Marvel Comics’ Alien Epic is Finally Over – But Does It Matter?

1979’s Alien introduced audiences to an entirely new breed of sci-fi horror. Unsurprisingly, the film was only the first of many to come over the years, with the franchise currently standing at a whopping nine films, including multiple crossovers with the similarly iconic Predator franchise. This is to say nothing of the various novels, comics, and upcoming productions set in the Alien universe. Along the way, there have been numerous attempts to add exciting and memorable new layers to the franchise’s mythos, though not all of them have made any real impact, and the latest Marvel epic is just the last to fall victim to the very same fate.

Alien #4 (by Declan Shalvey, Andrea Broccardo, Ruth Redmond, Jay Bowen, and VC’s Clayton Cowles) brings readers to the icy, barren landscape of Cocito, a small ice moon now inhabited by two distinct breeds of Xenomorph. Within what little remains of the research base known as The Keg, Cocito’s only humans are caught in a battle of life and death. Zasha, whose life has been largely defined by the threat posed by Xenomorphs and the horrors they leave in their wake, is left facing off against the egotistical and sadistic Jun Yutani. While Zasha came to Cocito hoping to rescue the remnants of her synth companion Dayton out of a profound sense of duty, Jun made the trip to harvest Dayton’s knowledge and anything else of value in the name of raw profits. Of course, things aren’t quite that simple, and by the time the dust has settled, it is clear that almost everyone involved was misled in one way or another. Still, there is a sense of catharsis in the tragic yet heartfelt loss of Zasha and Dayton, one completely undercut by how little their story is bound to matter in the wider scope of the Alien franchise.

A Brief History of the AlienFranchise’s Evolution

Major Developments Have Almost Always Fallen Flat

The original Alien from director Ridley Scott and writer Dan O’Bannon was a groundbreaking film upon its release, especially in terms of the very specific tone that it set. In establishing a small cast of characters who exist in a cold, uncaring universe lorded over by vast, ominous corporations, Alien honed in on a brand of world-building that is rife with opportunities for expansion. Despite the first film’s tight setting and even tighter story, the overarching mythology of the Alien franchise quickly began coming into focus with 1986’s Aliens. The second film in the franchise added new layers of intrigue regarding nefarious corporate interests in the Xenomorphs, all without shedding the underlying themes that were indelible to its story. These successes, not to mention those Aliens made on every technical level, helped to cement its place as one of the greatest films of all time. Unfortunately for the franchise going forward, those successes have also proven to be all but impossible to replicate in subsequent entries.

1992’s Alien 3 famously alienated fans and cast members alike by killing off some of the most beloved characters the franchise had created. 1997’s Alien Resurrection took things even further by bringing Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley back as a clone of her former self spliced with Xenomorph DNA. Rather than returning to the same setting, the franchise then made the leap into crossover territory and prequel territory with 2004’s Alien vs. Predator and 2012’s Prometheus, respectively. While the former was an overtly action-oriented popcorn flick, the latter dove into an attempt at elevated storytelling with long-lost alien races and unfathomable ancient technology. Though both films were successful enough to garner sequels, they both suffered from the same pitfalls as Alien 3 and Resurrection, specifically that the major changes they attempted to make fell far short of what audiences were hoping for.

Marvel Comics Latest AlienEpic – Explained

The Latest Alien Hero Never Made It to the Silver Screen

This isn’t all that dissimilar to the overall experience that is the latest Alien epic from Marvel Comics. Beginning with 2023’s Alien: Thaw (by Declan Shalvey and Andrea Broccardo), this story started off following the esteemed scientist Batya Zahn, who discovered a host of Xenomorphs lying just beneath the frozen landscape of LV-695, aka Cocito. These included both the ordinary, sleek black variety and a new breed of Xenomorph with an icy white exterior that were naturally acclimated to the moon’s harsh environment. In the end, there were no survivors save for Batya’s young daughter, Zasha, who only escaped thanks to the heroic sacrifices of her parents and their loyal Synth ally, Dayton.

When Weyland-Yutani decided to send another vessel to recover one lost on Cocito, Zasha was given the perfect chance to return to the moon she only barely escaped and rescued Dayton from his confinement. Instead, she has been met at nearly every turn by death and deception. Apart from Jun Yutani’s malicious machinations and the wider threat of Weyland-Yutani’s agents, Zasha has had to come to terms with harsh truths about those closest to her heart. And, while reconciling those revelations ensured that Zasha and Dayton’s shared demise would serve as a fitting ending to the story at hand, that isn’t enough to make their story or any of the developments made along the way have a lasting impact on the Alien franchise as a whole.

Marvel Comics’ AlienCan’t Shed the Franchise’s Worst Flaws

A Stellar Story Can’t Overcome Being Relegated to Obscurity

This isn’t to say that the story of Batya and Zasha isn’t meaningful or worth reading, nor that it won’t bleed into the next Marvel story set in the Alien universe. Rather, it is to point out that the only obviously lasting development to be gleaned from this story is the potential for Xenomorphs to be spliced with other species, as seen with the white variety on Cocito. At the same time, that was a concept that had been a part of the franchise as early as Alien 3, which featured a quadrupedal Xenomorph produced via a Facehugger planting its eggs within a dog. The same concept has only been expanded upon since then with breeds such as the Neomorph, making the implications of identical territory being explored in the comics that much less thrilling.

If nothing else, the story that began with Alien: Thaw was replete with compelling moments driven by its unforgettable cast of characters. In that way, it calls back to the absolute best of the franchise, proving that there really isn’t any need for some greater machinations to be in play when the foundation established in Alien is still well intact. Then again, there is an inherent interest in where the spread of Xenomorphs will lead and what lasting effects it will have on the universe around them. With any luck, upcoming productions like Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus will be able to continue the trend of expanding upon the franchise’s overarching lore without having to sacrifice the pounding heart at the center of its best entries. Or, at the very least, give the next of them something to build upon for itself after the fact.