Alien (creature in Alien franchise)

The "Alien" (also referred to as a "Xenomorph") is a fictional endoparasitoid extraterrestrial arthropodal species that is the eponymous antagonist of the  Alien film series. The species made its debut in the film Alien (1979), and reappeared in the sequels Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), and (1997), as well as the crossover franchise Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). A similar creature of a slightly different design also briefly appears in the Ridley Scott film Prometheus (2012). In addition, the Alien appears in various literature and video game spin-offs from the franchises.