Species design and life cycle have been extensively augmented (sometimes inconsistently) throughout each film. The practical effects for the Alien's head were designed and constructed by Italian special effects designer Carlo Rambaldi. Giger, originating in a lithograph titled Necronom IV and refined for the series's first film, Alien. The Xenomorph design is credited to Swiss surrealist and artist H.
In addition, the Alien appears in various literature and video game spin-offs from the franchises. Predator: Requiem (2007), with the skull of one of the creatures appearing briefly in Predator 2 (1990). It also featured in the crossover films Alien vs. The species returns in the prequel series, first with a predecessor in Prometheus (2012) and a further evolved form in Alien: Covenant (2017). The species made its debut in the film Alien (1979) and reappeared in the sequels Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), and Alien Resurrection (1997). The Alien (also known as a Xenomorph XX121 or Internecivus raptus) is a fictional endoparasitoid extraterrestrial species that is the titular antagonist of the Alien film series.