Will Michael Fassbender’s David return in Alien: Romulus? Prometheus connection explained

Sigourney Weaver may be the queen of the Alien franchise, David became a key character thanks to the two prequel movies. So, will Michael Fassbender return as the sinister synthetic for Alien: Romulus?

When Ridley Scott added Prometheus and Covenant to the Alien timeline, he divided fans like never before. Changing decades-old lore is never going to please everyone!

They may not be the best sci-fi movies ever made, but they offer intriguing ideas. They also gave us Fassbender’s David, who is integral to the Alien movies.

So, with the Alien: Romulus release date coming up, we’re wondering whether we’ll see Fassbender return in the new movie, or ever again, for that matter.

Don’t expect a Fassbender cameo

Sorry to disappoint, but Michael Fassbender does not appear in Alien: Romulus at all.

While Alien Romulus takes place after the events of Prometheus and Covenant, it’s a story involving a whole new set of characters. So, there is simply no logical way or reason for Fassbender’s David to show up.

Are Romulus and Prometheus connected?

Naturally, Romulus is influenced by the events of Prometheus, but it is technically unconnected to the films that came before it.

Romulus takes place between Alien and Aliens, in the year 2142. That puts it 20 years after the first movie, 38 years after Covenant, and 49 years after Prometheus.

So, David’s creation of the Xenomorphs obviously has a lasting impact on Romulus, as the iconic monsters are back to terrorize a new crew.

However, as far as genuine connections go, this is a fresh story with new characters. 20th Century Studios’ Steve Asbell said Fede Alvarez’s pitch was “just a really good story with a bunch of characters you haven’t seen before.”

Will David ever return?

There is a very good chance we will see David (and Fassbender) again at some point in the Alien franchise. He is still alive after the events of Covenant, and he still has work to do.

20th Century Studios

In the final scenes of Covenant, it is revealed David has killed (the far nicer) Walter and replaced him on board the titular spaceship. With thousands of human specimens to work with, and David no longer trapped on the Engineer homeworld, his mission to create the perfect lifeform can continue.

So, while the Fassbender return we wanted isn’t coming in Romulus, there’s plenty of scope for his story to continue. It doesn’t necessarily need to, but it could.

Alien fans on Reddit have been discussing the potential of seeing David’s story come full circle. It’s suggested that, if Romulus performs well, another sequel could reintroduce the character to provide closure for the prequels.

For more on the new movie, check out what we know about the Alien: Romulus age rating. We can also tell you how to get the Romulus popcorn bucket. Maybe you’re wondering whether Sigourney Weaver will be in Romulus, too? We’ve got the answer for everything, but you already know that by now.