Ripley is an absolute legend in the realm of science fiction as she has taken on Xenomorphs, the deadliest creatures in the Alien universe, on numerous occasions, and has come out on top more often than not–however, upon the launch of Alien vs Predator, an all-new Xenomorph-killer was introduced, and she proved to be even better than Ripley.
Ellen Ripley was introduced in 1979’s Alien where she was the sole survivor of the Nostromo after a Xenomorph was unwittingly brought aboard the ship, killing every crew member except her (and her cat, Jonesy). While Ripley confirmed that she could survive a Xenomorph attack in the first film, Ripley proved she could also bring the fight to them in the sequel film, Aliens. In this movie, Ripley joins a team of Colonial Marines as they venture down to the off-world settlement of Hadley’s Hope–where a Xenomorph outbreak has occurred. Ripley takes on hordes of Xenomorphs with a flamethrower in one hand, and a rescued little girl in the other–and she ends the film by killing a Queen Xenomorph practically with her bare hands. While Ripley reinforces the fact that she is Xenomorph’s worst nightmare in the two subsequent films, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection (technically Ripley’s clone in Resurrection), she already established that fact in the first two installments. Unfortunately, those feats of Sci-Fi survival and heroism simply can’t compare with AvP’s own resident badass.
AvP’s Machiko Noguchi is a Better Xenomorph-Killer than Ripley
In Aliens vs Predator by Randy Stradley and Phill Norwood, Prosperity Wells, an off-world settlement is overrun with Xenomorphs after a team of Predators seeds the planet in preparation for their Blooding Ritual (which is a rite of passage all Yautja must complete to reach full maturity). This was an unfortunate development for the residents of Prosperity Wells, especially Machiko Noguchi who was simply a representative for the company that funded this farming settlement and didn’t actually live there full time. In just a few days, Noguchi went from a cushy life on Earth to fighting for the survival of herself and those she was responsible for against not only a horde of Xenomorphs, but a team of Predators as well. However, Machiko proved to be more than up for the challenge.
Throughout this AvP series, Machiko was evading Predators, killing Xenomorphs, and saving her fellow humans–and that’s not even the full extent of it. Machiko’s Xenomorph-killing ability was so impressive that she was branded by a Predator with the blood of the Queen Xenomorph she killed–a permanent mark that officially made her a part of the Yautja clan. Essentially, everything Ripley did throughout her time in the Alien movies was matched and then surpassed by Machiko. Machiko murdered drone and warrior-type Xenomorphs, she killed a Queen Xenomorph, and she rescued members of her settlement, all while Predators were all around her, killing those settlers and threatening her life as well.
Not only did Machiko have to deal with an added layer of danger while accomplishing everything Ripley did, but she ended this story by becoming an honored member of the Predator clan whereas Ripley ended up dead. In Alien 3, Ripley was impregnated with a Xenomorph and was killed as a result. Sure, she came back as a clone, but that was after she had been dead for two-hundred years. In the end it’s no contest, Ripley is undoubtedly awesome and will forever be the queen of science fiction, but Alien vs Predator’s Xenomorph-killer is simply better.