Introduction

During this past decade, there has been an increasing focus on what should be considered canonical within the fictional universe of the Alien, Predator, Alien vs. Predator, and Prometheus franchises established by 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios under the new rule of The Walt Disney Company) and featuring the eponymous Alien (Xenomorph) and Predator (Yautja) creatures. In regards to this, one could argue that there are basically two different groups of the fanbase involved in this debate, and let's call them the separatists (who argues for a separation of this shared universe into separate universes) and the universalists (who argues for a single shared universe and generally reject the notion of separate universes). Now, for the following article I intend to examine this debate and eventually determine which side is most likely to be objectively true (or what is canon and what is fanon) and most consistent with the mindset present at 20th Century Fox throughout the past four decades that these franchises have been in existence.

The Original Era (1980s)

It all began in the first decade with the release of the motion pictures Alien directed by Ridley Scott, Aliens directed by James Cameron, and Predator directed by John McTiernan and released back in 1979, 1986, and 1987 respectively, and following the financial and critical success of these films and their shared themes, 20th Century Fox decided to begin moving towards developing a shared continuity between these franchises, beginning with the comic book line Aliens Versus Predator by Dark Horse Comics, which also produced the single Aliens and Predator comics, in 1989 and promoted this as the Aliens/Predator Universe (later also dubbed the "Xenoverse") which would continue for decades to come.

The Sequel Era (1990s)

From there on it continued to the big screen with Predator 2 directed by Stephen Hopkins in 1990 which prominently featured a Xenomorph skull in the trophy room of the Yautja spaceship for the entire audience to see (noting that some people like to refer to this as an "easter egg" as an excuse to overlook it, although this is clearly not an actual easter egg as that would imply a secret or hidden, non-serious, ambiguous reference to some other work, whereas this skull is a clear-cut reference positioned in plain sight and requiring an in-universe explanation). It was the idea of the director as a way of showing off all the different species and creatures that the Yautja have hunted and killed, while also acting as a nod to the popular comics, and this only further popularized the concept of a shared universe and resulted in several new products being released.

During this second decade of the 1990's and during development of the controversial Alien 3 from 1992, directed by David Fincher, and the less well-received Alien Resurrection from 1997, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Fox continued to develop several comic book lines, including Aliens: Space Marines (1992) which included both Aliens and Predators, and even video game adaptations such as Alien vs. Predator (1994) and Aliens Versus Predator (1999) which subsequently received sequels in terms of Aliens Versus Predator 2 (2001) and Aliens Versus Predator: Extinction (2003), and various toy lines such as those produced by Kenner and based in the shared universe such as the Aliens: Hive Wars line from 1998, including both Aliens and Predators.

The Crossover Era (2000s)

But not only that, Fox was actively looking to develop a motion picture adaptation of this shared universe and thereby completely seal the deal (and Sigourney Weaver reportedly stated that this was a reason why she wanted her character of Ellen Ripley to be killed off in 1992's Alien 3), with an early script being produced and titled The Hunt: Alien vs. Predator and written by Peter Briggs in 1991. The draft was rejected however, and it wasn't until the third decade on our timeline that director and writer Paul W.S. Anderson came onto the scene and pitched his own version of the film to Fox (including elements written by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett who also worked on the original Alien film) that it finally happened and AVP: Alien vs. Predator was released in 2004 and the shared universe was officially cemented together.

Worth noting here is that Anderson decided to also incorporate the character of Charles Bishop Weyland, played by Lance Henriksen from Aliens, to provide a more solid connection to the Alien films in that this character serves as the original founder of Weyland Industries (or Weyland Corporation), being one of the ancestral companies to the infamous Weyland-Yutani Corporation, and Anderson also stated that his character would serve as the inspiration for the Bishop line of androids which were designed in the honor and likeness of Charles due to his many great achievements in life such as discovering the pyramid structure on Bouvet Island in Antarctica before his death in 2004.

On this topic, director Paul Anderson stated in an interview with IGN; "The role was written for him. I wanted some casting continuity with the Alien franchise even though it is set 100 years after our movie. The only person that could be was Lance. He, of course, was an android in the other movies. That was the idea behind that. I thought it was kind of a neat idea … I wanted to use the Weyland-Yutani Corporation in some respect. So the idea is that Charles Bishop Weyland is like Bill Gates, but his area of expertise is robotics. He's made his money in high tech and he's like the father of modern robotics. So that when the Bishop android is created in 150 years time, it's created with the face of the creator. It's kind of like Microsoft building an android in 100 years time that has the face of Bill Gates. The idea with Weyland is that his character is a man who is dying and like a lot of rich men who are facing the end, they realize that money and power aren't enough. What they want to do is leave something behind. So it's kind of like his longing for immortality that precipitates a lot of the events in this film, but also explains why his corporation would build something with his face."

During the same interview, while asked about whether the new film would implement any changes to the Alien and Predator mythology, Anderson stated; "I wouldn't f**king dream of that, no. That's beyond me. The movie is designed to be a sequel to the Predator movies and a prequel to the Alien movies. In no way does it contradict or go against anything in the Alien franchise. We've been very careful about that. It's set in the present day and on Earth, so it's like 150 years before Sigourney Weaver's out in space. It really makes sense. When you see this movie and then those movies, well I understand why she was completely ignorant of the existence of Aliens, but the Weyland-Yutani people did have an awareness of them. In that respect, there is a mythology to it (and there is a lot of mythology in the movie), but it is more related to Earth history rather than the history of Aliens and Predators. I'm not trying to explain away their genesis or anything like that. The idea is very much inspired by something Ron Cobb did for the very first Alien movie. I don't know if any of you have the original Alien book (which was done ages ago), but it had some original artwork from Alien for the pyramid that was never built ... Ron Cobb did some really cool designs, which were hieroglyphics showing the eggs … and that was very much an inspiration for this movie. It was a strand of Alien mythology that existed already but that never made it in Ridley Scott's movie."

The film was a financial success which revived the Alien and Predator franchises and brought in a new audience. This of course lead to the production of a sequel, AVPR: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem directed by brothers Colin and Greg Strause and released in 2007, to further establish the shared universe, and this time the Strause Brothers sought to help achieve this by introducing the Yutani Corporation, the second ancestral company to the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, and setting up the ending with a Yautja plasma gun being brought to Miss Yutani (played by Françoise Yip) to intentionally insinuate that this piece of extraterrestrial technology will lead to the advancement of our own human technology to the point that we would develop faster-than-light drives such as those fitted aboard the commercial starship USCSS Nostromo, and thereby setting up early versions of AVP3, including an AVP3 written by Liam O'Donnell, as revealed to be leading directly into the timeline of the Alien films in an interview with io9.

