Alien fan spots an unbelievable Ripley Easter egg in Alien: Romulus that could have major implications on the franchise

Alien: Romulus is packed full of Alien Easter eggs, from overt quotes to more subtle nods hidden in the backdrops of scenes. However, director Fede Alvarez has always been very clear that there are some even more deep-cut moments hiding in his new movie. 

Now, fans think that they've spotted a major Ripley-related one in the crash shot of the Renaissance space station in the third act. It seems like a small ship may have been ejected as it crashed into the planet's rings, which many thought was the ship that Kay, Rain, and Andy leave on. But, according to fan site AvP Galaxy, it might actually be Ripley's Starcub-class escape shuttle, the Narcissus. 

"Initially I thought this was an escape shuttle used by our main characters to leave the doomed station, I even thought I had confirmed this with someone, but after watching Fede's interview, I knew this was indeed THE Narcissus containing the still asleep Ellen Ripley," wrote the author.

It seems to be Alvarez's response when asked about Ripley on the press tour that is leading the theories. Speaking to CinemaBlend, he was asked if they ever thought about including her. "I wouldn't say it's impossible because no one knows exactly what happened in all those years that she's been drifting away," he teased. "I cannot say more. I think for legal reasons I cannot say more. I would say it's not impossible. There's a few things I've hid in that movie that is the answer to this question."

Fan site AvP Galaxy argues that you can see the Narcissus in the background of another shot, too. "During the scene where Kay is locked in a room with the Xenomorph, while Tyler and Rain beg Andy to open the door, if you look down the corridor you can see the Narcissus shuttle vertically docked," they speculated.

As shared by Twitter account The Sietch of Sci-Fi, it seems like there may be an explanation on the way still. "It does make me wonder whether the one shot tie-in comic by Marvel, which releases October 16, could give us more details," they wrote. 

In another follow-up tweet, they added: "There was a spin-off novel where Ripley awakens between the events of Alien & Aliens. I do wonder if something like that happened or if the Xenomorph outbreak happened before they could wake her up. They do know she is the only survivor of the Nostromo though, soooo…"

It's certainly food for thought. Over to you, Alvarez. In the meantime, check out our guides to the Alien Romulus ending explained, Alien Romulus timeline, and if there’s an Alien Romulus post-credits scene.