Summary

• A new image from Alien: Romulus shows Cailee Spaeny as Rain during an intense scene.
• Rain has a tank on her back and appears to be wielding a flamethrower-type weapon.
• After Ridley Scott's Alien prequels killed off all their human characters, Rain could become a Ripley-like protagonist who evolves over multiple movies.

Alien: Romulus trailer previously unveiled that Spaeny's new character, Rain, will be the central protagonist in a cast that includes Isabela Merced, Archie Renaux, and David Jonsson.

As the Alien: Romulus release date inches closer, Total Film (via GamesRadar) shares a new image from the film, providing a new look at Rain with what appears to be some kind of flamethrower. Check out the image below:

Several different variations of a flamethrower have been featured in the Alien franchise before, but all have featured fuel canisters that attach to the weapon itself, rather than the more traditional tanks worn on one's back. The fact that Rain has a backpack-style fuel tank could suggest that she's actually wielding an entirely new type of weapon.

Will Alien: Romulus' Rain Be The New Ripley?

The Franchise Could Use A New Returning Protagonist

Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley serves as the protagonist of the first four movies in the Alien franchise. While films three and four were divisive to say the least, the first two movies represent some of the strongest sci-fi storytelling in cinema history. After 1997's Alien: Resurrection concluded Ripley's story, Ridley Scott made Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, which only had Michael Fassbender's AI character, David, in common.

While both of Scott's Alien prequels had their strengths and weaknesses, one disappointing aspect of Alien: Covenant is that Noomi Rapace's Elizabeth, the hero of Prometheus, doesn't return. After surviving the events of Prometheus, Elizabeth certainly proves herself a worthy successor to Ripley, but she's killed off-screen before Alien: Covenant begins. There's certainly an argument to be made that Elizabeth's return would have improved Scott's divisive prequel film and added to the narrative cohesion between the two movies.

From what's been shown off from Alien: Romulus so far, Rain could be a new Ripley-like protagonist who returns in potential future films. After two Alien entries in which all the human characters die by the end credits, the franchise has an opportunity to begin a larger arc for Rain in which she grows and evolves over multiple movies. It remains to be seen just how similar Rain actually is to Ripley, but she's certainly shaping up to be an interesting protagonist for Alien: Romulus.

Source: Total Film (via GamesRadar)