Alien Romulus Xenomorph: A New Breed Of Alien?

As per tradition in the Alien movie series, Alien Romulus introduces a new Xenomorph type aboard the Renaissance station, originating from the secret Romulus lab. In this article, find out everything we know about this Romulus Xenomorph, including its possible alternate life cycle and visual differences from traditional Xenomorphs.

The Romulus Xenomorph

The Romulus Xenomorph has been revealed briefly in the Alien Romulus trailer, and on several promotional images from the movie. These Xenomorphs originate from the Romulus lab on the Renaissance Station, where a group of young people arrive on the Corbelan IV ship. Weyland-Yutani is conducting illegal experiments in the lab, possibly headed by androids without any behavioral inhibitors. Alien Romulus takes place in the year 2142, between Alien and Aliens, and the full origins of this new Xenomorph breed are not clear. Perhaps some kind of derelict with Alien eggs or the Black Goo pathogen was found by the company and brought into the lab for research.

Comparison With A Regular Xenomorph

Every Alien movie so far has had variations of the Xenomorph design, if not a completely new type of Xenomorph. The biggest differences have usually been in the domed vs ridged head, the number of fingers and toes, and the colorization of the body. The Alien Romulus Xenomorph is most similar to the original "Big Chap" from Alien, but with slight variations. This new Xenomorph uses a domed head, with a slightly visible human skull (with eye sockets) underneath. The Romulus Alien is quite fleshy and dripping with drool, reminiscent of the Alien Resurrection Xenomorphs. The Xenomorph uses its trademark inner jaw for a head bite, and we are yet to see the rest of its body.

Alternate Lifecycle And Black Goo Involvement

Although we see facehuggers in the trailer, and Fede Alvarez has mentioned chestbursters, it is not clear if Alien eggs or the Alien Queen are featured in the movie. Ridley Scott is producing the movie, and he has never been a fan of the Alien Queen which was invented by James Cameron. It has been rumored that the Black Goo Pathogen might be involved, which possibly mutates Alien eggs without the existence of the Queen. Although there are many facehuggers, the adult Xenomorphs might be included only in small numbers.

The Romulus Facehuggers

In addition to the adult Xenomorph, Alien Romulus introduces a new Fachugger type as well. Breaking containment from the research labs, these Facehuggers attacked in masse, overwhelming any opponents in quick succession. The Romulus Facehuggers were dark brown in color, similar to the Queen Facehugger seen in Alien 3. The proboscis tube that they stuck in the throat of their victims is especially thick, visible in a scene of a Facehugger removal. The Romulus Facehuggers had human-like nails on the tips of their fingers, giving them an especially creepy appearance.

Behind The Scenes

Behind the scenes, director Fede Alvarez opted to use as many practical effects and animatronics as possible to bring the Romulus Xenomorph to life. He focused on creating the Alien as similar to the original Giger design, including the facehuggers and chestbursters. Interestingly, he hired most of Stan Winston's crew from Aliens for this, although Giger was in any way involved with the first Alien sequel. The existence of this experienced team coupled with a seasoned director like Alvarez will surely result in excellent Alien effects.

Conclusion

The full extent of the Romulus Xenomorph remains to be revealed in the movie, or later trailers. From what we can see, it is a slightly different variation of Xenomorph, where the facehuggers are darker, and the adults are most similar to the original Alien from the Nostromo. Most likely, the Black Goo Pathogen is involved to an extent, but instead of creating mindless zombies or exotic new creatures, it is used to breed the Xenomorphs themselves. It is great to see the Alien movies going back to the original design, and avoiding any new and exotic Xenomorph hybrids, that seek to be bigger and "badder".