We Need to Talk About Andy: The Best “Alien: Romulus” Character Has Issues

A strong opening weekend box office take for “Alien: Romulus” demonstrates audience eagerness to see Ridley Scott’s franchise return to its roots. Its lasting impact is still up for debate: “Romulus” could either reignite the saga for a new generation or fade as a fleeting excitement.

One undeniable highlight is David Jonsson’s portrayal of Andy, the obsolete android designed to protect Rain Carradine (played by Cailee Spaeny), the film’s daring protagonist.

Rain views Andy as her brother, and without him, she would be utterly alone in a mining colony that appears to care little for its inhabitants’ well-being. Andy, a “synthetic person,” provides Rain the only semblance of humane treatment she might receive.

This bond is crucial because Andy gives Rain someone, or something, to care for. Although Andy looks like an adult human, he behaves like an awkward, stammering middle-schooler trying to win over peers with harmless jokes.

Once Andy interfaces with the programming on a derelict space station, the dynamics change. He suddenly becomes better equipped to survive than the humans who brought him along. Now, the humans are more of a burden to him. Rain’s safety becomes an afterthought.

Andy fits into the larger history of the franchise, where androids often clash with Isaac Asimov’s classic Three Laws of Robotics. Since Ellen Ripley’s first xenomorph encounter in 1979, Scott’s androids have challenged our reliance on technology and assumed dominance over it.

Previous androids in the franchise, like Michael Fassbender’s David 8 in “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” developed a disdain for humans and propagated mayhem. On the other end, Lance Henriksen’s Bishop and Winona Ryder’s Call were so empathetic that they made most humans around them seem unprincipled.

Jonsson’s Andy fluctuates between these extremes. Unlike David, he lacks contempt and sadism, but he never reaches Bishop’s level of humanity. He’s smarter, stronger, colder, and more emotionless in his calculations.

Andy won’t, for instance, hold doors open for his human allies fleeing from terrors. He assumes they know he’s calculated their speed and the rate of the closing doors to ensure they make it just in time. He’s less homicidal and more Darwinian.

The script by Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues implies that Rain is better off with a slightly broken Andy, one focused on her safety yet forced to act only when necessary.

Jonsson’s role in this “Alien” legacy is fraught with complexities, as this film series features Black men in supporting roles to white women. This includes characters whose survival against deadly species makes them symbols of feminist ferocity and pop culture icons.

Aware of spoilers, to know the “Alien” series is to know that crossing paths with Ellen Ripley often means a low survival rate. Characters, including those played by Black actors, generally don’t make it. However, Andy does survive, and he’s possibly the best-written character in “Alien: Romulus” in terms of psychology and emotional depth.

His personality arc is built on shaky foundations. At the beginning of “Romulus,” Andy’s gentle demeanor and occasional glitches explain Rain’s protective instincts toward him. As a magnet for bullying, even Rain’s friends treat him as expendable. He was designed to be just that.

Andy resembles a familiar type within the white savior narrative: a Black man with extraordinary potential who can only thrive under the care of a white person. This notion persists even when Andy encounters the slimy remains of Rook, the derelict vessel’s android science officer who looks like Ash, the first android traitor introduced in 1979’s “Alien.”

Ash, played by a digitally superimposed late Ian Holm over Daniel Betts, asserts his superiority over Andy, reminding him that despite being the latest model, Andy is considered obsolete.

In moments like these, the script hints that Álvarez and Sayagues are aware of the broader implications of Andy’s character.

Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine and David Jonsson as Andy in “Alien: Romulus” (Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Murray Close)

When Andy is told he can’t accompany his human teammates to the promised land, he seems momentarily confused, hurt even, but accepts it if it’s best for Rain. Andy 2.0 is not as forgiving. Before he fully abandons his original directive, he warns Rain she won’t see him as a child anymore. Later, he acts without sentimentality, making decisions based on the best chances of survival.

Many may wonder what Andy’s or Jonsson’s complexion has to do with the story. Jonsson likely took the role for the same reasons any actor would—being part of a resilient film series that offers a challenging role. However, it’s impossible to ignore the racial optics within any sequel, especially in a franchise that became iconic for casting a woman in a role originally written for a man.

Imagine how different “Aliens” would have been if Ricco Ross, who played Pvt. Frost, had gotten the role of Corporal Hicks instead of Michael Biehn. It might not have changed the parental dynamic between Hicks and Ripley but could have influenced other assumptions about the characters, especially in the 1980s when interracial relationships weren’t commonly shown in action blockbusters.

Andy’s survival defies the trend in which Black characters are often deemed expendable, suggesting intentional subversion on Álvarez and Sayagues’ part. Even if accidental, it’s commendable that Andy’s character challenges this cinematic cliché.

Credit goes to both Jonsson’s performance and the script. His riveting portrayal ensures we root for Andy, even when he makes hard choices.

The bottom falls out when Rain decides to go back for Andy after he’s incapacitated, reverting to his childlike state. This mirrors Ripley’s actions, leaving no one behind, including the ship’s cat, Jonesy, or Newt.

An original endgame would have been ideal, but Álvarez and Sayagues chose the safer homage route. Rather than the sacrificial stereotype, they leaned into the savior trope.

Jonsson’s compelling performance shows that the audience is ready for a fresh direction. If “Romulus” is the start of a new series branch, future writers should be confident that they can tell new stories without relying on the same old tropes. Andy represents Rain’s best shot at survival, and it’s up to her to keep pace.

Source: Particlenews, 20th Century Studios