The Sequel To Ridley Scotts $403 Million Sci-Fi Movie Proves It Should Have Been The Start Of A Franchise

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Alien

Prometheus should have been the first chapter of an original story instead of an Alien prequel, and its sequel, Alien: Covenant, proves it. The Alien franchise is finally back not only with the well-received Alien: Romulus but also with the upcoming Alien: Earth show. Like Romulus, Alien: Earth is promising to be a return to form for the franchise, even though it is teasing a massive retcon by having a Xenomorph on Earth before the events of the first movie. Regardless, the fact is that Alien has since moved away from the Ridley Scott prequels.

Scott returned to the Alien franchise 33 years after directing the first film to helm a prequel that promised to reveal the true origins of the Xenomorph. Prometheus’ premise was enough to retcon Alien vs. Predator and most of the Alien stories from other media, but given that the franchise never had a solid canon anyway, those retcons were arguably for the better. However, not only was Prometheus a very divisive film, but its sequel was a box office disappointment that wasted most of the great ideas that Scott had introduced in the 2012 film.

Alien: Covenant Was Too Much Alien Prequel And Not Enough Prometheus Sequel

Covenant Threw Away Most Of What Prometheus Set Up

The biggest problem with Alien: Covenant is that it did not pay off all the storylines that Prometheus set up and preferred to be a more traditional Alien movie. While Covenant revisited David and dealt with the aftermath of Prometheus, it worked as yet another sci-fi slasher in which a group of people has to survive the Xenomorph. All the mystery and new ideas from Prometheus took a backseat in Covenant, whereas classic Alien elements became more prominent. Covenant even featured a more traditional Xenomorph instead of the proto-creature from Prometheus.

In hindsight, Alien: Covenant was too much of an Alien prequel instead of being a true Prometheus sequel.

Alien: Covenant is also a more straightforward film compared to Prometheus. It takes a while to understand what Prometheus is even trying to say, whereas Covenant does not bring that much nuance and tells a simpler story about a group of explorers trying to survive after realizing they were welcomed into a trap. Michael Fassbender’s David is still as fascinating as he was in Prometheus, but Covenant never lives up to the things Prometheus promised. Very little new information about the Engineers is revealed, and the sequel focuses entirely on David’s Xenomorph experiments.

Every Alien Movie

Release Year

Alien	1979
Aliens	1986
Alien 3	1992
Alien Resurrection	1997
Alien vs Predator	2004
Alien vs Predator: Requiem	2007
Prometheus	2012
Alien: Covenant	2017
Alien: Romulus	2024

In hindsight, Alien: Covenant was too much of an Alien prequel instead of being a true Prometheus sequel. While the Alien franchise is no stranger to moving to an entirely different cast with only a few returning faces between movies, Covenant feels too disconnected from Prometheus. It felt almost as if Covenant was skipping over a story that should have happened after Prometheus and taking the series in a different, safer direction. The third act of Covenant is as “Alien” as it can get, which was fun to see but not as interesting as what a Prometheus sequel could’ve been.

Ridley Scott’s Alien Prequels Were At Their Best When They Weren’t Trying To Be Alien

Prometheus Introduced A Whole New Story That Deserved To Continue

It seems paradoxical that a prequel franchise would have its best moments when it was not trying to be a prequel, but that was the case with Prometheus and Covenant. The idea Ridley Scott came up with for the possible origin of the Xenomorph evolved into a much larger story about the origins of the human race and our place in the universe, which sounded more interesting than learning how the perfect organism came to be. Part of what made Alien so good is that neither the characters nor the audience knew what that creature even was.

An Alien: Romulus sequel has been confirmed.

Alien’s titular creature barely appears in the film yet it is still one of the most iconic movie monsters of all time. The Alien franchise arguably did not need to explain how and where the Xenomorph came to be, let alone make an entire prequel franchise about it. That said, the way Prometheus combined its Alien lore and retcons with an original story centered on David was very interesting. Prometheus was not without its flaws, and it could have been an even better movie with some changes, but it had great ideas.