In the same interview, director Greg Strause stated; "The original ending for AVPR, that we pitched them, ended up on the alien homeward, and actually going from the Predator gun, that you see at the end, it was going to transition from that gun to a logo of a Weyland-Yutani spaceship that was heading to an alien planet. And then we were actually going to cut down to the surface and you were going to see a hunt going on. It was going to be a whole tribe of predators going against this creature that we called "King Alien." It's this huge giant winged alien thing. And that was going to be the lead-in, to show that the fact that the Predator gun is the impetus of all the technological advancements that allowed humans to travel in space. Which leads up to the Alien timeline. That was the idea. They never got any of the equipment from the first Predators. It's the first time they ever received any intact working technology left over. So they could take that and reverse engineer, figure out what the power source was - all of those things. And in theory, that would enable that company to make massive advancements in technology and dominate the space industry. That was the whole idea, was to literally continue from Ms. Yutani getting the gun - and then cut to 50 years in the future, and there's spaceships now. We've made a quantum leap in space travel. That was going to set up the ending, which would then set up what AVP was going to be, which would take place 100 years in the future. That was kind of the plan."

This cinematic universe would subsequently be reflected in various other products such as the Alien/Predator: Total Destruction Collection - The Ultimate DVD Collection (2008), including novels, toys, and new lines of comic books such as Aliens vs. Predator: Three World War (2010), and not to mention video games such as Predator: Concrete Jungle (2005) featuring several references to the films such as Charles Weyland, Weyland Corp, Yutani Corp, as well as featuring Xenomorphs and the MOTHER computer and acknowledging all previous Alien, Predator, and Alien vs. Predator films and the characters within them, and Aliens vs. Predator (2010) which referenced Charles Weyland, Ellen Ripley, and Acheron LV-426 while featuring Karl Bishop Weyland played by Lance Henriksen and acting as a "descendant" of Charles, along with creature designs and mythology from AVP and AVPR.

The Prequel Era (2010s)

However, following the generally negative reception of Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, Fox decided that for the fourth decade on our timeline to focus on developing the main series again, beginning with Predators, directed by Nimrod Antal and released in 2010, which became a success akin to Alien vs. Predator. This film was described as serving as the Predator-equivalent to Aliens from 1986 and featured several references to that film, such as the main group of soldiers fighting off a group of extraterrestrial threats and taking refuge with the sole survivor on the planet within a large abandoned facility, and more directly during moments such as when Isabelle delivers the line "I'll do us both" to Edwin which echoes the conversation between Ripley and Hicks. Noting that the lower jaw on the Berserker Predator's mask was stated by the director as belonging to a Xenomorph (See; Predators Movie | Film Fact) and the Tracker Predator NECA figure stated the Hell-Hounds were used for hunting Xenomorphs. (See; Tracker Predator NECA) Further noting that the writer of the film, Alex Litvak, revealed in an interview with AVPGalaxy that the plan for the sequel to Predators was to have the main characters from the first film end up on Earth in the future where they are greeted by Colonial Marines, which would be a further attempt to more properly merge the Alien and Predator brands. (See; The Hunts Not Taken, An Interview With Predators Screenwriter Alex Litvak – AvP Galaxy Podcast #114) But to ensure the audience understood that the shared universe remains intact Fox decided to release several home video collections featuring all Alien and Predator films up to that time, such as the Alien/AVP/Predator - The Ultimate Annihilation: Nine Movie Collection released in 2011, just a year before the next highly anticipated chapter in the saga would come out.

Then in 2012 came the next chapter which became the start for a new prequel series in the cinematic universe, Prometheus, where Ridley Scott returned as director and the project turned out a success in a similar manner to Alien vs. Predator. It was particularly at this point that some fans started to question whether Fox was still upholding the shared universe or whether it had been dissolved, and it largely arose from speculation about the apparent discrepancy between the character of Peter Weyland, as introduced in the film, and the character of Charles Weyland, from Alien vs. Predator. This issue is addressed in the following article and explain how this problem is easily resolved (noting that various promotional material for Prometheus such as the Happy Birthday David short and the Weyland Industries website still uses the name "Weyland Industries" as popularized through Alien vs. Predator); On the Kinship of Charles and Peter Weyland

This started a big debate within the fanbase which was only further encouraged when Fox released the less successful sequel Alien: Covenant in 2017, also directed by Scott and in many ways comparable to Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem both in contents and reception, and the issue this entry brought with it regarding the question if the David android featured within the film actually serves as the original creator of the Xenomorphs or not, and whether this affects the official timeline as presented through Alien vs. Predator. This issue is addressed in the following article and explain how this problem is easily resolved as well; On the Problem of David and the Alien

It seems however that Fox completely disregarded any concerns about the shared universe having supposedly been disrupted considering they kept producing and promoting products which further affirmed the existence of this shared universe. Most noteworthy in this case are the Fire and Stone (2014-2015) and Life and Death (2016-2017) comic books by Dark Horse Comics which acted as continuations to the 2012 film Prometheus and officially connected the Alien, Predator, Alien vs. Predator, and Prometheus series together and featured several references back to the films themselves.

These storylines were further affirmed by the release of the 2014 technical guide Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report, which also affirmed the films Prometheus, Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien Resurrection, and the video game Alien: Isolation (the latter which also mentioned Weyland Industries, as first originating in Alien vs. Predator, within a data terminal), and by extension its comic book sequels Aliens: Defiance (2016-2017), Aliens: Resistance (2019), Aliens: Rescue (2019), along with the mobile video game sequel Alien: Blackout (2019).

There were also novels affirming a shared continuity, including The Rage War Trilogy consisting of Predator: Incursion (2014), Alien: Invasion (2016), and Alien vs. Predator: Armageddon (2016), and also their prequels Aliens: Bug Hunt (2017) and Predator: If It Bleeds (2017) as well as the connected Alien: Out of the Shadows (2014), Alien: Sea of Sorrows (2014), and Alien: River of Pain (2014). The contents of these novels were also referenced in Fire and Stone, Life and Death, and Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report. Empire Magazine also addressed all eight films in the Alien franchise, counting AVP and AVPR as being among them, in their November, 2018, issue of Empire Classics - Alien: The Complete History of All 8 Films.

