Extraterrestrial beings are the epitome of what makes sci-fi, well, sci-fi. Aliens are such an anomaly to humankind that we’ve created our own versions of their likeness in pop culture. Sometimes their unfamiliarity with the norm or Earth makes them hilarious (like Alf and E.T.)! Here are some of pop culture’s under-appreciated aliens:
Starfire
Starfire is a core member of the Teen Titans, who made her debut in a DC Comic insert preview of The New Teen Titans. She’s been in many comics, shows, and movies since then, but while she is one of the main Titans, she often gets upstaged by her teammates in popularity. On a personal note, Starfire has always been my favorite – I tend to root for the underdogs. She has a pretty unique gift that allows her to absorb ultraviolet radiation and use it to fly and shoot energy bursts, making her a very powerful asset to the team. She’s definitely not as underrated as many of the other aliens on this list, but she can always use some love. Plus, she’s absolutely hilarious in the Teen Titans cartoons!
Pleakley and Jumba
These two weirdos are from Disney’s Lilo & Stitch. While they’re not the main characters of the film, Pleakley and Jumba have their own side story of trying to capture Experiment 626 (Stitch) and bring him back to the Grand Councilwoman. They often find themselves in some sort of trouble or comical situation, which makes them so amiable. Their “E-arth” disguises are absolutely hilarious and really help set up some ridiculous scenes. They also make appearances in Lilo & Stitch The Series (a sequel to the film), and appear as Lilo and Nani’s “uncle and auntie”. Needless to say, they don’t fail at continuing to make fools of themselves.
Marvin the Martian
Marvin the Martian was originally conceptualized in 1948 are Bugs Bunny’s smartest and most dangerous rival, since the “wabbit” was continuously outwit the likes of Yosemite Sam and Elmer Fudd. His motive to destroy Earth? Because it blocks his view of Venus! Marvin always had a plan (which usually involved blowing up the Earth with a stick of dynamite), but Bugs always managed to foil it. He was such an interesting shift from Bugs’ previous rivals just because he seemed to be more intellectual, unlike his dumbed-down predecessors.
MONstars
Let’s keep the Looney Toons theme going here because it’s time to Jam – Space Jam. The MONstars are actually tiny little aliens call Nerdlucks, who seek to kidnap Bugs Bunny. The Looney Toons challenge them to a game of basketball to decide their fate, but what they didn’t know was that the Nerdlucks could slip into someone’s head and control their brain, which they do to several Basketball stars. It’s up to Michael Jordan and the Looney Toons to defeat the MONstars. In 2018, this sounds like a crazy movie pitch, but it got so much love in the 1990’s. The MONstars had so many goofy scenes and are truly iconic villains. You hear that, Warner Bros? Bring ’em back!
