Every Version Of The Xenomorph Ranked Worst To Best

In 1979, director Ridley Scott made the world fear a creature that came straight out of a nightmare. The movie "Alien" unleashed the Xenomorph upon the world, and since that first film, the resulting "Alien" franchise has been dominated by all kinds of different Xenomorphs. The films tend to one-up those that came before to establish a newer version of the famous creature, and this tactic has resulted in some of the most memorable monsters in cinematic history.

So, how do you rank all the Xenomorphs from the "Alien" movies from worst to best? Well, there are several ways, but for us, the most definitive method is ranking the creatures by how destructive they've been in the films and how effective they are as apex predators. The harder they are to kill — and the more likely they are to kill you — the higher they will appear on this list. Here's our ranking of all the "Alien" Xenomorphs from worst to best.

The least threatening stage of a Xenomorph's life cycle is its first: the Ovomorph. In the "Alien" franchise, an Ovomorph is an egg laid by a Queen, and while they're the least dangerous, messing with one will result in a truly bad day. An Ovomorph appears inert and completely innocuous, but its appearance is deceiving. Inside an Ovomorph resides a single Facehugger, which is the second stage of a Xenomorph's life cycle.

An Ovomorph can sense an approaching organism, and if it determines that organism to be a viable host, it opens to reveal the incredibly fast and deadly creature within. The Facehugger will then implant a Xenomorph embryo into the chest cavity of a host. A Facehugger has no other means of attack, and it will remain attached to the victim until its task is completed. Interrupting this process is fatal to the host, but that doesn't matter because implantation is also 100% fatal. Once a Facehugger completes its task, it perishes, so it and the Ovomorph that hatched it are only deadly to a single victim.

The Xenomorph's third stage is commonly known as a Chestburster due to the violent manner in which it escapes its host. After a period of several hours, the embryo implanted by a Facehugger matures into an infant creature. Once it reaches a level of maturity necessary for survival outside of its parasitized "womb," a Chestburster pushes its way through the chest cavity, often emerging just below the ribcage in a human. The process of emergence is incredibly violent, and after a couple of attempts, a Chestburster will successfully break through. At this point, a Chestburster is responsible for the death of a single victim.

Unfortunately, its first victim isn't necessarily its last because, after a few more hours, a Chestburster matures. Before this happens, a Chestburster will often flee the immediate area and seek refuge where it cannot be seen, as they are incredibly vulnerable after birth. During this time, the Chestburster rapidly matures, growing from around one foot in height to several as it becomes a mature Xenomorph in its next stage of growth. While it's possible that a Chestburster could injure or kill a human during this time, they typically remain out of sight, hence their low placing on our list.

While the third stage in a Xenomorph's life cycle typically bursts from the victim's chest, there's another type that chooses an alternate means of exit. In "Alien: Covenant," a new type of Xenomorph is present, and while it functions similarly to others of the species, its growth methods differ. Instead of eggs unleashing Facehuggers, the Bloodburster is brought forth via microscopic motes, which emerge from egg sacks.

These motes invade a victim through open orifices and implant an embryo, which becomes something different from your standard Chestburster. When a Bloodburster is mature enough, it exits the host whichever way is easiest. This depends on the manner of implantation. In "Covenant," one emerges through Ledward's back in horrific fashion. The creature tears through his spine, brutally killing the host.

A Bloodburster looks a lot more like its final stage than a Chestburster does. Once born, the Bloodburster moves on all fours and is capable of attacking as well as defending itself. It has pale, white skin and takes on several traits of its host, which vary depending on the means of emergence. The Bloodburster that emerged from Ledward's spine featured dorsal fins on its back, but the one that burst out of Hallet's mouth had different features.

A Facehugger is deadly to a single person, but after it implants its embryo, it dies. It's no longer a threat to anyone, save for its highly acidic blood. Other than that, you could chuck it in the trash and move on, but that's not the case for the Royal Facehugger. As the name implies, a Royal Facehugger is different from the standard variety because it implants a Queen embryo instead of a Drone, though there's more to it than just that.

Royal Facehuggers are slightly larger than others, are covered in armor, have webbed digits, and a bladed tail. These adaptations are likely meant to protect the embryo inside. Royal Facehuggers are deadlier than standard ones due to these differences, and there's another trait that sets them apart: A Royal Facehugger can implant more than one embryo, infecting multiple hosts.

