Aliens are pretty popular in movies, as shown by the success of movies like Alien. It is entertaining to think about what other life could be in the universe, whether it is hunting us down like in Predator, or showing children the power of its finger like in E.T. Sometimes these alien characters become such a part of our lives that we forget that they are aliens at all. These are those aliens who have become so well known that the fact they are aliens is often overlooked. We can be very accepting towards fictional characters when we want to be.
Transformers
The first thing people think of when they hear Transformers is “I want one”. The next is the fact that they are robots in disguise, and those disguises are awesome cars and fighter jets. The key term there is “robots”. Aliens are not mentioned anywhere in the catchphrase. Yet the Transformers are exactly that, coming from the planet of Cybertron. It is stated in the movies that Transformers are aliens, but their robotic nature overshadows their alien heritage.
Superman
Superman has starred in many movies as the purveyor of truth, justice, and the American way. Some would say Superman is as American as apple pie, especially when he was played by Christopher Reeve. The truth of the matter is Superman is not only an alien, but an illegal alien. He was launched in a rocket from his dying homeworld of Krypton to land on earth when he was a baby. Didn’t fill out the proper paperwork or anything. Superman has been such an iconic hero that we tend to forget the fact he is an alien altogether, at least until he messes up.
Luke Skywalker is a strange and alien creature. If you remember the opening to Star Wars, it begins “A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away”. It is safe to assume that since the story is set in a galaxy that is not the Milky Way and none of the planets are called earth, Luke Skywalker is not from earth. Therefore, Luke Skywalker is an alien. It is hard to think of him as an alien when he looks so normal and other characters like Chewbacca and Yoda are so obviously aliens. That does not change the fact that Luke Skywalker, and even Han Solo are alien creatures who must have had similar evolutionary paths to ours.
Spider-Man’s Costume
First off I would like to apologize for bringing up Spider-Man 3. I’m sure you were trying to forget having seen it and Tobey Maguire’s dancing. Spider-Man himself was not an alien, he was just a normal guy who got bit by a radioactive spider and developed superpowers. Just your everyday earthling stuff. It was his costume in Spider-Man 3 that was an alien. We usually think of aliens as at least vaguely humanoid creatures, not a pair of blue jeans, so it is hard to think of Spider-Man’s costume as a living sentient entity. It is harder to think that living alien entity was all up in Spider-Man’s crack.
