History Main / TheMenInBlack

Generally, they're in the business of keeping secrets. LaserGuidedAmnesia is a pretty common tool in their arsenal, especially in more idealistic versions, wiping out a memory you're probably better off without so you can go back to a [[{{Muggle}} normal life]]. More cynical portrayals just bully you into keeping your mouth shut. [[UnPerson Or just make you disappear]], [[KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade one way or another]]. Less often, they'll make AnOfferYouCantRefuse: [[RedPillBluePill join or forget]]. [[JoinOrDie Or die.]]

* Men in Black and Women in Black are semi-common enemies in the video game ''VideoGame/DeusEx''. These individuals were Series P augmented agents (Physiopharmaceutical) whose modifications had rendered them albino. To quote the game, "so far the simple addition of sunglasses and dark clothing appear to have resolved the matter in a practical fashion." Deus Ex was very fond of using tropes and memes to enforce Genre Blindness on the population in the game -- it's remarkably easy to scoff at the idea of an MIB, whereas a towering albino with an automatic shotgun is so far off the conspiracy radar that people might actually start ''listening''.
** The game is also one of the few pieces of media illustrating Albert Bender's claim that the Men in Black had "electronic sounding voices".
** ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' has more "conventional" Men in Black seen mostly in sidequests: agents of the conspiracy dressed in black suits with common sounding names as aliases (one of them slips up and almost says [[spoiler: Hugh Darrow]]'s real name before switching back to "Mr. Grey").

** The Shikaree or Sin Hunters are a fantasy version of this to the Mithra nations in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'', hunting down those who committed crimes against the Nations. The ones seen in the Chains of Promathia come across as a group of [[InspectorJavert Inspector Javerts]], but this is partially subverted in the Ranger quest storyline [[spoiler:wherein they are more concerned about the retrieval or destruction of the ArtifactOfDoom that the criminal stole than the actual criminal,]] although the player doesn't find this out till the final Artifact Armor quest.

* The Watchdog hunters in ''VideoGame/Manhunt2'' work for the Project and is their "clean-up crew". Between the suits, shades and masks, they don the look pretty well.

* Mr. X in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake'' was changed into a spook who wears a big black trench coat and fedora and does spook things, such as caving in the skulls of those who might uncover the truth behind the Raccoon City incident. And the anachronistic clothes aren't there just for style, but to cover up his horrifyingly inhuman features.

* ''VideoGame/WatchDogs'': the final mission of the Weapons Trade side-quest pits Aiden against a group of fixers who his ally Tobias is convinced are [=MIBs=]. It's worth noting that Tobias himself is a conspiracy theorist, so it's more an invocation of Men In Black as an urban legend rather than a straight example.
* In ''Videogame/WorldOfWarcraft'', the gates of the town "Area 52" in the Netherstorm zone in Outland are flanked by so-called "[[https://www.wowhead.com/npc=19541/netherstorm-agent Netherstorm Agents]]", goblins dressed in black suits with sunglasses. Furthermore, any PlayerCharacter who passes through said gates gets a short spell called "[[https://www.wowhead.com/spell=34400/a-52-neuralyzer A-52 Neuralyzer]]" applied to them, the tooltip of which reads "[[ShoutOut The flash of light]] [[Film/MenInBlack you did not see]] [[LaserGuidedAmnesia did not erase your memories.]]".

** ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' introduces the [[NoodlePeople Thin]] [[HughMann Men]], alien infiltrators that appear as [[UncannyValley unnaturally]] tall and lanky men in business suits and sunglasses, the better to hide their scaly patches of skin and HellishPupils - they're really bio-engineered SnakePeople.
** The ''XCOM: Enemy Within'' expansion focuses on XCOM's covert war against EXALT, an illuminati-like group trying to take advantage of the alien invasion to further their own interests. They wear "business casual" attire - pinstripe pants, white shirts and ties - underneath tactical vests and face-concealing bandanas, since they're basically white-collar workers ready to gear up at a moment's notice when it's time to run an operation.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

Despite being the symbolic presence of The Oppression Of TheMan, The Men in Black have the mystique of being badass and [[RuleOfCool cool]], so heroes can be associated with them. In those cases they are merely protecting panicky {{Muggles}} by [[IDidWhatIHadToDo doing what's ultimately best]]. Watch out for ConspiracyRedemption if they go too far, though.

* The [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney ultra-rich]] Ijuin family of the ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'' series has an ''army'' of MIB, ready to obey to their every wishes. But this being ''[[TastesLikeDiabetes Tokimeki Memorial]]'', they're always used for HilarityEnsues purposes.

* In the music video for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtA2dxJNHV4 Kiler]] Music/KubaSienkiewicz is dressed as one. With CoolShades.

* In ''Podcast/TheMagnusArchives'' the archivist hints at their existence when he mentions that the Institute he works for has contacts in government and law enforcement who appear to have taken considerable interest in at least one of their collection of statements about alleged supernatural encounters.

