SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Alien: Romulus. If you have not yet seen the film, proceed at your own risk.
After advanced screenings of Alien: Romulus labeled the 2024 movie’s third act as “a big swing,” I knew I was going to be in for a ride. So when the word “divisive” was thrown around in further conversation on this latest chapter’s resolution, my excitement mirrored the moment I first laid eyes on Alien: Romulus’ eerie popcorn buckets.
As a fan of this franchise, I can fully agree that yes, this ending is a big swing, and it’s one that I totally believe works. So if you haven’t seen this latest entry in the Alien movie timeline just yet, you’ve been warned, as I’m about to dive deep into this nest of spoilers to explain why. Now, let’s take a peek inside the darkness that is Alien: Romulus, and what’s really going on with that ending.
Alien: Romulus’ “Big Swing” Ending
Thinking back to Alien: Covenant’s absolutely wild ending, the implications of David’s actions are still felt throughout the echoes of future events. Which brings us to the unfortunate demise of Kay (Isabela Merced), expectant mother and friend of protagonist Rain (Cailee Spaeny) in Alien: Romulus
The cause of Kay's death is “the big swing” referred too earlier. Under the advice of Science Officer Rook (Daniel Betts/Ian Holm), Kay uses a substance known as Compound Z-01 to keep herself and her unborn child alive after being attacked by a xenomorph. This decision works out up to a point, as she inadvertently births a human/Engineer hybrid that Weyland-Yutani’s loyal synth servant was trying to bring about.
Rain eventually wins the day by dropping the cargo hold of the Corbelan-IV into a ring of planetary debris, supposedly killing the creature. Ending in traditional Alien form, the film concludes with an audio log as she prepares to go into cryosleep wth her brother Andy (David Jonsson). How things will work out when she wakes up is presently a mystery.
Does Alien: Romulus’ Divisive Third Act Work?
Without question, I think that Alien: Romulus’ third act is a win. While I could have done without the callback to Ripley’s famed line from Aliens, it succeeds in part because of the way in which it embraces Ridley Scott’s prequel films. By doing this, the crazy creature we see at the end is not only a valid callback, it actually manages to make Weyland-Yutani look like an even more evil corporation.
Compound Z-01 ties all the way back to Prometheus, and we’ll get into why later on. But the reason that “The Company” has engineered this substance is to do one thing: make humans a heartier slave labor workforce. Melding human DNA with that of a xenomorph is supposed to create a species that can mine colonies like Jackson’s Star without suffering black lung or whatever new virus has cropped up in this age of humanity.
Once again, the Alien saga exhibits what this powerful company will do to maintain a profit – and that’s not only deeply rooted in the franchise from the salvage team in Ridley Scott’s first film, but it also plays to every other installment’s message about how one corporate monolith is obsessed with this deep space abomination. As always, all other priorities are ignored and the crew is deemed expendable.
Is Alien: Romulus’ New Hybrid Really Dead?
We need to think about how we answer this question, as at the end of Alien, audiences are left with the impression that Ellen Ripley throwing a Xenomorph out of an airlock was a surefire way to kill the xenomorph. And yet, the beginning of Alien: Romulus reveals that not even the vacuum of space can kill the creature.
Since the human/Engineer hybrid has some of that same DNA with “the essence of life” that Rook discusses, there’s a good chance that this monstrosity could still be floating around. All that needs to happen is for a Weyland-Yutani probe to bring it home or to another (doomed) space station, and the grim spectacle can commence once again.
What Happens To Rain And Andy At The End Of Alien: Romulus?
Rain Carradine is indeed our final girl in Alien: Romulus, so she survives by the skin of her teeth. Safe and sound in cryosleep, there’s a chance that she could come back. Or, if there isn’t a direct sequel to Romulus in the cards, the audience can decide whether she drifts aimlessly in space, makes it to the planet of her intended destination, or dies in an accident.
Joining Rain in cryosleep is her synthetic “brother” Andy, as Rain intends on mending him during their journey. The planet to which they’re travelling doesn't allow artificial persons as residents, but Andy's his sister is ready to fix him up nice and new after their harrowing encounter with a Xenomorph (itself) and cross that bridge when they come to it.
Where’s Ellen Ripley During The Events Of Alien: Romulus?
Speaking of adrift in space, where exactly is Ellen Ripley during the events of Alien: Romulus? She doesn’t appear in this film and isn’t referenced by name, though Rook does recount the tragedy of the Nostromo. Fans know from James Cameron's Aliens that she won't wake from cryosleep for another 37 years (or 17 years, if you count the novel Alien: Out of the Shadows as canon).
During Alien: Romulus' point in the Alien franchise timeline, the last survivor of the Nostromo is still floating in the deep darkness of space. If she was present for the events of Romulus, the movie might have been a lot shorter.
How Alien: Romulus Ties Into Prometheus And Alien: Covenant
Let’s talk about how Alien: Romulus ties into both of Ridley Scott’s prequels. The most obvious link is the fact that Compound Z-01 is clearly a recreation of the black goo that was used by David himself to create various grotesqueries in his adventures – as seen in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.
The human/engineer hybrid’s likeness is a circle back to the visage of the massive, pale creators of humanity. But the huge swing that Alien: Romulus takes is that what David once used against humanity seems to now have aligned with Weyland-Yutani's interests. Rather than wiping people out, the gifts of the Engineers are now being used to upgrade the comapny's employees in order to build better worlds.
The Future Of The Alien Franchise
There's going to be a lot to chew on in the immediate future with the Alien franchise, especially when acknowledging Noah Hawley decision to ignore Prometheus as part of his upcoming franchise prequel series Alien: Earth, which is set to debut on FX in 2025. There is also a Marvel prequel comic slated to debut in October that’ll give us even more food for thought. We’re going to have to wait and see how the big picture of this mythic sci-fi legacy continues to grow in the aftermath of Alien: Romulus.
The latest installment of the beloved sci-fi horror franchise is now playing in theaters everywhere, and if you want to celebrate all things Alien following your viewing of Alien: Romulus, you can make use of your Hulu subscription and stream all of the previous films.
