Alien Confirms Xenomorphs’ Tongues Are as Deadly as Their Tails

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Alien #8

The tiny mouth-within-the-mouth of Alien’s Xenomorphs has long been established as an iconic part of their biology adding to the horror of their terrifying form. The demonically shocking extra appendage has struck terror in fans since it was first shown in Ridley Scott’s Alien and continued throughout the saga from Ripley dodging the tongue’s attack from the Xenomorph Queen in Aliens to a ship commander having a piece of his brain snatched out of his skull in Alien: Resurrection. Now, fans have a clear example of how those vicious tongues are just as deadly as the Xenomorphs’ tails. 

In Alien #8 written by Philip Kennedy Johnson with art by Salvador Larroca and Guru-eFX, a ship crash lands on a human settlement on a distant moon. In order to assess any future damage the downed vessel may cause, two people investigate the inside of the ship, only to find horrific death within. Almost immediately, a Xenomorph sneaks up behind one of the investigators and the alien shoves its toothy tongue through the back of his head, causing his skull to explode in gory brilliance. The other investigator runs through the ship only to find someone else who is restrained by the mucusy substance produced by the Xenomorphs. One of the creatures approaches the confined victim and kills her as well by shooting its tongue through her head. 

Two victims of the Xenomorphs’ murderous nature are shown experiencing their gruesome fate, both killed in the same fashion. As stated numerous times throughout the Alien saga, the Xenomorphs are perfect organisms, able to kill anything that stands in their path. Given that they are so good at killing, the Xenomorphs’ bodies are living weapons equipped with razor-sharp claws, a spear-like tail with incredibly high maneuverability, and the recently displayed mouth-within-mouth. While the tail seems like the most deadly part of the alien with their claws perhaps coming in at a close second, the mouth-tongue has proven to be one of the deadlier aspects of the creature given the situation. 

One of the most dangerous aspects of the Xenomorph is its stealth, sneaking up on victims before they even know they’re in danger. Once the alien has silently reached its target, the best form of murder is through the use of its tongue. The precision, speed, and power behind the attack cannot be matched by any of its other ones. The tail is perfect for long-range attacks and the claws are mostly used in the alien’s form of hand-to-hand combat usually with an equally strong attacker, but the tongue is the perfect finisher move especially on an unsuspecting victim. 

The basic point the Alien saga wishes to instill in its fans is that if one comes across a Xenomorph, they are most likely going to die. The creatures are smart, sneaky, and incredibly strong in their attacks, no matter what that attack may be. While previous incarnations of the Xenomorphs highlight their tails as their main form of attack, the creatures’ deadly tongues were just put on full display as Alien confirms the Xenomorphs’ tongues are just as deadly as their tails.

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