Line #32 Main/ParasitesAreEvil


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7	->''"I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichneumonidae Ichneumonidae]] with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of Caterpillars..."''
8	-->-- '''UsefulNotes/CharlesDarwin'''
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10	Though [[ParasiticHorror undeniably horrifying]] and on occasion dangerous to human beings, there's nothing objectively ''evil'' in what parasites or parasitoids do. Regardless of whether they [[PuppeteerParasite control the minds of their hosts]], use them as [[FaceFullOfAlienWingWong incubators for their young]], simply eat them (or their nutrients) from within or just generally make their lives a little bit more uncomfortable than normal, the creature committing these acts is merely trying to survive and reproduce in much the same way as any other animal. Nearly every non-parasitic species has more than one unique parasite, and parasites outnumber free-living organisms by a vast margin. This means that the ''norm'' for most Earth life is spending a part of their life cycle in or on another organism for food and shelter.
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12	However, humans have a nasty habit of projecting their morality on the natural world, or at the very least, forgetting that NatureIsNotNice. Consequently, parasitism in nature may be regarded as immoral and vile. Imagine someone living in your house without your consent or stealing your stuff. That's what parasites are.
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14	Thusly, fictional parasites, parasitoids and their ilk can all too often be depicted as evil, with their need to live upon others being regarded as cruel or immoral, especially if sentient. In keeping with the AlwaysChaoticEvil portrayal, dysfunctional societies with lots of backstabbing and betrayals may be a possibility. If sufficiently powerful and/or intelligent, they might even qualify as the main villains of the story.
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16	For this reason, parasites may end up becoming the exception to a hero's code against killing, even if they do qualify as sapient life forms; in extreme cases, they may even become the target of a GuiltFreeExterminationWar.
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18	'''NOTE: To qualify for this trope, the parasite or parasitoid must be confirmed to be of evil origins or deliberately malevolent. An ordinary parasite simply acting in its own natural interests does ''not'' count, hence Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease'''
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20	Compare and contrast PredatorsAreMean, ScavengersAreScum, and MonstrousGerms, all similar examples of human morality being imposed on nature. Could overlap with ParasiticImmortality; after all, taking somebody's body against their will so you can live forever is [[ImmortalityImmorality pretty immoral by default]]. SuperTrope of TalkingPest, as parasites and pests are often characterized as malicious in pesticide ads.
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22	!!Examples:
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25	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
26	* ''Anime/DragonBallGT'': The machine mutant Baby is a parasitic lifeform that invades the bodies of his targets via scratches, [[PuppeteerParasite completely taking over their mind]] and [[TransformationOfThePossessed altering their appearance]] as well as being able to use his host's abilities as his own. A PsychopathicManchild by nature, he takes over Vegeta's body upon arriving on Earth and uses his powers to enslave and brainwash nearly everyone on the planet.
27	* ''Anime/GunBuster'': While one of the scientists describes them as galaxy's antibodies that are defending it from the virus that is humankind, the space monsters seem to fit the "parasite" or virus label more accurately as they destroy healthy stars in order to reproduce. Those stars could've been hosts to planets that could potentially harbor living organisms, and by destroying said stars the space monsters are ensuring that no new life besides themselves is born in the universe.
28	* ''Manga/{{Parasyte}}'' plays with this trope extensively:
29	** The titular parasites may be sapient creatures who see their human hosts as nothing more than livestock to kill, devour, and [[KillAndReplace impersonate]]. But they are not AlwaysChaoticEvil for it, nor are they treated as such by the story; instead, they operate under BlueAndOrangeMorality, at best being [[TheSpock logical]], [[TheUnfettered ruthlessly pragmatic beings]] who only do what they do because it is how they survive as a species in the first place. Some chose to engage in symbiosis with their hosts, [[PragmaticVillainy but only when they are forced to do so in order to survive]], and some even [[HumanityIsInfectious learn human emotions and empathy over time]]. In fact, the only outright evil characters seen throughout the series are [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters a handful of ordinary humans]].