This also included video games like Aliens: Colonial Marines from 2013 (which featured the "Pups" from Prometheus along with Peter Weyland's Weyland Corp and the character Michael Bishop Weyland from Alien 3 to refer back to the connection between the Bishop android from Aliens and Charles Bishop Weyland from AVP), AVP: Evolution from 2013 (which even featured the logo of Peter Weyland's iteration of Weyland Corp on the main menu while tying into the 2010 film Predators and the 2010 video game Aliens vs. Predator), the Soldier's Inc. - Alien vs. Predator event from 2015 (which implied Charles Weyland's company and Peter Weyland's company to be synonymous), and Aliens vs. Pinball from 2016 (which promoted both the films Aliens, Alien vs. Predator, and the video game Alien: Isolation as being part of the same world). Additionally, in an interview with Gearbox Chief Creative Officer Brian Martel, he was asked about them being able to "create their own canon", to which Martel responded and gave further insight into how Fox handles these products from a canonical standpoint;

"That’s exactly what we’re looking to do. Fox has been great to work with and SEGA has been a good partner in building the bridges between developer and IP holder. Fox is a little more flexible with the canon than other companies out there, but they do have to be careful not to annoy directors – if you put together a proposition that assumes a particular film never happened, the director isn’t going to like that very much and Fox may have plans to work with them again in the future. We’re able to introduce our own elements that we feel are right for the interactive space, whether that’s weapons or new types of aliens, and we’re aware that in doing so we’re adding to the existing canon." (See; Gearbox On Creating A Canon With Aliens: Colonial Marines)

There were also board games such as AVP: The Hunt Begins (2015) and its expansion packs AVP: Unleashed (2017) and AVP: Hot Landing Zone (2019) which also tied together all the films and included creatures from the films and the new games such as Aliens: Colonial Marines as if they existed in the same universe. The world of the aforementioned Alien, Predator, and Alien vs. Predator novels and previous comics of the Aliens/Predator Universe such as Aliens: Defiance, Aliens: Resistance, and Aliens: Rescue acting as sequels to the video game Alien: Isolation were also included in the tabletop game Alien: The Roleplaying Game (2019).

Funko Pop, Loot Crate, and Titan also partnered with 20th Century Fox in producing their own Alien and Predator line of figures and merchandise based upon the films, as well as their very own 360° VR short film titled Predator vs. Colonial Marines (2016). Not to forget about all the other new toy lines such as Prime1Studio's Alien and Predator line, the Alien & Predator Classics by NECA, and The Alien & Predator Figurine Collection by Eaglemoss Collections, all which feature characters from all twelve films from Alien (1979) to The Predator (2018) and presenting them as if they belong to one and the same universe. (See; Predator vs. Colonial Marines)

Finally, we arrive at the last piece of the puzzle, namely the 2018 film The Predator directed by Shane Black which again became comparable to Alien Resurrection, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem and Alien: Covenant in reception. This film is the twelfth and latest in the cinematic universe and only further confirmed that the shared universe remains intact and included several references back to previous films, including the appearance of Alexa's spear made by the Scar Predator from a Xenomorph tail at the end of Alien vs. Predator along with the return of Cullen Yutani (played by Françoise Yip) from the end of Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (both which connects back to the Alien films).

Shane Black and the cast and crew behind the film further affirmed that it takes place in the same continuity as the Alien, Alien vs. Predator, and Prometheus films, with Keegan Michael Key giving his own personal take on the matter saying; "Reimagining is a good word. What we're doing is a chapter of a larger story that we could call 'the Predator Universe'. There are five movies in the Predator canon, and this will be the sixth. You could watch them in any order you want because they all exist in their own right." While this is not an official statement (since Key is an actor hired by Fox for the film and not the author of it), and he appears to be focusing on the Predator license by excluding mentioning the Alien and Prometheus films, he does reflect the fact that a shared universe exists with respect to Alien vs. Predator and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. (See; Keegan-Michael Key takes on The Predator)

During the 2018 San Diego Comic Con panel for The Predator, a fan came up to the microphone and asked Shane Black; "There's been a lot of talk about the Predators crossing their genes with other alien species, and I was wondering if there was going to be any sort of connection to the Xenomorphs in this film?" To which Black responded; "The Xenomorphs was sort of a different thing to us, because, you know, we want to make sure the chronology of this stuff echoes that the first film happened, the second film happened, other films happened, we're just a sequel, we're not a reboot. But at the same time, we don't have the direct tie to the genetic manipulation, for instance, that they were hinting at in Alien: Covenant or things like that, so what we focused on is just this one instance in which a particular group of particularly angry Predators have managed to formulate something as they're sort of assassins, a sort of upgraded weapon, but I think, uh, it's not about a Xenomorph, it's not about an experiment that's going to emerge from somebody's chest or what have you. Although, I don't think AVP is dead, do you? I love that idea!" to which the audience and panel members cheered in agreement. This statement clearly suggests that the Alien, Predator, Alien vs. Predator, and Prometheus brands are occurring within the same continuity while each film or series have their own particular focus within that universe. (See; THE PREDATOR | Comic Con 2018 Full Panel (Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Keegan-Michael Key))

Although the most noteworthy and exciting detail is the existence of two deleted scenes which served as alternate endings to the film and featuring the characters of Ellen Ripley and Rebecca "Newt" Jorden (both played by Breanna Watkins) from Aliens in a Weyland-Yutani pod and wearing a Weyland-Yutani breathing apparatus in the likeness of a Xenomorph Facehugger, both playing the part of a "Predator Killer", and these scenes would of course further affirm the space-time traveling aspect of the Yautja's technology as introduced at the start of the film (possibly hinting at some future projects). Granted, such deleted scenes may not be present in the final product (although they may be present in later re-releases), but their mere existence most certainly sends the message loud and clear that the shared Alien and Predator universe remains intact or otherwise these scenes would never ever have even been conceptualized, produced, and filmed.

Alec Gillis of StudioADI commented on an Instagram post about the alternate endings; "There was debate about the end sequence of THE PREDATOR. One idea was to have a cryo chamber with a surprise character revealed in stasis. This person’s face would be concealed by a hi tech life support mask. @tom_woodruffjr suggested that the mask could have the feel of a facehugger as nod to the Alien franchise. ADI was given 7 days to build it from @faustodesign concept work. @jon_k_miller @h2originals @ape5150 @saratheterra Dave Penikas and Zac Teller made it happen! Didn’t make it in the final cut but a fun build! We simultaneously built a different prop for another ending. Pics of that coming soon!"

