David (Michael Fassbender) hasn't appeared in the Alien franchise since the ending of Alien: Covenant, but he could soon reappear eight years later. David, the psychotic android and main antagonist of both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, has been one of the Alien franchise's biggest mysteries for nearly a decade. That's because he hasn't been seen since Covenant, and his nefarious plan was never fully revealed. Now, however, there are two chances for Alien to bring David back and finally shed light on his story.

While there is an Ridley Scott's other movies, like Gladiator III and the Bee Gees biopic, could also easily take precedence over Alien, pushing his prequel even further down the road. Luckily, there are two other ways Alien could bring Fassbender's David back years before Scott gets the chance to finish his prequel trilogy.

Alien: Earth’s Timeline Connection To Prometheus Makes A David Cameo Possible

David May Have Sent The Ship That Starts Alien: Earth's Xenomorph Invasion

The the Alien timeline than the original film. That timeline may make it possible for Fassbender's David to make a cameo. The ending of Alien: Covenant took place in 2104 and saw David continue the Covenant's mission to Origae-6. It's entirely possible that after arriving at Origae-6 and doing some more experimentation with the black goo and xenomorphs, David set a course for Earth in time to arrive by 2120.

David may even be the way Alien: Earth explains how the xenomorphs reach Earth. An official description of Alien: Earth's story notes that "a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth," presumably kicking off the xenomorphs' rampage (via FX Networks). That mysterious ship may be David's, or at the very least sent by him. David would be the perfect way to explain how the xenomorphs reached Earth while also tying back into the canon established in Prometheus and Covenant.

David would be the perfect way to explain how the xenomorphs reached Earth while also tying back into the canon established in Prometheus and Covenant.

Though it is theoretically possible for David to appear in Alien: Earth, it doesn't seem terribly likely. The show doesn't really need to tie into the Prometheus trilogy, and creator Noah Hawley may prefer to tell a new story without having to reduce the central mystery of the series to a reference to Alien: Covenant. Alien: Earth likely has a more creative explanation for how the xenomorphs got to Earth in mind. If Fassbender were to appear in Alien: Earth at all, it seems far more plausible that he would play another synthetic from the same model as David or Walter.

Alien: Romulus’ Black Goo Twist Is The Perfect Set Up For David To Appear In The Sequel

David May Come Looking For The Black Goo On The Corbelan

If Alien: Earth doesn't take the opportunity to bring David back, then a sequel to Alien: Romulus could. Though not yet officially confirmed, a sequel to Alien: Romulus looks almost inevitable now, especially after its box office success (via Prometheus' black goo, which David was obsessed with and used for his experiments, played a major role in Romulus. It was how Weyland-Yutani reverse-engineered the xenomorphs, and it may be enough to draw David out.

By the ending of Alien: Romulus, there were still samples of the black goo on the Corbelan when Rain entered hypersleep. Kay's body is presumably still on board the ship, as are the sealed vials that Rain, Andy, and Tyler found on the Romulus. Depending upon where the Yvaga system is located in relation to Origae-6, David may learn that the Corbelan has samples of the black goo and come looking for them. He could conceivably have run out of usable samples in the time between Covenant and Romulus, and he would need more to continue his obsessive research.

Alien Might Avoid Ever Bringing David Back (But Prometheus & Covenant Aren’t Being Ignored)

Prometheus & Covenant Are Still Important To Alien, Even If David's Story Is Never Resolved

Even if both Alien: Earth and the sequel to Alien: Romulus don't bring David back explicitly, however, there's now proof that both Prometheus and Covenant haven't been swept under the rug in the same way the Alien vs. Predator movies were ignored. After Covenant's poor box office performance, it seemed like the Alien franchise was going to abandon its story altogether. After Romulus' focus on black goo, however, it's clear that Alien still considers the events of Prometheus and Covenant canon. No matter what the future of the Alien franchise holds, Michael Fassbender's David has already put an indelible mark on it.