Will Alien: Romulus be the first movie in the franchise with no survivors?
There's a lot of buzz around Alien: Romulus and its promises of a huge death count. But, could this mean it's the first movie in the series with no survivors?
What has been said about Alien: Romulus?
Director Fede Álvarez has been hinting at a massive death count for Alien: Romulus, making sure that audiences know the Xenomorphs will be brutal.
During the San Diego Comic-con panel, Alvarez mentioned that there would be "a lot of death" in the movie. Trailers have also shown scenes of characters being attacked by facehuggers and even a chestburster emerging from a character.
The filmmakers have been pretty open about the death count and even showed the death of Navarro (Aileen Wu), who is attacked by a facehugger. These early glimpses suggest that the film will deliver on its promise of a high body count.
So, is there a chance that Alien: Romulus has no survivors?
It's certainly possible, but it’s not confirmed. This would be a drastic departure from the rest of the series. But the director and the cast are building up the suspense and anticipation.
Every other Alien movie has had at least one human character survive by the end of the story. You have Ripley in the original film and Ripley, Newt, and Hicks in Aliens. In Alien 3, it’s Morse, and Alien Resurrection has Ripley 8, Call, Johner, and Vriess. Prometheus only has Shaw surviving, and Alien: Covenant has Daniels and Tennessee.
The fact that the movie’s marketing materials are showing characters dying could be a hint at the movie’s ending. The audience is being prepared for a bleak outcome. It is plausible, and there is a good amount of evidence to support the theory.
What would this mean for the franchise?
If Alien: Romulus ends with no survivors, it would be a big deal for the franchise. It would solidify the film's place as the deadliest entry in the series. It would also help to eliminate potential sequels and other questions surrounding the survivors and their fates. No survivors means no questions about why they weren't in the later films.
It would be a bold choice to break the established trend of having survivors. But, it would also provide a chance for the franchise to evolve and create a new kind of story for the universe.
Why is this important for the franchise?
If Alien: Romulus has survivors, there would be questions about where those survivors were in the later films, especially since it’s set between Alien and Aliens.
But if everyone dies, there’s no more to explain. It’s easy to see how this could be a benefit for the franchise and could make future installments even more thrilling.