** Agents of a "vague, yet menacing, government agency" operate in the town and are frequently mentioned by [[TheNarrator Cecil.]] Quite hilariously, their existence is common knowledge in [[ConspiracyKitchenSink Night Vale]] and everyone accepts them as a normal part of everyday life.

* In "[[Recap/ResidentAlienS1E9WelcomeAliens Welcome Aliens]]" from ''Series/ResidentAlien'', Max Hawthorne and the girl Sahar pay a visit to the cabin of the HughMann alien Harry Vanderspeigle, whose human disguise Max can see through. Harry claims that he's trying to restore his "radio" (actually his [[KillAllHumans doomsday device]]) to contact his people and Sahar asks Harry why he doesn't simply fly away from his spaceship and realizes from the look on his face that the government took it. She tells him that it could be any of a number of agencies, but that it's probably the Men in Black, though they're not all men and don't all wear black. He asks why they're called that then and she replies that it sounds better than "People in Clothes." Later, said "Men in Black" (Lisa Casper and David Logan) have dinner with Max's parents, posing as a married couple who are having problems having children and Lisa Casper sneaks into Max's room and discovers his piece of Harry's spaceship. Later, Max returns home and sees the incident on a recording on his computer. Played with later on in that when David Logan asks General McAllister if they're Men in Black, she tells him that he's watched too many movies and that she would have called her superiors if she wanted them involved.

* In "[[Recap/ResidentAlienS1E9WelcomeAliens Welcome Aliens]]" from ''Series/ResidentAlien'', Max Hawthorne and the girl Sahar pay a visit to the cabin of the HughMann alien Harry Vanderspeigle, whose human disguise Max can see through. Harry claims that he's trying to restore his "radio" (actually his [[KillAllHumans doomsday device]]) to contact his people and Sahar asks Harry why he doesn't simply fly away from his spaceship and realizes from the look on his face that the government took it. She tells him that it could be any of a number of agencies, but that it's probably the Men in Black, though they're not all men and don't all wear black. He asks why they're called that then and she replies that it sounds better than "People in Clothes." Later, said "Men in Black" (Lisa Casper and David Logan) have dinner with Max's parents, posing as a married couple who are having problems having children and Lisa Casper sneaks into Max's room and discovers his piece of Harry's spaceship. Later, Max returns home and sees the incident on a recording on his computer.

* ''ComicBook/{{Stormwatch}}'', at least after being reimagined in the New 52. They've been protecting the planet since at least the Middle Ages, completely in secret. As one member puts it, superheroes are amateurs: Stormwatch are the professionals.

* While a lot more... [[LighterAndSofter quirkier]] than most examples, ''WesternAnimation/GlitchTechs'' certainly act as a local [=MIB=]. They deal with threats that could cause serious damage if left unchecked, and their equipment allows them to erase memories and repair any damage caused by glitches or a Glitch Tech's fight with a glitch.

** The game also used the conspiracy insistence than Men in Black had "electronic sounding voices".

* In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', the season one episode involving an invisible girl ended with her being taken away by two black-suited FBI agents who spoke entirely in monotone stock quotes. The episode ended with the reveal of some kind of underground SpySchool ''full'' of invisible people.

* They hang around the President of Amarican in ''Fanfic/TwilightSparklesAwesomeAdventure'', and prove their badass nature by [[spoiler: being the only characters whom [[MarySue ADMIRAL Awesome]] can't beat in a fight.]]

* In ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'', a FlashBack reveals that two rather benign Men in Black were responsible for Zimmy and Gamma's enrollment at the Court, apparently for the girls' own protection. [[WordOfGod Word Of Tom]] has since revealed that they were Court staff.

The Men In Black are the generic intimidating agents. If they have names, expect them to be along the lines of [[MrSmith an obvious pseudonym]], one of the most common Anglo-Saxon names (although they're often described as being [[AmbiguouslyBrown very racially ambiguous]]), such as [[Film/TheMatrix "Mr. Smith", "Mr. Jones", "Mr. Brown"]], etc., or else they'll be MisterStrangenoun. They're there to loom over you and make you feel afraid, whether they're sent by TheGovernment, TheMafia, a CorruptCorporateExecutive, or aliens from outer space. They're almost ''never'' there to help you.

** In the episode "Dreamland", Mulder was dropped into the body of an MIB when he [[FreakyFridayFlip switched his body and life]] with a character portrayed by Michael [=McKean=], who complains that his job is a good deal more tedious than popular belief would have it.

* The ''Webcomic/WalkyVerse'' has exactly ''one'' MIB. [[spoiler: He's an agent ''and'' an alien in disguise.]]
* MIB Agent Turing has appeared twice in ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'' starting [[http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=147 here]] and later [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=750 here]].

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2006-05-15 Slick faces one.]]
** [[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2008-02-17 Later the crew faces off against a bunch of them.]]

* ''Webcomic/MechagicalGirlLisaANT'': Lisa's parents, who work for the local GovernmentAgencyOfFiction.