30	** Shinichi, the protagonist of the series, even goes as far as to [[spoiler:call this trope into question, deciding at one point that humans have no right to kill or impose their values on the parasites because of the above facts. Though he later grows out of this mindset, he still doesn't hold any malice against the parasites he fights and protects people from]].
31	* ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'': The Doctor brainwashes his victims by inserting parasitic insects in their ears. The infected become uncharacteristically sadistic, rejoicing when watching others suffer and even taunting their friends when they try to set them free.
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34	[[folder:Audio Plays]]
35	* ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'': In "[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho121EnemyOfTheDaleks Enemy of the Daleks]]", the Kiseibya were created as a biological weapon for use in the war against the Daleks. They are voracious parasitoids in their larval stage, slowly and painfully devouring their hosts from the inside before metamorphosing into metal-eating adults. They're found to be intelligent enough to speak, but [[BlueAndOrangeMorality possessed of an outlook that's nothing short of terrifying]]: if they were deprived of Daleks to prey on for food and incubation, they'd gladly turn on humanity. After seeing the Kiseibya disable the Black Dalek ''and'' implant him with their eggs, the Doctor decides that they can't be allowed to leave their home world...
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38	[[folder:Comic Books]]
39	* ''ComicBook/LockeAndKey'': It's eventually revealed that the "demons" that dwell beyond the Black Door are actually a race of extradimensional parasites known as the [[EldritchAbomination Children of Leng]]; they want to experience everything our world has to offer but can only do so by inhabiting the body of someone crossing the Door threshold. They don't possess people in the traditional sense, but actively rewire the ''souls'' of their hosts so that [[EvilFeelsGood they enjoy cruelty]], until any difference between host and parasite becomes purely academic. Motivated solely by sadistic hedonism and megalomania, the Children of Leng can only pretend to be virtuous if it means getting what they want -- and even doing that irritates and disgusts them, to the point that [[BigBad Dodge]] can only keep up his innocent facade by fantasizing about [[WouldHurtAChild the horrific things he'd like to do to the Locke kids]]... and [[spoiler:brutally raping Ellie Whedon behind closed doors]].
40	* ''ComicBook/{{Supergod}}'': Morrigan Lugus is a [[BotanicalAbomination godlike colony of parasitoid fungus]] built around the bodies of three long-dead astronauts, and easily the most malevolent of the gods appearing in this story. Along with his power to infest anyone in breathing range and make them worship it until they die of [[FesteringFungus fungal growths in their lungs]], Lugus actually gets a speech in which he gloats over [[HumansAreFlawed the weaknesses of humanity]], decrying its worthlessness for [[OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions still obsessing over gods]]. However, Reddin hopes that the minds of the astronauts are still present somewhere within Lugus and can used to inspire him to save the human race. [[spoiler:As it turns out, the astronauts are aware that they were sacrificed for the sake of an experiment and want revenge: it's for this reason that Lugus ultimately betrays his creators in order to sporulate unfettered across the world, condemning the human race to extinction.]]
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43	[[folder:Fan Works]]
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45	* ''Fanfic/AuthorsNote'':
46	--> As Steve Jobs got to Sonic and Knuckles table, he said “hand over your wallets” (author’s note: a wallet is a parasitic creature that sucks away its host’s lifeforce in exchange for giving them all of the knowledge of the universe) but Sonic and Knuckles began shaking their heads in objection to this.
47	--> Sonic said “you-a really think-a that-a you can steal-a from-a us and get away-a with it?”
48	* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13257247/1/A-Little-Too-Much-Of-A-Good-Thing A Little Too Much of a Good Thing]]'', a ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' fanfic, features a race of insect-fungus hybrids known as [[WickedWasps Forger Wasps]]. Beginning with a single parasitic HiveQueen that inhabits a host [[spoiler:(in this case, Mabel)]] for life, she spreads eggs to everyone the host touches; the offspring that hatch are parasitoids that [[CloneByConversion transform their victims into perfect replicas of the Queen's host]] -- give or take some super-strength -- gradually destroying their minds in the process. The parasitoid clones are uniformly portrayed as creepy, sadistic StepfordSmiler types, while the Queen is depicted as a cold-hearted, uncaring monster with ambitions of taking over the world -- [[spoiler:and using the intelligence of her most brilliant offspring to [[WhoWantsToLiveForever condemn Mabel to a hellish eternal life]], just so the Queen can attain immortality along with her]].
