Ripley (Space Marine)

"Relax, boys, and let a pro take over."

―Ripley (from Aliens: Hive War)

Ripley
Biographical Information
Place of birth	Earth
Rank	Lieutenant
Affiliation	Space Marines
Status	Alive
Physical Description
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Blue
Other Information
Notable facts	Discovered and defeated the first Alien. Survived numerous face to face Alien encounters. Killed multiple Alien Queens.

Lieutenant Ripley, nicknamed Rip, was a member of the Space Marines, part of a special Xenomorph emergency response unit. She was a member of the combat unit aboard the Starship Narcissus, who responded to a distress call from Acheron, where she became the "first" human to discover and subsequently kill a Xenomorph.

She was one of the few survivors of the disastrous incident and was appointed Commanding Officer of a quick-response team for Xenomorph threats. She later did a tour across three planets and a moon to stop a Xenomorph invasion that could have reached Earth. Ripley was also an authorized Power Loader pilot. She was considered to be the best bug-hunter there is.

Biography

Early Life

Ripley was born on Earth, she later joined the Space Marines as a junior officer.

Acheron

"I was the first Space Marine ever to face an Alien, but their sheer ferocity still amazes me!"

―Ripley, thinking to herself (from Aliens: Jungle Attack)

Sometime prior to the events on Tanaka 5, Ripley and the other Space Marines were stationed on the Starship Narcissus, where they answered a distress signal from the nearby planet Acheron. On the surface, they faced off against an Alien infestation on the planet.

She was the first Space Marine to come in contact with the Xenomorphs and only barely defeated the first Alien. The events on Acheron were disastrous, with several Space Marines killed in action, four days later only a handful remained, Ripley was one of the few survivors.

The Starship Narcissus

The Narcissus Infestation

"Give 'em a taste of your Bug Sprayer!"

―Ripley, to Hicks (from the Operation: Aliens Combat Game)

The few survivors, Ripley, Sergeant Apone, Sergeant Drake, Corporal Hicks, and the android Bishop, made it back to the Narcissus where they believed themselves to be safe. However, the Alien Queen and her brood of Three-headed Aliens had also gotten aboard the ship.

Millions of miles away from Acheron, the true nightmare was just about to begin for the five Marines. After discovering the Alien infestation on board the ship with them, the Marines plotted to blow up the ship and escape via the escape capsule. The Marines moved through the ship, activating the three coded panels before beginning the self-destruct countdown at the ship's main computer. The Marines then fought their way to the escape capsule, defeating the Xenomorph Queen in the process and then fleeing to salvation.

Aftermath

"But you're the ace bug-hunter, Rip — we need ya!"

―Drake, to Ripley (from Aliens: Showdown)

Ripley was subsequently appointed Commanding Officer of her own rapid-response team for combatting Xenomorph threats, bolstered by her fellow survivors, and would go on to fight several battles against the Aliens.

Tanaka 5

"So don't stop the party on my account!"

―Ripley, to the other Marines (from Aliens: Hive War)

In the afternoon on Tanaka 5, after Apone, Hicks, and Bishop discovered the Scorpion Alien Queen, they sent out a garbled distress signal which was picked up by Ripley. She soon arrived in the hive with a flamethrower and began to torch the Xenomorphs and Ovomorphs with the other Marines.

This caused the Queen to retreat, Ripley implored the Marines to follow her before she can set up another hive. Just as Bishop was suggesting what to do, Apone ran after the Queen to Ripley's dismay and threw a Mega Grenade at her, killing her and causing the hive to become unstable. As the Marines fled, Hicks fell over, prompting Ripley to ask if he was okay. Apone then dug the Marines out of the hive and to the surface using his bio-arm. While the Marines wondered if there were any Aliens left, Ripley said that if there were any, the Aliens would soon find the Marines.

The Marines then called it a day with Apone telling Bishop to contact Drake and tell him to rendezvous at Sector Alpha. Once at Sector Alpha, the Marines prepared for their mission to Zeevan.

Zeevan

Touch Down

"Hope you like your bugs well done, Apone!"

―Ripley, to Apone (from Aliens: Jungle Attack)

As the Space Marines landed their UD-4 "Cheyenne" Dropship on the planet Zeevan at 0800 hours, Ripley made a mission log about the events on Tanaka 5 and hoped that the Zeevan mission would not be the same. After confirming Alpha Sector was clear, Ripley radioed Bishop to ask him if he had a beat on anything. Bishop initially said everything was clear but soon after picked up several signals converging on Ripley's position.

