Alien Retcons an Annoying Plot Point from One of Its Worst Sequels

Summary Marvel's Alien: What If...? series has explored what could have happened if Carter Burke survived Aliens; now the comic's latest issue retcons a major plot point from Alien 3, fixing frustrating flaws and reshaping Xenomorph lore, while also indicating at least some version of the film's events did occur.

Carter Burke's plan to breed Xenomorphs inadvertently reveals that Queen Xenomorphs gestate quicker than ordinary drones; this subverts what was established in Alien 3, but it makes more sense, resolving an uncertainty that fans of the franchise have had issue with for decades since the film came out.

Marvel's Alien retcon of the birthing cycle of Queens represents a positive change for the franchise, showing a deeper interest in taking the rules of Alien biology seriously than some of the films.

Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead for What If...? Aliens #3!A plot point from what is widely considered one of the Alien series' worst sequels has officially been retconned. While Alien: Resurrection is often considered the low point of the franchise, Alien 3, which was disowned by director David Fincher, has become infamous for its slow pace and confusing plot choices. Now, one of the film's most frustrating plot points has been fixed, by reexamining the Queen Xenomorph's creation.

In What If...? Aliens #3 – by Hans Rodionoff and Guiu Vilanova – Carter Burke's plan to attach a Facehugger to someone and extract the embryo before it can hatch has officially been carried out, but with a new host in place of his original target, Hiro Yutani.

As it turns out the embryo was a Queen Xenomorph. Carter Burke reacts in horror to this realization, by suggesting that Queens gestate much faster than regular Xenomorphs.

Related "That's an Exciting Goal": Aliens' Paul Reiser Wants to Resurrect Carter Burke for New Alien TV Series Paul Reiser played the infamous Carter Burke in Aliens, and while he was revived in the comics, Reiser now hopes to do the same for an Alien TV show.

The Queen Xenomorph's New Hatching Speed Retcons A Major Alien 3 Plot Point

Ripley Should've Been Dead Way Earlier

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It would make far more sense for Xenomorph Queens to gestate faster than others, given a Xeno Queen embryo possibly won't have other Xenomorphs to protect her host until she's born.

This revelation from What If...? Aliens is gamechanging for the franchise's lore, because of how much it completely upends the biggest twist from Alien 3. In the film, it was revealed that Ripley had been implanted with a Queen Xenomorph while in hypersleep. However, the events of the film take place for far longer than what's expected from a typical Xenomorph gestation period. It can be assumed that it's because Ripley has a Queen in her chest, but it still made for one of the most confusing plot points in the franchise, given how much it went against pre-established Xenomorph reproductive cycles.

Shifting the Xenomorph Queen's implant period to shorter than a typical drone actually makes far more sense than what was set up in Alien 3 as well. The Queen is crucial to the Xenomorph's survival since she's the creature that continues reproducing eggs, based on the lore from Aliens onward. Because of this. It would make far more sense for Xenomorph Queens to gestate faster than others, given a Xeno Queen embryo possibly won't have other Xenomorphs to protect her host until she's born.

Alien 3 Isn't Completely Written Off, Even With the Retcon

The Events Of The Film Still Happened

Overall, this major change to the Queen's birthing cycle can be viewed as a positive one. It not only fixes one of the most frustrating parts of Alien 3, but it also redefines the Xenomorph reproductive cycle, emphasizing that the Queen's importance shapes how quickly she's born.

What's interesting about this new take on the Queen Xenomorph is that the Alien comics aren't completely disowning the events of Alien 3. In What If...? Aliens #2 actually finds Fiorina "Fury" 161, the prison planet from the film, on his quest to find Xenomorph eggs for Carter Burke. He notes that there are "remains of a single canine hybrid found," confirming that Alien 3 still happened. However, with this new information on the Xeno Queen's gestation period, it's entirely possible that Ripley could have thrown herself into the fire long before the climax of the story, instead of at the very end like in the film.

Overall, this major change to the Queen's birthing cycle can be viewed as a positive one. It not only fixes one of the most frustrating parts of Alien 3, but it also redefines the Xenomorph reproductive cycle, emphasizing that the Queen's importance shapes how quickly she's born. It's a much-needed retcon to one of the Alien franchise's worst sequels, fixing an annoying plot point for the best and putting the Xeno Queen's birth in line with why the Xenomorph reproductive cycle is so frightening.

What If...? Aliens #3 is available now from Marvel Comics!

What If...? Aliens #3 Concept Artists: Paul Reiser, Leon Reiser, Adam F. Goldberg, Hans Rodionoff & Brian Volk-Weiss

Writer: Hans Rodionoff

Artist: Guiu Vilanova

Color Artist: Yen Nitro

Letterer: VC's Clayton Cowles

Cover Artist: Phil Noto