If you have seen Invader Zim before, then you know the characters aren’t known for their intelligence. That’s me putting it lightly, too. Almost everyone in the show is too stupid to live. Thankfully, some of the characters show signs of intelligence, if not outright genius. These are the five people I consider to be the greatest bastions of intelligence in a universal sea of idiots.
#5 Zim
You’re probably wondering why, out of all people, would Zim be on this list? He single-handedly ruined Operation: Impending Doom I, almost destroyed the Irken Empire on several occasions, and fails on a regular basis. He’s basically a destructive, narcissistic idiot his own people fear. So why is he on the list?
The answer’s pretty simple: despite his countless acts of destruction and habit of ruining his own plans, Zim’s actually pretty smart. On the rare occasion when his plans do work, they end up devastating anyone that crosses him.
A prime example would be the episode The Wettening. In the span of a single episode, he devises a countermeasure against his species weakness to earth water, and turns something as simple as a water balloon into a WMD. If it weren’t for his overzealousness and ego, he’d be the deadliest Invader in the Irken Empire. Thank god he isn’t
#4- Professor Membrane
The father to Dib and Gaz, Professor Membrane is one of the smartest humans alive. Though to be fair, most humans in the show are idiots. He’s such an importantscientist that world leaders rely on him for help.
Despite this, I put Membrane at number four for a number of reasons. It mainly has to do with his refusal to listen to Dib about aliens or other paranormal phenomena. While Dib does cry wolf a lot, he’s still right about Zim being an alien. Yet not even Professor Membrane’s able to see through Zim’s poor disguise. If his son, who he sometimes considers insane, can see through Zim’s disguise when he can’t, then his intelligence is questionable. Also, while he makes an effort to be there for his kids, he can be a bit of a neglectful father.
#3-Dib
Dib’s always been my favorite character on the show, and for good reason. His obsession with the paranormal led him to figure out right away that Zim’s an alien. Unfortunately, he’s cried wolf so many times that no one will believe him, or they’re just too stupid.
Despite his quirks, Dib’s by far one of the smartest humans alive in the show. He possesses a talent for science and engineering that rivals his famous father, and remains a thorn in Zim’s side. His most impressive feat, though, is being able to take possession of Tak’s ship and partially reactivate it. If he ever got it to work at its full potential, he could easily best Zim’s arsenal.
The reason why Dib’s not at the top of this list, despite how much I like him? Despite his obvious intelligence, Dib can also be very gullible. Just look at how much he obsesses over that lame show Mysterious Mysteries. Plus, he genuinely thinks that Zim is a threat to Earth. That’s something that my number two pick refuses to believe.
#2-Gaz
Of all the nightmare fuel inducing things on Invader Zim, Gaz is the most terrifying of all. I’m pretty sure even Zim is afraid of her, and he’s not afraid of anything. Since she’s Professor Membrane’s Daughter, she inherited his intellect. Which explains why she’s a genius when it comes to video games. Which reminds me, don’t get between her and her games.
Over the show and comics, Gaz shows that she’s not only on par with her brother Dib in intelligence, but even surpasses it. She was able to repair Tak’s ship in only a few moments, something Dib spent months trying to do. Plus, while she’s aware that Zim’s an alien, she doesn’t care. Unlike her paranoid brother, Gaz understands that Zim’s too dumb to conquer Earth. I’d give her the top spot for that act of common sense, but I had to give it to my number one pick.
#1- Tak
Here she is, my top pick for the smartest character in Invader Zim, Tak. Having lost her chance to become an Invader due to Zim’s unwitting interference, Tak’s obsessed with taking what she thinks should have been hers. While she denies it, I think the chance to humiliate the universally despised Zim is the icing on the cake for her.
She may have only appeared in on one episode, Tak’s actions make it apparent that she surpasses everyone on the show in terms of intellect. For starters, we have her custom-built SIR unit and ship, the latter matching Zim’s entire base in power. Then we have the fact that she blended in perfectly with everyone on Earth, to the point that not even Zim and Dib realized she was an Irken until she revealed it to them. The biggest showcasing of her intelligence, though, was her master plan for Earth. She planned to drain the planets core and fill it with all the snacks the Tallest could ever want.
