10 Best Movie Characters Who Only Appear In Deleted Scenes

Aliens begins with the Weyland-Yutani Corporation picking up Ripley's shuttle, where she has spent 57 years in stasis. When she awakes, the company rep informs her his company has sent marines to the Xenomorph's homeworld. Teaming up with an orphaned girl called Newt, Ripley heads to the planet to exterminate the aliens once and for all.

Because Newt is a child, it makes sense that Ripley is compelled to protect her. But in a deleted scene, the reason why Ripley bonds with Newt becomes far more profound. Since Ripley has been in stasis for half a century, everyone she knew is dead. Even though her daughter, Amanda, was ten when Ripley last saw her, this deleted scene shows our heroine discovering her child died when she was 66. When Ripley sees a photograph of an elderly Amanda, she bursts into tears.

Although we only see an image of Amanda, her appearance transforms the narrative. Amanda's death urges Ripley to bond with Newt, not just as a protector but as a surrogate mother. When you acknowledge what Ripley lost, it makes you understand why she didn't hesitate to march into the Xenomorph's base alone and battle the Alien Queen to save Newt.