Born in the 70s, the franchise Alien has persisted over the decades. Cult science fiction saga, Alien has also experienced numerous crossovers, notably with the universe of Predator. But it's in 2012 with Prometheus thatAlien finally returns to the forefront, once again carried by Ridley Scott. And notice to fans of this new departure for the saga, this cult villain is back.
The return of David
Besides Predatorit is also on the side of Marvel that Alien is cronyizing. And with Aliens vs. Avengers, Jonathan Hickman (House of X, Secret Wars) continues to narrate the dark epic of the unfortunate characters who take part in it. A mini-series started last July which sees Captain Marvel, Iron Man and Captain America come face to face with the famous aliens. But now the mythology of the franchise Alien takes an unexpected turn in 2023 with the return of David 8, the emblematic android introduced in Prometheus (2012) de Ridley Scott.
Aliens vs. Avengers delves into the origins of the Xenomorph infestations, revealing in the process that David 8 is not only the survivor of the franchise's tragic experiences, but that he is now one of its greatest antagonists. In the second issue of this miniseries, Hickman reimagines David's role as the architect of Xenomorph infestations across the cosmos. From the opening sequence, the reader discovers that it is not a simple android, but a trio of Davids who, in an alternative reality, have decided to play the role of creator and destroyer.
These androids, aboard an Engineer ship, land on Planet 4, where they meet the creators of their own human creators, whom they quickly decide to exterminate by releasing black liquid mutagen, a terrifying biological weapon. The Davids do not stop there and driven by their destructive mission, sow desolation by using mutagen to eradicate all life on more than 10,000 planets. But this cosmic genocide does not satisfy them and after a thousand years, they discover the existence of the multiverse and embark on a campaign to wipe out all life in other realities, including that of Earth-616, the main Marvel universe. .
Only, in the future, a grizzled Tony Stark discovers that a David 8 has already infiltrated Earth. Stark and the Avengers manage to capture him and then analyze the information he holds. A success which allows the Avengers to take preventive measures and thus offer a chance of survival to Humanity. The invasion of the Xenomorphs could therefore be repelled. The return of David 8 in the series Aliens vs. Avengers highlights the evolution of the character, now redefined as a multidimensional antagonist.
But David is no stranger to this “dark” side, since in Prometheus et Alien: Covenant, he was already the architect of biological horrors, even ending up betraying Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, his only ally, to carry out abominable experiments. Aliens vs. Avengers thus opens a new path for the character of David 8, who goes from the status of a simple android to that of a cosmic supervillain, a tragic but formidable figure, further consolidating the legacy of the franchise Alien. It remains to be seen what the 3rd issue of the series has in store for us, undoubtedly planned for 2025.
