Alien: Paradiso

Alien: Paradiso is a five–issue comic book series first published by Marvel Comics from December 2024-April 2025.^[1]^[2] It was written by Steve Foxe, penciled by Edgar Salazar, inked by Victor Nava, colored by Carlos Lopez, lettered by VC's Clayton Cowles, edited by Sarah Brunstad. Additionally, Xenomorph POV art was provided by Peter Nguyen. Cover art was provided by Iban Coello and Yen Nitro while variant cover art was provided by various artists.

In Marvel's Alien comics line, Alien: Paradiso was preceded by Alien: Romulus.

Publisher's summary[]

#1: Welcome to Paradiso, where the money flows like blood and the blood flows like acid! The Tulum of space, Paradiso is a hidden gem among the colonies with its tropical climate, white sand beaches and a remarkable population of hyper-wealthy criminals. When Colonial Marshals Dash Nanda and Lydia Reeves are sent there to bust a smuggling ring, they think they’ve hit the job-assignment jackpot. But the only ones getting lucky here are those HUNGRY enough to take what they need.

#2: THE LEGACY OF THE NOSTROMO HAUNTS PARADISE! The island resort Paradiso explodes in violence! A chestburster is loose among the hapless hyper-wealthy and the seriously underpaid staff. But Xenomorphs aren’t the only threat lurking in the neon lights. Smuggler Ricky Valentine came here to make a deal that would set him and his crew up for life. But that life’s not going to last very long – not unless his bodyguard, Tsula Kane, can finally connect the dots of her father’s death…and get revenge on the real villains. A can’t-miss chapter in the Alien mythos!

#3: TSULA KANE FACES HER FATHER’S FATE: DEATH BY XENO! Decades ago, Weyland-Yutani swept Thomas Kane’s violent death on the Nostromo under the rug, hiding the truth even from the wife and child who survived him. Now a hardened mercenary, his daughter Tsula has carried that bitter mystery all this time. With the truth tearing bloody swaths through her latest assignment, Tsula might just wish she’d never found the answers after all.

#4: THE BEST KILLERS IN THE GALAXY! That’s the reputation smuggler Ricky Valentine likes to cultivate, alongside his tough-as-nails bodyguard Tsula Kane. But they just met their first real competition. As xenomorphs surge through the sun-kissed streets of the planet Paradiso, Ricky and Tsula turn their knives and guns on the colonial marshals who want to lock them away. With handcuffs at one end and slavering jaws at the other, have Rickey and Tsula’s colorful careers brought them to a crimson end?

#5: BLOOD RUNS THROUGH PARADISE! Xenomorphs swarm the Paradiso resort - but while anyone sane fights to get as far away as possible, young waiter Videl is headed right for the creatures?! Meanwhile, violent smugglers Ricky Valentine and Tsula Kane have Colonial Marshals Dash and Lydia cornered, but the infestation is worse than any of them know. It's a race to the last lift off this hellscape - and it's anyone's game.

Plot[]

In 2153 on Paradiso, Ricky Valentine, a wanted smuggler arrived to meet with resort's owner Carlito Magni for a deal with Arrow of Gold cartel. Elsewhere, Colonial Marshals Dash Nanda and his partner Lydia Reeves were sent as reconnaissance to bust Valentine and his smuggling ring and posed as a couple to gather intel on the smugglers. A week before, they were able to captured one surviving smuggler during a human trafficking operation bust which revealed intel of Valentine's deal, which would allow his criminal enterprise to control crimes on the outer colonies. They decided to meet on Paradiso, a privately-owned resort which had a strict weapons-free policy and due to Magni's desire of associating powerful organisations and associates. Later, Su-jin, an Arrow of Gold cartel member, arrived at the meeting with Valentine who was alarmed due to unannounced changes as he was supposed to arrive with 3 others. He revealed to have pick up cargo with Weyland-Yutani who was willing to pay more than Valentine before being killed by a Chestburster. The creature made its escape through ventilation ducts before the guests started to panic. Seeing the incident, Magni ordered a full communication blackout and isolate the island to contain the infestation. He told the staff to capture the creature and sent a security team to Su-jin's vessel. However, by the time Magni's security team arrived, Su-jin's companions had already been killed in a similar manner.

In the lockdown, all the guests were escorted back to their rooms while the ones at the bar remained quarantined till the incident resolved. The escaped Chestburster later killed a young boy and his mother before matured to a full-grown Xenomorph. Reeves and Nanda found themselves in a communication blackout and determined it was to preserved the resort's reputation. Valentine ordered Magni's android staffs to let them leave the premises but was continuously refused. At communications, Magni witnessed the massacre of his security team by three other Xenomorphs. Outside, Videl and Bruno, staff resorts were ordered to capture the creature and promised full payment from their contracts. Hours later, the people grew more uneasy as Tsula Kane, daughter of Thomas Kane who was killed in a Xenomorph attack on USCSS Nostromo, prepared for their upcoming escape with kitchen's cutlery. A Xenomorph made its way into the bar and started to massacre tourists and staffs alike with the people begging to be let out. One of Valentine's henchman Glasgow tried to kill it but was bitten off by the creature. In a desperate attempt to survive, Nanda told Valentine and Kane to light the creature with a molotov which successfully drove it back. Reeves and Nanda were proceeded to be hold hostage by Valentine and Kane in regards to their knowledge of the smuggler's identity.

