It was so excited when Ridley Scott returned to theAlienfranchise withPrometheus, but the movie’s cliffhanger ending was never properly explored. After directing the firstAlienmovie, which was released in 1979, Scott passed on the franchise to other directors. James Cameron masterfully directed the second movie in the science fiction franchise, but the third and fourthAlienmovieswere not as well-received. Therefore, Scott returning with 2012’sPrometheuswas the perfect move to usher in a new era for the franchise.
Even thoughPrometheusgave explanations for a lot of theAlienfranchise’s biggest mysteries, the series still feels strangely incomplete. Scott had a chance to further flesh out the long-running franchise with 2017’sAlien: Covenant, but this was not thePrometheussequel that many people expected. Instead of picking up not long after theending ofPrometheus, Scott decided to follow a new set of characters inAlien: Covenant. While the 2017 movie introduces several great characters, it highlights the fact thatthere is clearly a movie missing from theAlienfranchise.
There Should’ve Been An Alien Movie Between Prometheus And Covenant
Prometheus' Exciting Ending Is Never Properly Followed Up On
InPrometheus, Elizabeth and Charlie discover drawings of the Engineers in caves all over the world, and eventually figure out where they need to go to meet them. Peter Weyland is equally enthusiastic about meeting the potential creators of humanity, so he funds the Prometheus' expedition to the planet LV-223. However,upon exploring the mysterious planet, Elizabeth, Charlie, and their crew discover that all but one of the group of Engineers died long before their arrival.
Prometheus Will Never Be My Favorite Alien Movie, But It Makes The Next 2 Movies So Much More Exciting
While Prometheus isn’t the best movie in the Alien franchise, it has made the series much better, and it makes two upcoming movies more anticipated.
The death of the Engineers is actually a good thing, since it is later revealed that they were on their way to wipe out humanity. After the Last Engineer is awakened at the end of the film, it kills Peter Weyland and decapitates David before going after Elizabeth Shaw. Elizabeth’s fate seems set in stone at the end ofPrometheus, but she manages to unleash the Trilobite, which attacks the Last Engineer while she escapes. As the only survivor of the crew,Elizabeth returns to the Engineer’s ship and agrees to fix David and leave the planet with him.
The ending ofPrometheussees Elizabeth and David set off to find the true home of the Engineers, which is eventually seen inAlien: Covenant. However,Covenantis set after the death of Elizabeth Shaw, which is disappointing since she is a great protagonist inPrometheus. There should have been another movie betweenPrometheusandAlien: Covenantthat followed Elizabeth and David on their journey to the Engineer’s home planet. Instead, the events of their journey had to be revealed in brief flashbacks and an online prologue forAlien: Covenant.
Alien: Covenant Barely Feels Like A Sequel To Prometheus
Alien: Covenant Introduces A New Crew Of Characters
After the action-packed ending ofPrometheus, I’ve always found the beginning ofAlien: Covenantto be quite jarring since it follows a new android, once again played by Michael Fassbender, and a brand-new crew. Even though the film opens with a conversation between David and Peter Weyland, the first half ofAlien: Covenantseems like it’s going to completely ignore the events ofPrometheusand be a separate, standalone story. Of course,David eventually meets the new crew inAlien: Covenant, but the absence of Elizabeth Shaw makes the film barely feel like a true sequel.
BetweenPrometheusandCovenant, David betrays Elizabeth and kills her so that he can perform experiments on her.
Of course, there is an explanation why Elizabeth does not have a prominent role inAlien: Covenant.BetweenPrometheusandCovenant, David betrays Elizabeth and kills herso that he can perform experiments on her. Believing that androids are superior to both humans and the Engineers, David also weaponizes the black goo that is seen inPrometheusto wipe out the entire Engineer population between the two films. Therefore, when the characters inAlien: Covenantarrive on the planet, it seems to be entirely empty.
Prometheus Feels Like An Incomplete Story Because Of Alien: Covenant
An Additional Alien Movie Could Have Followed Elizabeth & David’s Journey After Prometheus
Since David is still a prominent character and the fate of Elizabeth is revealed,Alien: Covenantdoes continue the story ofPrometheus. However, it is continued in a very unsatisfying way. SinceAlien: Covenantquickly moves on from everything that was set up inPrometheus, it seems like Scott just lost interest in Elizabeth as a character. This is disappointing, since she was the most interestingprotagonist in theAlienfranchisesince Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley. Elizabeth defies the odds inPrometheus, which has an exciting cliffhanger ending, but then she is underwhelmingly killed offscreen before the events ofAlien: Covenant.
Prometheus Introduced The Most Important Alien Character Since Ripley, And I Hate How Ridley Scott Killed Them Off
Prometheus introduces the best character in the Alien franchise since Ripley, but she is tragically killed off-screen before Alien: Covenant.
I don’t necessarily have a problem with David killing Elizabeth in theAlienfranchise. After all, him killing her turns him into an even more intriguing and mysterious character. However, it should have happened onscreen, rather than between two movies in the franchise.Alien: Covenantfeels more like a conclusion to a trilogy, rather than a direct sequel toPrometheus. Therefore,Scott should have made anotherAlienmovie in between that further developed the relationship between Elizabeth and David and chronicled her tragic death.
Alien: Romulus Might Be The Closest Thing We’ll Get To Giving Prometheus Closure
Alien: Romulus Gives Prometheus' Black Goo A New Name
Even thoughAlien: Covenantbarely feels like a sequel toPrometheus, 2024’sAlien: Romulushas a surprise connection to the 2012 sci-fi film. In the film, Rain, Andy, and Tyler speak with the android Rook, who has the same appearance as Ash from the firstAlienmovie. Rook explains to them thatWeyland-Yutani was performing experiments with a compound called Z-01, which he also refers to as “Prometheus fire.“This substance is the same black goo that is seen inPrometheus, and that David uses to wipe out all the Engineers inAlien: Covenant.
93%
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44%
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65%
Alien: Romulus (2024)
80%
At theend ofAlien: Romulus, the gravely injured and pregnant Kay injects herself with Z-01, which leads to the Offspring being born.The Offspring shares a striking resemblance to the Engineers, who were first introduced inPrometheus. Therefore,Alien: Romulushas several surprising connections toPrometheus, and helps to answer some of the mysteries that were set up in the film. Since no proper sequel toPrometheuswas ever made,Alien: Romulusmay be the best closure fans will ever get for what is perhaps the most thought-provoking movie in theAlienfranchise.