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51	[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
52	* ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'': The Xenomorph is a parasitoid lifeform that was created after an insane android repeatedly experimented on various creatures by exposing them to an extremely powerful mutagen. As a bioweapon, the species [[ItCanThink possesses brutal cunning]], but no empathy and no overt goal except to expand, killing other beings even when it doesn't intend to use them as hosts. This particular parasitoid is so vile that [[ItsTheOnlyWayToBesure genocide is considered a worthwhile alternate to letting them roam free]], while in ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}/Aliens II: God War'', Superman himself states that the Xenomorphs are a disease that has no right to exist and lives only to annihilate.
53	* ''Film/TheHidden'': The evil alien is an AxCrazy slug monster who kills anyone it jumps into, then uses the body to spread chaos for its own amusement. By contrast, the good alien never takes anyone against their will and only uses bodies that are already braindead.
54	* ''Film/{{Slither}}'': The alien parasite is a galactic menace that travels from planet to planet, destroying anything in its path. Its modus operandi features it merging with a host from the local population and then begin reproducing by brutally impregnating unsuspecting hosts, infesting all forms of life with its slug-like offspring and absorbing the infested creatures into itself until it's essentially a living biosphere. When it merges with Grant Grant's mind at the beginning of the story, the resulting monster not only murders pets across the town for their meat, [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil violently impregnates Brenda]] and infests just about everyone in town with the brain slugs, but also demonstrates the very worst of Grant's own attitude problems: [[CrazyJealousGuy jealousy]], [[ControlFreak controlling tendencies]], and [[HairTriggerTemper a vicious temper]].
55	* ''Film/TheThing1982'': The titular villain is a microscopic alien parasite that can corrupt and assimilate any living being it comes into contact with. Throughout the film, it actively instils fear and paranoia on the heroes, turning them against each other to make them easier targets. In the climax, it's revealed that one of its "selves" was in charge of building a small spacecraft, implying that the alien intended to spread the infection across the entire Earth. The tie-in story ''Literature/TheThings'' confirms that the Thing is sentient, albeit [[BlueAndOrangeMorality nightmarishly abstract in thought patterns]], and [[HumansThroughAlienEyes regards human intelligence as so disgusting]] that it's prepared to [[AssimilationPlot assimilate everyone on Earth to eradicate it]] -- and assimilation is a process that its victims [[MindRape directly compare to rape]].
56	* ''Film/Venom2018'': {{Invoked\|Trope}} by Venom, who reacts with fury and offense upon being called a "parasite", since he genuinely believes in having a [[TheSymbiote symbiotic relationship]] with Eddie, unlike other members of his kind.
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59	[[folder:Literature]]
60	* ''Literature/AllTomorrows'': The [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Qu]] create multiple strains of human-derived parasites purely to punish the humans on one world for resisting them, even going so far as to create one strain that infested the ''[[GroinAttack wombs]]'' of their hosts. After the Qu abandon their post-human creations, most of these parasites die out, but one strain goes on to subvert this. They become an intelligent species that forms a symbiotic relationship with their hosts, guiding them and helping protect them in exchange for their blood, and eventually building an advanced civilization. While the hosts go from acting as mounts to being completely dominated by the Symbiotes, [[FormerlySapientSpecies effectively becoming nothing but puppets]], this is the product of evolution over hundreds of thousands of years rather than any deliberate act by the Symbiotes themselves.