Once it implants the Queen embryo, it seeks out another host to implant with a regular embryo, effectively producing a bodyguard for the Queen. Of course, everyone who is implanted dies from the emergence, making Royal Facehuggers significantly deadlier than their cousins. A Royal Facehugger appeared briefly in an "Alien 3" Special Edition deleted scene, explaining how Ripley was infected with a Queen.

"Prometheus" offered a different look at Xenomorph physiology by delving into the Engineer's machinations in creating the deadly species. What's depicted in the film isn't a standard Xenomorph, but a proto-Xenomorph species that has several similarities. It begins with a Trilobite, which appears in the movie following a convoluted process. After Charlie Holloway is infected with Chemical A0-3959X.91 – 15 (better known as the black goo), he has sex with Elizabeth Shaw. This infects Shaw with an embryo that grows within her chest cavity.

While appearing much like a pregnancy, that's far from what happens. Shaw heads to the medical bay to extract the rapidly growing Trilobite, and she's successful in doing so before it emerges and kills her, but the Trilobite remains healthy. The Trilobite's purpose is similar to that of a Facehugger, as it implants an embryo into a host.

After growing to maturity, the Trilobite finds an Engineer to use as a host. The Engineer puts up a good fight but fails to stop the giant creature from implanting an embryo before settling atop him for the process to take hold. Once the embryo matures, it emerges as a Deacon, which is another proto-Xenomorph species that appeared at the very end of "Prometheus."

In "Alien," a single Xenomorph makes its way through the USCSS Nostromo's crew, killing everyone except for Ellen Ripley. She manages to blast the creature out into space before entering cryogenic sleep for her long journey home. "Alien" introduced the Xenomorph species and showed a good portion of its life cycle. The creature that appears in the movie is a Drone, which is the fourth stage of a Xenomorph's life cycle.

Drones are the most common form of Xenomorph seen throughout the franchise. They typically stand between seven and eight feet tall, and with their bladed tails, they're approximately 16 feet long. While the Drone in "Alien" spent most of its time hunting the crew, that's not its primary function. Typically, a Drone works the hive, constructing tunnels and taking care of any threats that might harm the Queen.

Additionally, Drones don't always kill their victims. When there is a Queen available, a Drone will often take a potential host back to the hive and place them in a cocoon until they can be implanted by a Facehugger. Drones are efficient killers, excellent at hiding in plain sight, and they're incredibly dangerous. Their bloodstreams are pressurized so their acidic blood spurts out with any injury, destroying whatever (or whomever) it comes into contact with.

"Alien: Resurrection" offered new opportunities for variants of the Xenomorph species, thanks to cloning technology. The film revolves around the cloning of Ellen Ripley, who died with an implanted Queen embryo at the end of "Alien 3." Cloning resulted in the production of a Queen who was herself contaminated with human DNA. This led to an entirely different reproductive life cycle, one involving a womb and a live birth.

When the Queen gives birth, it's to a single entity, which is commonly referred to as the Newborn. The Newborn instantly takes a liking to the clone, aka Ripley8, and it turns on the Queen who birthed it. With a swipe of its hand, the Newborn rips off the front of the Queen's head, killing her. After this, the Newborn sees Ripley8 as its parent and approaches her like an infant to its mother.

The Newborn is far more humanoid in appearance than normal Xenomorphs, standing nearly twice as tall as its cousins. It also doesn't go through the same type of life cycle, emerging fully formed and mature from the Queen. Additionally, the Newborn appears to be more intelligent than other Xenomorphs, and it demonstrates several emotions. Had it survived, it might have become a truly deadly creature.

In "Prometheus," Chemical A0-3959X.91 – 15 is shown to be highly mutagenic, as it leads to the development of new species when a host is infected. The Weyland-Yutani Corporation used the alien pathogen to develop a mutagenic compound dubbed Z-01 for the purpose of augmenting the physiology of its mining crews. Needless to say, when you play with alien black goo, you get burned. In the box office hit "Alien: Romulus," Kay Harrison injects herself with Z-01 to heal some injuries, and the results are the stuff of nightmares. Z-01 doesn't make Harrison mutate, but it causes her unborn fetus to transform into a new type of Xenomorph-human hybrid known as the Offspring.