* ''Anime/{{Digimon}}'':

* ''Manga/DetectiveConan'''s black-clothed organization, who are responsible for turning Shinichi into what he is now. Though they seem to be a very small criminal gang, they are extraordinarily powerful, mainly because the world at large doesn't even know they exist. They basically live off of this trope, committing crimes by blackmailing others into doing it for them, killing those who learn of their existence and anybody they might possibly have contacted, and even killing members whom they consider even a potential threat. Many of their members even wear black outfits and shades (when not in disguise)! It is implied the organization is at least somewhat larger than what we see (how large is anyone's guess) and that the main foes are in fact several of the top ranking members that report directly to the boss. Also, they are always in disguise, because their very existence is a secret to the world and they want to keep it that way.

* As per the film and comic books, the ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlack'' cartoon features these guys as the protagonists. It also shows that this is a thing among the aliens as well! The alien policeman Temblor is a seven-foot tall humanoid wearing a black coat, sunglasses, and a fedora. The only thing off model is his [[VaderBreath gas mask]] abd facial bandages.

** The HalloweenEpisode of ''Anime/DigimonUniverseApplimonsters'' had one of these as [[BigBad Leviathan's]] lackeys trying to steal Haru's Appli Drive. Once Gatchmon foils them, they then answer to Cameramon.

* The HalloweenEpisode of ''Anime/DigimonUniverseApplimonsters'' had one of these as [[BigBad Leviathan's]] lackeys trying to steal Haru's Appli Drive. Once Gatchmon foils them, they then answer to Cameramon.
* In ''Anime/DigimonDataSquad'', the main characters are members of an MIB organization, DATS. They even get nifty mind-erasing neuralizers to go with the job. However, ''these'' Men in Black lack the Black. Seriously, everyone in DATS wears brightly colored uniforms.
* The Hypnos organization, and specifically Agent Yamaki, from ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' came complete with [[VanInBlack Black Vans]] and {{Black Helicopter}}s.

* The Invaders from ''VideoGame/{{Gatekeepers}}'' resembled Men In Black, although they were a variant of TheHeartless.

* [=CP9=] in ''Manga/OnePiece'' qualifies, given that everyone thought that the Cipher Pol divisions only went up to 8 (similar to how [=MI6=] exists as the super-secret extra number in the ''Franchise/JamesBond'' continuities), but it's different in that [=CP9=] has a number of very colorful characters who operate under what are presumably their real names. A number of literal "men in black" work for them as [[{{Mook}} mooks]], however. Another alternative would be Baroque Works, whose upper membership operated in a more conventional cloak-and-dagger scenario, with people like Mr. 2 a.k.a. Bon Clay a.k.a. Bentham.

[[folder:ComicBooks]]

[[folder:FanWorks]]

* TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' has the Turks. Well, most of them fit the bill, except they use dark blue suits with zippers, and only Rude is obsessed with the [[SinisterShades sunglasses]]. Tseng, Elena and Cissnei doesn't use any and Reno settles for [[GogglesDoNothing goggles]]. Reno and Rude are popular for being [[PunchClockVillain Punch Clock Villains]], and it is implied that the others are mostly the same.
* The Shikaree or Sin Hunters are a fantasy version of this to the Mithra nations in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'', hunting down those who committed crimes against the Nations. The ones seen in the Chains of Promathia come across as a group of [[InspectorJavert Inspector Javerts]], but this is partially subverted in the Ranger quest storyline [[spoiler:wherein they are more concerned about the retrieval or destruction of the ArtifactOfDoom that the criminal stole than the actual criminal,]] although the player doesn't find this out till the final Artifact Armor quest.

* The Watchdog hunters in ''VideoGame/{{Manhunt}} 2'' work for the Project and is their "clean-up crew". Between the suits, shades and masks, they don the look pretty well.

*** Several can be seen pursuing the party [[spoiler:near the end of both the Vanilla ending and the ''Royal'' true ending.]] In ''VideoGame/Persona5Strikers'', it was revealed that those were actually [[spoiler:Tokyo Metropolitan Police who were pursuing the protagonist out of a desparate attempt to save their PR.]]
* ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' has Men in Black standing around the Unova reigion, their existence is unexplained, but they do give you items.

* ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage 3'' have men in black suits, tie, and sunglasses as enemies working for TheSyndicate and they usually show up in levels where the average person wouldn't want to go near unless [[TheyKnowTooMuch they want to know more than they should]] (such as the robot factory out in the middle of the woods in the final level). The men in black mostly shoot you with a pistol, though they will punch and throw you if you get too close. In the Japanese version they are named after metals (Silver, Gold, etc) and in the US release, have strange "Scottish" style names such as "Macleod." They also show up in the fourth game and only start appearing in the final few levels where you're deep in Syndicate territory.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* In the 2003 ''WesternAnimation/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|2003}}'', the antagonist Bishop is a Man in Black.