Alien: Romulus Redefined the Sci-Fi Series, And We Know Already Where the Movies Can Go Next

Feb 2, 2025 - 15:00

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Alien

Alien: Romulus reinvigorated the entire Alien franchise, delivering on some iconic callbacks to earlier films while also introducing new and exciting elements to the established universe. It’s fair to say that fan-excitement is at an all-time high, and there’s no telling where the Alien series will go next. Except, there is, isn’t there? In fact, there’s an entire line of comic books that already charted an exciting future for the Alien mythos, and the movies should absolutely pull from those stories.

The original Alien comic books were published by Dark Horse Comics beginning in 1988, just two years after the release of the film Aliens. Originally, Dark Horse Comics’ Alien run was meant to be a direct sequel to Aliens, which is why Dark Horse decided to brand the line as ‘Aliens’ rather than ‘Alien’.

Alien's Xenomorph stalking a couple of human space explorers.

The first story (originally titled “Aliens” but later renamed to “Aliens: Outbreak”) follows Newt and Hicks as they try to reintegrate into human society after the horrors they experienced at Hadley’s Hope, and the second story (Aliens: Nightmare Asylum) ends with Ripley recruiting Newt and Hicks, telling them it’s time to take the fight to the Xenomorphs once again.

Alien's Thomas Kane with a bloody Xenomorph behind him.

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From there, Dark Horse Comics’ Aliens line splintered into a number of different arcs, all told in one-shot comics or limited series. Some of the Aliens comics continued to follow the further adventures of Ripley, Newt, and Hicks (even after Newt and Hicks were renamed to Billie and Wilks following their canonical deaths in the film Alien 3), but there were also a great number of comics that charted entirely new courses with fresh characters and ideas - and it is those comics that the Alien film franchise should look to for inspiration.

Dark Horse Alien Comics the Movies Should Pull From (& Why)

Aliens: Genocide, Aliens: Music of the Spears, & Aliens: Colonial Marines

For obvious reasons, it’s a bit too late for the Alien film franchise to continue the stories of Ripley, Newt, and Hicks as they were in Dark Horse Comics, meaning - if the movies are going to pull from the comics - they should focus on the limited series that feature new characters. While there’s no shortage of Aliens stories from Dark Horse Comics that ventured into new and uncharted territory, there are three that stick out from the rest: Aliens: Genocide, Aliens: Music of the Spears, and Aliens: Colonial Marines.

To be clear, the films should not adapt every one of these stories frame-for-frame, as that would be boring and predictable. However, there are elements from these three stories specifically that need to be included in the future of the Alien film franchise. Aliens: Genocide introduces the Xenomorph homeworld, and even reveals a civil war between Red and Black Xenomorphs that is just begging to be brought to the big screen. Aliens: Genocide also introduces the idea that pharmaceutical drugs can be derived from the Queen Xenomorphs’ “Royal Jelly”.

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The idea of drugs being derived from Xenomorphs is carried over into Aliens: Music of the Spears, which not only delves further into Big Pharma’s interest in the alien creatures (which is a fascinating concept in and of itself), but also the rise of Xenomorph-worshiping cults centered around the ceremonial taking of these drugs. Ingesting Royal Jelly subconsciously patches humans into the telepathic communication channels of the Xenomorphs, which makes humans long for the opportunity to be their hosts, and makes them worship the Xenomorphs as gods.

Xenomorph-Cultists give the Alien franchise an exciting new antagonist!

Xenomorph-cults are also shown in Aliens: Colonial Marines, which reveals that those who take drugs derived from Xenomorphs start to mutate, taking on Xenomorph-like appearances. The ‘Bug-Men’ are Xenomorph-mutants who worship the aliens and fight for their cosmic expansion, and they represent a fascinating new kind of antagonist in the Alien universe. From the Xenomorph homeworld, to Xenomorph-drugs, to Xenomorph-worshiping cults (including and especially Xeno/human mutants), these particular stories offer the most in terms of expanding Alien lore - and the movies should introduce these ideas immediately.

Now is the Perfect Time for the Alien Franchise to Expand Into a New Demographic: Children

Aliens: Space Marines from Dark Horse Comics & Kenner Products

Space Marines comic covers featuring the Scorpion Alien, Rhino Alien, and Mantis Alien.

Since Alien: Romulus has arguably made Alien more popular than ever, now would be the perfect time for the franchise to build on that momentum by breaking into a new demographic: children. The aforementioned comics offer ideas and plot-points future Alien films should adapt, but those are specific to an adult audience. There are also Dark Horse Comics that are geared specifically toward children, and the franchise should take notice of those, too, and adapt them into a kids cartoon ASAP.

Aliens: Space Marines was a limited series minicomic published by Dark Horse Comics in partnership with Kenner Products. Each issue of this 13-issue series came free with the purchase of a Kenner Products Aliens action figure, and the comics were the official lore behind the action figures themselves. In Aliens: Space Marines, readers were introduced to fun Xenomorph-hybrids while enjoying the exciting adventures of the space marines tasked with taking them down. Every issue introduced a new Xenomorph-hybrid (like Rhino Alien, Scorpion Alien, and Mantis Alien), and each one was cooler than the last.

There was a rumor that plans for an Alien kids cartoon was in the works in the ‘90s called "Operation: Aliens", but that was just a multimedia brand created by Kenner Products that was tied directly into the Aliens action figures and the Aliens: Space Marines comic series.

Aliens: Space Marines would be the perfect launching-off point for a potential kid-friendly Alien animated series. Alien: Romulus reinvigorated excitement for the Alien universe in adults, so why couldn’t an adaptation of Aliens: Space Marines do the same for children? There could be a corner of the Alien franchise suitable for all ages, and the blueprint for opening up the world of Alien in such a way has already been created.

Alien Should Look to Dark Horse Comics to Re-Launch Another Franchise: Alien vs Predator

Alien vs Predator's Yautja fighting a Xenomorph.

It’s also worth pointing out that Alien isn’t the only Sci-Fi series that has risen in popularity recently, as the Predator franchise was also recently reinvigorated with the release of the film: Prey. Fans are more excited about both franchises than they’ve ever been, and these franchises famously share a continuity thanks to Dark Horse Comics.

Dark Horse Comics effectively brought the idea of Alien vs Predator to life, and the publisher absolutely mastered the formula. From the original Aliens vs Predator comic series to crossover books like Fire and Stone (which also masterfully included Prometheus lore), Dark Horse Comics proved that it knew what it was doing with the AvP series. So, when the movies decide to move forward with this crossover franchise, Dark Horse Comics should be the first place the studio looks to for inspiration.

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It is truly an exciting time to be an Alien fan, as the Sci-Fi universe is wide open and ready for more additions to the established lore. Indeed, Alien: Romulus redefined the Sci-Fi series, and fans already know where the movies can go next, as Dark Horse Comics has already paved the way for the future of 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.

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