While monitoring communications, Magni saw the flaming Xenomorph tear through the spa complex, killing another staff member. Hoping to flee the island and avoid the chaos and ensuing cover-up, he headed for the gondola at the western pier, but was ambushed and killed by a horde of Xenomorphs. Hearing the commotion, the guests quickly became new targets. Meanwhile, elsewhere, Valentine interrogated Nanda and Reeves, quickly deducing they were undercover cops. He destroyed Nanda’s collected intel and accused them of orchestrating the Xenomorph outbreak. Reeves is able to loose her restrains and choked Valentine, confirming their identities as Colonial Marshals and announcing their mission. She persuaded to let them live as their command ship would shoot their vessel down or arrest them on sight if they did not hear from them. Reeves ordered them to take to Magni in order to lift the blackout and call for reinforcements and prevent further loss of life, promising to let them go afterward. Outside, Videl — a former farmer from the farming colony of Demeter’s Faith — had been selected to work at Magni’s resort, hoping to financially support his family. The staff members, including Bruno and Sofia, set out to track the creature, unaware that another was silently stalking them from behind. Elsewhere, the Colonial Marshals and Valentine's crew arrived at a newly-made Xenomorph hive at the Ivory Tower where they discovered Magni's corpse and several others cocooned. Suddenly, they were ambushed and most of Valentine's crew were killed, saved for Nanda, Kane, Valentine and Reeves though the latter was locked out of the house by Valentine. Nanda and Kane barricaded themselves in a room while Reeves was left at the Xenomorph's mercy.

Realizing Reeves was missing, Nanda tried to head back outside, but Kane restrained him, reasoning it was already too late. Valentine taunted Reeves before making his escape. She was slashed across her abdomen, revealing herself to be a synthetic. Meanwhile, Sofia was killed by the stalking Xenomorph, and Bruno shoved Videl aside and fled for his life. Bruno's pleas for help attracted the remaining elusive guests and hordes of Xenomorphs before being killed himself. Outside, Videl witnessed the carnage and decided to look for a mean to escape off the island. At the casino, Nanda and Kane tried to rendezvous back with Valentine as he was their only way escape with Nanda revealing their threats were bluffs made by Reeves. Soon, they were able to gain access to the locked rooms, with the help of Reeves, who was severely injured and nearing shutdown. Through the monitors, she revealed both her actions and her synthetic nature to Nanda and Kane, shocking Nanda, who had served alongside her for a long time. However, Reeves assured Nanda of their partnership's genuineness before shutting down. They are met up by Videl who insisted on coming along with them. Elsewhere, Valentine killed Magni's receptionist and recovered his arsenal goods before making his way towards the landing pad.

Nanda, Kane and Videl made their way outside before being held at gunpoint by Valentine who wanted to escape alone. Suddenly, a Xenomorph attacked Valentine, ripping his robotic arm which was still holding a weapon but is shot and killed by Valentine. However, the blood began to eat its way through the hulls to the underside and exposed fuel line which create a chance for Kane to ignite the vessel, blowing Valentine and the pursuing Xenomorphs. They made their way to Su-jin's vessel where they discovered a cargo of Ovomorphs with Videl overhearing the vessel's radio, offering a vast sum of money for their cargo while Nanda and Kane destroyed the eggs after a Facehugger nearly impregnate the former. Eventually, they noticed Videl slipped away from them and back to the resort. Soon, the reinforcements arrived and Nanda offered Kane a position within the Colonial Marshals but she refused due to her distrust of Weyland-Yutani and suspecting them to be responsible for the infestation. He opted to let her escape through one of the vessel before his co-workers arrived.

Elsewhere, Videl contacted a Weyland-Yutani executive, and asked how much they were willing to pay for an Ovomorph, which he had recovered.

Reprint history[]

Issues #1-5 of Alien: Paradiso were collected in a trade paperback edition published by Marvel Comics on August 12, 2025.

Development[]

In a sense, Paradiso was written in response to Alien: Romulus. While Romulus was a back-to-basics film, Steve Foxe wanted to write a story that hadn't been seen in the wider Alien universe. Hence the decision to set the story at a sunny, high-end beach resort. However, Foxe veered close to the fundamentals of the Alien franchise—a small group of people out of their depth, stalked by an unknowable threat in a contained location.^[3]