Harrison gave "birth" to a sort of Ovomorph, which contained the gestating Offspring. Once it hatches from its cocoon, it metamorphosizes at a rapid pace, and once fully grown, the Offspring resembles a cross between an Engineer and a Xenomorph. The Offspring's facial features are very unsettling — the fact that it can smile somehow makes it even more creepy. After its birth in "Romulus," the Offspring made its way to Harrison to suckle more Z-01, killing her in the process. It is shown to be incredibly strong and extremely dangerous. Rain Carradine manages to eject it into the vacuum of space at the end of "Alien: Romulus," but its fate remains unknown.

The proto-Xenomorph introduced in "Prometheus" has vastly different life cycle stages than its cousins, but there are similarities. While they appear different, each stage is a mere step toward what may be the creature's final stage. The creature, which is commonly referred to as Deacon, is the fourth stage in the proto-Xenomorph life cycle. After an Engineer fought the Trilobite, it infected him with a Deacon embryo.

After several hours, a Deacon emerged from the Engineer. Unlike later examples of the species, the Deacon emerged fully formed. It's possible that the Deacon is not the final stage in the proto-Xenomorph's life cycle, so another could eventually appear. Until that happens, there's very little information about the Deacon other than what can be observed at the ending of "Prometheus."

A Deacon is somewhat similar to a Xenomorph, as it has features found in its cousin species. The Deacon's head ends in a sharp point, which is unique, as are its two sets of teeth, though one set isn't affixed to a protruding second jaw like a Xenomorph has. A Deacon also has similar coloration and markings, though it lacks a tail, which is unusual for a Xenomorph. That said, hybrids generally lack a prominent tail.

In "Alien: Covenant," the Weyland Corporation synthetic David experiments with Chemical A0-3959X.91 – 15 to genetically engineer a Xenomorph. He did this using drawings left by the Engineer, and his work resulted in a creature that looks much like the one the Engineers created, though it's different from a Xenomorph. After David creates the species, he unleashes the Praetomorph on the USCSS Covenant, and the results are what you'd expect.

After successfully creating several Ovomorphs, each containing Praeto-Facehuggers, David's experiment goes on to infect two members of the Covenant's crew. This results in the birth of the first two Praetomorphs, which look much like Xenomorphs though with several subtle differences. David's Praetomorphs feature longer limbs than Xenomorphs, and they lack any biomechanical features.

Praetomorphs are also skinnier and don't have any skin, so their muscles are exposed. While stronger than Xenomorphs, Praetomorphs are less intelligent, and their features differ in slight ways as well. Praetomorphs also grow incredibly fast, as their Imps (Chestbursters) can mature into adults right before your eyes. Once mature, a Praetomorph becomes a Stalker, which is the end of its life cycle. David didn't finish his experiment, so no Queens were produced despite his interest in doing so.

After the events of "Alien," scientists from the Weyland-Yutani corporation found a Xenomorph among the wreckage of the Nostromo. Using this as a template, the scientists managed to breed Xenomorphs in a secret lab in the Romulus section of the Renaissance research station. The experiments proved fruitful, which wasn't a good thing for the scientists or anyone else on the station.

Visually, the Romulus Xenomorphs appear similar to the Drone that terrorized the crew of the Nostromo. One key difference involves the Facehuggers, which are darker, have hooks on their digits, are significantly more aggressive, and hunt in packs, which is unusual for that stage in the Xenomorph life cycle. The differences between the Romulus Xenomorphs and members of the wider species are the result of the experiments that brought them into the world.

When the Romulus Xenomorph appears, it does so from a large cocoon. It appears that a Chestburster builds these cocoons to mature within, though this hasn't been seen in earlier films. The scientists working in the Romulus lab extracted Chemical A0-3959X.91 – 15 and experimented with it, which likely played a part in the genesis of the Romulus Xenomorph and its differences in physical appearance and temperament.

The standard Xenomorph life cycle was expanded upon in "Aliens" through the introduction of the Warrior stage. This is the fifth stage and the most aggressive of the species. In "Aliens," the Xenomorphs appear very different from the Drone in "Alien" because of this maturation into the fifth and final stage. Most notably, Warriors are more aggressive, hunt in packs, and have physical differences that make them stand out from Drones.