Yuri Everson also commented on the deleted scene, saying; "We shot 3 different endings for #thepredator, all variations of a “Predator Killer”. This unused ending was Predator Killer Ripley wearing the breather mask we created for the film. You can see her name tag there on her costume. Breanna Watkins played Ripley under the mask instead of Sigourney Weaver. The moving “fingers” and “tail” were deemed too facehugger-like on the day and were cut and removed by someone… Sorry @jon_k_miller who headed up making the breather mask for us @thestudioadi with @saratheterra @ape5150 Zac Teller and Lord Garth but they made me do it! Michael Diner and his amazing Vancouver crew made the pod. All in no time flat. More #bts to follow…"

In a later post, Yuri stated; "Happy Newt Year! We shot 3 different endings for #thepredator, all variations of a "Predator Killer". This unused ending was Predator Killer Newt aka Rebecca Jordan wearing the breather mask we created for the film. You can see her name there on the monitors. Breanna Watkins played Newt. The moving "fingers" and "tail" on the mask were deemed too facehugger-like on the day and were cut and removed by someone... Sorry @jon_k_miller who headed up making the breather mask for us @thestudioadi with @saratheterra @ape5150 Zach Teller and Lord Garth but they made me do it! Michael Diner and his amazing Vancouver crew made the pod. All in no time flat. More #bts to follow... #avpgalaxy #bloodydisgusting" (See; Updated: Behind-the-Scenes Images of A “Face-Hugger” Inspired Breathing Mask for Alternate Ending of The Predator! and Alternate Ending of The Predator Was Filmed Featuring Ripley! and Updated: Third Ending Shot for The Predator is Even More Crazy… and Comments by Alec Gillis and Comments by Yuri Everson and Comments by Yuri Everson)

On July 12th, 2019, Moviefone published an interview with Fred Dekker (co-writer on the film) where he talked about the ending for the film that they chose with the Predator Killer armor and also explained the reason why these alternate endings with Ripley and Newt didn't end up in the final film; "We shot it. I wrote that very last line. But I wasn’t happy about it. The whole thing [the Predator Killer armor] seemed to not be in step with that particular franchise. It was one of many ideas that we floated and shot. We shot a version where Ripley was in the cocoon and we shot one where Newt from Aliens was in the cocoon. Sigourney didn’t want to clear any future for Ripley in the franchise and ultimately I don’t think anybody remembers Newt well enough for that to have meant anything." (See; ‘Night of the Creeps’ Director Fred Dekker on Crafting a Cult Classic and What the Hell Happened to ‘The Predator’)

On April 30th, 2021, actress Breanna Watkins who played Ellen Ripley and Rebecca Jorden was interviewed by AVPGalaxy where she further confirmed a shared universe, stating; "I was brought into a meeting where Shane Black and some of the producers explained to me that the plan was to shoot multiple endings as options, two of which involved me. There were a number of production members there but I don’t remember if one of them was the writer. A whole backstory was explained to me for each of my two endings… however I believe that the franchise owners may still want to have the option to use those backstories so I shouldn’t really go into specifics of what I was told, but I can say that time travel, cloning and genetic enhancement was involved. The backstory did vary depending on which ending they were going to use." The interviewer then asks, "Without revealing too much then, often characters travel back through time to change the course of history. Is it reasonable to imagine Ripley or Newt was trying to prevent some calamity involving Predators?" to which she responded, "Correct, except the calamity/conflict was to involve both Predators and Alien Xenomorphs." When asked about the continuity relating to Alien 3, she said, "There was no direct discussion of Alien³ to me and how it would fit into continuity, but the backstory given to me did go quite deep into explaining how and why these characters could turn up at the end of The Predator, specifically due to events happening in the future. Speaking from my own personal opinion I really wish they hadn’t killed off Newt in Alien³… it was heart breaking for me and I know many others share this opinion as well. James Cameron’s Aliens is by far my favorite movie of the franchise and my second favorite movie of all time." (See; Breanna Watkins Interview)

Even through their Alien, Predator, and Alien vs. Predator websites and social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube does Fox keep promoting their shared universe, including various promotional tie-ins like the official star map on the Predator Fan App, the Alien Queen having left eggs to find and destroy across the Predator Fan App, and more released for Alien Day. Even the MU/TH/UR 6000 Interface which was active on the official Alien Universe website around 2016-2017 acknowledged words like "Predator", "Yautja", and "Charles Bishop Weyland" among other things as classified information, thus clearly implying something with regards to continuity and canonicity. (See; Twitter Predator post and Fangoria post and Twitter Alien post)

The Disney Era (2020s)

In early 2020, we saw the release of the new comic by Dark Horse Comics titled Alien vs. Predator: Thicker Than Blood (a fitting title for brands as inextricably linked as these), marking the beginning of the fifth and latest decade on our timeline. Adding that news also broke of an Aliens vs. Predator anime series being developed for Netflix which was apparently sadly cancelled during Disney's acquisition of Fox along with various other Alien and Predator products. Another thing worth noting here is that some people like to argue that "just because new products uses the same logo and references to the films that doesn't mean it's acknowledging the films", except that it makes no sense to use the exact same logo introduced and associated with the films and much less make references to the films if they're not connected, adding that this nonsensical argument could be made for any other work bearing the Alien, Predator, and Prometheus titles, and the overall context will make it clear that we're dealing with a shared world.

