Warning: Spoilers for Alien #10!
In the Ridley Scott movie, Alien, Nostromo crew member Kane stunned audiences after being violently killed by an alien entity bursting through his chest, but in Marvel’s Alien comic, a newly introduced Facehugger could never replicate that same iconic twist. Not knowing what Kane was in for after being attacked by a Facehugger was a perfect way to introduce this terrifying new movie monster, yet is something the comic cannot lay claim to in the same way.
As seen in Alien #10, by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Salvador Larroca, this issue introduces a new form of the Xenomorph species that are as disgusting as they are horrifying. Following a band of humans running from a Xenomorph infestation, the small group of survivors eventually comes across an alien hive chock-full of their fellow settlers and deadly Xenomorph organisms alike.
Finding one of their own trapped and hanging from a wall, the man appears bloated and disfigured almost beyond recognition. And as a sickening sound begins to escape from somewhere deep in his throat, the newest addition to team Xenomorph bursts from his slack-jawed mouth, sporting a look that resembles a kind of mini, bipedal, Xeno-looking leech.
Later shown to forcibly enter another settler’s mouths in a rather dramatic and traumatic fashion, compared to the OG Facehugger (which was relatively slow and subtle in its incubation), there’d be no way a host would be unaware there was something inside of them if they had encountered this all-new type of alien. Deforming their hosts in a pretty obvious way after wiggling into their bodies, Kane’s initial diagnosis was decidedly not obvious, lending to the surprise twist that was the Chestburster scene, and effectively becoming a moment that wouldn’t have been possible had this new version of the species impregnated Kane instead.
Furthermore, this issue directly addresses the Xenomorphs’ versatility and how they can constantly evolve into something more deadly and terrifying (this issue’s worm-like creatures checking both those boxes), so it’s interesting to think about how Xenomorph reproductive behavior may change depending on what organisms — or lack thereof — would affect their physiology. To that end, the alien “egg” method could be something Xenos adopt as a last resort when host organisms are scarce and they need to go into “hibernation” until better prey comes along (effectively addressing the criticism that Xenomorphs wouldn’t be an issue if people would just stop holding their faces over their eggs), but also showing that the iconic Chestburster reveal might be a twist that can’t directly be replicated by any iteration of the Xenomorph species as it is unique to the conditions that specific variation of the organism evolved in.
All that being said, this new kind of Facehugger is still a sickening sight to behold, but nothing can compare to the first time audiences experienced Kane’s surprise Chestburster death, especially since the implications of his impregnation weren’t as immediately obvious as this new version of the creature displays. Unfortunately, fans may never get to see this new Facehugger on film, so they’ll have to settle for watching the original Alien scene to get their Chestburster fix on instead.
