Michael Fassbender's David might not be in what happened to David in the franchise. There was even some hope Fede Álvarez's movie would share some new information on his fate and place in the franchise.

Instead of bringing Fassbender back as David or another model of the android, like how Alien: Covenant also included Walter, Alien: Romulus included two other androids. David Jonnson's Andy was introduced as a new synthetic who acted as Rain's brother and protector. Then, there was Rook, built to look like Alien's Ash and actor Ian Holm, who the crew found aboard the Renaissance space station. Including Rook and Andy might have been done so Alien: Romulus could avoid addressing David's status, but the movie only raised more questions about the android after Alien: Covenant.

Rook's History In Alien: Romulus Raises More Questions About The David Models

More David Androids Could Have Been Created

The revelation of Rook as an Ash lookalike android in Alien: Romulus is actually quite significant when it comes to David. Ridley Scott's prequels made the David model the main look for androids created by Weyland-Yutani at that time. This is evident when Walter appears in Alien: Covenant and discusses how he is an improved version of David's line. However, there is the canonical issue that there are no androids who look like David in Alien or the movies beyond. There is a real-world explanation, but the mystery of what happened to the David line of androids in-universe remains.

This is where Rook becomes problematic and creates more questions for David. Rook looks identical to Ash from Alien, even though Ash was designed so that no one would know he was an android. It's clear that even after what went wrong on the Nostromo, people were still comfortable with Ash lookalikes. So, why wouldn't there still be androids that look like David? If Weyland-Yutani was still making androids with shared appearances and troubled histories, then more David models would be acceptable, too. Alien: Romulus doesn't shed any light on this, unfortunately.

Andy & Rook Provided Alien: Romulus With Multiple Chances To Explain The Fate Of The David Synthetics

Romulus' Androids Could Have Known About David

Andy and Rook have prominent roles to play in Alien: Romulus, which means the movie had plenty of opportunities to explain what happened to the David synthetics. They are both generations of androids that were created after David. Their connections to and programming by Weyland-Yutani could give them access to information that others might not typically know. The idea that Andy or Rook could have learned and shared something about the David androids and what happened to them is feasible then.

Perhaps the issue for Alien: Romulus was finding a natural way to incorporate this into the story. None of the characters involved had any direct relationship with David or knowledge of his actions in Prometheus and Covenant, which makes him easy to ignore. However, Rook's experiments with the Z-01 black goo hold similarities to what David was looking to accomplish through his own experiments with creating life. Alien: Romulus could have used the black goo experiments from the original xenomorph to tie in David's story and confirm the fate of the android line.

It's also worth noting that there is evidence in canon that androids can access information and archives connected to David. An Alien comic showed David became an android messiah, in a sense, with another synthetic accessing archives containing his teachings. Andy and Rook could have done the same either on purpose or by accident in Alien: Romulus and provided audiences with some clarity on David's fate or that of the entire David android model line.

Alien's Future After Romulus Could Finally Resolve David's Android Mystery

Alien Movies Can Include David

Alien: Romulus might not have shed any light on David's fate, whether there are other androids who look like him, and other mysteries, but the franchise could still provide answers in the future. The film's success has made developing a sequel a priority for the studios so audiences can see what happens to Andy and Rain after Alien: Romulus' ending. There's room for the sequel to connect to David's fate and bring resolution regarding how Weyland-Yutani went from only making David androids to having Ash as a secret android to Rook and Andy both existing.

The other option is that the Alien franchise is waiting for Ridley Scott to wrap up David's story and resolve this mystery. This information was likely going to come in Covenant's sequel before it was shelved, but now that Scott is developing a new Alien movie, he could incorporate those ideas. Explaining where David wound up, if Weyland-Yutani stopped making androids that look like him, and why they did if so are all possible subjects that the next film could touch on. It would've been great if Alien: Romulus did some of this, but there's still room going forward.