Dark Horse Comics eventually lost the Alien and Predator licenses and as of July 2, 2020, Disney/Marvel announced that they're working on expanding the universe already established with each and every film along with other works in the Alien, Predator, Alien vs. Predator, and Prometheus franchises, with new comic book entries set in the Marvel universe, further committing to and solidifying the concept of a shared universe. Marvel reports, "Marvel Entertainment announced three iconic franchises – ALIEN, PREDATOR, and ALIEN VS. PREDATOR – will be launching all-new stories with Marvel Comics starting in 2021! Revealed exclusively by IGN, the new comic series will feature new and classic characters from Earth and beyond to explore never-before-seen corners of both the Alien and Predator universes. Following the debut of Alien in 1979 and Predator in 1987, the films built a cult following and expanded rapidly to include toys, games, novels, and comic books, eventually leading to 2004's landmark crossover Alien vs. Predator. Marvel's new stories will draw from all of these properties, building on decades of multimedia storytelling." (See: Marvel Comics to Publish New 'Alien' and 'Predator' Stories)

On this topic, Mike Richardson of Dark Horse Comics reminisced; "What's next for Aliens and Predator comics: After 30 years of publishing the greatest Aliens/Predator/AvP stories in the Xenoverse, Disney will be pulling the publishing license from Dark Horse. As the new owners of Fox, this is their right, of course. Dark Horse has been one of the longest-standing and most successful of Fox’s licensing partners over the nearly 35 years we have worked with them. Our first Aliens series, written by Mark Verheiden and illustrated by Mark A. Nelson, was a smash success, moving away from the generic storylines common in film and television-based titles and toward actual sequels to the original material. The success of Aliens led directly to another series based on a Fox science fiction film, Predator, written by Mark Verheiden and illustrated by Chris Warner. This first series was the basis for the Predator film sequel, and Warner’s iconic first issue cover served as the inspiration for the sequel’s film poster. The natural extension of those licenses led Dark Horse to come up with the monster hit, Aliens vs Predator. Mixing the two franchises was a huge success with fans, and became one of the most successful series in the history of the direct market. After many years of shepherding these amazing worlds, Dark Horse will not be publishing any new material effective Jan 1, 2021. Thanks to all the people at Fox for the amazing run. Now, as in recent events in which new owners meant new publishers of series conceived here at Dark Horse, we have new and fresh titles to replace the old. Comics and original graphic novel series such as The Witcher, Stranger Things, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Minecraft, and Critical Role have developed huge followings and we will continue strive to be the finest publisher of licensed comics in the word. Watch for more exciting announcements coming soon." (Facebook announcement)

New Alien vs. Predator products were also announced on between 2019-2020, on the official Alien Facebook page, further indicating Disney/Fox are sold on keeping the shared universe intact and potentially hinting at the direction the franchise will take under Disney (which I would describe as a wise decision). (See; Twitter post and Facebook post) Throughout 2020, NECA continued to acknowledge a shared universe with their 30th anniversary celebration of Predator 2 through the release of new figurines such as the Ultimate Scout Predator, Ultimate Stalker Predator, Ultimate Warrior Predator, and Ultimate Guardian Predator which prominently featured Yutani Corporation, Engineers from Prometheus, along with Xenomorphs and the Flying Alien Queen on their official box art. (See; Comments by NECA) Also in 2020, the successful video game Predator: Hunting Grounds was released and acknowledged all previous Predator films and thus by logical extension the Alien vs. Predator, Alien, and Prometheus films.

Additionally a new anthology book, Aliens vs. Predators: Ultimate Prey, to be released in March 2022 was announced by Bryan Thomas Schmidt (who worked on the 2017 anthology Predator: If It Bleeds) who will be working together with Jonathan Maberry (who worked on the 2017 anthology Aliens: Bug Hunt) to create this new anthology serving as an official studio-approved tie-in to the Alien/Predator movie universe and further confirm the shared universe remains intact. Schmidt made the following announcement;

"I am pleased to announce my return to the world of my beloved Yautja movie universe. My seventeenth anthology as editor, and 4th for Titan will be my latest collaboration with Jonathan Maberry:

ALIENS VS PREDATOR: ULTIMATE PREY, Edited by Jonathan Maberry & Bryan Thomas Schmidt is a collection of all original stories that bring these two powerful franchises into collision. These stories will be more than bug hunts or monsters fighting one another. We’re amassing a slate of diverse writers who will elevate the themes to feature tales of racism, intolerance, culture clashes, and the horrors of war. Stories will run the gamut from intense psychological drama to nail-biting paranoid horror to humor to poignant tales of people and cultures caught in the grip of war.

Authors: David Barnett – Roshni “Rush” Bhatia – Maurice Broaddus – Curtis Chen – Delilah Dawson – Jess Landry – Jonathan Maberry & Louis Ozawa Changchien – Susanne Lambdin – Seanan McGuire – E.C. Myers – Yvonne Navarro – Chris Ryall – Bryan Thomas Schmidt – Steven Sears – Scott Sigler

15 new stories set in the movie universe, coming in December 2021 from Titan Books. It’s the one anthology fans have most been requesting and Jonathan and I have wanted to do it for 3 years, ever since he did Aliens: Bug Hunt and I did Predator: If It Bleeds, both for Titan, which were great successes.

These are studio approved tie-ins. We’ll reveal more details when the time comes but this exciting project has been fast tracked for quick release and we look forward to bringing it to fans." (See; Titan Books ‘Aliens vs. Predator: Ultimate Prey’ Anthology Coming December 2021! and Announcement—Coming December 2021)

The updated description of the new anthology being written as follows;

"The first anthology of fifteen original short stories featuring the confluence of two iconic properties, as the Predators seek the ultimate prey, the Xenomorphs from Alien. Featuring Louis Ozawa, Scott Sigler, Maurice Broaddus, Mira Grant, Delilah S. Dawson, and many more!

Fifteen new and original stories for a first-of-its-kind anthology, set in the expanded Aliens vs. Predators Universe.

Here the ultimate hunters, the Predators, pitted against their ultimate prey, the Xenomorphs from Alien, with humans caught in the middle! Taking place on Earth and in distant space, these tales have been crafted by a who's who of today's most talented authors of the fantastic:

David Barnett - Roshni "Rush" Bhatia - Curtist C. Chen - Delilah S. Dawson - Mira Grant - Susanne L. Lambdin - Jess Landry - Yvonne Navarro - E.C. Myers - Scott Sigler - Maurice Broaddus - Chris Ryall - Bryan Thomas Schmidt - Steven L. Sears - Jonathan Maberry and Louis Ozawa.

