In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are government agents dressed in black suits, who question, interrogate, harass, threaten, allegedly memory-wipe or sometimes even assassinate unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesses to keep them silent about what they have seen. The term is also frequently used to describe mysterious men working for unknown organizations, as well as various branches of government allegedly tasked with protecting secrets or performing other strange activities.
Men in Black is a 1997 American science fiction action comedy film starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith as "men in black", government agents who monitor and police extraterrestrials. The film is directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, based on a script by Ed Solomon, that adapts the Marvel comic book series The Men in Black by Lowell Cunningham. In the film, Agent K (Jones) and Agent J (Smith) investigate a series of seemingly unrelated criminal incidents related to the extraterrestrials who live in secret on Earth. Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Rip Torn also appear in supporting roles.
Men in Black II is a 2002 American science fiction action comedy film based on the Marvel Comics series of a similar name based on the conspiracy theory. Produced by Columbia Pictures and Amblin Entertainment in association with MacDonald Parkes Productions, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is the sequel to Men in Black (1997) and the second installment in the Men in Black film series. The film was directed by Barry Sonnenfeld from a screenplay by Robert Gordon and Barry Fanaro, and it stars Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, with Lara Flynn Boyle, Johnny Knoxville, Rosario Dawson, Tony Shalhoub, and Rip Torn in supporting roles. It featured Michael Jackson's last theatrical film appearance before his death in 2009. In the film, the emergence of an assumed subdued alien threat reunites Kevin Brown / Agent K (Jones) and James Darrell Edwards III / Agent J (Smith).
The Men in Black is an American comic book created and written by Lowell Cunningham, illustrated by Sandy Carruthers, and originally published by Aircel Comics, based on the "men in black" conspiracy theory. Aircel would later be bought out by Malibu Comics, which itself was bought out by Marvel Comics. Three issues were published in 1990, with another three the following year. The comic book later spawned a media franchise which includes a series of four films, an animated television series, video games, and a theme park attraction, as well as a number of tie-in one-shot comics from Marvel. Cunningham had the idea for the comic once a friend of his introduced him to the concept of government "men in black" upon seeing a black van riding the streets.
Timothy Patrick Blaney is an American puppeteer and voice actor. He has provided the voices for Frank the Pug in Men in Black, Men in Black II, and Men in Black: International, and the self-aware robot "Johnny 5" in Short Circuit and Short Circuit 2.
On The X-Files television show, the term Men in Black refers to a group of enforcers employed by the Syndicate to execute assassinations, cover-ups and other clandestine operations. It is clear that most, if not all, of them are former members of special operations units. Some, mostly shown in comedic episodes, parodied the traditional view of MIBs from UFO lore. Most had no known civilian identities, though there were some exceptions. They rarely speak.
Agent K, born Kevin Cunningham Brown, is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists of the Men in Black franchise. Kay is portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones in the three films, with Josh Brolin portraying his younger self in the third film, and voiced by Ed O'Ross and Gregg Berger in the animated series. The film's trading card series and Men in Black: The Game give K's full name as Kevin Cunningham, a nod to Lowell Cunningham, the creator of the comic.
Agent J, born James Darrell Edwards III, is one of the two protagonists of the Men in Black film series. Born October 19, 1965, Jay is an agent of the MiB, recruited by Agent K. He is energetic and tries to bring life and emotion back to the bland organization. He is portrayed by Will Smith in the Men in Black film franchise, as well as in the amusement park ride Men in Black: Alien Attack at Universal Studios Florida. He is voiced by Keith Diamond in the animated series.
Men in Black: Alien Attack is a shooting interactive dark ride located at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, Florida, based on the film, Men in Black, itself based on the original comic book of the same name created by Lowell Cunningham. The ride opened in 2000. The ride has generally been well received, winning an Outstanding Achievement award from the Themed Entertainment Association.
