There's a new Alien Vs. Predator movie in development for Hulu and fans are buzzing with excitement over the news. The Alien franchise has expanded quite a bit after Ridley Scott's original 1979 classic, but even that film established major parts of the lore such as Weyland-Yutani. Wey-Yu hangs over every frame of the Alien movies. The company is the true villain, even if the Xenomorphs are more objectively terrifying up close.
Weyland-Yutani is fueled by greed and a hollow promise of making the best out of a bad situation. But it's obvious the company wants to harness the Xenos' teeth-gnashing power and unleash them on competitors, and they'll stop at nothing to get their hands on it. Each Alien film has someone (or something) that serves as an antagonist besides the Xeno and nine times out of 10, they come from the same place.
Ash (Ian Holm) In Alien
Still the best movie with either an Alien or a Predator, Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece, Alien, is arguably one of the most rewatchable horror or sci-fi films out there. On one hand, there's the titular, lurking beast. On the other, there's an android masquerading as a human. The revelation of Ash's mechanical status is genuinely shocking, even if the viewer knows what's coming.
There's a particular brutality and loathsomeness to Ash that makes the viewer think every negative ramification in the film is his fault (which would be partially factual), especially considering how Ash knew the Xenomorph was the "perfect organism". Furthermore, Ash let the impregnated Kane back on the Nostromo to begin with, so there's more than a slight chance he knew the Xenomorph's precise capabilities.
Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) In Aliens
Ellen Ripley, cinema's greatest reluctant hero, was again saddled both with bloodthirsty extraterrestrials and money-hungry humans in James Cameron's Aliens. However, this time, instead of one there are hundreds, and not even the marines by Ripley's side seem to stand a chance. The Xenomorphs are an even bigger presence in Aliens than they were in Alien. The first film had a slow build and, eventually, the audience does feel like it could be lurking in any of the Nostromo's many corners.
But on Aliens' colonist civilization, the things are everywhere, and there's not one moment when the audience feels that Ripley and her cohorts are safe. Exasperating matters is Weyland-Yutani company man Carter Burke, who not only coaxes Ripley into joining (knowing she would most likely die) but also nearly sabotages the mission several times with his own incompetence and ulterior motives.
Bishop II (Lance Henriksen) In Alien 3
Bishop II (the real, flesh-and-blood Weyland of Weyland-Yutani) is an obvious liar right off the bat. He tells Ripley that he was sent to show her a "familiar face," like the one she got used to in Aliens. But, unlike that friendly cyborg, the real Bishop is a monster with one desire: money.
He wants the "magnificent specimen" to reproduce it, ostensibly with the ultimate goal of making Weyland-Yutani not only the most prevalent corporation in the galaxy but a militaristic operation all its own.
Andrews (Brian Glover) In Alien 3
Coming on the slimy heel of two of the best sci-fi movies of all time, Alien 3 was seen at the time as a major disappointment. The truth of the matter is that the franchise probably wasn't meant to go but so far; Once Cameron went bigger, there were few other narrative avenues to take.
This is why Alien 3 should get a lot more credit for altering the formula while it's basically the same. Ellen Ripley is a woman out of her element, yet she's still the most informed individual of the group. She's faced one of these things, then a bunch, and now she's back down to one again. Unfortunately, she's also on a prison site with any number of murderers and assaulters. Even worse, not even Warden Andrews seems remotely concerned for Ripley's safety, and if it were left up to him the Xenomorph would devour everyone on site who isn't him.
Johner (Ron Perlman) In Alien: Resurrection
Johner is one of several crew members/mercenaries on the Betty, a small vessel that makes port at the USM Auriga, a scientific research ship that plays host to several cloned Xenomorphs.
Almost immediately after boarding, Johner and the crew meet Ripley (Number 8), whom Johner tries to grope. After a game of basketball—during which Johner physically strikes Ripley—the rest of the movie softens his image. Johner lives to the end of the film and even helps assist Ripley, Annalee Call (Winona Ryder), and the remainder of the Betty's crew, but it's hard to get past his treatment of Ripley (and Call, for that matter).
Jonathan Gediman (Brad Dourif) In Alien: Resurrection
The Xenomorph may be one of cinema's ugliest aliens, but Dr. Jonathan Gediman thinks they're the stuff of true beauty. In fact, he and his cohorts are making every effort to create them once again.
Gediman is one of several scientists responsible for cloning the deceased Ripley, an ethical violation that alone is enough to make him one of the saga's more loathsome humans. It also wasn't his first try, as the Ripley audiences spend time with in Alien: Resurrection is actually Ripley 8.
Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) In Prometheus
Prometheus goes in some interesting directions with Peter Weyland, founder of Weyland Corporation and creator of David 8. He's also the father to a flesh-and-blood human being, but it's rare that he concerns himself with that aspect of his life. Were Weyland not so cold and callous, his desire to understand the human race's origination would come across as admirable and honest.
Instead, the thought-dead Weyland reveals himself to be not only alive but sinister. It's not a pursuit of education he has on his mind, but of a renewed, youthful life.
Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) In Prometheus
Like his partner in life/fellow archeologist Elizabeth Shaw, Charlie Holloway has a mind for exploration and education.
Ultimately, Holloway is a decent human being, but he can be rough around the edges. Mostly, his rudeness is directed towards David, who ultimately infects him with the first seeds of the Xenomorph. Holloway doesn't seem particularly friendly, but he loves Shaw, even if he is cruel to her for retaining her faith in the face of their creators' extinction.
Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) In Prometheus
Meredith Vickers is initially positioned as simply a high-ranking employee of the Weyland Corporation (pre-Weyland-Yutani), one who disagrees strongly with Peter Weyland's mission to discover the origin of the human race.
However, she's actually Peter Weyland's daughter, and while this helps make Vickers one of the most interesting characters in Prometheus, she's also a consistent adversary to Elizabeth Shaw and her crew.
David In Prometheus & Alien: Covenant
Prometheus was not what fans of the Alien franchise were expecting; With a favoring of lofty ideas about creation over any sort of character development, many found it to be more frustrating than entertaining. However, there was a diamond in the rough in Michael Fassbender's android, David, a scheming and methodical thing that makes the viewer question whether or not AI can gain a soul. The trailer for Alien: Covenant inspired hope in Xenomorph fans that the sequel to Prometheus would get a bit more back to basics.
The reaction was fairly unified that Covenant was a missed opportunity, especially given the fact that Scott was finally going to get a second shot at showing the Alien in its full form on the big screen. Even still, Michael Fassbender's David makes the film watchable, and audiences even get two for one with his revamped model, Walter. Fassbender is the highlight of the film, bar none, and the complexity of his performance(s) is in league with his work in Shame and Steve Jobs, if not even better.