Inspired by the events of the original Aliens vs. Predators movies, graphic novels, and novels, these are the ultimate life-and-death struggles. Including a new story written by Jonathan Maberry and Louis Ozawa ("Hanzo" from the movie Predators) as Hanzo's brother faces the eternal threats of both the Yautja and the Xenomorphs." (See; Aliens vs. Predators - Ultimate Prey Paperback – March 1, 2022)

In August 2021, Giant Freakin Robot reported that, according to their inside sources, a third Alien vs. Predator film has entered development at Disney, and considering the trend the film is naturally expected to exist in continuity with previous films and other products. (See; Exclusive: New Alien Vs. Predator Movie In Development)

Conclusion

The case seems to be clear as to the Alien, Predator, Alien vs. Predator, and Prometheus franchises all taking place within a single continuity for as long as they've been around, and there appears to be no considerable reasons to oppose this rather obvious fact (and it should also be noted that empty hearsay and unverifiable or contradictory claims and personal canon or fanon from individuals associated with or working for Fox hardly counts here), but there's a great deal of falsehoods unfortunately being promoted in the fanbase and causing completely unnecessary division and debates. After all, it would seem inconsistent of 20th Century Fox to hold to the position that a shared universe doesn't exist, and at the same time repeatedly demonstrate through their own products and media that a shared universe evidently and unavoidably must exist, without any clear boundaries or licensing issues, especially seeing as Fox owns each of these franchises and seem to relatively regularly resort to crossing them over, which also makes sense financially.

It should also logically come as perfectly expected, that essentially whatever new products using these licenses are released, for the general audience to conclude that these products simply and always exists in continuity with each other, considering how irreversibly interconnected these franchises are by now and the fanbases which formed around them as a shared universe. Adding that the concept of a single unified canon is much more inclusive and much less divisive, offering a base for all fans to unite within while also offering certain fans the opportunity to choose which parts of the official canon they wish to indulge in and which parts they wish to ignore, as they are still following the official canon, and with one unified canon there is no room for conflict and debates about what's canon and what is not. Also, if any considerable licensing issues did exist then that could be easily overcome by simply rebranding the four licenses under one banner, say for example the rather popular terms the "Alien/Predator Universe", or the "Alien/Predator Galaxy", or even the "XenoVerse" (akin to the "MonsterVerse" of the Godzilla and King Kong shared universe by Legendary and Warner Bros.), and from there on expand the franchise to new frontiers and include more than just the Alien and Predator creatures and their associated settings.

Ultimately, it seems we ought to realize that the evidence works in favor of the universalists holding to what is actually canon whereas the separatists hold to their own personal fanon, and I apologize if I've shattered the illusion of some people who prefer there to be separate universes for whatever reasons, but I can't deny the evidence and especially when bringing together the fanbase rather than separating it is so much more preferable and acknowledging the shared universe causes much less confusion continuity wise. I also strongly doubt that Disney/20th Century Studios (and now Marvel) have any interest in dismantling a profitable and established universe like this. For all intents and purposes, the shared universe appears at the moment to remain very much intact and active and has remained permanent since the very beginning across four decades, and only time will tell what this fifth decade holds in store for this Alien/Predator franchise and its fanbase.

Review of Notable Assertions

The following section contains reviews and responses to additional notable assertions made by noteworthy individuals with relevance to the topic of this article. Introductory note, several fans continually refer to the Xenopedia Fandom website as a source for supporting the claim of separate canons, but this would be a great mistake considering that this is an unofficial fan-site (hosted by the mother-website Fandom) operated by fans and not being an official source, and the consensus or personal opinions of the administrators (one rather hostile individual in particular) of the site is what determines its contents rather than official sources, and its continual claims that certain aspects of the general Alien/Predator franchise are supposedly "non-canonical" are absolutely unsubstantiated and particularly inaccurate. Adding the additional critique that the site also suffers from appearing aesthetically unappealing and generally being riddled with inaccuracies, poorly written articles and poorly communicated information, and a toxic atmosphere prone to bullying and exclusion (particularly being nurtured by said unreasonable administrator).

Comments by Scott Middlebrook

Scott Middlebrook (consultant on the 2014 guide book Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report) on his personal website "The Alien Universe Timeline" has done some great work constructing a comprehensive (albeit incomplete and problematic) personal perspective on the franchise timeline since 1999 (See; Creatives: Scott Middlebrook, Alien Universe Timeline) covering events as they unfold throughout the Alien, Predator, Alien vs. Predator, and Prometheus films and other media, and he rightfully needs to be commended for the effort. However, it has to be noted that Middlebrook promotes falsehood in his article titled "The Banned Histories – Pre-history to 2008" as he decides to relegate the Predator and AVP films to the status of mere legend and myth, stating the following at the end;

"Another Note: There was much discussion for some years among fans over whether the AvP films constituted legitimate prequels to the four Alien films. The release of Prometheus in 2012 effectively settled the argument by offering an alternate history of Weyland Corp and its founder. Alien Covenant then showed David creating the Alien making it impossible for them to have existed for thousands of years."

There still occurs a lot of discussion on this topic to this day, although there arguably shouldn't because the AVP films does constitute legitimate prequels to both the Alien and Prometheus films and this has never officially changed but has been further affirmed over the years. The comments made here by Middlebrook constitutes nothing more than unfounded fan-speculation (and perhaps even personal preferences), as Fox seemed very adamant to keep AVP connected to Prometheus (as demonstrated earlier), and even if we were to assume that this wasn't the case, then it would still remain true that the AVP and Alien films takes place in the same universe and so the argument becomes moot.

Noting that apparent inconsistencies occurs throughout all Alien, Predator, Alien vs. Predator, and Prometheus films and associated materials, but the apparent inconsistency that Middlebrook refers to in regards to there seemingly existing two different companies and two different founders would be nothing more than an illusion or misinterpretation. In actuality, the version of Weyland Corporation and its founder Peter Weyland as featured in Prometheus are designed in such a way that they can easily (and arguably should) be interpreted as a rejuvenated iteration of the same company from AVP, with Charles Weyland serving as the father of Peter Weyland (as further addressed in the article On the Kinship of Charles and Peter Weyland). There is no genuine inconsistency to be found here, much less any actual confirmation of AVP and Prometheus supposedly operating within separate continuities, which we can easily debunk judging by how Fox integrated AVP and Prometheus into the same universe with their subsequent products.

Regarding the claim that David supposedly was the first to ever create a Xenomorph and that therefore AVP becomes impossible in the Covenant timeline, this is again nothing but baseless fan-speculation and misinterpretation which is even contradicted by the products Fox has produced both before and after Covenant was released (as further clarified in the article On the Problem of David and the Alien). Even assuming that David did create the first Xenomorph, that wouldn't really mean anything in regards to AVP sharing the same continuity as Covenant because of the time travel aspect present in this universe as most notably referred to in the Life and Death comics from 2016-2017 and the 2018 film The Predator. Besides, there will always be apparent inconsistencies present throughout all the Alien, Predator, Alien vs. Predator, and Prometheus series despite that they share continuity, and this is nothing new. Middlebrook then concludes;

"This idea was subsequently folded in the greater Alien continuity by Fox, relegating AvP."

