This page collects theories about the Black Goo. The exact workings of the substance is not explicitly explained in Prometheus (though it could be the subject of future films). The movie lets us hear one theory, uttered by Prometheus Captain Janek, who believes the alien ship's cargo of urns is a payload, a weapon built to destroy. David, the android, seeks to uncover its purpose by testing it on Holloway.

Catalyst for Evolution

Since the substance is shown to have both destructive and life-giving properties in the prologue of the movie (where the engineer sacrifices himself), and based on comments from Ridley Scott, the substance is believed to be a catalyst for evolution. When exposed to it, a living subject's DNA appears to rapidly change. In the case of the worms, they are transformed into snake-like creatures, the engineer who ingests it is deconstructed and his DNA in turn creates new life. In Holloway's case, we do not see the outcome as he is killed by Vickers. It is possible that he is "evolving" -- or that he is breaking down similar to the engineers.

It is not yet known if the difference in effects is based on metaphysical properties or whether the substance is ingested or merely touched, or if it's about the amount the subject is exposed to. What's for certain is that the substance reacts to living things -- David remains unaffected.

Destruction, Creation, or Judgment?

Given the presence of the black substance and how it reacts when activated, the facility on LV-223 was possibly used for bio-engineering, perhaps for military applications as Prometheus Captain Janek suggests. When the crew of the Prometheus enters, they literally change the atmosphere in the room with their presence and activate the liquid (similar to how the proximity of lifeforms activated the eggs in Alien).

But the chamber containing the urns looks more like a temple than a research facility. Could the large stone head in the middle of the room be the face of the Engineers' God and Creator? And perhaps the mural of the familiar "Alien" xenomorph on the wall (see: Connections With Alien) depicts judgment, or the Destroyer? Perhaps the Engineers were using this temple as a chamber of worship or to test their faith.

One theory suggests that the black substance is in fact activated by the presence of "sin." As shown in the movie, David, a machine, does not trigger the substance -- and presumably many Engineers have walked among the urns without causing the black goo to spill out. When the sinful humans walk among the urns, the liquid is released and corrupts whatever creature is near.

Whatever the cause (presumably revealed in a possible Prometheus sequel), an accident occurred in the facility and the Engineers were wiped out. The dead Engineers found by Millburn and Fifield show signs that they "gave birth" to alien creatures.

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The decapitated Engineer appears to have been 'infected' with the black substance, evidenced when his head is inspected (Shaw notes the black 'nodules' on his head are cell changes) and reanimated (the process of rapid cell destruction continues until his head explodes). This Engineer is seen running and then falling to his knees at the entrance of the 'temple', before being decapitated. This suggests that whatever is happening to him has overwhelmed him, causing him to fall to the gound and coincidentally be decapitated (seemingly halting the progression of the infection, either because he is dead, or because his head resides in the 'temple' and is noted to be in a state of excellent preservation in the atmospherically stable room).

The Engineers were either planning to carry their deadly cargo to Earth to eradicate humans because of an event that drove the two species apart (see: Creation Gone Wrong) or as part of a plan because humans were merely an element or a step in the process of evolution or of deliberately creating xenomorph lifeforms.

DNA Code for the Aliens

Chavalir asks: Is the black substance the DNA code for the Aliens that the engineers want to release on Earth? This Theory is bulit on:

The Alien drawing we see on the wall when they enter the room with all the black goo.

The black goo needs a "host" in which it can reform the DNA/ Evolve the DNA into something like a "Facehugger"

This would translate well with how and why Facehuggers need a host to become an Alien. Simply beacuse it was born from a foreign DNA and need A foreign DNA to finish its DNA code so it can become a creature again..