An appealing combination of toughness, self-reliance, vulnerability and sexiness, Ripley is far from a conventional damsel in distress. New layers were added to the character in Aliens, which saw Ripley proving to be tougher and smarter than a unit of marines, yet still finding time to form a motherly bond with Newt. The two subsequent sequels added even more dimensions, leading to one of the most critically analysed characters in the history of cinema.