61	* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': The Yeerks are the main antagonists of the series, a race of parasitic slugs [[PuppeteerParasite controlling the minds of those they inhabit]], and have built a galactic empire out of their need to find new bodies in which to live. Yeerk infestation is often portrayed as [[AndIMustScream a terrifying, dehumanizing experience]], and the Yeerks themselves are encouraged to treat their hosts as little more than cattle and even break their spirits to mould them into better hosts. However, [[GrayingMorality the portrayal becomes much more complex as the series continues]], with the Yeerks even becoming something of a WoobieSpecies once they make it clear that inhabiting the bodies of others is the only way they can appreciate the world -- or even ''see'' it, as Yeerks are blind in their natural state. It's even revealed that the [[TheEmpire Yeerk Empire]] is harboring [[LaResistance a freedom movement]] that wants to shift the species [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch away from parasitism and into symbiosis]]; these rebel Yeerks are regarded as sympathetic and even serve as tentative allies of the Animorphs on occasion. [[spoiler:In the finale, many surrendering Yeerks opt to transform into animals, willingly accepting a ShapeshifterModeLock so they can live peacefully on Earth.]]
62	* Creator/JohnConnolly's short story "The Cancer Cowboy Rides" plays with this. The source of [[PoisonousPerson Buddy Carson]]'s [[TouchOfDeath cancer-spreading touch]] is imagined as a black worm living deep within him, encouraging him to infect more people as time goes on. For good measure, it's not above torturing him from the inside if he ever begins to weaken in his devotion to propagating "The Black Word". However, Carson isn't even sure that the worm is real or if it's just a delusion he suffers -- and even if it exists, the cowardly evangelistic horror within him is still less villainous than [[{{Sadist}} Carson himself]].
63	* ''Literature/HyperionCantos'': The [[AIIsACrapshoot TechnoCore]] are revealed in the last book to be a product of digital evolution which was massively inclined toward parasitism (like stealing the codes needed for reproduction). In 99% of the cases, their view of the humans is limited to either using them as {{Wetware CPU}}s, or as DNA donors for their {{Wetware Bod\|y}}ies -- including the A.I.s attempting to move beyond the purely parasitic mindset.
64	* ''Literature/KnownSpace'': Played with. The puppeteers are embarrassed that they're parasitoids, requiring a livestock animal which they [[FaceFullOfAlienWingWong infest with their larvae to propagate]] (which they insist is actually [[BizarreAlienSexes the third sex of their species]]). However, their extreme cowardice leads them to do such things as socially engineering their rivals on the galactic stage into ineffectuality and release metal-eating bioweapons (a type of yeast that feeds on room-temperature superconductors) into {{Precursor\|s}} ruins so they can't ever become a threat, never mind that they could study such LostTechnology.
65	* ''Literature/{{Necroscope}}'': [[OurVampiresAreDifferent The Wamphyri]] walk a wobbly line between symbiosis and parasitism: essentially a race of alien leeches, they empower their hosts with immortality, inhuman strength, necromancy, and the ability to [[{{Biomanipulation}} warp flesh at a touch]]. Unfortunately, being bonded means being painfully and unwillingly impregnated with a fetal vampire symbiote -- complete with rape imagery -- and subject to its hunger. Regardless of how benevolent they were beforehand, hosts are all gradually corrupted into villainy by their new appetites, to the point that any differences between the parasite and its host vanish: the end result is a HumanoidAbomination that will think nothing of committing murder, torture, [[AnatomicallyImpossibleSex anatomically impossible]] acts of [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape]], and other crimes too hideous to describe. Vampires are considered so evil in this setting that, upon dying, they're actually ''excluded'' by the other dead minds, who want nothing to do with them. [[spoiler:Even [[TheHero Harry Keogh]] isn't immune to this sort of treatment once he gets infected by a vampire symbiote.]]
66	* ''Literature/PerdidoStreetStation'': The Handlingers, on top of being cold-hearted {{Puppeteer Parasite}}s that create their own shadow communities among other sentient races, are also supporters of Mayor Rudgutter's corrupt regime, serving as elite spies and operatives across the city.
