David (Michael Fassbender) hasn’t appeared in theAlienfranchise since the ending ofAlien: Covenant, but he could soon reappear eight years later. David, the psychotic android and main antagonist of bothPrometheusandAlien: Covenant, has been one of theAlienfranchise’s biggest mysteries for nearly a decade. That’s because he hasn’t been seen sinceCovenant, and his nefarious plan was never fully revealed. Now, however, there are two chances forAliento bring David back and finally shed light on his story.
While there is anupcomingAlienmovie directed by Ridley Scottthat will almost certainly revisit David’s story, it’s still quite a ways off. His movie has only just been announced, and it will be years yet until it’s out of development and ready to be seen.Ridley Scott’s other upcoming movies, likeGladiator IIIand the Bee Gees biopic, could also easily take precedence overAlien, pushing his prequel even further down the road. Luckily, there are two other waysAliencould bring Fassbender’s David back years before Scott gets the chance to finish his prequel trilogy.
Alien: Earth’s Timeline Connection To Prometheus Makes A David Cameo Possible
David May Have Sent The Ship That Starts Alien: Earth’s Xenomorph Invasion
Theupcoming FX seriesAlien: Earthis the first wayAliencould revisit David’s story. As the title suggests,Alien: Earthis set on Earth, but it takes place in 2120, two years earlier intheAlientimelinethan the original film. That timeline may make it possible for Fassbender’s David to make a cameo. The ending ofAlien: Covenanttook place in 2104 and saw David continue theCovenant’s mission to Origae-6.It’s entirely possible that after arriving at Origae-6 and doing some more experimentation with the black goo and xenomorphs, David set a course for Earth in time to arrive by 2120.
David may even be the wayAlien: Earthexplains how the xenomorphs reach Earth. An official description ofAlien: Earth’s story notes that “a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth,” presumably kicking off the xenomorphs' rampage (viaFX Networks).That mysterious ship may be David’s, or at the very least sent by him. David would be the perfect way to explain how the xenomorphs reached Earth while also tying back into the canon established inPrometheusandCovenant.
David would be the perfect way to explain how the xenomorphs reached Earth while also tying back into the canon established in Prometheus and Covenant.
Though it is theoretically possible for David to appear inAlien: Earth, it doesn’t seem terribly likely.The show doesn’t really need to tie into thePrometheustrilogy, and creator Noah Hawley may prefer to tell a new story without having to reduce the central mystery of the series to a reference toAlien: Covenant.Alien: Earthlikely has a more creative explanation for how the xenomorphs got to Earth in mind. If Fassbender were to appear inAlien: Earthat all, it seems far more plausible that he would play another synthetic from the same model as David or Walter.
Alien: Romulus’ Black Goo Twist Is The Perfect Set Up For David To Appear In The Sequel
David May Come Looking For The Black Goo On The Corbelan
IfAlien: Earthdoesn’t take the opportunity to bring David back, then a sequel toAlien: Romuluscould. Though not yet officially confirmed, a sequel toAlien: Romuluslooks almost inevitable now, especially after its box office success (viaThe Hollywood Reporter).If it does happen, the sequel toRomulusalready has the perfect excuse to bring David in.Prometheus' black goo, which David was obsessed with and used for his experiments, played a major role inRomulus. It was how Weyland-Yutani reverse-engineered the xenomorphs, and it may be enough to draw David out.
Where Did All The Facehuggers & Xenomorphs Come From In Alien: Romulus?
How is it that there are so many facehuggers and xenomorphs on board the Renaissance station in Alien: Romulus, and yet there are no eggs?
By theending ofAlien: Romulus, there were still samples of the black goo on theCorbelanwhen Rain entered hypersleep. Kay’s body is presumably still on board the ship, as are the sealed vials that Rain, Andy, and Tyler found on theRomulus.Depending upon where the Yvaga system is located in relation to Origae-6, David may learn that theCorbelanhas samples of the black goo and come looking for them. He could conceivably have run out of usable samples in the time betweenCovenantandRomulus, and he would need more to continue his obsessive research.
Alien Might Avoid Ever Bringing David Back (But Prometheus & Covenant Aren’t Being Ignored)
Prometheus & Covenant Are Still Important To Alien, Even If David’s Story Is Never Resolved
Even if bothAlien: Earthand the sequel toAlien: Romulusdon’t bring David back explicitly, however, there’s now proof that bothPrometheusandCovenanthaven’t been swept under the rug in the same way theAlien vs. Predatormovies were ignored. AfterCovenant’s poor box office performance, it seemed like theAlienfranchise was going to abandon its story altogether.AfterRomulus' focus on black goo, however, it’s clear thatAlienstill considers the events ofPrometheusandCovenantcanon. No matter what the future of theAlienfranchise holds, Michael Fassbender’s David has already put an indelible mark on it.
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.
