Even now, many years after the release of Ridley Scott’s Alien, we are still insatiably curious about Xenomorph tales. After creating a lucrative business, Xenomorph tales appeared in comic books and video games, where we were treated to some delightful and others merely average adventures.
Numerous variations of the Xenomorph have appeared in different story arcs due to the fans’ fascination with this horrifying alien creature. Eloise, a very singular and fascinating being, was first introduced to us in the comic novels Aliens: Purge and Aliens vs. Predator: Pursuit. She is a humanoid Xenomorph who is partially an android, which is a new sight for us.
We witnessed Eloise’s two personalities: the submissive, obedient side where she follows instructions, and the passionately protective and combative side when she killed the adversaries. In this video, we delve deep to reveal everything there is to know about the lovely Eloise, a crucial contribution to the lengthy Xenomorph mythology.
Eloise Origin
This unique Xenomorph android hybrid was created and grown by Dr. Fred Lichtner. The egg of a Xenomorph queen was infected with a biological computer virus and leprosy spores were used as a protective carrier medium. Dr. Lichtner was then able to delete and rewrite some of the specific DNA chains. The egg then developed into a humanoid android, and the appearance was far from a Xenomorph. The creation of Eloise was somewhat accidental and she was the unexpected result of an early attempt at this.
After her formation, Eloise was of great help to Dr. Lichtner, and she helped him in his studies of Xenomorphs and dry leprosy. He was trying to deduce how dry leprosy could deter the final development stage of Xenomorph embryos after being implanted in a human host. She obeyed orders and showed signs of a calm and a gentle young lady. She felt a telepathic bond with the other Xenomorphs and lepers, and any pain caused to them could be felt by her. Her transformation began after the arrival of the Alliance forces.
Their act of violence against her own kind pained her, and she changed into a vicious form, ripping the attackers apart. Eloise was extremely intelligent and she was capable of inflicting heavy damage even with a tiny group of Xenomorphs. Her efficiency is later seen when she takes down an entire hunting party of Predators quite easily.
Her appearance was largely human and she had little resemblance to Xenomorphs. She could speak like humans and also seemed to have compassion and other complex emotions. The only Xenomorph physical traits she had were her arms, which extended like the Xenomorph claws and her dorsal spines protruding from her back. Her supreme strength and speed probably came from her hybrid nature, and she was a versatile fighter if she chose to! She even knew the use of fire-arms, and she was seen driving away in a space-shuttle along with her brood.
Some of her unique Abilities
Since she was partly Xenomorph, she did not fear the terrifying creatures, and shared a wonderful bond with them. Just like a Queen Xenomorph, she cared for them and she had qualities of both an android and a Xenomorph. For instance, she was gifted with logical thinking and intelligence like an android, and her fighting skills were like that of an enhanced Xenomorph.
However, she was only a prototype, and thus, she never had the set programming to reflect the right kind of android behavior. She could introspect, think, and even wonder about her true nature. She had the survivalist nature of a Xenomorph Queen, and in order to protect her own she could go to any extent. Until they were threatened, Eloise had no problems in obeying orders, but she was quick to jump to the aid of the Xenomorphs and lepers, when they were being killed.
Major Story Arcs
Elois featured in two major story arcs, and here we take a closer look at the narrative of these two comic books to have a better understanding of Eloise and her powers.
Aliens: Purge
The story opens with a glimpse of Eloise. She is curled up in sleep, and lay there thinking about the Alien race. They aren’t evil according to her, but something that simply does what it does best. She seems to be somehow connected to the Aliens, and she is calm and reserved. One of the thugs wakes her up and when he torments a Xenomorph she gently asks him to refrain from such activities.
She suggests that such actions make the creatures irritable, and once again we see a hint of sympathy in her words for the creature. But who is she, and what is she all about? Her initial appearance is not intimating, and she just seems like a beautiful young woman. She warns about the possibility of an Alliance strike team attacking because of some of the events in the recent past.
This is all happening at the Adullam Research Facility, where a secret experiment is going on. Colonel Armand Gautier is from the Alliance, and he has come with a force to review the experiments conducted by Dr. Fred Lichtner. The Colonel is here to assess the financial viability of this experimental outpost, and the scientist briefs about their findings. They discovered that dry leprosy could retard the final development stage of Xenomorph offspring impregnated in the host. These hosts were loners and insignificant, but following the implantation they changed drastically. While the body sustains the alien within it also provides a strong survival instinct.
They all formed a well-knit community, which is probably psychically linked. However, the Colonel is not impressed. He believes that robot drones can do the same work as one of the lepers, and he wants the major investments to be in android development. This is when Dr. Lichtner reveals his real work with the funding he received – Eloise.
This android was grown using the DNA of an Alien Queen, and the Alien Egg was infected with a biological computer virus by using leprosy spores. Some DNA chains were deleted and others were rewritten, and the end result was an android! Eloise is stronger, faster, and also has her own emotional response to things. She acts as a motherly figure to the lepers and it seems like this experiment is a breakthrough in android development. Now, the androids can be developed at a much lower cost and the colonel is intrigued.
Later, the other scientists are mad at Dr. Lichtner for revealing everything, and just as he claims that the colonel is a reasonable man, he is shot in the head by the colonel. He then orders his forces to shoot the other scientists and take the android alive. Eloise is present during the slaughter, but she shows no signs of hostility. She calmly submits before the colonel, until he makes the mistake of deciding to kill all the lepers.
Eloise has a psychic connection with them and her Xenomorph Queen DNA asserts itself. She feels the pain of the lepers being killed, and she transforms into an android-alien mutant. Her hands extend into Xenomorph-like claws, and she slaughters several of the Alliance personnel. She then leads the surviving Xenomorphs and lepers into the Alliance transport spacecraft and flies off to find a new home for them. She does leave behind some Alliance personnel and Xenomorph eggs to ensure that the base is overrun with aliens by the time Alliance teams come again.
Aliens vs. Predator pursuit
This is a direct sequel to the earlier story of Aliens: Purge. It starts off with a court in a space station, where Alliance Captain Lotus Hernandez is asked by the judge to explain the loss of her entire unit on planet LK 176. She reveals that her task was to capture Xenomorph-android hybrid Eloise, and it was learned that she had taken refuge on this planet. When the squad arrived, they discovered several lepers dangling from trees, and it didn’t take long for them to figure out that it was all an elaborate trap for them.
A tribe of Yautja ambushed them, and while the fighting ensued, Lotus found out that the trap was actually meant for Eloise and her brood. Suddenly, Eloise appears with her brood and the Predator clan is slaughtered in quick time. Even the mighty warrior race seems to be no match for the extraordinary strength and agility of Eloise. She leads the others like the perfect Xenomorph Queen, and both the Predators and the members of the Alliance squad were slaughtered.
Lotus was the only person who survived , and she expected to be killed by Eloise. However, to her surprise, she was left alive, and sent as a messenger. Eloise asked her to let the company know that any further actions against Eloise and her brood would be seen as an act of war. This war would be impossible to win for the Alliance forces, and thus, it was important for them to keep their distance. Having been witness to the capability of Eloise, Lotus Hernandez seems to agree that she should be left alone!
Can we see Eloise in upcoming Alien Movies?
We say why not! Eloise has all the elements to be an iconic villain or anti-hero character, and she can also be portrayed as the good guy in the narrative. Her powers are fascinating enough, and it might be a lucrative opportunity for filmmakers to explore this character more. However, nothing of this sort has been officially announced, and so far, we can only speculate and hope for such a possibility! Till then, you can always check out the amazing comic books and read about her remarkable antics.