51 GREATEST FICTIONAL BAD GUYS

#21. THE XENOMORPH from A L I E N

As far as men-in-suit monsters go, there is nothing that beats the Alien with its lacquered black exoskeleton, bio-mechanical veins, scorpion’s tail and (literal) biting tongue. Even the head, as long and smooth as it is, is the stuff of anxiety: it has no eyes, and therefore, no windows to a soul. The Alien is just lean, mean Darwinism at play.

But maybe that’s the point. Maybe the Alien is really the unfolding development of man’s soul made physical. Movies are mirrors to us, so when you watch ALIEN (the first one), what you see makes up all of that known universe. When we’re introduced to Ripley, Ash, Brett, Dallas, Parker, Lambert, and Kane (hell, even Mother), you realize this isn’t The Big Chill. Relationships are defined by rank and employment class, not friendship or team spirit. Motivation rotates around bonuses and protocol, secret corporate machinations and fear. Some of them aren’t even human beings at all. It’s no wonder the thing Kane gives “birth” to is a monster — perhaps even Hate itself. Since it came from a human, it must have our DNA in it. What else could these people bring forth other than some horror bent on violence, territoriality, and personal survival?