Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Alien: Romulus!
The original Xenomorph somehow returns inAlien: Romulus, and here is how it survived Ripley’s attack in the firstAlienmovie.Big Chap is what fans of theAlienfranchise have nicknamed the first Xenomorphthat appeared in the series, and while it seemed like it died in the 1979 original, it actually returns to rear its head again inAlien: Romulus.Alien: Romulus' surprise Xenomorph return is one of the most interesting parts of the movie, with it revealing that the creature managed to survive its encounter with Ripley and live on to kill more humans.
Despitehow dangerous the Xenomorph are, Ripley has killed a lot of them, with her living through her various alien encounters in each of the original fourAlienmovies. At the end of 1979’sAlien, Ripley manages to get rid of Big Chap, with her opening the airlock door and ejecting the Xenomorph out of the ship. While fans believed that this killed Big Chap for decades, 2024’sAlien: Romulusrevealed that Big Chap actually survived, with many fans wondering how the Xenomorph survived the cold and dark of space.
The Original Xenomorph Created A Cocoon To Survive In Space After Fighting Ripley
Which Is How It Survived The Depths Of Space
The ominous opening ofAlien: Romulusseesa group of human scientists return to the remains of theNostromo, the setting of the originalAlienfilm. While traversing through the wreckage of the ship, the scientists manage to find a strange black pod, one that they bring on board the ship. After cutting it open, it is revealed that this pod contains the Xenomorph from the original film. The scientists on board theRomulusthen proceed to run experiments on the creature, with this moment confirming that Big Chap survived its fight with Ripley inAlien.
Alien: Romulus Timeline - When It Takes Place Compared To The Other Movies
The ninth installment in the Alien film series, Alien: Romulus, has been released 38 years after the first movie, but it makes the timeline confusing.
Although it is never explicitly explained, there are enough visual clues to imply how Big Chap survived its encounter with Ripley. As it turns out, Big Chap was able to create a cocoon upon being launched through the airlock, with this defensive mechanism allowing it to survive. Although the Xenomorph seemed to be in some sort of stasis,Alien: Romulusreveals that the alien came backto life sometime before the events of the film, revealing even more about how the Xenomorph’s cocooning ability works.
How Alien: Romulus' New Xenomorph Survival Technique Changes The Franchise
It Is The Xenomorph’s Newest Ability
Giving the Xenomorph the ability to create cocoons for survival is a big deal, with it completely changing how the Xenomorph function in the franchise. One of the most common ways to kill Xenomorphs in theAlienmovies is to launch them into space, a strategy that has been relied on since the 1979 original. However,Alien: Romulusreveals that this doesn’t actually kill Xenomorphs, with it instead only putting them into stasis. So,any Xenomorph that has been launched out of a ship is probably still alive, with them simply floating around in space.
The ability to cocoon is just one of themany strange abilities that Xenomorphs have in theAlienfranchise, with this power most likely coming back in futureAlienprojects. Now that it is known that Xenomorphs were created by a creator rather than through natural selection, it also raises the question of why this ability would have been given to the Xenomorphs.
How The Original Xenomorph Died After Alien
It Was Killed Before The Events Of Alien: Romulus
AlthoughAlien: Romulusbrings back Big Chap from the original film, it isn’t around for long,with it dying offscreen before the events of the sequel. As Rook explains inAlien: Romulus, the Xenomorph eventually woke up after being brought onto theRomulus, with it attacking and killing many members of the human crew. However, Rook then explains that the humans were able to kill the Xenomorph, with him showing the burned remains of the creature. This means that it was overpowered by the scientists, with it not lasting much longer after its encounter with Ripley.
Is The Offspring Really Dead After Alien: Romulus?
A xenomorph reveal in Alien: Romulus has potentially major implications for whether the Offspring is really dead or if it could still be alive.
Killing Big Chap offscreen is a bit disappointing, as it is one of the most legendary movie monsters of all time. Having security forces quickly dispatch the Xenomorph between movies does make the alien seem a bit less scary. It would have been fun for Rain, Andy, and the rest of theAlien: Romuluscast to run into Big Chap, fighting it off in a similar way that Ripley did in the original movie.
Alien: Romulus
Cast
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.