Warriors are bulkier and feature more armor plating than Drones. The shape of their head is also different. Where a Drone's head is smooth, a Warrior's is ridged and larger. Also, when a Warrior is shot, they tend to explode into a mist of acidic blood, making killing them dangerous in and of itself. Each Warrior is aggressive toward the humans moving about the complex and is more than capable of fighting armed Marines.

"Aliens" director James Cameron actually quashed the notion of a fifth life cycle stage in an interview with Starlog, admitting that this wasn't his intention. However, the widespread expansion of the franchise into comics, novels, and more has fleshed out the distinction between Drones and Warriors as separate stages in the Xenomorph life cycle, so they're now largely regarded as distinct versions.

One of the key aspects of a Xenomorph's physiology is that it uses DNA reflex to take on some of the traits of its host. Humans used as hosts create the standard Xenomorphs seen in "Alien" and "Aliens," but in "Alien 3," things work out differently. While Ripley is infected via a Royal Facehugger, a regular Facehugger implants an embryo into a dog. Because of this, the Xenomorph that emerges is known as a Runner.

As the name implies, a Runner is fast, and it also moves on all fours. Drones and Warriors also move on all fours but switch to a bipedal stance should the need arise. A Runner doesn't do this and is able to move much faster than its cousins.

Runners are much like Drones, as they are the fourth stage of the Xenomorph life cycle. They may move on their hind legs, but they're just as tall as others in the species, standing over seven feet high on their hind legs. They also lack the dorsal tubes found on human-borne Xenomorphs, and their skin is more brown and reddish in color. Their speed and ferocity make them deadlier than Drones; though they're not as durable, but can spit acid, which gives Runners a new level of lethality.

The Neomorph was introduced in "Alien: Covenant," and it's very different from traditional Xenomorphs. The Neomorph's life cycle begins via a fungal-like growth that spreads spore-like motes into the air. This then infects all non-botanical forms of life, resulting in a Bloodburster. These become Neophytes fairly quickly, which is the juvenile form of a Neomorph. Finally, the fifth stage results in a Neomorph, which is a large, aggressive creature standing around seven feet tall.

Neomorphs are far more animalistic and feral than Xenomorphs, though they have similar mannerisms. Neomorphs are white and feature double-jointed jaws as well as a tail they can use for offensive purposes, much like a Xenomorph. Their heads end in a sharp point, like a Deacon, and their bodies are somewhat humanoid in appearance. It's a creepy — and deadly — mixture of features.

While a Neomorph only lives for about 24 hours before dying naturally, once deceased, a Neomorph's body will interact with local fungus to transform into new egg sacs. Once this process is completed, it spreads anew, infecting more hosts that will ultimately unleash more Neomorphs. This facet of its life cycle makes Neomorphs far deadlier than standard Xenomorphs, as they can infect an entire ecosystem in very short order.

When a Facehugger implants a Xenomorph into a human, the result is the creature that's dominated much of the franchise. However, when a Facehugger implants another sentient species like the Yautja (commonly known as Predators), the result is known as a Predalien. In the "Alien vs. Predator" films, a Yautja named Scar is implanted with an embryo before he dies. A Chestburster eventually erupts from Scar's torso, bearing many of the familiar features seen in that species. Like the Yautja, the Predalien features mandibles and a multi-spiked blade at the end of its tail.

Unlike most Xenomorphs, the Predalien featured in "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" is a juvenile Queen. This is apparent as it stalks pregnant women in a hospital and implants embryos into them. In this manner, it skips the first stage in the Xenomorph life cycle and dives right into the third: Bellybursters. The Predalien was so threatening to all life on Earth that a call was made to nuke the town of Gunnison, Colorado, killing the Predalien and its spawn.

A Xenomorph Queen is one of the largest forms of the species and serves as the leader of a particular brood or hive. A Queen is huge, incredibly intelligent, and capable of living for extended periods without any sustenance. They can take over entire regions by having their Drones and Warriors find hosts for their Chestbursters. Queens have a large ovipositor which renders them immobile until they break free, but when they do, it's often pure carnage.

A typical Queen stands about twice the height of a Drone, has two sets of arms protruding from her chest, and a large crown that branches out like antlers. Queens also possess many of the same features as their spawn, though in much larger sizes. They are well-armored and cannot be injured by mere gunfire. Ripley learned that flamethrowers work in "Aliens," but for the most part, a Queen is incredibly difficult to kill, which is why they top our ranking.