Dwayne Hicks (Earth-9471)

"I wanna introduce you to a personal friend of mine. This is an M41A pulse rifle, ten millimeter, with over-and-under thirty millimeter pump action grenade launcher."

- - Corporal Dwayne Hicks to Ellen Ripley

Corporal Dwayne Hicks (service number: 41202-86017-DH) was an enlisted officer in the United States Colonial Marine Corps, attached to the 2nd Battalion Bravo Team under the command of Lieutenant Scott Gorman, aboard the Conestoga-class destroyer USS Sulaco. In 2578, he and his battalion participated on the Aegis VII Incident, an engagement on the outer colony Aegis VII against xenomorphs which saw the deaths of most of his allies.

Mission to Aegis VII
"It's a bug hunt."

- - Corporal Dwayne Hicks After being assigned to work under Lieutenant Scott Gorman's 2nd Battalion Bravo Team, Dwayne Hicks found himself being more of a leader than his actual commanding officer. He was promptly dispatched to Aegis VII alongside many other members of the United States Colonial Marine Corps under the command of Master Sergeant Al Apone alongside Colonel Carter Burke, an Weyland-Yutani Corporation operative and the civilian consultant Ellen Ripley, the only survivor of the massacre on the USCSS Nostromo in 2578, where she discovered a xenomorph that killed all of her crewmates. Much like the rest of his battalion, Hicks believed that their mission to Aegis VII was a waste of time. Upon his landing on the planet aboard the Bug Stomper, Hicks still managed to sleep.

When they arrived on New Alexandria, Hicks and the other Marines moved towards the Weyland-Yutani installation Hive, clearing its upper floor where they discovered a laboratory under damage, and as they explored deeper, they discovered multiple Facehuggers stored within the installation, alongside many notes about John Marachuk, a colonist that was being studied by ONI with a xenomorph within. While investigating, they heard a noise, discovering a little girl, Rebecca "Newt" Ashford, who had been hiding within the installation's ventilation ducts, leading the Marines to deduce she was the only survivor of what had happened on the planet prior to their arrival.

Red Queen and Xenomorph ambush
"I like to keep this handy, for close encounters. I heard that!"

- - Dwayne Hicks and Private Ricco Frost The disappearing civilians were discovered to be seemingly gathered northeast Hive. Taking many Marines with him, including Hicks, Sergeant Apone moved to investigate. When they entered the installation, they stumbled upon a massive xenomorph hive, discovering their enemy was something new. They continued to progress through the installation, whereupon Al was ordered by Gorman to confiscate the ammunition of the squad and deactivate their M56 Smartguns to prevent a nuclear-wide explosion if they hit the reactor of the plant.

While Apone protested, he was overruled by Gorman, taking the ammunition and giving them for Private Ricco Frost to guard. Angered, Hicks drew his M90 shotgun to defend himself. The Marines, then reduced to small firearms and M7057 flamethrowers, discovered Hadley's citizens cocooned in the hive, including Mary Coles, the only survivor. However, almost immediately after finding her, a Chestburster erupted from her chest, leading Apone and Corporal Cynthia Dietrich to burn the creature alive. When Apone, Dietrich, Private Trevor Wierzbowski, and Private Tim Crowe moved towards the laser room, where they were ambushed and slaughtered by the Red Queen, the Hive's managing artificial intelligence. The deaths of the four Marines alerted the xenomorphs, and the Marines found themselves ambushed by xenomorph Warriors and Drones. In the chaos that ensued, Hicks, Private Tim Crowe and Private Trevor Wierzbowski ran to help Frost and Dietrich. When Hicks realized the assault rifle's ammunition had fallen, and he rapidly pulled Wierzbowski from the ensuing explosion that killed Crowe and badly wounded Trevor. Hicks proceeded to tend to Wierzbowski with a biofoam, propping him against a nearby wall while he returned to check Crowe, who he discovered has been killed. While he did not notice, Wierzbowski was taken by xenomorph while screaming in terror. Hicks was leftlooking for Apone, only to realize the Master Sergeant had also been taken by the xenomorphs. Hicks then organized the survivors, killing many xenomorphs with his M90 shotgun before they rushed their M510 Mammoth, half of the Marines had been either captured or killed. As Hicks entered the Mammoth, he was closing its hangar door when an Aggressor appeared and attempted to enter the vehicle. When Hicks, Private William Hudson and Private Jenette Vasquez were unable to contain the creature, Hicks drew his shotgun and rammed it into the alien's mouth, blowing its skull away, although its blood wounded Hudson.

A new leader
"We're all in strung out shape, but stay frosty, and alert. We can't afford to let one of those bastards in here."

- - Dwayne Hicks to Privates William Hudson and Jenette Vasquez While the team escaped from the Hive, Gorman was knocked unconscious by crates aboard the Mammoth, leading Hicks to become the commanding officer of the Marines. Together with Ripley, Bishop and Burke, Hicks devised a suicidal plan to destroy the xenomorphs, bringing the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine of the Sulaco to the surface and detonating it inside the Hive, which would cause a nuclear-wide explosion that would pulverize New Alexandria and kill all the xenomorphs. Before they could be picked by Corporal Colette Ferro aboard the Pelican Bug Stomper to be brought back to the Sulaco, she was attacked and killed by a xenomorph that had snuck aboard the dropship, which crashed and exploded on Hadley's surface.

