5 'Alien: Covenant' Fan Theories That Could Actually Happen
We're going to see some aliens, but what else?
In exactly a month, chest-bursting, spine-ripping, murderous extraterrestrial creatures with acidic blood will once again attack humans in the cramped confines of a spaceship. But, Ridley Scott’s new Alien: Covenant movie is more than just an outer space horror film; it’s the latest installment in the larger canon of the Alien franchise. In terms of fictional chronology, Covenant takes place after 2012’s Prometheus, but before 1979’s Alien. Trailers, interviews, and rumors have all suggested that Covenant will explain how and why the Xenomorphs from the original film look the way they do. Not to mention, we’ll finally find out who is responsible for the creation of these creatures.
But what about Dr. Shaw and David from Prometheus? And how about those giant, muscular Engineer aliens? Covenant may not answer all our questions about Alien and Prometheus, but there are a few theories about the new film on the table. Here are five that have some decent plausibility.
5. James Franco Will Die in the First 15 Minutes
The well-known actor was announced late in the lineup for actors featured in Alien: Covenant. The reason why could be obvious: He’ll be the first victim of whatever new set of aliens kills everyone on the spaceship Covenant.
4. Dr. Shaw Will Only Have a Cameo
Noomi Rapace’s Dr. Elizabeth Shaw was the only human survivor of the Prometheus. It’s been teased that the character will hook up with the crew of the Covenant in this film in some way. But, it’s possible that this might not be an in-the-flesh situation. What if Dr. Shaw has already died by the time this movie happens? If that’s the case, her presence may only be in the form of a hologram, glimpsed for a short period of time.
3. The Engineers Will Return and They’ll Be Good Guys
The god-like giants known only as “the Engineers” supposedly created humanity, but also a bunch of alien bioweapons, too. In Prometheus, these guys were pretty awful. But if they return in Covenant, it stands to reason they could be trying to contain the gross aliens they let loose. If that’s the case, this would put the Engineers kind of on the side of the good guys. Plus, someone in a hooded robe appears in the Covenant trailers. Could they be one of these guys?
2. Charlize Lives!
As Vickers, Charlize Theron was the leader of the expedition in Prometheus. At the end of the movie, it looks like that tumbling alien ship falls on her. But, what if it didn’t? Though it might seem like there’s nothing to support the idea that Vickers would return in Alien: Covenant, there totally is. And it wouldn’t even require her surviving that tumbling ship. In one scene in Prometheus, it was suggested that Vickers might have been a robot. If she was a robot, then there could be another version, which would mean Charlize would return as a robot of herself.
1. Katherine Waterston’s Daniels Is Ripley’s Mom
The lead in Alien: Covenant is Daniels, (Katherine Waterston), one of the colonists on the ship. But what if “Daniels” is just her maiden name? What if Daniels turns out to marry someone named Mr. Ripley? Notably, James Franco’s character is only listed as having one name on IMDb: Branson. Presumably, he’s playing Daniels’s husband, so why wouldn’t his name just be listed as Branson Daniels? The crazy theory answer is that his actual name is Branson Ripley, which would make him Ellen Ripley’s father.
Alien: Covenant opens in wide release on May 19.