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69	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
70	* ''Series/StargateSG1'': The Goa'uld are snake-like {{Puppeteer Parasite}}s, and commonly use the powers they naturally confer on their hosts to pose as gods, especially when combined with their advanced (and stolen) technology. They regard other life-forms as nothing more than slaves, treating them with a mixture of sneering arrogance and chortling sadism, gladly leaving their hosts [[AndIMustScream trapped in a tormented state of helplessness]]. It's made clear that they're biologically locked into this through GeneticMemory, with each new generation of Goa'uld being inclined to regard themselves as true gods -- and stab each other in the back to acquire more power. Only one Goa'uld has been confirmed to have given up the parasitic lifestyle: she founded the Tok'ra, a resistance movement advocating cooperation with their hosts; they're a much more pleasant people -- though they're still a bit on the haughty side.
71	* Celebro, the main villain of ''Series/UltramanZ'', is a space parasite that simply revels in causing death and destruction, having manipulated numerous planets and civilizations into creating super-weapons that results in their own destruction. He even has a name for his patented planetary destruction operation: the Civilization Self-Destruction Game!
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74	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
75	* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'':
76	** Ghlaunder, the Gossamer King, is a ChaoticEvil god of parasitism and disease strongly associated with biting insects -- he himself takes the form of a hideous, mosquito-like monster. Thematically, his cult and mythos emphasize motifs of feeding off of others while spreading weakness and disease to one's victims.
77	** First edition's second ''Bestiary'' specifically notes that parasitic animals, such as lampreys or ticks, do not have counterparts among agathions, NeutralGood outsiders who resemble humanoid animals of various sorts. While the text notes that parasites are not intrinsically evil, it also states that their habits and natures are too far from the noble goals of the upper planes for blessed souls to wish to model themselves off of them.
78	* ''TabletopGame/TheUnofficialHollowKnightRPG'': This trope is {{downplayed\|Trope}} with the ticks and fleas, who are portrayed as mostly being made up of criminals who use trickery and misdirection to pull one over on their opponents. This is implied to be due to their size rather than their parasitism though, as they need to use underhanded tactics to make up for just how much smaller they are than all of the other bugs.
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81	[[folder:Video Games]]
82	* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'': The Flood is a race of parasitic superorganisms yearning to usher in a perfect, utopia without classes, degradation, conflict, or unhappiness. And how do they aim to achieve this goal, you ask? Why by forcibly turning all organic lifeforms across the universe into hideous, disgusting zombies, of course! ''Literature/TheForerunnerSaga'' only amps up their villainy by dropping the bombshell that the Flood is a Precursor bioweapon birthed from their powered remains for the sole purpose of exacting their revenge upon the Forerunners.
83	* ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'': WordOfGod says that the BigBad Queen Sectonia is based on parasitic wasps. Her parasitism, in her case, is her using her magic to [[BodySurf repeatedly possess other beings]], due to her obsession with beauty. Played with in that she used to be a good guy in the past, and that [[spoiler:as other games revealed, she ''wasn't'' always a wasp, but something more like her subordinate Taranza (a spider-person)]].
84	* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
85	** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'': In a gambit to obtain the Sage Stones, Ganondorf creates monsters to parasitize two of its guardians. Gohma's disease kills the Great Deku Tree, though Link manages to save Lord Jabu Jabu from Barinade's infection.
86	** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'': The sky spirit Levias has been infected by Bilocyte, the ocular parasite. Under its influence, the deity turns malicious, summoning lightning storms wherever it goes and attacking Skyloftians on sight.
87	* Zigzagged in ''{{Franchise/Metroid}}''. In most games in the series, the titular Metroids are treated as a force too dangerous to be left unchecked, with the standing order upon seeing them is to wipe them out to the last. However, in ''Metroid II'' Samus chooses to spare the last infant Metroid in hopes that its powers can be harnessed for good, and it imprints on her and comes to save her life. It's later revealed that the Metroids were [[GodzillaThreshold bioweapons created to stop an even worse parasite]], the X, who would be a plague on the universe if allowed to spread. Samus speaks of them with disdain, saying that the X have no souls. However, in ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'', [[spoiler:a single X who consumed the remains of Quiet Robe seemingly comes to Samus's aid, suggesting that either Quiet Robe retained his consciousness in this form or the X containing his memories came to reach sapience.]]