It turned out the signals were not Xenomorphs but a troop of indigenous tetrabrachial-apes, which Drake originally assumed were hostile as they were charging towards the Marines, however, Apone corrected him in that they were running past them and away from something else.

Ripley soon spotted a Gorilla Alien in the trees above their position, but it passed over the Marines and attacked Bishop in the dropship. The Alien spat acid at the dropship which melted through some of the dropship's ordinance, causing the dropship to explode but not before Bishop made it to safety and told the other Marines to run. Ripley later updated her mission log at 2100 hours, stating that they had camped for the night and awaited additional aid from Earth colony TerraForm 3.

Capture and Rescue

"That was too easy..."

―Ripley, after killing the Gorilla Aliens (from Aliens: Meltdown)

While there were no more sightings of the Gorilla Aliens for most of the night, their luck soon ran out as the Xenomorphs attacked the camp. Ripley used her flamethrower to torch the attacking Aliens as Apone asked how she was doing and Drake told her to not look so tense. During the confusion of the firefight, Ripley was captured by the Aliens and taken to their tree-top hive.

At 0100 hours the Marines discovered Ripley's flamethrower at the bottom of the tree containing the hive. Bishop informed them that Ripley's tracker was right above them and Drake confirmed he had visual as he saw a Gorilla Alien carrying Ripley up the tree. Recalling a maneuver they used on Nekko 6, Drake and Apone shot the branch that the Alien was standing on in half, informing Ripley to hold on, to which she responded by asking what she was supposed to hold onto.

As Ripley fell from the tree, Apone caught her with his bio-arm. Ripley then told Drake that the hive was all his to destroy. The Marines then shot the hive down as several Xenomorphs poured out of the ruptured pods. After they killed all the Aliens, Ripley remarked that it was too easy. Hicks then interrupted their parade by pointing out an enranged Gorilla Alien Queen that had survived the firefight, too low on ammo to fight her, Apone called Bishop in for evac.

Killing the Queen

"With no egg and the Queen out of action, the bugs won't be able to spread..."

―Ripley, to the other Marines (from Aliens: Meltdown)

Bishop arrived almost immediately in an EVAC Fighter and captured the Queen before disposing of her inside an active volcano that was nearby. After Apone asked if they had destroyed all the eggs, Ripley remarked that without any eggs or a Queen, the Xenomorphs could not re-populate. Satisfied, the Marines headed back to TerraForm 3 for some rest and recuperation, stating that they could come back for a thorough cleanup later.

TerraForm 3

The Bull Alien

"I've had my fill of bugs in the past few days!"

―Ripley, to Drake (from Aliens: Showdown)

At 2200 hours in the Tuva Settlement on TerraForm 3, the Marines were relaxing and chatting about prior events. Ripley stated she had her fill of Aliens in the past few days, to which Drake responded that she was the ace bug-hunter. While Bishop and Hicks were having a more serious talk about the Xenomorphs, Ripley told them to head inside, stating that even Marines needed rest.

Just then a panicked rancher pulled up and started frantically explaining how his cattle were disappearing and how he noticed something strange among them, which then broke through the fence and charged at him before stopping and hissing. Just as he said that he hoped that it hadn't followed him, the Bull Alien galloped down the street and flipped the rancher's truck. The Marines sprung into action and Hicks fired an RPG known as the Bug Rocker directly at the Xenomorph's head, however, the creature was unscathed. He fired again but this time at the truck's fuel cell, igniting a massive fire that killed the Xenomorph. The Marines learned that the Bull Alien was weak to fire and so planned to stock up on flamethrowers.

The Ranch Infestation

"Okay, Marines, this is it! The invasion is on, and we're going to shut it off!"

―Ripley, to the other Marines (from Aliens: Stampede)

After sending out an alert to all the ranchers on TerraForm 3, Ripley had heard back from all but one. The Marines then mobilized in Stinger XT-37s to their location to confirm the presence of a Xenomorph. Bishop pointed out that the residents of the ranch had been out of contact for more than a week, more than enough time for Xenomorphs to set up a hive. As they moved in, Bull Aliens watched from the long grass before one of them rammed into Drake's Stinger, toppling it. Ripley got up and used her flamethrower to incinerate the attacking Alien, the thankful Drake then joined Ripley in her Stinger.

