Film Theory: Dib Is An ALIEN! (Invader Zim)

I think if the show wasn't canceled, this would actually be the big twist during a season finale of some sort

I misread the title as “Zim is an alien” and questioned MatPat’s intelligence for a few seconds until I read the title again.

In episode 7 in the first 4 minutes, Zim walks into Dibs house to borrow his telescope, Dib screams “Gaz there’s an alien in the house!” And she responds “besides you?” I thought that was another cool example for the case!!

Jhonen Vazquez mentioned that the world of the show takes place on Earth after years of pollution and junk slowly deteriorated everyone’s brains and bodies. That’s why nearly every character is either insane, kind of dumb, or both; they are all literally suffering from brain damage. It’s no wonder everyone thinks Dib is crazy; ironically, he’s probably one of the least crazy people on the planet.

I like how prof membrane says he doesn't believe in the paranormal, but aliens aren't really paranormal. If anything they're more science than anything

Also quick correction, the tallest are the tallest not because they offed the current ones, but because zim, as a smeet (child). Created an infinity energy absorbing blob that ate not one, but two of the current leaders back to back. Making the whole race sort of go into a panic on who would be leader. They basically picked two of the tallest irkens at the time. Who are in canon the same age as zim, making them teen rulers..basically (jhonen vasquez plays around with they're ages, saying zim is an adult, 16. Whatever but they are basically young rulers).

The tragic irony of Dib being an alien is heartbreaking, really. He could also be a human baby that was taken and experimented on and just adopted and raised afterwards. He might be a human/Irken hybrid experiment, which could also explain why his head is so different than either species. Seems like Professor Membrane is the Bulma of that planet. Inventing everything and owning everything and basically being the richest being on the planet. Strange that they don't seem to live like rich people. Though his father probably uses most of his money for his experiments.

I also like to think that Zim KNOWS that Membrane is irken. In one of the episodes, Dib comes home to the two of them having tea or something while Zim waited for Dib. Zim would also absolutely recognize the irken technology Membrane uses. I think they have an understanding of some sort, maybe even a competition or bet. I just like the idea of the two of them having a mutual understanding and respect thing going on.

i love how zim just pulled a napoleon and decided to “quit being banished”

He made a fricking Invader Zim Theory, I can die happy now.

7:00 The scene afterwards was my favorite of the series, he steps into a stall and screams "LEAVE NO EVIDENCE!" Then a kid runs out and watches the bathroom stall explode into fire, and stands there in shock.

I think Dib saying "I just hope the Irkens use the same operating system as I do" was more of a reference to Independence Day.

Fun fact: The tallest AREN'T actually that tall. In one of the Invader Zim commentaries, it was said that a plot point for an episode that wasn't released would be showing how the tallest are put in robot bodies to make themselves taller once they are deemed worth. Extra bit of trivia, Zim and the current tallests were in the same classes together.

I remember how in "Planet Jackers", Zim enters Dib's house, and when he says "Gaz, there's an alien in the house!" she actually says "You mean besides you?"

I’m surprised he didn’t talk about Gaz’s strange reality bending powers or the fact that she’s a skilled fighter pilot at the age of, what, 10? They say it’s because she’s a gamer, but video games don’t translate to real world pilot skills.

Backing the theory that the tallest thought membrane just died when he didn’t contact them: when sim first contacted them they sounded surprised and said “your not dead!?”

There's this line in one of the comics, when GIR mentions another Irken that came to Earth once. It's heavily implied that this Irken died somehow while on Earth, Zim himself even seems to mourn him. Now, this could be a throwaway joke about Zim's selective memory, but after seeing this video it makes more sense. It's a stretch, I know, but I think this could've been Membrane. It doesn't look like him, but that could easily be his true form, and the Membrane we see is in disguise. Another I'd like to mention, is that if I remember correctly, Tak's disguise had ears and a nose. Zim's doesn't since it's part of the plot for him to have a terrible disguise. If Membrane's technology is so advanced, why couldn't he get rid of some of the only good evidence that he's an alien? It's clear he left Irk long before Zim and Tak did, so maybe Irken technology wasn't as advanced back then. It really depends on when he left, and the history of Irk. Both of those aren't talked about much in the series, movie, or comics.

This childhood show built me into the paranoid person I am today

From what I remember, Dib and maybe Gaz were confirmed as clones of Membrane, but I think there's good evidence that Membrane is a potentially banished Irken. In which case, yes I guess that means that Dib would be an alien clone. And it makes sense that Membrane would be so into trying to convince Dib that aliens aren't real, both to keep his cover best he can, and potentially because he isn't ready to let the kids know about their clone status. It would be crazy enough to hear that you're a clone, much less an alien clone.

There are Irkens in the middle ground heightwise. The soldiers on the Irken Mothership are medium height. The ones that work for the Tallest are between the tallest and normal Irken height.