During the Alien: Covenant trailer, we get a short glimpse of David (with his head re-attached) walking through the tall grass on Paradise wearing a cloak. For this second part of our Alien: Covenant Trailer Analysis series, we look at why this cut-scene is so significant and what it could possibly mean for the crew of the Covenant as well as Humanity in general.
David and His Engineer Cloak
To the average moviegoer, seeing this scene may have just piqued some curiosity as to who this character is. But to us hard core Alien and Prometheus fans, we were quick to notice this was not just some ordinary robe this character was wearing.
The character is David, the maniacal android from Prometheus who escaped LV-223 in a stolen Engineer Juggernaut with Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, in search of the Engineer home world.
In this cut-scene we see David walking towards something or someone on the Engineer planet (Paradise) wearing an Engineer cloak. He also appears to be holding a gun-like object. This could be a stolen rifle from the Covenant security force who initially investigated the Planet's surface with Walter.
Given the lighting and shadows around David, it would appear that David is approaching the Covenant landing boat prior to its explosion. The scene also seems to be taken place at night, while the ship originally landed during the day. This suggests to us that the Neomorph infection (which we covered in our previous analysis post) has already taken place prior to David's arrival but before the ship has exploded.
Comparison to Prometheus Engineers
The Engineer shown at the start of Prometheus was also seen wearing an identical cloak prior to his sacrifice.
In a deleted scene from Prometheus you can see multiple Engineers wearing these cloaks. However, the scene was cut and so canonically, we can only assert that the cloak was specific to the Sacrificial Engineer.
The Significance of the Engineer Cloak
Why is David wearing this cloak? The only Engineer to feature this clothing in Prometheus was the Sacrificial Engineer. The only other Engineers we witnessed in Prometheus wore biomechanical pressure suits. Also, David has no use for clothing being an Android.
In Prometheus we learned that the reason for his dressing and suit wearing was to better immerse himself in Human culture and to make Humans feel more comfortable around him. Does this mean David is wearing this cloak to fit in with Engineers? Or perhaps there is a deeper meaning behind this visual representation.
It's possible David's wearing of this cloak represents the role he has acquired since Prometheus ended. David mirrors the Sacrificial Engineer and from that comparison we can speculate that David will too, sacrifice himself in some capacity to create new life.
David has become an Engineer
Not literally of course, but figuratively. David has stolen the fire from the Gods and weilds the power of the Black Goo like a child who's found his Dad's gun. It's evident David has been experimenting with the Engineer technology and has learned enough to create his own beings. The Covenant crew act as the perfect test subjects for David's creations and will allow him to perfect his work...
Do you have a theory about David in Alien: Covenant specific to his wearing of Engineer clothing? Share your thoughts below or in our forums!
Also, be sure to check back soon for the next article in our Alien: Covenant Trailer Analysis series.
The Alien: Romulus sequel is currently in development and cameras are set to roll by October, 2025! Be sure to bookmark the Alien: Romulus 2 Info Page for an up-to-date account of all available information, production updates and important details! You can also share any news & rumours we may have missed by starting your own discussion in our forums!
In addition to the upcoming Alien: Romulus sequel, we have the Alien: Earth TV series from Noah Hawley arriving this August and a rumoured Alien vs. Predator reboot in the works as well after it was revealed Weyland-Yutani play a key role in the upcoming Predator: Badlands movie! There's really never been a better time to be a fan of the Alien movies. Be sure to check out our image galleries for the latest images, posters, concept art and leaked materials for all these upcoming Alien projects!