Alien: Earth confirmed one major imperfection for its Xenomorph compared to those from the movies. The prequel series from FX raised the stakes since it finally brought the "perfect organism" known as the Xenomorph to humanity's home planet, Earth. While the Xenomorph's killer instinct remains the same, Alien: Earth provided some subtle changes in the creature's lore, such as revealing its new weakness to electricity and the fact that it can communicate with an advanced hybrid like Wendy.
Alien: Earth's first two episodes didn't waste time showcasing the Xenomorph's notorious ways, showing the creature's killing spree after the Maginot ship crashed on New Siam. While Wendy managed to kill it to protect her brother, Joe, the reveal that she can communicate with the Xenomorph completely changed everything, setting up a brand-new dynamic between hybrid and alien that will forever change the Alien franchise. While the ramifications of the pair communicating with each other will be explored in the next two episodes, Alien: Earth subtly revealed a defect in the creature's metamorphosis.
Many are pointing out that the Xenomorph's metamorphosis in Alien: Earth is inconsistent with what happened in other Alien movies, such as 1979's Alien and 2024's Alien: Romulus. In Alien: Earth, it seems that it has been a day already, and the Xenomorph is not yet in full size, considering that Episode 6 showed the creature still in its toddler form.
However, in Alien: Romulus (read more about its plot here), the Xenomorph first goes through its cocoon stage before growing into full size minutes after the chestburster kills Navarro. The movie also didn't reveal its child-like form. This means that Alien: Earth's Xenomorph differs from the film due to the change in its metamorphosis cycle.
It’s possible that this defect was because the Xenomorph in Alien: Earth came from Joe's detached lung instead of a whole body. It's worth noting that Kirsch and Boy Kavalier experimented with Joe's surgically removed lung and implanted an Xeno embryo within it in Episode 3. It fully hatched at the end of Episode 4 when a chestburster emerged from the inside.
Some also pointed out that the Xenomorph might still be adjusting to its newfound environment on Earth, and this could explain why its metamorphosis drastically changed.
At the 32:38 mark of Episode 6 of Alien: Earth, the Xenomorph can be seen fully grown, but it seemed to take hours instead of minutes, proving that this creature is different (in a way) from the movies.
Alien: Earth features a cast led by Sydney Chandler, Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis, and Lily Newmark. The eight-episode series premiered on Hulu and FX on August 12, 2025, with new episodes streaming every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
How Alien: Earth's New Xenomorph Reveal Changes Everything
The change between Alien: Earth's Xenomorph and Romulus' version of the creature proves how unpredictable this "perfect organism" is. While it varies from host to host, the Xenomorph's unpredictable nature creates chaos, making it difficult for its adversaries to kill.
Given that Wendy has this secret connection to the Xenomorph in Alien: Earth and even empathizes with them, this adds to the creature's hostile nature. Finding an unusual ally in Wendy (who is a powerful hybrid) makes it even more challenging to defeat.
Alien: Earth's new Xenomorph, who experienced a different metamorphosis, has yet to be unleashed, but evidence suggests that it will have unique abilities and a much more violent instinct. At the 0:43 mark of Alien: Earth's "This Season On" trailer, it seems that this Xenomorph can camouflage while stalking the invading soldiers of Weyland-Yutani.
This reveal suggests that the experiment Kirsch worked on before implanting the embryo into Joe's lungs may have damaged the Xenomorph, which explains why it has this ability. It's also possible that this Xenomorph has more hidden abilities waiting to be unleashed when provoked.
There is also a chance that this new Xenomorph may even protect Wendy at some point, considering that they already forged a bond through communication. The fact that Wendy was the first one it saw when it was born could also hint that this creature may see her as its mother.
Alien: Earth shows how adaptable and highly unpredictable the Xenomorphs are. Their animalistic intelligence and evolving abilities may prove to be humanity's downfall if left unchecked.