Men in Black 3 is a 2012 American science fiction action comedy film based on the Marvel Comics series of a similar name, in turn based on the conspiracy theory, which is the sequel to Men in Black II (2002), the third installment in the Men in Black film series and the final installment in the original trilogy. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by Etan Cohen, the film stars Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin, with Jemaine Clement, Michael Stuhlbarg, Bill Hader and Emma Thompson in supporting roles. In the film, James Darrell Edwards III / Agent J (Smith) is required to go back in time to prevent the assassination of his partner Kevin Brown / Agent K, the fallout of which threatens the safety of Earth.
Men in Black is a semi-comic science fiction media franchise that originated with the Malibu/Marvel comic book of the same name created by American author Lowell Cunningham. The franchise focuses on the titular non-governmental organization which monitors and regulates paranormal and alien activity on Earth while preventing civilians from finding out about it. The most notable agents within the organization are Jay, Kay, and Zed. The franchise has been adapted into other media including a series of four films, an animated television series, video games, and a theme park attraction.
Men in Black is a series of American science fiction action comedy films directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, and based on the Malibu / Marvel comic book series The Men in Black by Lowell Cunningham, which was itself based on a UFO conspiracy theory. The first film, Men in Black, was released in 1997, the second film, Men in Black II in 2002, the third film, Men in Black 3 in 2012, and the fourth film, a spin-off Men in Black: International in 2019. Amblin Entertainment and MacDonald/Parkes Productions produced, and Sony Pictures Releasing through its Columbia Pictures label released, all four films.
MIB: Alien Crisis is an on rails third-person shooter video game for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360. It was developed by Fun Labs and published by Activision. The game is the third installment in the Men in Black series of video games. Instead of Agent J or Agent K, the game features a new MIB agent named Agent P. The game was released on May 22, 2012. Alien Crisis is partially based on the Men in Black 3 movie and coincided with its launch in theaters. Tim Blaney reprises his role as Frank the Pug from the first two films.
Men in Black: International is a 2019 American science fiction action-comedy film directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Tencent Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, and Parkes+MacDonald Image Nation, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is the fourth and final installment in the Men in Black film series, based on the Malibu/Marvel comic book series of the same name by Lowell Cunningham, in turn based on the conspiracy theory. It serves as a stand-alone sequel set in the same universe as the previous films but is the first film in the series to not feature Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones as the main characters.
Men in Black: The Game is an adventure video game developed by Gigawatt Studios for Microsoft Windows in 1997. Although it is an officially licensed game based on the 1997 film Men in Black, the plot is unrelated and it is a survival horror game as opposed to being a comedy. It is most likely an homage to the original The Men In Black comic book created by Lowell Cunningham with its dark aesthetics and 2D cinematics that resemble comic book panels. The game was ported to the PlayStation in 1998 by The Collective.
Men in Black: The Series – Crashdown is a first-person shooter video game based on the animated television series, Men in Black: The Series. The game was developed by Runecraft and published by Infogrames for the PlayStation. It was released in November 2001 to mixed reception.
Men in Black: The Series is an action platform video game developed by Tiertex Design Studios and published by Crave Entertainment for the Game Boy Color (GBC) on December 14, 1998. The game is based on the animated television series of the same name, and was followed by a sequel titled Men in Black 2: The Series, released for the Game Boy Color in 2000.
Mutafukaz is a 2017 French-Japanese adult animated science fiction film based on the comic series and the short film of the same name. The film was a co-production between French studio Ankama Animations and the Japanese Studio 4°C, directed by Shōjirō Nishimi and Guillaume "Run" Renard. The comic would be published in English as M.F.K.Z. by Behemoth Comics' Happy Tank imprint beginning in June 2021. Mutafukaz was released in France on May 23, 2018 and in Japan on October 12, 2018. At the end of December 2022, it was added to Hulu's streaming platform.
Crazy Alien is a 2019 Chinese science-fiction comedy film directed by Ning Hao and written by Sun Xiaohang, Wu Nan, Dong Runnian, Liu Xiaodan, and Pan Yiran. The third installment in Ning's "Crazy" series, the film stars Huang Bo and Shen Teng as the lead roles. It was released in China on Chinese New Year, February 5, 2019.