19 more Bull Aliens stampeded their way, with the Marines switching to flamethrowers to deal with them. However, there were too many of them and Bishop implored Ripley to call a retreat. Immediately after, the Xenomorphs retreated themselves and Ripley asked Bishop if he could track them, to which he said he could but the Stingers were not fast enough to keep up with them. Apone stated they had to stop at some point and for Bishop to keep his eyes on them, Ripley concurred and believed they were going back to their Queen.

The Marines tracked them down to an old farmhouse. Hicks and Drake expressed concern about chasing them down, but Ripley ignored them and told them to quiet down as she heard something in the stable. Upon closer inspection, she confirmed the Xenomorphs were hiding there, Bishop estimated over 50 creatures were inside and the Marines geared up to finish them off.

Assaulting the Stables Hive

"Looks like the whole hive is headed our way!"

―Ripley, to Bishop (from Aliens: Fireball)

Before entering the stables, Ripley ordered Bishop to notify Command that terminal action would be required if they did not make it out within four minutes. Ripley took point and as they headed inside the stables, they came across a Power Loader, to which Drake joked about Ripley finding her favorite toy. Apone asked Bishop if he was reading any movement, Bishop responded that he couldn't get an accurate reading due to interference but did pick up some movement.

Ripley turned in horror as she discovered the entire hive was heading their way with the Queen in tow. Without hesitating, Ripley used her flamethrower to assault the attacking Aliens, with the other Marines joining her. Unfortunately for the Marines, however, the stables sprinkler system turned on and doused the flames, allowing the Aliens to charge once again. Apone ordered everyone to fall back but Ripley stayed inside with Drake and Bishop making a stand outside the entrance to the stables.

Last Stand

"We'll keep fighting until this Alien invasion is history!"

―Ripley, to the other Marines (from Aliens: Fireball)

As the Marines became surrounded, with Ripley nowhere to be seen, the Queen closed in on Drake before Ripley returned in the Power Loader they found earlier. She grabbed the Queen by the neck and lifted her into the air, the Queen tried to stab Ripley with her tail but Ripley threw the Queen into the charging Bull Aliens. Ripley then ordered the Marines to fall in behind her, stating that no matter what, they'd keep fighting until the Alien invasion was quenched.

As Ripley Squared off against the Queen and the Bull Aliens surrounded the Marines, an unknown force in a Hovertread flew down and began to tear apart the Xenomorph horde. While the Xenomorphs were distracted, Ripley once again grappled the Queen and proceeded to torch her. The Hovertread then landed and the man revealed himself as a Marine Special Forces operative codenamed A.T.A.X. While everyone was distracted by A.T.AX., Bishop was attacked by a Snake Alien at the perimeter of the woods.

A.T.A.X.

"He is the best!"

―Ripley, regarding A.T.A.X. (from Aliens: Night Strike)

Bishop, being an android with extremely fast reflexes, dodged the Alien and ran back to warn the others. The Marines got ready to fight but A.T.A.X. donned his Bio-Boost Armor and told them to save their ammo before eliminating all the Aliens, single-handedly. This prompted praise from the Marines, with even Ripley calling him the best. However, celebrations were cut short as a Flying Queen flew down and picked up A.T.A.X. with her talons, carrying him off.

After the Marines tracked A.T.A.X. back to the colony, they found he had already killed the Flying Queen. However, after a brief talk, Apone noticed that all the colonists were missing. Bishop noted that they seemed to be evacuating as he had detected their PDTs at the shuttle launchpad. Drake soon noticed a Mantis Alien jump clear over the wall of the colony.

The Mantis Alien Swarm

"Something weird is going down!"

―Ripley, to Apone (from Aliens: Swarm)

Shortly after identifying the new Xenomorph variant, a whole swarm of Mantis Aliens attacked the Marines, who returned fire. After a brief firefight, the Marines decided to pull back to the launchpad to make sure the colonists safely evacuated. The Xenomorphs followed them and a Mantis Alien ambushed Drake and lifted him up into the air, A.T.A.X. quickly saved him by blasting the Xenomorph with his arm cannons.

Just as Ripley was relieved that the last colonist was boarding the shuttle, a Xenomorphic tail wrapped around the colonist's neck and pulled him inside. Ripley called for back up and investigated the interior of the shuttle, where she found the colonists had all been grabbed by Giant Facehuggers. Ripley ran back to Apone and the others and informed them of what she saw and said that they had to chase the shuttle. The Marines then set out to follow the shuttle to the Moon Base.