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Alien: Romulus Ending Explained

Alien: Romulus' ending leaves the door open for another entry in the franchise. We break down the Alien sequel's final moments & what might come next.

The search for the meaning of life and the philosophical questions that come with the chance of meeting your creator were just some of the aspects that made Prometheus far more than just an Alien prequel. Much of that was lost in Covenant, which, despite bringing David back and referencing Shaw, was more concerned about giving the Xenomorph an origin story. A Covenant sequel may have brought the story full circle and tied it all back to Prometheus, but it’s impossible to say since it never happened.

Covenant Being Just Another Alien Movie Made It Less Interesting Than Prometheus

Covenant Wasn’t That Different From Previous Alien Movies

Many of the things that made Prometheus so interesting were lost in Alien: Covenant, which is even more disappointing considering that a third entry in Ridley Scott’s prequel franchise never happened. While it made sense to move on from Prometheus and Covenant – Alien: Romulus’ critical and commercial success proves it – those movies could have led to something quite special. Prometheus planted all the seeds for a bigger, bolder sequel, yet Covenant wasted most of them. From Elizabeth Shaw’s offscreen death to no mentions of the Engineers, Covenant barely felt like a Prometheus sequel.

When Prometheus ends, we are left with hopes that the next movie will see David and Shaw finding the Engineers’ home planet. However, not only is Shaw dead in Covenant, but we don’t find anything else about the Engineers. It has been widely accepted that the race David wiped out between Prometheus and Covenant was not that of the Engineers but rather one of their many creations across the universe. Going from Prometheus to Covenant can make one feel like they have skipped a movie and jumped to the end of a trilogy that had no middle chapter.

Prometheus Could Have Been Virtually The Same Movie Even If Wasn’t Tied To Alien

Prometheus May Have Worked Better As Its Own Franchise

David (Michael Fassbender) next to a dissolving Engineer in Prometheus

The fact that Alien: Covenant tried so hard to be a proper Alien movie and was worst for it proves that Prometheus could have been virtually the same movie even if it was an original story instead of a prequel. Of course, everything in Prometheus is leading up to the creation of the Xenomorph, but the themes and the characters work just fine on their own. Someone who has never watched Alien can easily enjoy Prometheus. The best things about Scott’s 2012 prequel had little to do with the Alien movies.

It's difficult to imagine what Prometheus would have looked like as the beginning of its own franchise rather than an Alien prequel, but it’s no exaggeration to say that it could have worked. The reception to Prometheus may have also been more positive in that scenario since Alien comparisons and debates about retcons would have been avoided. Some of the Alien comics have since revisited elements from Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, but the story will likely never be completed on the big screen.

2012's Prometheus is the fifth installment in the Alien franchise and was directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Guy Pearce, the film acts as a direct prequel to 1979's Alien.
Release Date June 8, 2012
Studio(s) 20th Century
Distributor(s) 20th Century
Writers Jon Spaihts , Damon Lindelof
Runtime 124 Minutes
Budget 130 million
Alien: Covenant, directed by Ridley Scott, follows the crew of the colony ship Covenant as they discover an uncharted planet. Initially seeming like a paradise, the planet soon reveals dark secrets. Katherine Waterston, Michael Fassbender, and Billy Crudup lead the cast in this science fiction horror film, which serves as a direct sequel to Prometheus and continues to explore the origins of the Alien species.
Release Date May 19, 2017
Studio(s) 20th Century
Distributor(s) 20th Century
Writers dante harper , John Logan , Jack Paglen , Michael Green
Cast Michael Fassbender , Katherine Waterston , Billy Crudup , Danny McBride , Demián Bichir , Carmen Ejogo , Jussie Smollett , Callie Hernandez , Amy Seimetz , Nathaniel Dean , Alexander England , Benjamin Rigby , Uli Latukefu , Tess Haubrich , Lorelei King , Goran D. Kleut , Andrew Crawford , Tom O'Sullivan , James Franco , Guy Pearce , Noomi Rapace
Runtime 123 Minutes
Budget $97–111 Million