Michael Fassbender used Hannibal Lecter as a reference for David.

Funny that he finds gay Buffalo Bill to be the scariest serial killer, when we have seen Hannibal Lecter eating the brain from a conscious victim in "Hannibal". I the early 90's, both "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Basic Instinct" were criticized for featuring LGBT characters as the embodiment of evil. Alien Covenant jumped on the same train 25 years later.

Interesting. I always thought that before but this video confirms it. Thanks for sharing!

Oddly, it recalls another odd character:

joylitt

I've seen Basic Instinct only after 20 years of it's release and judging that it appeared in the same time frame as Robocop and Total Recall, I thought it was a parody of the machismo of the male protagonist. Ironically, M. Douglas plays a parody of his other characters in the decade. The true killer in the movie was stupidity.

Returning to Hannibal, he would have never killed agent Clarice Starling. But anyhow, every reference to him make him more boring. Why can't we imagine something new already? And it is a high time to make a movie which mocks our fascination with serial killers.

red0guy I always liked Verhoeven and I have watched and enjoyed his early european films. His movies are very wild because he does not give a s#@t about political correctness. Among his american productions I think Robocop was the best. And talking about Fassbender as David in Covenant, he also channeled Vincent Price in  my opinion. The second act is just like one of those Hammer studios or Roger Corman productions from the 50's. He gave me the Hannibal Lecter vibe only in the last scene.

@Lilly (Svanya) - I agree with the post, as I had always thought of David as a Hannibal Lecktor influenced character.  Mostly due to David's lack of empathy to any & all things....dead, or alive!  I keep waiting for him to say, "Love the suit" to someone!!  HAHA!!  Great Post!!

"And it is a high time to make a movie which mocks our fascination with serial killers."

Oliver Stone made a film that mocks our fascination with serial killers red0guy. 

Iron Man gets killed in it and Tommy Lee Jones is excellent as the warden. 

Thank you for the topic Lilly (Svanya). I love reading about character development.

@Ingeniero - HAHA, I remember Robert Downey, JR. as a Morton Downy-type of despicable bottom-feeder-type!!  HAHA!!

Interesting information...

and indeed DK Stewie Griffin could certainly be more insane and Evil than Hannibal and David 8 combined?

I just wonder if David has a Time Machine like Stewie to undo all the wongs and please the Fanboys ;)

Of course I'll recognize Buffalo Bills' dance music...nice touch Lilly (Svanya). He was a butterfly.

"It puts the lotion on it's skin or it gets the hose again."

I think he said "I'd f$%k me" as he danced in front of the mirror and tucked his......umm......between.........oh..........never mind.

That is correct dk. Yes, it was a stay out in front of the dancer type dance routine.

Whenever I hear Goodbye Horses I always get this image in my head...

I guess it is better to have that image your head from above than the one shown when they play the song in Silence of the Lambs Gavin.

"dk

Interesting. I always thought that before but this video confirms it. Thanks for sharing!"

I thought exactly the same thing when I stepped out of the cinema... I actually remarked to a friend that David had 'Hannibal Lecter level psychopathy'...

He also mentioned real life serial killers as inspiration

I find this to be fantastic! Having a degree in Psychology I definitely have always loved Hannibal as he is fascinating on so many levels, and damn this makes sense of why I find this to be true with David as well. It is intriguing to think that David is an android gone bad because he is able to feel and ultimately develops a conscious - while Hannibal is not an android there is definitely a connection on how both felt extremely robbed of their humanity and feel the overwhelming need to be able to create something meaningful to leave behind... as a way to error correct how they have been wronged I think... anyhow David's skewed sense/ideas on morality show through in the future android Ash (I'll leave Bishop out of this as Cameron's ideas here deviated away from the android wanting control). "I admire its purity" - Haha, I can picture Hannibal borrowing this line! In all I would have to say that all three actors here (Fassbender, Holm, Hopkins) are the REASONS for why these characters have so much depth to them... unlike Winona Ryder's character in Resurrection.... so gross. 

CBodilyFaceHugger

Sorry but Hannibal was only really good when opposing Foster's Clarice, and being the only non @$$-hole man around her (being civilized and all). However David kills and probability raped his Clarice, so no, he is just the next maniacal asshole .

ignorantGuy Hannibal spared Clarice and told her the world was a more interesting place with her in it while David killed Shaw to make his own world more interesting. Hannibal seems honorable compared to David. Hannibal basically killed those who deserved it while David seemed more about his own agenda. At any rate, it is interesting to compare/contrast these characters.

I think the whole David/Dr Shaw situation is interesting and so ambiguous its open for debate...

*We see David gets a Agenda to Create for himself...

*We see there are Female Engineers....

*We see in Davids Workshop Infant Humanoid Skulls..

*We hear that David had used Engineers but the results where not as intended and it took a Human to gain David the Fruits of his Labor.

*We hear David explain that he wanted to create a New Paradise and he wanted to Evolve Dr Shaw but she refused....

It paints a interesting picture that is open for Debate...  I think when looking at the End of Prometheus, the actual Crossing Prologue, how David said he felt for Dr Shaw and the Nature Boy Song for the Trailer.

I get a picture that David has Dr Shaw held up in the Juggernaught, telling her the Environment is infected and would take Months, Years to be habitable...  This allows David to go about doing what he was doing.

I think Dr Shaw grew Suspicious and one time then discovers Davids Lies, and Horrors... i would assume David tries to explain to Dr Shaw and maybe Proclaims his Love for her... maybe offering her a Covenant.. where David claims they Can Start a New PARADISE...

Dr Shaw having found out she cant get her Answers.. and she has NOTHING... But David would try and suggest he and Dr Shaw can Create a New World... he can Give her the Gift of Creation...

But she rejects David and his Perverse Ideas... and tries to do a Runner and Escape...  David sees Rejection from Dr Shaw, and he takes this very bad... NOW views that Dr Shaw is the same as all Humans and so David then Proceeds to capture Dr Shaw and USE her for his Experiments.

I was drawn to similar to this prior to the Trailer when the Set Leaks happened regarding his Workshop and i noticed those Human Baby Skulls which made me think DAVID managed to allow Dr Shaw to Bare Children.....

But Alas we find out Actually these are Engineer Infants... but these ideas above, i think are a picture to consider... its HOW i look at what went down.

But that Does-Not mean its actually what went down...

So i dont think David intended to Kill her, i think maybe he intended to allow her to create/give birth to Humanoids... but then David would have likely had a Agenda to use these to Evolve into his own Creation.

Interesting... Makes sense.

Very funny comments are here)