The 5 main protagonists of the Alien franchise, ranked from worst to best

Throughout the Foreigner franchise, several characters served as protagonists as the series took increasingly bold and varied directions in its storytelling. While most audiences are familiar with Ripley and her adventures through the original films, she’s not the only character who deserves to be associated with this franchise. Many other actors have made their contributions to the franchise equally unique and memorable, giving this series a sense of longevity that few science fiction sagas achieve. Foreigner may be one of the best science fiction films ever made, but it was the characters that allowed it to continue into the future.

THE Foreigner franchise has reinvented itself several times over the last few years, first with the Prometheus prequel series and later with the long-awaited spin-off by Fede Alvarez Alien: Romulus. It’s also clear that the series has no plans to stop there: Ridley Scott is developing another Foreigner film, and the story is shifting to a television narrative with the next Alien: Earth. At this point, there are many faces to the Foreigner franchise. While some of them were more engaging than others, they all did great things for the progression of the narrative.

5

Annalee Call (Alien: Resurrection)

Played by Winona Ryder

Although Winona Ryder’s performance is easily the best part of Alien: Resurrectionthe film ends up failing to forge as interesting a narrative as the other films in the franchise. The character Annalee Call is a fairly generic action heroine who is very similar to Ripley in many ways.

It often seems the writers weren’t sure which direction to take this storyso they created another version of Ripley to keep the audience invested. It’s probably the least scary Foreigner film too, which prevents the audience from really getting into Calls’ head in an interesting way.

4

Daniels (Alien: Covenant)

Played by Katherine Waterstone

Alien: Alliance is undoubtedly the most exclusive of all Foreigner films. This resulted in a somewhat polarized reception from critics and audiences. However, one aspect of the film that Most would agree that a major strength is Katherine Waterstone’s protagonist, Daniels.

Her moral complexity and scientific background make her an interesting perspective to center the story. His interactions with David are responsible for some of the film’s most interesting comments. This is an area where the previous films have always succeeded and from which the film benefits.

3

Elizabeth Shaw (Prometheus)

Played by Noomi Rapace

Prometheus is another very controversial Foreigner film, but Elizabeth Shaw’s character manages to hold the story together whenever she runs the risk of becoming too self-aggrandizing or philosophical. Shaw proves to be a very reflective and relatable protagonistwhich is absolutely crucial when it comes to distant concepts like the Engineers and the birth of humanity. His curiosity always keeps the story grounded, and Shaw’s decision to stick around for the duration PrometheusThe final scene proves that she was always more interesting than the other human characters.

2

Rain Carradine (Alien: Romulus)

Played by Cailee Spaeny

Alien: Romulus occurs between the events of Foreigner and Aliensbut follows an entirely different set of characters as they are drawn into the dangerous wreckage of an abandoned space station. The team is led by Rain Carradine, a young woman who eagerly leads the fight against the Xenomorphs and comes up with an ingenious plan to save them from the spaceship. Rain feels like a spiritual successor to Ripley without being a carbon copy of the original character.

Rain is among the few characters in Alien: Romulus who actually makes smart decisions, and that immediately makes her more likable than the friends at her side. She’s tough, smart, and never puts her safety above that of those she loves. These are essential characteristics of a compelling protagonist, and they are all present in Rain. The film was a huge success, scoring one of the highest-grossing films Foreigner films, so I hope Rain’s impact on the franchise isn’t limited to a single story.

1

Ellen Ripley (Alien, Aliens and Alien 3)

Played by Sigourney Weaver

Ripley is the original protagonist of Foreigner franchise, and the series has not been able to match lasting qualities. There’s a reason the character stuck around for so many sequels. She’s effortlessly cool but easy to sympathize with, and a lot of that comes down to Sigourney Weaver’s fierce performance. The actress was made to be an action starand Foreigner it was the ideal franchise for its potential. Weaver’s performance as Ripley even earned her an Oscar nomination, a rarity in the science fiction genre.

Ripley’s impact on Foreigner the franchise is still felt today, and many of the other protagonists that have emerged over the years have sometimes felt like imitations to varying degrees of her character. She was such an influential character whose fearlessness, bravery and courage inspired many girls to find the same strength within themselves. This is why its place in the action film canon has been so irrevocably cemented over the years, and what makes it the best Foreigner protagonist until now.