It ended up taking a temporary allince between Zim, Dib, and Gaz to stand a chance against her. Even then, I only think she lost due to dumb luck. Had her plans succeeded, it’s almost certain that the Tallest would have made her an Invader on the spot. She ended up failing, though, and Tak never made another appearance on the show. She hasn’t even appeared in the comics yet. It’s sad, really. But she came closer than anyone to conquering Earth, making her the smartest character in Invader Zim.
Agree with my picks? Granted, it was slim pickings given that it’s Zim. If you liked this, be sure to comment and follow me to stay up to date on my writings.
Oh, if you guys didn’t know, Zim has his own comic book series now! Crazy right? You can read it right here on this website!
The universe’s filled with many great mysteries. People can spend their lives trying to find answers to big questions like “why are we here?” or “are we alone in the universe?” There’s one question, though, that’s bothered me since childhood: why did they cancel Invader Zim?
Just listen to that music!
The Nightmare Begins
Premiering on Nickelodeon on March 30th, 2001, Invader Zim focused on the titular Zim. Part of a warlike race of aliens bent on universal conquest, Zim believes he’s been sent to Earth to conquer it for his people. In truth, though, his leaders sent him away because he’s a narcissistic moron, they wanted to get rid of for good. With his moronic robot sidekick, GIR, Zim attempts to come up with plans to conquer the planet in the name of his people. Fortunately, his ideas are either ruined by his incompetence, or by Dib, a paranormal investigator.
AMAZING!
When I first saw Invader Zim all those years ago, it was indeed a cartoon like none I’d ever seen before. On a channel filled with generally light-hearted and comedic shows, Invader Zim stood out like a sore thumb. Everything from its tone to its music to its art style clashed with the other Nicktoons. It was the black sheep of the Nicktoons family. And I LOVED IT!
As I said, Zim was something that I’d never seen before. It loved to deal with the macabre and pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable on kids shows. From an episode where Zim harvested organs from human children to outright trying to kill Dib onscreen, this show could get pretty dark. Despite everything, though, Zim knew how to stop short of becoming a full-on horror movie and keep itself in the kid-friendly realm through humor.
Despite how dark it is, the show knew how to make kids laugh with its sense of humor; which mainly dealt with craziness. Almost everyone on the show was varying levels of crazy. Zim could go from talking regularly to shouting manic monologues the next made him hilarious. I loved Dib’s passion for the paranormal and how he saw himself as this big hero. The whole cast was like a madhouse in a hall of mirrors.
CGI Was Legit
Of course, the characters weren’t the only great thing about the show. What set it apart from everything else was how it regularly used CGI. It was the first time I’d ever see a cartoon use CGI techniques, and the results were jaw-dropping. From a nano-bot fight inside of Dib’s body to the clashing of planets, it made the process look like a work of art. Even after twenty years, I still think the blend of 2D and CGI holds up well.
Nickelodeon Screws Up
Despite being one of the coolest cartoons in their arsenal, though, Nickelodeon failed to realize what it had. They kept pushing its time slots around which killed its ratings, and the writers chafed at the censors they had to follow. They complied but made every effort to undermine Nick’s authority. Eventually, the costs for the show and the low ratings made it a loss for the network. So, Invader Zim got scrapped halfway through season two.
To this day, I consider Nickelodeon’s decision to cancel Invader Zim to be a mistake. They had something unique and amazing, but they couldn’t see it for what it was and tried to let it die. I consider never seeing how Invader Zim ends to be one of the biggest regrets of my life. Heck, if I had a portal gun or dimensional scissors, I’d go to a universe where the show never got canceled. If multiverse theory’s right, there has to be one out there!
Foolish Executive Monkeys
Ironically, by canceling it, Nickelodeon made Invader Zim more popular than ever. With the rise of online fandoms and streaming, people found places where they could gather and keep the love for the show alive. Critics now call it one of the best cartoons Nickelodeon ever made and praise it for being different. I adore it for being different and have supported the idea of finishing the show.
Now, it seems like our prayers are being answered. After years of speculation, Nickelodeon announced they would bring the series back with an hour-long special, Enter the Florpus. Then it seems they wussed out on it, so Netflix stepped in to take the reins. I don’t know how the special will go, but I only hope that it gives us the closure fans need. Will Dib ever expose Zim? Will Zim conquer Earth at long last? These questions… may not be answered in the upcoming special. For now, though, it’s just great to have Zim back.
Oh, if you guys didn’t know, Zim has his own comic book series now! Crazy right? You can read it right here on this website!
