Alien: Romulusoffered the perfect chance to bring back Michael Fassbender’s David afterAlien: Covenant,yet fumbled the opportunity. Theending ofAlien: Romulusteased a lot for the future of the franchise, from a sequel to the movie to more spin-offs in the ever-expanding series. Where the film itself was concerned, though,Alien: Romulusheld an interesting spot within thetimeline ofAlienmovies.
Being set betweenAlienandAliens,Alien: Romulusnaturally had many ties to the original two stories, often regarded as thebest-rankedAlienmovies. However, the film was also the firsttheatrically-releasedAlienmoviesinceAlien: Covenant. This led many to wonder if it would have connections to the prequels constructed by Ridley Scott, despite the divisiveness ofCovenantand its predecessor,Prometheus. As it turned out,Alien: Romuluswas a bridge between Scott’s prequels and the original films, giving it the perfect opportunity to bring back a character from the former - Michael Fassbender’s David.
The Droid In Alien: Romulus Should Have Been A David Model, Not Rook
David Would Have Made The Covenant Links Even Better
The opportunity in question links to the droid character ofRook inAlien: Romulus. One of the most controversial aspects of the 2024 film was Rook’s inclusion, which used the likeness of the late Ian Holm to bring the droid to life. This was done in an attempt to tieAlien: Romulusto the original film with Rook emulating Ash, yet the divisiveness of using Holm’s likeness and the uncanny valley effects dominated discourse around the scene.
In order to avoid this controversy,Alien: Romulusshould have utilized Michael Fassbender in this scene. Not only would the divisive nature of “reviving” an actor who has passed away via CGI have been avoided, but Fassbender reprising his role as another model of droid would have made sense from a narrative perspective. Moreover, Fassbender’s inclusion would have felt more organic, rather than relying too heavily on nostalgia.
Alien: Romulus’s Black Goo Storyline Means “David” Would’ve Fit Right In
Thanks To Ties To The Prequels
As already alluded to, Fassbender’s inclusion inAlien: Romulusas “David” or another model of droid would have tied perfectly to the overall narrative of the franchise.Alien: Romulustied back to the events ofPrometheusandCovenantvia the inclusion of the black goo and its links to the origins of the Xenomorph. Therefore, Fassbender appearing - who was vital to those two movies - would have fit thematically.
Fassbender’s droids, specifically David, were fascinated with the origins of Xenomorphs. This linked to the Engineers fromPrometheus, withAlien: Romulus' Black Goo storyline tying all of this to the original films. With all of this in mind, Fassbender appearing would have provided the perfect bridge between theAlienprequels,Alien: Romulus, and the original series, emulating the fact that the 2024 film itself similarly served as a bridge between the disparate parts of theAlienfranchise.