Lunar Installation

Giant Facehuggers

"All right, daddy long-legs — HUG THIS!"

―Ripley, to the Giant Facehugger (from Aliens: Terrordome)

The Marines landed their dropship on TerraForm 3's Lunar Installation after not being able to contact anyone on the surface. After landing inside the installation, Ripley discovered the place had been turned into one giant hive. As Ripley was trying to discern where the Xenomorphs were hiding, a Giant Facehugger ambushed her from above, lifting her up by the neck with its tail. Ripley called out for help but managed to incinerate the Facehugger herself.

The Marines prepared for a standoff as multiple Giant Facehuggers began to attack them. After the firefight, Apone asked Bishop how many were left and he believed that they had killed the last of them. Bishop then realized there was a second Dome on the installation. Meanwhile, Ripley had discovered a little girl in the maintenance corridors. Just as Apone was about to order the Marines to the next Dome, Ripley approached him and told him that he should talk to the little girl. After Apone asked the girl what the matter was, she revealed that her parents were taken by the "Monster Rhinos".

Rhino Aliens

"Don't worry, Kim. I bet those are your parents coming through the airlock."

―Ripley, to Kim (from Aliens: Ice Storm)

Apone had sent Bishop on a recon mission to the Agriculture Dome and while they were waiting for his return, Ripley comforted the little girl by saying that it was probably her parents coming through the airlock that was opening. Bishop returned, missing an arm, he revealed that the Agriculture Dome was overtaken by a hive of Rhino Aliens that were much stronger than anything they had faced before.

Bishop was wired up to a Power Loader and sent in with A.T.A.X. to freeze the beasts. After A.T.A.X. killed the Queen, he returned with the little girl's parents. With the Alien invasion finally stopped, the Marines were free to return home until their next assignment.

Personality and Traits

"The only good Alien is a torched Alien!"

―Ripley (from Ripley's Aliens Bio-Data)

Ripley was the shortest and most physically weak of the Space Marines, but she more than made up for these shortcomings with her intelligence, fiery spirit, and bravery. Ripley was a hardy Marine with the attitude to back it up, she considered herself somewhat of an expert on the Xenomorphs and only wanted one thing, to wipe them all out. Despite this, she also viewed the Aliens with a sense of awe at their sheer ferocity. Ripley demonstrated a clear ability to stay cool and calm under intense pressure on multiple occasions.

While not afraid of cracking a few jokes, Ripley tended to be one of the more serious Space Marines. Hardened by her encounters with the Xenomorphs, Ripley was fearless and rather incautious in her actions. Ripley also had a more compassionate and caring side, showing great concern for her fellow Marines and the colonists they were rescuing as well as comforting a little girl who's parents had been abducted by the Rhino Aliens.

Equipment

"Then I guess we better stock up on Ripley's favorite toy!"

―Hicks, to the other Marines (from Aliens: Showdown)

Ripley carried several M40 HEDP Grenades on a bandolier. For her weapon of choice, Ripley carried a giant Turbo Torch Flamethrower. While on the Starship Narcissus, she also made use of an Assault Rifle and Grenade Launcher, and was also skilled in the usage of the M56 Smartgun. As an authorized Power Loader pilot, Ripley was also proficient in using Power Loaders. Ripley also made use of a Stinger XT-37 armored assault vehicle during the investigation of the ranch on TerraForm 3.

Behind the Scenes

Lieutenant Ripley is based on Ellen Ripley from the film Aliens. Lieutenant Ripley appeared alongside her fellow Space Marines in Kenner's Aliens toyline; as Sigourney Weaver did not agree to have her likeness used, the character received a fresh design. An animated commercial featuring the Space Marines was produced but ultimately was not aired. This toyline originally bore the Operation: Aliens moniker on the packaging but was rebranded as simply Aliens shortly after release. The figures came packaged with the alternate-universe Aliens: Space Marines comics, which fleshed out the characters as different people from the classic characters of the main Alien franchise.

A year later, the Operation: Aliens Combat Game board game was released which provided some back story for the Marines, further cementing them as wholly distinct from the classic characters. NECA would later redesign several of the Kenner figures and release them as part of their own Aliens toyline, each of which included a reprint of the original accompanying comic.