However, this is again nothing but a completely baseless assertion (or "fanon"), and no support for verification of the claim is ever provided, and so it should be rightfully dismissed without apology.

Noting that Middlebrook seems to have a confused understanding of the difference between canonicity and license considering he has been insistent upon citing licensing issues as arguments for his stance on canonicity, which is something that Fox has clearly overcome time and time again. Not to mention that if there appears to exist no divided canon in Fox's products and instead there appears to exist a shared universe where all brands keep overlapping with each other (like the MCU by Disney/Marvel), then it arguably becomes moot and irrelevant to argue that (even if only internally over at Fox) there exists more than one universe. Further noting that even "if" Middlebrook's words were ever accurate, then the situation may now likely change under Disney.

Comments by Christopher Sebela

On October 10th, 2013, Christopher Sebela, writer of the Alien vs. Predator: Fire and Stone (2014-2015) comic, was interviewed by Gizmodo and asked whether or not the previous Alien vs. Predator films and comics were going to be considered canon, to which he responded; "I'm just sticking with the solo movies, because I think they build up an interesting mythology of their own that fits in well with the world we're building. I think the AVP movies have a lot of interesting things going on, but they seem to exist in their own little bubble, one that's very far away from ours, and, personally, I want to keep myself as free of all past AVP encounters, to start from a clean slate and build my own take on this mythical face-off." (See; How the new Alien, Predator and Prometheus comics will share a universe)

In a separate interview with PREVIEWSworld, he stated; "Well, there will be some Aliens and they most definitely will still be versus Predators, so that much we are staying faithful to, but across all four of the books, we set out to make stories that stood on their own and built an entirely new path in this mythology. When I started, I didn't consider the two AVP films as canon to be studied, and while I love Dark Horse's classic AVP comics, I didn't want them to creep into my head too much. I tried to approach this from as fresh a slate as possible, just using this book as an excuse to re-watch all the Alien and Predator movies and let my idea wheels start spinning as wildly as possible." (See; Aliens and Predator Face Fire and Stone)

Some individuals have previously suggested that these words from Sebela supposedly indicated that the previous Alien vs. Predator films and comics had been stripped of their canonicity, but this would be nothing more than a misinterpretation of Sebela's words, as not only does he lack the authority (which rightfully belongs to Fox) to decide what is officially canon and what isn't (and judging from what we've seen in this article here, Fox seemingly considers all films and essentially any other works canonical), but what he's actually expressing here is evidently just a personal framework for approaching this particular project, which is still officially set in the same universe as all Alien, Predator, Alien vs. Predator, and Prometheus films and their associated expanded universe materials, while merely asserting that he felt no need to directly tie into the previous two AVP films as he considered them far away on the timeline and concerned with plots irrelevant to the one he was writing.

Comments by Mike Richardson

In May 2014, Mike Richardson, founder and publisher of Dark Horse Comics, participated in an IAmA thread on Reddit where he was asked what Fox's stance on the canonicity of Alien vs. Predator was now that they had launched the new Fire and Stone crossover event, to which he responded; "We pretty much built the continuity for the AVP (which we created) and Predator franchises (the second film was based on our first series . . . a fact complicated when we had to license the film, making it the first comic based on the film that was based on the comic). We are looking mostly toward Prometheus and Alien continuity for our series. Where the other films fit, if at all, will depend on whether they fit in easily and if there is an advantage to including them. We've worked with Fox for many years and they are very supportive of our efforts. Current story lines are consistent with both the studio and the filmmakers." (See; Iam Mike Richardson, publisher and founder of Dark Horse Comics ask me anything)

Some individuals in the fanbase may look to this as some sort of support to the idea that separate continuities exists. However, the actual implication of Richardson's comments here is that as a general rule any and all Alien, Predator, Alien vs. Predator, and Prometheus films are considered canonical and will be addressed and expanded upon whenever the desire arises and the situation demands it, and he affirms what the evidence suggests in regards to that the studio considers all four Alien, Predator, Alien vs. Predator, and Prometheus brands to be canonical to each other. These words are not to be misconstrued as to suggest that something isn't canonical to something else.

Comments by Scott Sigler

On February 24th, 2020, popular YouTube channel Alien Theory uploaded an interview with Scott Sigler, author of the novel Aliens: Phalanx, in which he noted about five minutes in that the novel was designed in such a way that it wouldn't conflict with any previous works in the Alien/Predator universe, and additionally he stated the following on the topic of Fox and what they consider to be canon; "Largely the lines that couldn't be crossed was 'don't reinvent the wheel'. [The people] at Fox have enough on their plate trying to keep track of Alien, Aliens, [Alien 3], and then Prometheus, Covenant, and the various things, and they as far as I know they're still trying to officially lock down what is canon and what is not. For example the [Alien vs. Predator] movies are not considered to be canon, but sometimes they are, it's a little bit all over the map, and that will happen when you have a franchise that's been around for this long and has had so many creative hands in the pie. [So one] of the reasons I pushed for Phalanx, and that Steve and Titan pushed for it, is because of the way I had set up the story. It doesn't contradict anything that's out there. [It] doesn't contradict any of the movies, and as long as I kept that in mind, I had complete free reign to create the world I wanted to create and create the constructs that needed to be built to tell the story." (See; Aliens: Phalanx - An Interview with Scott Sigler)

If there's anything to be learned from Sigler's recollection of the situation over at Fox, it's that Fox has no definitive canon to work with, but essentially considers anything and everything canonical (with apparent contradictions or inconsistencies and all of that included), and will acknowledge certain things as canonical while ignoring other things as far as it suits them, until they decide to switch things around again. Basically, it's a mess over at Fox, and this much we could probably figure out from the way the general Alien/Predator franchise has been handled, along with the various conflicting, confusing, and concerning statements coming from people working at or for Fox.

