Alien: Romulus’ Ending Explained

Directed by Fede Álvarez, Alien: Romulus‘ending leaves the door open for more things to enter the Foreigner film franchise. The film takes place in the intervening years between Foreigner and James Cameron Aliens. Alien: Romulus features a new cast of characters who venture into a derelict spaceship in an attempt to recover cryogenic fuel to travel through the Yvaga system. What awaits them is the Xenomorph that Ripley kicked off the ship in the original film, which laid eggs that attacked Rain, Andy and their friends. Rain puts Kay in a position to protect her and her unborn child.

But Kay had already injected herself with the Prometheus formula, which led to an advanced pregnancy and the birth of a Xenomorph/human hybrid that killed her and seriously injured Andy. Desperate to save her and her synthetic brother, Rain fights the hybrid offspring before releasing the cargo bay and sending it into space. Rain promises to fix Andy and puts him and herself into cryosleep, setting the ship on an autopilot course to the Yvaga system, unsure whether they will actually make it there or not. Before that, Rain makes an entry in the ship’s logbooks.

Alien: Is Romulus’ New Xenomorph Son Still Alive?

Was thrown into space, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end

The hybrid descendant of the Xenomorph was thrown out of the ship’s cargo hold by Rain, which suggests he is finished. However, the creature from the first Foreigner film survived being sent into space, so it’s possible the descendant creature lives on also. Xenomorphs are nothing if not adaptable creatures that can seemingly survive just about anything.

If Big Chap managed to live for years in space before being picked up by the spacecraft in Alien: Romulusso it stands to reason that the hybrid could do the same. It is also possible Xenomoroph’s offspring have certain mutations that give them the ability to not only survive, but thrive in space. It wouldn’t be surprising if the descendant creature reappeared in another Foreigner sequence in the future.

Rook’s Prime Directive and the Prometheus Connection in Alien: Romulus Explained

Rook is based on the likeness of the late Ian Holm, who played Ash in the first film

Rook was the synthetic science officer on the Renaissance ship, which was partially destroyed during the Xenomorph’s initial rampage that killed the crew. Rook was adamant about his prime directive, and with an upgrade to Andy’s system, he convinced the young synthetic of that as well. This prime directive was to recover the Xenomorph to develop a formula called Prometheus 5which would promote human evolution and make humanity strong enough to survive in space. It would also create immunity to diseases that ravaged the populations of the colonies, such as Rain’s parents, who died from lung diseases contracted in the mines.

Rook’s prime directive placed the goals of the Weyland-Yutani corporation above the lives of the humans on board. When trying to advance human evolution, the main guideline was to discard the people who already existed. As such, the prime directive ignored the characters’ humanity, which put Andy in an awkward position considering his original prime directive was to ensure Rain was safe and secure. And although Xenomorphs are volatile, Rook did not hesitate to sacrifice Rain and company just to advance experimental research that in itself was dangerous..

Prometheus 5, which Kay injected without knowing its full capabilities, is responsible for creating the Xenomorph hybrid, and its name directly connects to the Foreigner prequel Prometheuswhich included a similar (if not the same) black goo that was capable of mutating DNA and creating new life. The Engineers may have wanted to eradicate humanity, but the Prometheus 5 formula indicates that the black goo continued to be developed in the years that followed. Prometheus‘events happened. It’s still creating new life from the old one, even though the hybrid ended up killing Kay after being born.

Rain and Andy’s relationship in Alien: Romulus is unique to the franchise

Shows Andy as part of Rain’s family

Rain and Andy had an interesting relationship. As a synthetic, Andy was programmed to care for Rain in his parents’ absence. However, Rain treated Andy more like a younger brother; She took care of him just as he took care of her. It was, overall, a very familial relationship – one that others, including Rook and Bjorn, didn’t understand. Typically, synthetics, like Rook, valued the core guidelines embodied by Weyland-Yutani over genuine connection with humans. Although the synthetics were not programmed to kill people directly, there was a disagreement between them and humans that created some tension.