88	* ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'': The demon Blight parasitizes the Emperor's stomach, using his body to spread a toxic fog around the city.
89	* ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'': The Supreme Hunter starts life as a parasitic, [[TheTopicOfCancer cancer-like]] entity created to kill Alex Mercer. Mercer later re-purposes it for use against [[MotherOfAThousandYoung Elizabeth Greene]], but after Greene's biology rejects the re-engineered virus, it mutates into a large shapeshifting [[HumanoidAbomination humanoid]] Hunter obsessed with consuming its "father": intelligent, manipulative, scheming and [[spoiler:ultimately the final boss of the game]].
90	* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard'': E-001 has the rare distinction of being both a [[FesteringFungus fungal parasite]] and a ''brood'' parasite: producing clouds of brain-warping spores, this mould takes over the brains of anyone in range and encourages them to see her as their daughter. In the process, the victims are gradually driven insane, often mutating hideously into monstrous toys for E-001 to exploit and abuse at will. [[EnfantTerrible Spiteful, manipulative and gleefully sadistic]], E-001 is second only to [[EvilGenius Lucas]] in sheer malice, repaying the kindness of the Bakers with suffering and luring in Ethan for no other reason than to replace a toy she's grown tired of.
91	* ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'': [[MysticalPlague The Filth]] is eventually revealed to be capable of infecting plantlife as well as humans, resulting in a wide variety of fungal monstrosities devoted to serving [[EldritchAbomination the Dreamers]] as loyally as any run-of-the-mill Filth infectee. Among these include examples of the parasitoid fungus ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiocordyceps_unilateralis Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis]]'', which work [[PuppeteerParasite much as they do in real life]], except that the results can be applied to humans. In this case, the parasite isn't just evil, it's a flat-out Lovecraftian horror.
92	* ''VideoGame/TraumaCenterAtlus'': The main threat in the DS games are the bioengineered plagues known as G.U.I.L.T. Unlike normal parasites, G.U.I.L.T. specifically damage the body in a way that ensures the host suffers in agony before dying. If they detect outside interference, such as a doctor trying to save the patient, [[EvilIsPetty they speed up the infection to try and kill the host before they can be dealt with]].
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95	[[folder:Western Animation]]
96	* ''WesternAnimation/MartinMystery:'' In "The Beast from Within", Martin is infected and brainwashed by a slug-like alien. Having turned its host into a living incubator for its larvae, the alien spends the episode sadistically stalking the other heroes in the hopes of making them the breeding ground for its offspring.
97	* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'': Played with in "[[Recap/RickAndMortyS4E1EdgeOfTomortyRickDieRickpeat Edge of Tomorty]]": here, Rick bumps into an iteration of his dimension inhabited by giant wasp versions of himself and his family -- more specifically, ''[[WickedWasps parasitoid wasps]].'' Wasp Rick makes it abundantly clear that their way of life involves eating their prey alive and laying their eggs in their eyeballs... and yet, he's easily one of the ''[[JerkWithAHeartOfGold nicer]]'' Ricks in the multiverse, with a much healthier relationship with his family and a happier home life in general. [[DarkIsNotEvil Plus, he's the only Rick encountered in the episode who isn't part of a fascist dictatorship]]. There's even a heartwarming scene where the Wasp Smiths have dinner together -- it's just that dinner just happens to be a screaming caterpillar version of Goldenfold, who is not only fully sentient but also watching in horror as Wasp Morty devours his children. [[spoiler:Wasp Rick ends up saving the day by laying his eggs in the newly incarnated Hologram Rick's eyeballs, killing him before he can kill Rick and Morty.]]
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Context Main / ParasitesAreEvil