Comments by Andrew Gaska

Andrew Gaska (settings writer for the 2019 tabletop game Alien: The Roleplaying Game) stated in a September 2020 interview with AVPGalaxy (titled "Barroom Canon, Deep Lore & Unpredictability, Talking Alien RPG with Settings Writer Andrew Gaska!") that they designed the game to be able to incorporate any sort of personal canon into the universe of the game no matter how contradictory they seemed, and he also gratefully (clearly suggesting bias) alleged that "the guys at the top" of Fox (seemingly referring to Ridley Scott and Shane Black, which are not actual representatives of Fox) had decided that there were supposedly "three different universes with Alien/Prometheus, Predator, and Alien vs. Predator" (sharing his personal perspective on canonicity in the very messy article "DEFINING CANON IN AN ALIEN WORLD" on his personal website, apparently being a guideline for canon in the game that he was allegedly handed over by Fox) but was then swiftly questioned on that claim when it was brought to his attention that Shane Black and the crew behind The Predator had made several statements in regards to the Alien, Predator, Alien vs. Predator, and Prometheus series taking place in the same universe and that the film had been deliberately designed to reflect this basic consensus from the studio.

Gaska was taken aback by these news, and resorted to rather ludicrous theorizing for why this could be the case, further indicating that there is unfortunately some ongoing confusion over at Fox (or at least among those working for or with Fox) regarding the actual relationships and canonicities of the Alien, Predator, Alien vs. Predator, and Prometheus brands, even though Fox's treatment of these brands as reflected in their actual products seem to reflect a larger shared franchise and universe. Adding that even if it were true that there existed three separate canons (one canon with only the four Alien films and the two Prometheus films, one canon with only the four Predator films, and one canon including all the aforementioned films along with the two Alien vs. Predator films), this concept would be esentially rendered pointless and irrelevant since the Alien vs. Predator canon includes all of them, and each brand keeps referencing each other, and trying to figure out which belongs to what would inevitably become unnecessarily confusing for the audience.

At the end of the day, this is yet another example of an evidently unreliable assertion, where an individual's own words stand in stark contrast to the company's actual products. Noting that Gaska seems to hold a similar confused understanding of the difference between canonicity and license as Middlebrook does, and adding that if a particular product licensed under one brand references a separate brand from a supposedly separate canon as if they belonged to the same universe, then any claim of separate universes becomes increasingly more questionable and irrelevant. Further noting that even "if" Gaska was ever fully truthful on this, then the situation may now change under Disney.

Comments by Craig Zinkievich

In 2021, the upcoming video game Aliens: Fireteam Elite will be released and acknowledge the first three Alien films and the two Prometheus films as well as Alien: Isolation along with its associated comics, and thus by logical extension the Alien vs. Predator and Predator films, as well as feature the Praetorian Xenomorph introduced by AVP materials. The developers were also asked in an interview with IGN about whether or not Predators or Predaliens would be featured in the game, to which they responded that they're focusing on Xenomorphs because according to Cold Iron Studio's head Craig Zinkievich, "it's an Aliens game", but didn't contradict that they're part of the same universe. (See; How Aliens: Fireteam Fits Into the Alien Universe...Including Prometheus and Covenant – IGN First)

In a separate interview with Shacknews, Zinkievich said; "There is no Predator in the game at launch, and the line is, we currently have no plans on introducing the Predator to the game." Again implying they exist within the same universe but they're focus is solely on the Xenomorphs while leaving the door open for Predator content. He also gave comments on how they were taking elements from the expanded universe into account, and that "canon" to them was a confusing concept and how they were more working within a mold, and that the fan had to decide their own canon according to them. (See; Aliens: Fireteam Elite Studio Head Talks Lore, Predators & More!)

Comments by John Davis and Dan Trachtenberg

In a 2021 Collider interview the producer of the upcoming fifth Predator film, John Davis, stated the following; "Secondly, this is the Predator origin story. This is the Predator's first journey to this planet." This would clearly contradict the established canon of the Alien/Predator universe through movies and various other media where Yautjas have been to Earth and hunted and interacted with humans for thousands of years, but as was noted by AVPGalaxy in their review of this interview, this is likely an additional instance of Davis having misspoke and confused things (such as by mistakenly referring to the film's working title "Skulls" or "Skull" as the actual title for the film for example), with the actual intention being to communicate that the film depicts the first visit of an individual Predator rather than the species in general. Not to mention how difficult if not impossible it would be to communicate that this would have been the first visit to planet Earth for the entire Yautja species, and many fans seem not too fond of such retcon ideas. (See; Exclusive: New 'Predator' Movie Title, Plot Details, and Timeline Revealed by Producers John Davis and John Fox and Producers John Davis and John Fox Talk Predator 5 Details!)

In August 2022, the fact that Davis was mistaken was further affirmed by the director Dan Trachtenberg in an interview with the SFX magazine, saying; “I want to specifically say this, because I think there’s been some confusion how people have understood: in my mind, this is not a prequel movie, this isn’t, ‘Let’s tell the origin of the Predator.’ This is really something that’s set prior to the original Predator movie. And the Predator creature in this one, this is its first time travelling to Earth.” In other words, this is not the first time the Predator species has been to Earth, but only the first time this one individual Predator has visited the planet. (See; The Feral Predator Stalks SFX Magazine With New Prey Interviews & Production Stills!)

Comments by Bryan Thomas Schmidt

On January 26th, 2022, author Bryan Thomas Schmidt announced the Predator: Eyes of the Demon anthology book on the Alien vs. Predator Galaxy - Facebook Community. A discussion on canon briefly ensued, and one of the moderators stated that only the films were considered completely canonical and criticized the Alien/Predator franchise for being commonly inconsistent in regards to canon and for not remaining consistent with the films, after which Schmidt responded saying; "This is flat out wrong. I just did this anthology and there are a whole bunch of NDA documents that determined what is Canon and what is not. You are just guessing because this is not how it works anymore. When I worked on the previous Predator anthology I read all the novels, all the comics, and saw all the movies. Was Fox bad about canon? Yeah of course they were. At times. But they have cleaned that up and listened to fans. And in my books and my stories I always try to do things to tie things together and fill in some of the gaps and I’ve been successful so far." (See; Comments by Bryan Thomas Schmidt)

Schmidt asserts that the moderator's comments are false and that there have been several non-disclosure agreements in existence within Fox on what should be considered canon, and that fans have merely been left to speculate as a result, with one person's opinion being no more valid than that of another. He also asserts that he's been working hard on unifying the various materials in the Alien/Predator franchise and bring more consistency to that universe, asserting Fox has been messy in their handling of the canon but is paying more attention to the problem, and believing progress has been made and is currently being made in this endeavour.