Rain and Andy’s relationship, which is at the heart of Alien: Romulusseems like an anomaly when compared to others. They really cared about each other and even though Rain flirted with the idea of ​​going to the Yvaga system and leaving Andy behind (they didn’t accept synthetics), her love for her brother overcame this decision in the end. When Andy’s prime directive changed, it’s as if Rain began to see the humanity in him that was erased in the update. This made her give up wanting to protect Andy. Their relationship is based on trust and love, a rarity.

How Alien: Romulus’ Ending Sets Up Another Alien Sequel

Rain and Andy are in cryosleep and head towards Yvaga

Alien: Romulus It may not have a post-credits scene, but its ending certainly leaves things open for further exploration in a sequel. Rain’s survival means that her story isn’t necessarily over. Anything can happen while she and Andy are sleeping. What would be interesting is if a Alien: Romulus sequel explored Rain and Andy’s arrival at Yvaga III. It’s been revealed that the space colony doesn’t like synthetics, which suggests the brothers will have some problems when they arrive. Rain promised to fix it, so a sequel could follow his journey to do just that.

What could happen in Yvaga is a mystery, and how Romulo ends reveals the potential for more encounters with Xenomorphs. What’s more, Rain could wake up from cryosleep and come face to face with Weyland-Yutani employees. Whatever happens, Rain’s survival and Andy still alive, albeit injured, creates opportunities for future stories. Their relationship is one of the most interesting in the world. Foreigner franchise, and it would be a shame if their story ended with Alien: Romulusespecially since their fates are up in the air.

The True Meaning of Alien: The End of Romulus

Corporations manipulate humanity

Although Xenomorphs are considered a perfect species, Alien: Romulus‘ending posits that humanity still has a fighting chance. They may not be able to mutate quickly, nor are they strong enough to easily live in space, but humans are still powerful in their own right. What’s more, the film’s ending highlights the strength of a human/synthetic dynamic that isn’t just based on a corporation’s prime directive. Romulo shows Rook wanting to do what’s best for humanity without realizing that Weyland-Yutani isn’t exactly looking out for them either – they’re looking out for themselves.

Alien: Romulus it also highlights the many ways in which humanity can be exploited by corporations. Weyland-Yutani, through Rook, tried to use Andy for his own ends, and the characters were essentially punished for wanting a better life for themselves, sacrificed to capture Xenomorphs. The end of the film comes down to humanity’s choice about cruel prime directives. Rain came to the same conclusion when she realized that leaving Andy behind was not in her or his best interest, even if it meant potentially giving up on starting a new life. Either way, it wouldn’t have meant anything without him.

How Alien Romulus’ Ending Was Received

Critics and members of the public praised it as a return to form

Alien: Romulus was a return to form for the franchise according to most critics and audience members. On Rotten tomatoesCritics certified the film as fresh with an 80% approval rating and audiences gave it a high score of 85% on Popcornmeter. One of the spectators reviewers in TR he wrote, “Refreshing. Great reference to the original 2 films, but still does something totally new. This is how you keep a franchise alive.“

As for professional critics, Peter Travers of ABC News praised the film, despite writing that “shamelessly feeds off the DNA of both sci-fi horror classics” (Foreigner and Aliens). However, he was highly complimentary of the film’s ending, writing: “After the film’s thunderous last third, which turns the terror up to 11, you’ll want to run to the shower to wash off the gunk. Yes, it feels so tangible.“

However, fans went even deeper into the Alien: Romulus ending in Reddit. In a thread dedicated to this, the OP wrote how the ending with Offspring went “genuinely terrifying and unnerving, which is rare in modern horror films.” One responder explained further about the properties of the black goo, writing: “In fact, it indirectly provides answers to questions about what some consider “inconsistencies” in Prometheus and Covenant… in how goo behaves in the human body.”