Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Mickey 17.
The Creepers are at the heart of the story in Mickey 17. Bong Joon Ho’s first movie since the Academy Award-winning Parasite fully leans into its science-fiction elements, including the aliens known as Creepers on the icy planet Niflheim. Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) ends up on Niflheim and encounters the Creepers after joining the Expendables program to escape his problems on Earth. Being an Expendable means that he is required to perform lethal tasks and is regenerated each time he dies.
Expendable technology is outlawed on Earth, but not beyond it. This allows failed politician Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) to be legally able to use the Expendable program during and after the journey to Niflheim. Marshall intends to colonize Niflheim, even if this means killing numerous Mickey 17 characters. The Creepers end up being integral to stopping Marshall and creating a better future for all the inhabitants of Niflheim by the end of Mickey 17.
The Creepers Are The Natives Of Niflheim
It Was Their Planet First
The Creepers were already living on Niflheim long before Mickey, Marshall, and the other humans arrived, as the Creepers are native to the planet. Mickey 17 and several other humans first encounter and learn of the Creepers while exploring the surface of Niflheim. After the humans’ first encounter with the Creepers, Marshall declares that the aliens should be called Creepers because they look creepy, and the name continues to be used throughout the rest of the film.
The Creepers vary in size, although their leader is noticeably larger than the rest of them. As Bong Joon Ho explained to Entertainment Weekly, “I created three different types of creepers: the mama, the juniors, and the babies.” The juniors and the babies follow the mama, who, in addition to her size, has fur to help distinguish her from the other members of her species. She moves more slowly and purposefully while the juniors and babies roll around more. As seen in the mama’s communications with Mickeys 17 and 18, she is quite intelligent, and far more capable than Marshall realizes.
What The Creepers Want In Mickey 17
Their Motivations Are Pure
As the villain of Mickey 17, Marshall wants the Creepers to be exterminated so he and his human colony can settle on Niflheim. The Creepers initially just want to be left alone so they can live peacefully. When a baby Creeper is captured by Marshall and his minions, the rest of the Creepers simply want the baby back. They pull off a clever bluff by making Mickeys 17 and 18 believe that they can kill simply through the screeching noises that they make. Ultimately, the Creepers get what they want, as Nasha Barridge (Naomi Ackie) safely returns the baby to them.
It is through their ongoing alliance and communication that Mickey 17 learns that the Creepers were bluffing, and the screeching would not have been lethal after all.
The human communication with the Creepers, along with the death of Marshall, establishes a future for both species on Niflheim. Humans and creepers are now able to live harmoniously. It is through their ongoing alliance and communication that Mickey 17 learns that the Creepers were bluffing, and the screeching would not have been lethal after all. The Creepers are a peaceful species. They reclaim the peaceful lives they once had, only they now have the additional bonus of neighbors who understand and appreciate them.
Why The Creepers Don’t Kill Mickey 17
It Is Not In Their Nature
At the beginning of Bong Joon Ho’s new movie, Mickey 17 plunges into an icy cave. After surviving the fall, he is left for ᴅᴇᴀᴅ by Timo (Steven Yeun), and is presumed to have been killed by the Creepers. Instead, the mama Creeper, along with the juniors and the babies, drag Mickey 17 out of the cave and back outside without eating him. They don’t kill Mickey 17 because they are a peaceful species, and they recognize that he is not trying to harm them.
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Mickey 17 Tomatometer Score |
Mickey 17 Popcornmeter Score |
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79% |
79% |
Earlier in the movie, Mickey 17 thinks that maybe he was just unappetizing to the Creepers since he has been regenerated so many times. This is not true, though, as the Creepers only wanted to help him, and never had any intention of eating him. Saving Mickey 17 serves as the foundation of the unexpected and beautiful relationship that forms between the humans and the Creepers. They save Mickey 17 and he, along with Mickey 18, Nasha, and several others, ensure that the baby is saved and that the Creepers are not exterminated.
The Creepers’ Future After Mickey 17 (Based On The Books)
Their Story Looks Quite Different In The Source Material
Image via Warner Bros.