Seeing no other way, Hicks promptly ordered Hudson and Vasquez so salvage whatever equipment they could from the Pelican and return to the ONI facility, which they later fortified by sealing all access points and deploying UA 571-C Automated Sentry Gun to defend the installation from xenomorphs. Bishop later warned them that the Atmosphere Processor had been damaged during the xenomorph ambush, just as Gorman feared, which was going to explode in the next hours; the Bug Stomper's destruction had only made it worse, destroying the systems that would allow the Marines to shut them down. Desperate, Hicks ordered Bishop to remote pilot the ship's other Pelican, the Smart Ass, and transport the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine to the Hive, allowing them to carry out the plan and evacuate the survivors. While they awaited Bishop, Hicks taught Ripley how to use a MA5B assault rifle in order to defend herself from the xenomorphs. The xenomorphs proved to be more intelligent than expected by destroying the Marine's defenses and overrun the sentry guns.

Hicks later discovered that both Ripley and Newt had been locked in the laboratory which the Facehuggers had been stored, and who were released. Hicks, Vasquez, Hudson and Gorman destroyed the shut door and were able to rescue the two from the Facehuggers, learning that Colonel Burke had released the creatures in an attempt to kill both of them. There, Ripley and the Marines learned that Burke had attempted to get them impregnated to smuggle a living xenomorph to Weyland-Yutani use them as bio organic weapons. Hicks attempted to execute Burke for betraying them, but Ripley intervened and said Burke had to be brought to Earth to be court-martialed for his crimes. Immeadiatly after, the xenomorphs cut the power of the installation to lure the humans.

Injury and escape from Aegis VII
"This is Corporal Dwayne Hicks, service number 41202-86017-DH. My unit has suffered immense casualties on Aegis VII. I request immediate assistance."

- - Corporal Dwayne Hicks relaying a distress message to the USCMC When they attempted to escape, Hudson was captured by the xenomorphs, while Burke escaped from the Marines' grip during the confusion and sealed them in the facility with the xenomorphs, but while he escaped he was killed by a xenomorph with a headbite. The Marines were than able to move to the installation's ventilation ducts, but Vasquez and Gorman became ambushed by the xenomorphs and commuted suicide by detonating a M9 fragmentation grenade and taking many xenomorphs with them, with the radius causing Newt to fall down a separe shaft. Hicks and Ripley used an elevator to rescue the girl. Before they could move, a xenomorph captured Newt, commanding other xenomorphs to go after Hicks and Ripley.

While they escaped from Hadley, a massive xenomorph corneded the duo in the elevator; Hicks shot back with his assault rifle, but the alien spilled its acid blood through his face, melting his face and leaving him blind, while the rest of the acid continued to melt through his M3 Pattern Personal Armor. Ripley then took the wounded Marine to the Smart Ass, with Bishop taking him in and sedating with him a health pack. While Bishop awaited with Hicks, he gave Ripley ten minutes to travel to the processor, place the slipspace drive on it, and rescue Newt. Hicks asked her to hurry up, and passed out from the health kit's sedactives. As such, he remained unconscious through Ripley's duel against the Queen.

Before he was placed in cryosleep aboard the USS Sulaco to return to Earth, Hicks recorded a distress message to the USCMC, explaining about ONI's activities and that all other Marines had been killed in the message. Unknown to him and the other survivors, the message was never sent, and was instead intercepted by ONI.

Death
"The Corporal was impaled by that safety support. He never knew what hit him."

- - Dr. Jonathan Clemens on Corporal Dwayne Hicks. The EEV would remain years stranded on space for years, until it crash-landed on the penal colony Fiorina 161 on July 19th, 2583, killing Hicks and Newt and damaging Bishop beyond repair. Hicks was so gravely injured during his death that his corpse became near unidentifianble. His death would be included in a report to ONI by Superintendent Harold Andrews of the Fiorina 161 Class C Work Correctional Unit, and he was officially listed as killed in action. He was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart for his bravery during the Aegis VII Incident and subsequent death. His body was cremated alongside Newt's on Fiorina 161.

Personality
"It's game time."

- - Dwayne Hicks Hicks was what could be better described as a "lifer" within the United States Colonial Marine Corps, being quiet, subdued and reserved compared to the other members of the 2nd Battalion Bravo Team. He was not a man to complain much about orders, even those he thought were fallible and disadvantegous to him and his fellow Marines. When Master Sergeant Al Apone was killed and Lieutenant Scott Gorman was subdued, he was forced to take the leadership position, where he showed his true capabilities and distinguished himself as a natural leader despite the massacre the survivors endured. Much like Ellen Ripley, he managed to keep his composture and calmness through the Aegis VII Incident, even with setback after setback.

Arguably, he was the most mature and "adult" member among his Marines. Hicks held subdued romantic feelings for Ripley, although she initially made sure to physically demonstrate she was not interested on having any relationship with him. He admired her intelligence and bravery in spite of anything that happened between them and the xenomorphs. However, their relationship evolved as the battle continued. He also treated Rebecca "Newt" Ashford with respect and care, understanding the traumatic events she went through and that she would need psychiatric evaluation, whereas most of the other Marines merely considered her a scared child.

Equipment
Hicks was used the standard issue USCMC M3 Pattern Personal Armor and a M10 Pattern Ballistic Helmet, both of which he fitted with a TNR shoulder lamp and a motion tracker. He carried the standard M41A pulse rifle and a M90 shotgun during the Aegis VII Incident.