James Cameron Shares His Thoughts on the Major Deaths in Alien 3
· BCPosted in: 20th Century Studios, Movies | Tagged: 20th century studios, alien, alien 3, james cameron
James Cameron Shares His Thoughts on the Major Deaths in Alien 3
Filmmaker James Cameron shares his thoughts on Alien 3 and its choice to kill core characters from the popular sequel.
Published Thu, 01 Jan 2026 12:47:03 -0600
by Aedan Juvet
|
Comments
Article Summary
- James Cameron criticizes Alien 3 for killing off key Aliens characters Hicks, Newt, and Bishop too quickly.
- Alien 3's character deaths erased the found family dynamic fans loved from the previous film.
- Fans and critics have long debated Alien 3's controversial decisions and its impact on the franchise.
- The Alien series has moved forward with new entries like Alien: Romulus and the Alien: Earth TV show.
The Alien franchise kicked off in 1979 with Ridley Scott's Alien, a slow-burn sci-fi horror classic that introduced Ellen Ripley, the Xenomorph, and Weyland-Yutani's cold corporate future. It is still widely cited as one of the best science fiction films ever made (which it totally deserves) and has since spawned sequels, prequels, and recent stories like Fede Álvarez's 2024 film Alien: Romulus and FX's Alien: Earth series.
Still, like any long-running franchise, it has seen major highs and some divisive swings. One of the most debated aspects remains Alien 3's opening (and to some extent, its ending), with David Fincher's 1992 film killing off Hicks, Newt, and Bishop in an off-screen accident after a stellar story arc in Aliens, before the story even begins. By the finale, Ripley discovers she is carrying a Xenomorph Queen embryo. Rather than let Weyland-Yutani weaponize it, she throws herself into a furnace as the chestburster emerges, choosing a sacrificial death that was meant to close the book on the character.
Of course, fans have asserted for decades that it was one of the worst franchise pivots, and now Aliens director James Cameron is weighing in.
James Cameron Admits He Didn't Like the Choice to Kill Core Franchise Characters in Alien 3
imaimOn a recent podcast appearance, he took particular aim at the decision to kill the surviving characters he had just spent a film building up. As he put it, "I thought that was the stupidest f****** thing. So, you build a lot of goodwill around the characters of you know, Hicks, Newt and Bishop, and then the first thing they do in the in the next film is kill them all off, right? Really smart guys, you know, and replace them with a bunch of f****** convicts that you hate. And want to see die. Really clever."
Cameron's criticism definitely gets at why that twist still stings for a lot of viewers. Aliens ended on a fragile found family, then Alien 3 totally wipes it away in a title sequence and drops Ripley into a setting where most of the new faces aren't the most exciting to follow. For some fans (and critics), that hinders the emotional investment and makes the film feel like an unnecessary reset.
Regardless, the franchise has long since moved on. Alien: Romulus slots itself between Alien and Aliens, earning some of the best reviews since Cameron's film, while Alien: Earth has been renewed for a second season on FX and Hulu. So, even when one chapter goes somewhere many dislike, the Xenomorph keeps finding new ways to earn our trust back.
Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!