Alien: 10 Side Characters In The Franchise With Main Character Energy
Even though the star attraction of the Alien franchise is the aliens themselves, the Xenomorphs, the characters are what carry the series. Behind all the gore and H.R. Giger-influenced sci-fi lore are the characters who guide the story along and set up the carnage that fans look forward to seeing.
The Alien movies are not short on strong leads, from Sanaa Lathan's Lex Woods to easily the series' most recognizable character, Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver. However, there are so many side characters throughout the six canon films who could have led movies as strongly as Ripley.
At first, Robert Morse comes off as no better than the rest of the criminals locked up on Fiorina "Fury" 161. However, as the film progresses, Morse proves to be one of the more dedicated prisoners when it came to capturing and defeating the Xenomorph. It was because of Morse that Ripley and Dillon were able to trap the Runner into the mold.
It was also Morse who poured the molten lead that coated the Xenomorph and led to its death. Morse was also the sole survivor of the Fury 161 incident and as a result, he proved to be capable in the end. Fitting with the more dark and depressing direction of Alien 3, a lowly prisoner becoming the hero might have been a cool twist.
As a whole, Alien vs Predator: Requiem suffered from having too many characters with little to no development. The closest fans got was with Kelly O'Brien, a mother who only just came home from the military and has an estranged relationship with her daughter.
It's clear that the filmmakers were going for a Ripley and Newt dynamic with these two. In the scenes that she's in, Kelly proves to be a strong and likable character. If the movie was solely about her trying to keep her daughter safe, Kelly could have been on the same level as Alien's perfect protagonist, Ellen Ripley.
Despite openly admitting to being a violent criminal, Leonard Dillon still manages to be one of the better inmates of Fury 161. He keeps the prisoners in check via a nihilistic religion but is also willing to get his hands dirty if they step out of line, even defending Ripley.
Dillon being this morally gray character with a brighter side could have made for a compelling switch in protagonists. Charles S. Dutton gets plenty of the best quotes in Alien 3 as Dillon, such as taking on the Xenomorph hand-to-hand and somehow managing to handle it, even if only for seconds.
Having the Xenomorph kill a more likable character is a way of showing that there are stakes and nobody is safe. But perhaps the filmmakers could have stopped to realize that Jonathan Clemens was probably the best character in Alien 3. Like the rest of the people on the prison planet, Clemens made mistakes in his past that got him sent here.
Even though he seems to have gotten past those mistakes, they do haunt him. Plus he's one of the only level-headed individuals on Fury-161, which could have made him as much of a competent main hero as Ripley. It also helps that Charles Dance is a talented actor who stole the show in every scene.
It's a testament to how poorly the human characters were handled when fans were more interested in the silent Predator character. However, it helps that the Predator Elite known as Wolf is often considered one of the best Yautja hunters in the Predator franchise thus far. Despite having zero dialogue and everything told through his expressions, reactions, costume, and his actions, there is a lot to learn.
Clearly, Wolf is an old hunter who has experience in dealing with Xenomorphs; he has scars from his hunting days, he's a calculated hunter, he's resourceful, and he remains honorable as he hunts humans and aliens alike. Perhaps a silent anti-hero could have been a better lead than the caricatured humans.
Alien vs. Predator may not be one of Lance Henriksen's best movies, but fans loved seeing him return to the franchise as the original Weyland who created the company. However, instead of the evil and greedy corporate businessman that some might have expected, Weyland was actually portrayed as a humble yet ambitious man.
Trying to get one last great achievement before his death, Weyland does manage to be likable and even attacks a Yautja hunter with no fear. Since AVP was meant to be a celebration of both franchises, Henriksen could have been used as a hero character rather than being killed off halfway through the film.
Though fans weren't pleased with the prequels focusing so much on the android side of things, Michael Fassbender was praised as the villainous David. Fassbender earned even more acclaim in Alien: Covenant when he played a dual role as both David and the new android of the Covenant known as Walter.
Walter shows signs of evolution much like David, only the former displays empathy and caring. As a result, Walter and David are two sides of the same coin: one good, one evil. So, whenever Walter was able to shine, he had the most charisma, development, and heroic moments than any other character. Sadly, Walter was supposedly killed off when he should have been David's main rival and the hero of the story.
Like all of the Colonial Marines, Hudson, as played by the late Bill Paxton in one of his best movies, goes through a huge arc, starting off as the most boisterous and cocky marine of the entire squad. That all changes when most of his team is wiped out by the Xenomorph presence on LV-426. Hudson goes from the most confident to a coward, belting out famous lines such as, "Game over, man! Game over!"
To a degree, he's kind of despicable, but he's also one of the first people to defend Ripley and Newt from the facehugger attack. Finally, when the Xenomorphs attack again, he meets his end but goes out guns blazing. This redemption arc could have easily been used for the main character who evolves into more of a hero by the end.
In a way, Hicks has all of the makings of the main protagonist role — he's the quiet, tough yet empathetic soldier who's there to get the job done. However, tragedy happens and suddenly, he's the highest-ranking officer trying to keep a group of survivors alive on a planet filled with alien monsters.
Even though he provides a strong performance alongside Ellen Ripley as a co-star, there is no denying that Hicks could have been the hero of James Cameron's Aliens if Ripley wasn't brought back. He goes from a typical soldier to a fearless leader for the Colonial Marines.
Even before Ripley came along to become her surrogate mother, Rebecca, aka Newt, proved to be a fascinating character. Despite her age and inability to protect herself, Newt survived for weeks on her own. Without any combat skills, she managed to live in the vents and inside the walls of the Hadley's Hope colony.
That concept alone could have made for a great film, enhancing the horror as audiences would see the alien threat through a child's eyes. This concept and the potential of Newt were even realized by writers because there are comics such as Aliens: Newt's Tale that show the fall of Hadley's Hope from her perspective.