Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Alien: Romulus & Alien: Romulus #1!The firstXenomorphthatAlienfans were introduced to in the original 1979 film (nicknamed “Big Chap” during production) has made its official return to the franchise in an all-newAlien: Romulusprequel tie-in comic book one-shot. While this may seem like old news to fans who have already seenAlien: Romulus, this comic will tell the story that was merely brushed over in the film, while also revealing exactly how Big Chap survived.
In a preview shared byAIPT ComicsforAlien: Romulus#1 by Zac Thompson and Daniel Picciotto, readers get an unlettered first-look at the upcoming one-shot prequel tie-in. The first few panels should be familiar to those who’ve seenAlien: Romulus, as it shows a Weyland-Yutani science vessel securing thecocooned Xenomorph from the wreckage site of the Nostromo, just like what fans saw in the movie. But then, the comic goes into much greater detail.
Unlike in the film, this comic establishes the scientists who are freeing Big Chap from its cocoon as actual characters. It also reveals that some people aboard the WY vessel aren’t exactly on-board with Xenomorph experimentation, and it shows Big Chap’s first attack on a human since getting beaten by Ripley. It’s clear that fans are about to be placed inside the laboratory where theexperimentation on the Xenomorphtook place that laid the groundwork forAlien: Romulus, including a full explanation of how the Xenomorph survived in space - and much more.
Alien: Romulus Prequel will Offer More than a Lesson in Xenomorph Biology
TheAlien: RomulusComic will Tell the Story the Movie Didn’t: Big Chap’s Final Massacre
InAlien: Romulus, Rook (the synthetic Science Officer of the Renaissance) explains that Big Chap’s DNA was used to create Facehuggers, which were kept safely in stasis between Black Goo extraction procedures. However, after Big Chap’s biological material was collected, the Xenomorph itself broke free from its containment, and proceeded to slaughter everyone on board. Not only that, but Big Chap released the cloned Facehuggers, which infected those aboard the space station with Xenomorph embryos, resulting in the hive fans saw in the film.
While Big Chap was killed (with its body prominently featured along with Rook’s exposition), the original Xenomorph certainly did a lot of damage before being taken out for good. Fans were robbed of seeing that in the movie, but now, with the release of the officialAlien: Romulusprequel comic, that shortfall will be remedied.
Alien: Romulus Prequel will Also Introduce a Ripley-Level Badass
PLUS: An All-New Alien Creature will be Introduced in the Prequel Comic
One standout from this preview is the introduction of a character who is immediately presented as a badass. She seems to be a former Colonial Marine contracted by Weyland-Yutani, who now wears an eye patch following an injury during a previous mission fighting alien ‘bugs’ that have never been seen before inAlienlore - ie, an all-new alien creature! She also seems to be against bringing a Xenomorph on board, as she raises her weapon to Big Chap the moment it’s released from its cocoon. Is she familiar with Xenomorphs? And if so, what other stories could this character offer?
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This person will clearly be the main character of the prequel comic, and may even get her own spin-offAliencomic in the future. While she is certainly an interesting new addition toAliencanon (as are the alien ‘bugs’ that took her eye), the main takeaway from this new one-shot is the obvious.Alien: Romulusprequel comic brings back the franchise’s firstXenomorph, giving fans the story that was only brushed over in the movie, and explaining exactly how Big Chap survived the original film.
Alien: Romulus #1by 20th Century Studios is available June 03, 2025.
Alien: Romulus
Cast
Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise. The movie is directed by Fede Álvarez and will focus on a new young group of characters who come face to face with the terrifying Xenomorphs. Alien: Romulus is a stand-alone film and takes place in a time not yet explored in the Alien franchise.
