20th Century Studios
This piece includes significant spoilers for the movie “Alien: Romulus.”
The climax of “Alien: Romulus” is truly a spectacle. Characters Rain (Cailee Spaeny), Andy (David Jonsson), and Kay (Isabela Merced) appear to escape and prepare for their cryo-sleep journey. However, Kay, who is pregnant, had earlier used a black substance to heal a wound. This results in a grotesque twist on the iconic “childbirth as horror” theme from “Alien” as Kay’s fetus transforms and quickly grows into a towering xenomorph with a vaguely human face.
Indeed, the unexpected fourth act where an alien stows away on the escape ship is a staple of the “Alien” series. The concept of a human-alien hybrid also harks back to “Alien: Resurrection.” Yet, the Offspring character (portrayed by basketball player Robert Bobroczkyi) is such a chilling creature that it’s bound to send shivers down your spine and set your heart racing. Its introduction is particularly eerie – the flickering lights reveal just enough of its shadowy figure to instill fear. The suspense escalates when it approaches Kay, leaving us uncertain whether it perceives her as a mother or food. The tension reaches its peak when Rain ejects both herself and the Offspring into space, complete with a jump scare from Rain’s spacesuit’s POV.
The xenomorphs in “Alien: Romulus” retain the classic design, but the Offspring required some refinement. Storyboard artist Santiago Vecino shared a discarded Offspring design on his Instagram:
The design is close to the final version, but there are some notable differences. The most significant one is the long black hair, which makes the Offspring seem more repulsive but less eerie.
The final design of Alien: Romulus’ Offspring evokes Prometheus
20th Century Studios
Currently, there are no HD clips or screenshots of “Alien: Romulus” featuring the Offspring. However, director Fede Álvarez has tweeted a behind-the-scenes video showcasing Bobroczkyi in costume. Compare this costume with Vecino’s artwork.
The incredibly talented Robert Bobroczkyi getting ready to chase after Cailee Spaeny in #alienromulus @LegacyEffects #bts pic.twitter.com/Tp3DLXV40x
— Fede Alvarez (@fedalvar) August 30, 2024
Vecino isn’t the only “Alien: Romulus” artist who proposed an unused design. Concept artist Col Price tweeted his more Xenomorph-like interpretation of the Offspring:
During #AlienRomulus @fedalvar encouraged us all to have a go at the hybrid.i dont really do creatures but had a go in nomad sculpt. I know fede actually loved these 🤣great fun to do#alien #offspring #hybrid #creature #conceptart #xenomorph #conceptartist pic.twitter.com/Eo7x0SfWHq
— Col Price (@coldesign_ltd) September 3, 2024
In my opinion, the final Offspring design achieves the best balance and carries the most subtext. The Offspring doesn’t so much resemble a human as an Engineer, the enormous, bald, gray-skinned aliens from “Prometheus.” The Engineers are the creators of humanity and the black substance that gave rise to the xenomorphs and, ultimately, Kay’s Offspring. In the “Alien” universe, human DNA is akin to a diluted version of Engineer DNA, so it’s logical that the Engineer’s mutagen would react as it did. The outcome is a creature with all the alien traits of the xenomorphs but with cold, lifeless eyes.
“Alien: Romulus” is currently showing in cinemas.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
