Men in black

The Men in Black would be, according to the most popular contemporary tradition and the speculation of some groups that believe in the extraterrestrial phenomenon, governmental or extra-governmental secret agents in charge of helping to hide an extraterrestrial presence on Earth. It is sometimes implied that the aliens may be themselves. The term is also used to describe mysterious men who work for unknown organizations, as well as various branches of the US government, supposedly with the aim of protecting state secrets or carrying out other strange activities. The term itself is generic, used to refer to any individual with unusual, threatening, or bizarre behavior whose appearance on the scene may be linked, in some way, to a UFO sighting.

Ufologist Bill Moore believes the Men in Black are part of the very real Air Force Office of Special Investigations (the AFOSI), a security department United States internal chartered in 1948 and later standardized to the FBI to investigate criminal activities within the Air Force and its weapons contractors. Since one of AFOSI's missions is to protect technology, programs and personnel from a global crisis from "external threats".

Alleged features and function

The men in black would have the function of confusing or intimidating investigators and witnesses of UFOs and extraterrestrial visitors, in addition to confiscating supposed evidence of an alien presence, with the purpose of preserving the visits of UFOs from public knowledge. aliens to our planet.

Appearance

Details concerning these characters vary, but some of the more common descriptions are:

• They dress impeccable black suits, always with matching ties and white shirts.
• They travel in cars of the same color, predominating the old models of Cadillac.
• They are almost universally Caucasian, often pale skin, although rarely described as vaguely oriental.
• They have a clear and authoritarian voice and trendy cuts but threatening.
• Sometimes his appearance induces to suspect a disguise. An artificial skin or a voice with metal resonance are the most common signs.

Cases of telepathic communication, sensation of a dream experience and other disconcerting events have also been described.

Conduct

The men in black seem to possess a lot of information about the people they contact, hinting that the people they contact have been closely monitored over a long period of time. Despite their homogeneous outward appearance, social behavior can vary considerably from one Man in Black to another, but it is usually aloof and reserved, with an official tone. Normally, their modus operandi involves pretending to seek information about paranormal phenomena that the people they interview may have seen, or trying to convince the subject that the phenomenon never existed or that they should not speak publicly about it. According to the folklore of the UFO phenomenon and the most widespread ideas in fiction, the men in black would come to use specialized instruments to erase the memory of the subjects with whom they speak, with the aim of eliminating from the minds of the subjects the experience of paranormal phenomena.

History

Perhaps the first time men in black were mentioned was in September 1953. Albert K. Bender, president of the International Flying Saucer Bureau (IFSB), announced that he had discovered the truth about UFOs, and would publish it in the next issue of your magazine. This copy was never published, since Bender allegedly received a visit from three men who confirmed his assumptions but forbade him from revealing it. Over the years, Bender has revealed details about this encounter and his discoveries.

The first book to describe the men in black was They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers, written by Gray Barker and published by University Books in 1956.

Another famous episode is that of Dr. Herbert Hopkins, from Maine, who in 1976 received a visit from another of these characters, bald, without eyebrows or eyelashes, with pale skin and painted lips, who made some coins disappear and disappeared. dismissed with the phrase "My energy is running out, I must go." It is also said that they have been seen in the fact of the Polybius myth and the Mothman or Mothman.

Opinions

The most widespread opinion, even among defenders of the UFO phenomenon, is that the Men in Black are a purely folkloric element within ufology, the result of media influence, collective imagination and autosuggestion, although there are scholars who believe that there must be a certain real element in the subject, due to cases of extortion and threats against researchers, for example, that of Albert K. Bender.

One possible explanation is that the myth arose from the dark-colored clothing worn by many CIA, FBI, and Secret Service agents.

Pop Culture

Comic

The presence of these beings in the fictional world began in 1990, with the publication of the comic book miniseries "The men in black", written by Lowell Cunhingham and drawn by Sandy Carruthers. It told the story of some secret agents, surly and grumpy, who belonged to a mysterious agency that acted as a shadow government- In fact, they were the real government- and whose mission was to hide from the world the existence of aliens and other beings of dubious origin, such as werewolves, demons and ghosts. The series, published by Aircel Comics, initially consisted of three issues, and was clearly intended for an adult audience, as it had a markedly dark and pulpy tone, the characters used very expeditious methods to maintain secrecy, such as physical elimination of witnesses and of the alien beings themselves and intimidation. The agents also suffered psychological problems derived from their social isolation. Film director Barry Sonnenfield was based -very loosely- on this miniseries to create the famous MIB film franchise Men in Black, in one film and two sequels, starring Tommy Lee Jones -Agent K- Will Smith -Agent J- and by Rip Torn (MIB and MIB2) as boss Zed.

Cinema

The Men in Black movie is probably the main reference on the subject in fiction. The film dates back to 1997 and stars Tommy Lee Jones -Agent K- and Will Smith -Agent J-, having three sequels so far. The differences between the comic and the movies are more than notable in aspects such as the tone, being very comical in the movies, and focusing on the fight against the aliens, solely and exclusively. Also, Agent Jay is white in the comic series, while in the film trilogy he is black.

The men in black also seem to be the inspiration behind the Watchers in the movie Dark City, Agent Smith and his peers in the saga of The Matrix and the character of Cobra Bubbles in the movie Lilo & Stitch.

Television

Television series have made use of the image and mythology of the men in black, who appear for example in the science fiction/horror series The X-Files, as well as the Observers in the series Fringe. The British series Doctor Who is based on them to some extraterrestrials called the Silence. In addition, it should be noted that an animated series was produced based on the MIB of the films, (MIB, the series) being, in fact, a continuation of them, which had, in character design, the invaluable work of the cartoonist Spanish Miguelanxo Prado ^{[citation required]} -This being his only foray into Hollywood animation- and the production of Richard Raynis. "MIB, the series" produced four seasons.

The Argentine television program CQC (Caiga quien Caiga), as well as its adaptations from other countries, have an aesthetic based on the supposed appearance of men in black.

In the French series Code Lyoko the men in black make recurring appearances, especially chasing Aelita's father and kidnapping her mother. Although in the series it is not clear who they are, in the books it is stated that they belong to the CIA or the NSA (it is not clear) and that, paradoxically, they are one of the "good guys".

In the Detective Conan series, a sophisticated criminal organization appears whose members are known as "Men in Black", they have a very strict hierarchy and usually wear clothes as black as a raven.

Another reference to the men in black appears in the Japanese series Ano Natsu de Matteru where they are occasionally mentioned. In the last episode several agents appear with weapons that have the MIB logo and it is even revealed that one of the characters in the story, Lemon Yamano, belongs to said organization. In the ending of the series you can also see the facilities of the men in black in Japan very similar to those of the movie The men in black.

Video Games

In the video game Deus Ex these have an appearance, being enemies to fight. These in the video game work for another secret agency called Majestic 12. In the video game Half Life and its sequel, a character (nicknamed G-Man) appears whose role in the plot makes one think of the Men in Black. In the video game Urban Legend in Limbo, the character Mamizou Futatsuiwa would wear an appearance reminiscent of this urban legend.