ending of Alien saw the creature blasted out of an airlock and being fried with the thrusters of Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) escape shuttle. Romulus‘ introduction shows the beast survived all this and went into hibernation – strengthening Scott’s immortality argument. Then Álvarez pulled a shocker and permanently debunked Scott’s immortal theory by killing Big Chap offscreen.

Alien: Romulus‘ cast comes across the desiccated corpse of the creature around the midway point, with science officer Rook explaining the Xeno awoke, ran amok, and was then shot down. Big Chap appears extraordinarily dead during its final scene, so it’s difficult to picture the alien reassembling itself when the heroes exit the room. While Scott didn’t direct Romulus he still acted as a producer, so this was a creative choice he would have had to sign off on.

Romulus features plenty of callbacks to Scott’s prequels, including the return of the black goo and mentions of the Prometheus mission, so Scott’s new mythology is mixed into the movie’s DNA. Big Chap isn’t the only beast suffering from a severe allergy to Pulse Rifle blasts either, with most of the creatures on the station getting destroyed by Rain (Cailee Spaeny) during the finale. So, either Scott is flexible with the immortality concept or the Xenos seen in the sequel are a particularly weak variant.

Everything Ridley Scott Has Said About The Aliens Being Immortal

Much of Alien: Covenant’s second half revolves around David’s experimentation with the black goo and efforts to create his “perfect” organism. Now, it’s possible David used the template of the Xenomorphs to create his own strain, so when Scott says the beasts can’t be killed, he could be referring to the twisted android’s hybrids instead. Regardless, during the big fight scene between David’s Praetomorph and Daniels (Katherine Waterston), the former is crushed inside a crane arm, with the pieces showering down onto Planet 4. According to Scott’s Covenant commentary, the creature survived this.

It will probably when it gets to the ground, will DNA back to parts and regrow. He’s indestructible. But he’s done for them, they left him behind.

The filmmaker is suggesting that despite this Xeno variant being annihilated, it will, given time, reform itself and go on the hunt again. This is a pretty major new feature to add to the monsters, but curiously, the film itself doesn’t even hint at this ability. Perhaps Scott was saving it for his planned next film, which went unmade following the tepid response to Covenant.

Later in the commentary, the director also compares the creatures to cockroaches and talks about how adaptable and borderline unstoppable those insects can be. Scott even suggested a future sequel could explore the “family” lives of the Star Beasts, and whether they have family units or care for their young. In short, Scott was thinking well outside of franchise canon with his prequels, but few of these concepts felt properly fleshed out – or even suggested – by Covenant.

Another Ridley Scott Alien Could Still Explore The Immortality Concept

The immortality theory isn’t a popular one within Alien fandom

Devotees of the Alien series found plenty of nits to pick with Scott’s prequels, from the illogic actions of their characters to the sweeping changes to past lore. Scott’s immortality theory hasn’t proven popular either, though it’s not terribly controversial considering the fact it wasn’t depicted onscreen. However, with Alien: Romulus‘ success, faith in the property has been restored, and there is a chance Scott might return one final time.

After all, Covenant’s cliffhanger or the fate of Fassbender’s David has yet to be resolved. Perhaps Scott could wrap up that storyline while introducing a new set of characters, and he could also properly flesh out his immortality idea. Maybe the creatures proving literally unkillable would add a new element of terror to the franchise, but with the untimely demise of Big Chap in Alien: Romulus, it feels like Ridley Scott has also given up on this pitch.

• 

  Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise. The movie is directed by Fede Álvarez and will focus on a new young group of characters who come face to face with the terrifying Xenomorphs. Alien: Romulus is a stand-alone film and takes place in a time not yet explored in the Alien franchise.

• 

  Alien

  The Alien franchise, which began with Ridley Scott’s 1979 film, is a Sci-Fi series comprised of several horror films, games, and comic books centered on humanity’s encounters with a hostile extraterrestrial species known as Xenomorphs. Characterized by their lethal prowess and capability to reproduce at an alarming rate, these creatures pose a profound threat to human existence. The primary series protagonist, Ellen Ripley, acts as the voice of reason as she seeks to keep the creatures out of the hands of greed-driven corporate scientists.