I’m a sucker for fan fiction, even the ones that don’t really add up or make a lot of sense to established canon. Some of my favorites are the ones where two universes collide for the biggest crossover that fan-fueled media can possibly provide. I’ve even written some of my own, though they’ll never see the light of day, at least under my own name.
Anyway, this has led to a lot of time lost in thought, wondering what movies could actually take place in the same universe, living under the same canon. I know I am not the only one, either, but after many countless hours of research and obsession, I think I’ve found the movies that would comprise my ultimate fictional universe.
Alien
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You might think, from this addition alone, that this list will mostly comprise other horror films. You would be sorely mistaken. If we strictly ignore most of the sequels and how much of a franchise it has become, Alien is that perfect catalyst movie for other media to conveniently exist within. Taking place in the far reaches of space, Alien is self-contained and horrific.
But beyond the plot, there are hints at what the outside world looks like within the universe of Alien. Greedy corporations, possibly a dystopian society of workers in space just scraping to get by, and of course, extraterrestrial life. This left me wondering not only what other alien species could exist, but what life is like for humans in other sectors of space and on Earth. Once you start down that rabbit hole, the possibilities are practically endless.
Total Recall
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Not really a stretch to imagine once you think about it for a little bit. Like Alien, there are themes of corporate greed, but here it’s much more apparent. This is a straight-up dystopian world, where people are so disenfranchised that they get fake memories implanted of better times that never actually happened. Total Recall presents a grim world, but unlike Alien, the tone here is comedic, action-packed, and tongue planted firmly in cheek.
But who’s to say that these two films can’t exist side-by-side? There’s even a side plot of an extinct alien race on Mars. Who knows what their past is, or what other extraterrestrials exist out there in the universe beyond? Forget Predator, I want to see Total Recall Arnold Schwarzenegger rip a facehugger to shreds with his bare hands while delivering a cheesy one-liner. Now that’s entertainment.
This one may raise some eyebrows, but I stand behind it. Who’s to say that E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial doesn’t take place in the past of Alien‘s universe, and that our contact with the eponymous character wasn’t humanity’s first foray into the alien world? Plus, if there are terrifying beings like the xenomorph out there, I’d imagine there would have to be peaceful aliens as well.
Look beyond the family-friendly entertainment, and imagine the world of possibilities of a whole army of E.T.-like aliens fighting xenomorphs in defense of humanity and the universe as a whole. It would be the Alien universe’s very own Ewoks, and who doesn’t want more of that? You mix in Arnold befriending one of these friendly little cuddle machines, and you have yourself a box office hit right out of the ’80s.
The Thing
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Well, we all knew it would go back to horror eventually, and what better movie than The Thing? The eponymous alien creature in this film is truly the stuff of nightmares, and I’d argue that it would give the xenomorph a run for its money in wreaking havoc on the universe. A being that can consume and then become any lifeform it comes into contact with is a recipe for a quick and disastrous ending.
I like to imagine the xenomorph and the thing as old enemies, locked in a battle to assimilate as many planets as they can and ultimately, destroy each other. You throw in E.T.’s race and the lost beings from Total Recall, and you’ve got yourself a bona fide cinematic universe in the making. Plus, it’d make for some very fun the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend-like plots, though I struggle to imagine the alien from The Thing playing nice with anyone.
Annihilation
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One of those sci-fi movies that will have you questioning reality, Annihilation is as strange as it is terrifyingly original. Based on the book of the same name, the movie sees a group of scientists go into the Shimmer, and what they find is a section of Earth truly and horrifically mutated by this alien presence. It reminds me in some ways of the being from The Thing, but less as a malevolent force, and more as a biological force of alien nature.
Still, I like to imagine that the two are linked in some way. Perhaps a cousin alien species, or from the same solar system. While maybe not fitting into this growing fictional world quite like the others, I think there’s some space here for some truly weird sci-fi, and Annihilation certainly fits the bill there. It’s not exactly an example of terrifying horror that no one talks about, but it’s pretty close.
It’s fun to imagine interconnected fictional worlds
While there’s obviously nothing in reality to suggest any of these worlds share connective tissue, I find it to be an entertaining thought exercise. Sure, it would probably create some plot holes if it ever actually happened, but sometimes it can be fun to turn off that portion of your brain in the name of fun. Of course, if you do like those sorts of inconsistencies, these plot holes will drive you crazy in short order.
