Summary
Ever since first appearing onscreen in 1979’sAlien, the Xenomorph has hunted down its prey in a wide variety of different looks, styles, and forms. From distinctly non-Xeno forms like the Deacon or the Neomorph to wildly different takes on the same design and even to subtle changes that end up making a huge difference, no two Xenos have ever looked exactly the same.
In celebration of the multitude of Xenomorph types, styles, and looks, we’re counting down the best Xenomorph designs from every corner of the series in an effort to determine which of these aliens isreallythe perfect organism.
10Aquatic Xenomorph
Also known as the Swimmer, this Xeno-monstrocity is one of the most terrifying forms the Xenomorph has ever taken, or will ever take. If you’veever feared the ocean, this beheamoth is a great way to make that fear much, much worse, because, as they say, once you’re under the water, nobody can hear you scream.
Altering the Queen Xenomorph’s design to incorporate aquatic elements like a thicker tail and some admittedly kind of adorable fins, the Swimmer is one Xenomorph design that’s sure to haunt your nightmares for years to come.
Unfortunately, this type of Xenomorph has never made it into the games or movies. You’ll have to delve into the Alien comics to catch a glimpse of this terrifying creature.
9Tarkatan Xenomorph
The Tarkatan Xenomorph actually has three variants, but while the Acidic and Konjurer forms are both visual treats in their own right, the Tarkatan Xenomorph’s default look is the most creative and unique take on the classic creature in Mortal Kombat X.
The teeth and muscles as well as the arm blades can come off as silly at first, but those jaws especially really grow on you after a while, with some of the sharpest looking teeth a Xenomorph design has ever had. It’s also cool to see how the design incorporates key Tarkatan features while maintaining the looks you’d expect from the XX121.
8Prowler
The Prowler was easilyone of the best parts about playing Aliens: Fireteam Elite, and thankfully, the blood-red tinted design of this fearsome foe powerfully reflects the danger it poses in the game.
That doesn’t mean we think the design is perfect, of course. Anytime a Xenomorph walks on all fours predominantly, you run the risk of coming off like a glorified Runner from Alien 3, which is not exactly a good thing. While the Prowler can’t quite escape that film’s visual language entirely,Aliens: Fireteam Elitedoes do a great job of fixing up the Runner design to be a bit more scary and a bit less silly.
7Xenomorph Warrior
James Cameron’s most well-known change to the Xenomorph design was to remove the dome covering the head that the 1979 original had. The resulting aliens were bony, buggy, and off-putting, if a tad inferior in the design department.
While the clear visibility of the bones in the Xenomorph’s head is really cool to look at, this choice ultimately robs the original’s slightly see-through dome of its more subtle horror. You’d occasionally catch glimpses of the spiked bones under the dome in Alien, and those moments felt extra unnerving and creepy because of their rarity. The final warrior design is still frightening, of course, just not as frightening assome of the other aliens out there.
6Xenomorph Queen
There is a substantial difference between Xenomorph designs made for Aliens projects and those made for Alien projects, and nowhere is this shift in design clearer to see than inthe final stage of the alien’s life cycle, the Xenomorph Queen.
It’s certainly intimidating given the sheer size of the queen, but the biomechanical aspects of Giger’s original design have sadly been largely abandoned here in the pursuit of a more traditionally insectoid look, with six limbs and clearly plated joints. That works wonders in the 1986 film, but when compared to some of the other designs the series has to offer, the Queen is unfortunately no ruler of the pack.
5Praetorian Xenomorph
The Praetorian Xenomorph, or just the Praetorian for short, feels like what the Queen alien should have been, with the same intimidating head crest and general posture, but with the design emphasis placed on the biomechanical style the Xenomorph is known for.
While it is unfortunately a tad small, especially compared to the queen, king, empress, or queen mother varieties of so-called ‘royal’ Xenomorph, the quality design work of the Praetorian has quickly made it a fan favorite, and looking at the way it was used in Aliens: Fireteam Elite, it’s not hard to see why this design has garnered such high praise.
The Praetorian actually does predate Aliens: Fireteam Elite by quite a bit, with arguable sightings in the film Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem as well as in the comics. However, none of these have been definitively confirmed to be depictions of the caste, making its appearance in Aliens: Fireteam Elite the first time fans officially got to see the creature beyond theories and discussions.
4Predalien
One of the best designs the Xenomorph has ever received is stuck within the lackluster Alien vs. Predator series. Unless some miracle comes to pass and we get a passable AVP film, that’s always going to be the elephant in the Predalien’s room.
Combining the most iconic aspectsof the Predatorsand the Xenomorphs, this incredible design does some seriously heavy lifting with a killer color scheme, three sets of teeth, an incredibly strong physique, and, of course, the trademark dreadlocks. For as disappointing as the AVP films were to fans, this design is easily the best thing Xenomorph fans got out of the equation.
3Xenomorph (Romulus)
The Alien: Romulus design, much like the film itself,sticks close to the roots of what made the original so iconic, while also attempting a little streamlining and simplifying to make the design more achievable with modern practical effects. Most notably, Romulus' Xenomorph is thinner, less overtly muscular, and has fewer jaw tendons, each of which have now been made substantially thicker to compensate.
Another key aspect of the Romulus Xenomorph is that the alien is now capable of moving all six of its fingers independently, something that the original film’s version of the design as well as theAlien: Isolationdesign either couldn’t or wouldn’t do.
2Big Chap
At some point we all just agreed to call the original film’s design of the Xenomorph ‘Big Chap’, and eventually the name was officially adopted. Funny name aside, this is H.R. Giger’s classic biomechanical menace, and it looks exactly as scary now as it did back in 1979.
The key to this design is the dome on the head being ridiculously transparent. If it weren’t for the darkness of the scenes it’s in, you’d almost always be able to see right through the dome and into the cold, dead eyes of the original Xenomorph. The conjoined fingers, six in total, iconic back spines, and the tail, as well as the inner mouth all originated from good ‘ol Big Chap. You might prefer a darker tinted head dome on your Xenomorph, but you’re able to’t deny that this is an iconic design.
1Xenomorph (Isolation)
The Alien: Isolation design has been the definitive version of the Xenomorph since the game launched in 2014, and looking at the way this hulking beast moves, growls, and attacks, it is not at all difficult to piece together why that is.
Owing to the fact that this version of the alien is all digitally rendered rather than practically constructed, Creative Assembly’s incredibly faithful design can do everything the original suit could not, and render it in extraordinary detail, at that. It takes a lot tobeat out the 1979 original, but if there has to be just one perfect Xenomorph design, Alien: Isolation’s take on the creature is it.
