Isabela Merced screaming as Kay in Alien Romulus Alien: Romulus director Fede Alvarez addresses the film’s ending and the final Xenomorph form that caused some pushback from Disney. Taking place between the first two installments in the Alien franchise, Alvarez’s new film follows Cailee Spaeny’s Rain and her young companions as they face off against a Xenomorph aboard an abandoned space station. Although there’s plenty of Xenomorph action throughout the film, the Alien: Romulus ending kicks things into high gear by featuring Isabela Merced’s character, Kay, giving birth to a terrifying new alien form known only as the Offspring.

During a recent interview with THR, Alvarez reveals that the Offspring featured in Alien: Romulus‘ ending was met with some mixed reactions from Disney executives. According to the director, some worried that the creature and its gory birth would be “too much,” but that only told him it was the right creative direction to go in. Check out Alvarez’s comment below:

And they did [push back] at the beginning [with regard to the Offspring], but not because they didn’t like it. They just thought, “Is it too much? Do we really have to go there?” And I was like, “Yeah, now that you said that we shouldn’t, I know that I will.” So that’s exactly what we did here. If you’re given an Alien movie by a corporation that is owned by Disney and they immediately say, “Yeah, let’s make it,” then you are failing somehow. So we really pushed it to the limit, and I’m glad we did.

Disney gained control of the Alien franchise when it acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019.

Alien: Romulus’ Ending Is A Major Highlight Of The Film

Fede Alvarez’s Offspring Sequence Is Terrifyingly Effective

Cailee Spaeny and Archie Renaux aiming a gun in Alien: Romulus Tyler (Archie Renaux) and Rain (Cailee Spaeny) looking around in fear in Alien: Romulus Rain (Cailee Spaeny) shooting at a predator in Alien: Romulus A Predator about to attack Rain (Cailee Spaeny) in Alien: Romulus Rain (Cailee Spaeny) shades her face with her hand in Alien: Romulus Cailee Spaeny and Archie Renaux aiming a gun in Alien: Romulus Tyler (Archie Renaux) and Rain (Cailee Spaeny) looking around in fear in Alien: Romulus Rain (Cailee Spaeny) shooting at a predator in Alien: Romulus A Predator about to attack Rain (Cailee Spaeny) in Alien: Romulus Rain (Cailee Spaeny) shades her face with her hand in Alien: Romulus

Reviews for Alien: Romulus have been generally quite positive, with praise aimed at the strong performances by Spaeny and the cast, Alvarez’s assured directing, and the impressive effects. If there’s one frequent criticism that pops up in reviews, however, it’s that the film may lean too heavily on Easter eggs, callbacks, and fan service, with some sections and plot points ultimately feeling somewhat familiar. The Alien: Romulus ending, however, is where Alvarez really lets loose, and it’s arguably the best part of the film.

Alvarez is no stranger to surprise “fourth acts,” as he calls them, in his movies. 2013’s Evil Dead memorably ends with blood literally raining from the sky as the protagonist has a gory fight to the death with a terrifying demon. In the case of Alien: Romulus‘ Offspring fight, the sequence isn’t only effectively staged and surprising, it’s also a perfect twist on 1979’s Alien. Ridley Scott’s original film ends with Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) seemingly safe before she has one last encounter with the Xenomorph, and Rain’s final battle follows this same pattern.

What’s more, the Alien: Romulus ending also helps bridge the gap between Alvarez’s film and Scott’s Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, both of which feature mysterious black alien goo. It’s unclear if Alvarez’s film will get a sequel, but the Offspring certainly opens the door for some interesting explorations of franchise lore moving forward, potentially answering questions that Alien: Covenant raises. Though Disney may have been apprehensive about the Alien: Romulus ending, it’s evidently for the best that Alvarez stuck to his guns.