Trivia

• Unlike the original Ellen Ripley, who was a civilian advisor to the Colonial Marines, Lieutenant Ripley was the CO of her own squad of Space Marines. However, she is still a qualified Power Loader pilot.
• Ripley's black hair comes from a common misconception that Ellen Ripley had black hair due to the lighting of the Alien films.
• This version of Ripley is much more fearless and reckless towards the Xenomorphs. Whereas the original Ripley wanted Gorman to pull back the Marines when they stumbled upon the Xenomorphs, this Ripley wanted to assault a hive of more than 50 bullet-proof Xenomorphs and wipe them all out personally, rather than nuke them from orbit like the original Ripley.
• Another difference from the classic Ripley is that she was born on Earth and not its Moon.
• Ripley's caring attitude towards Kim is similar to the relationship Ellen Ripley had with Rebecca Jorden.
• Ripley's nickname, Rip, is also given to Amanda Ripley by Ricardo in the video game Alien: Isolation.
• Ripley's character design is coincidentally somewhat similar to Katherine "Danny" Daniels, especially the hairstyle.
• Ripley's outfit is simply a color swapped version of Ellen Ripley's outfit in the final act of Aliens, albeit with a new scarf.
• Ripley's figure's bio quote is most likely a reference to the famous phrase allegedly said by General Phillip Sheridan, "The only good Indian is a dead Indian."
• Her Kenner figure also comes with a bayoneted rifle along with her standard Turbo Torch Flamethrower.
• Her Bio-Data states that she was the first person to discover the Xenomorphs. This would seem unlikely since someone had to have set off the distress call on Acheron, though it probably means that she was the first to discover a Xenomorph and live to tell the tale. This bit of information is also most likely a reference to the first Alien movie.
• The NECA figure of Ripley is a slight retool and repaint of their earlier Aliens figure of Ellen Ripley, meaning she does not have the unique hairstyle of Lieutenant Ripley and looks more like Sigourney Weaver. The NECA figure also arms Ripley with an M56 Smartgun instead of her giant flamethrower.

Appearances

• Aliens: Hive War
• Aliens: Jungle Attack
• Aliens: Meltdown
• Aliens: Showdown
• Aliens: Stampede
• Aliens: Fireball
• Aliens: Night Strike
• Aliens: Swarm
• Aliens: Terrordome
• Aliens: Ice Storm
• Operation: Aliens Combat Game

Gallery

Ripley and the Space Marines.

Ripley reveals herself.

Ripley torches the Scorpion Aliens.

Ripley as Apone chases the Queen.

Ripley concerned for Hicks.

Ripley securing Alpha Sector on Zeevan.

The Space Marines' dropship explodes.

Ripley burning a Gorilla Alien.

Ripley captured by a Gorilla Alien.

Ripley rescued by Apone.

Ripley, Drake, and Hicks.

The Marines finish up on Zeevan.

The Space Marines relax on TerraForm 3.

Ripley calls Hicks and Bishop over to get some rest.

The Marines learn of the Bull Alien's weakness.

Ripley incinerates a Bull Alien.

Ripley investigating the stables.

The Space Marines ready up.

Ripley makes the final call.

Ripley discovers the Power Loader.

Ripley discovers the Bull Alien horde.

Ripley engages the Xenomorph horde.

Ripley grapples with the Queen.

The Queen fights back.

Ripley swears to eradicate the Aliens.

The Space Marines surrounded.

Ripley kills the Bull Queen.

Ripley and Drake admire A.T.A.X.

Ripley and A.T.A.X. fight Mantis Aliens.

Ripley watches as A.T.A.X. saves Drake.

Ripley notices something weird.

Ripley discovers the Giant Facehuggers.

Ripley warns the other Marines.

The Space Marines discover the Lunar Installation hive.

Ripley wonders where the Xenomorphs are.

Ripley is ambushed by the Giant Facehugger.

Ripley frees herself with her flamethrower.

The Space Marines standoff against the Giant Facehuggers.

Ripley discovers Kim.

Ripley reassures Kim.

Behind the Scenes

Live-action Lieutenant Ripley from her Kenner figure's collector's card.

The Kenner figure package art of Lieutenant Ripley.

The NECA figure's packaging artwork.

Ripley as she appears in the unaired Operation: Aliens commercial.

Ditto.

Ditto.

Ditto.

Operations: Aliens storyboard.

Ditto.

Operation: Aliens poster.

Concept art of Lieutenant Ripley.

Ditto.

Figures

Kenner figure of Ripley.

Lieutenant Ripley's game-piece next to the Queen game-piece for the Operation: Aliens Combat Game.

Ripley's Character Card.

NECA redesign of Ripley.

See Also

• Ellen Ripley