This article covers the following: Major spoilers For “Alien: Romulus”.
“Alien: Romulus” came alive most for me with its final set-piece. Ren (Cailee Spaeny), Andy (David Jonsson), and Kay (Izabela Merced) apparently escape and are ready to embark on their cryo-sleep journey. But before that, the pregnant Kay injects herself with some black goo to heal an injury. In a revolting new spin on “Alien’s” trademark “childbirth is horror” theme, the fetus in Kay mutates and, once born, rapidly matures into an eight-foot-tall xenomorph with a human-like face.
Yes, the surprising fourth act in which an alien sneaks onto an escape ship is part of the “Alien” formula. The human-alien hybrid is also based on an idea from “Alien: Resurrection.” But the Offspring (played by basketball player Robert Bobroczky) is a creature so terrifying it will make your skin tingle and your heart beat. Take its introduction, where the lights blink and you can understand Now! Its shadowy form is enough to be terrifying. Or when it comes near Kay, and your stomach twists because you’re unsure whether it sees her as a mother or as food. It even gets in a jump scare when Ren launches himself and the offspring into space, introduced by a POV shot from inside Ren’s spacesuit.
While the Xenomorphs from “Alien: Romulus” reused a tried and true design (you don’t mess with the “perfect organism”), the Offspring needed some work. Storyboard artist Santiago Vecino shared an unused Offspring design on his Instagram:
this design About Same as the final version, but with a few differences. The biggest difference is the long black hair, which makes the Offspring look more disgusting, but not as weird.
Alien: Romulus Offspring’s final design is reminiscent of Prometheus
At this time, no HD footage or screencaps showing the Offspring in “Alien: Romulus” have been released. However, director Fede Alvarez shared a behind-the-scenes video on Twitter showing Bobroczky in costume. Compare that costume to Vecino’s art.
The incredibly talented Robert Bobrosky is getting ready to pursue Cailee Spaeny #AlienRomulus @LegacyEffects #BTS pic.twitter.com/Tp3DLXV40x
— Fede Alvarez (@fedalvar) August 30, 2024
Vecino isn’t the only “Alien: Romulus” artist with an unused pitch. Concept artist Cole Price shared his own Xenomorph take on the Offspring on Twitter:
during #AlienRomulus @fedlver We were all encouraged to make hybrids. I don’t really make creatures, but tried to make nomad sculpture. I know Fede really liked these 🤣So much fun to do#Alien #children #hybrid #Creature #concept art #xenomorph #ConceptArtist pic.twitter.com/Eo7x0SfWHq
— Col Price (@coldesign_ltd) September 3, 2024
I think the final Offspring design is the one that strikes the best balance and has the most meaningful meaning embedded in it. The Offspring doesn’t resemble a human so much as it resembles an Engineer, the giant, hairless gray-skinned alien from “Prometheus.” The Engineers created humanity in the distant past, as well as the black goo that gave rise to the Xenomorphs and, eventually, K’s Offspring. In the universe of “Alien,” human DNA is simply dietary Engineer DNA, so it makes sense that the Engineers’ mutation would react the way it did. The result is a creature that has all the qualities of an Engineer. Foreigner It has the features of the Xenomorphs, as well as black, lifeless eyes.
“Alien: Romulus” is playing in theaters.
