Men in Black

Men in Black, also known as M.I.B. or MIBs.

Origin: The modern era of Men in Black sightings have been a staple of UFO conspiracy theories since the 1950s, but similar reports describing "demons" and other supernatural beings date back into ancient history.

Description

The men in black; "Don't report this."

Adele answered the door. It was a tall man, in a black suit and tie. An insurance agent? Maybe, but he looked more like an undertaker. His complexion was strange... his eyes were stranger. He stood motionless, staring as if into a great depth or distance.... "Hello?", prompted Adele. The man jerked into action. "Do you have insurance?" He asked; there was something wrong with his voice, too: a strange monotone, each word carefully measured and broken off emotionlessly, without inflection. "Do you have insurance, and is it... now?"

Adele bit her lip, and suggested, "Maybe you should come back later, when my parents are home." The man jerked again, as if shot, and suddenly began to sweat heavily; he removed his hat - the top of his head was extremely pale. He was wearing makeup, Adele realized; makeup, to make his face seem darker. He also had no hair, no eyebrows, no eyelashes, and Adele realized she couldn't quite place the strange features of his face... the longer she looked at them, the less normal they seemed... he was, perhaps, a very pale Asian, or something equally exotic, and his makeup-covered skin, now damp with sweat, was smooth, like porcelain. "Can I see," gasped the sweating man weakly as he mopped at his face, "a glass of water?" His handkerchief was stained with his makeup.

Alarmed, Adele invited him inside, sat him in a chair, and brought him a glass of water. The man stared at the water a while, holding it up carefully to the light, and, after he had seen it, set it aside. He turned to look at Adele, cocked his head curiously, then looked past her, to the clock on the mantlepiece. Adele glanced back at the clock, and then to the man. "That's father's," she told him, "he got it for his retirement." The man seemed puzzled. "Is it?" He said, "Is it your father's time?" He continued to stare at the clock, as if he'd never seen one before. "Is it... here? And now?" Adele stared back at the man, what else could she do? "Your father. His time?" Said the man, and Adele finally replied, "What?"

"Your father. His time?" She didn't know what he meant, and told him so, but he only repeated, "Your father - his time?" And then the man jerked again, and stood, and moved stiffly towards the door, standing open as Adele had left it. Something was wrong with the way he moved, as if he'd forgotten how to walk. He used his hands to help move his legs. "Good bye," said Adele, hoping she would not see him again.

At the threshold, he stopped, turned, and told Adele, "Watch the lights!" And then he was gone, vanished somewhere down the street - no man could have moved so quickly, especially not in his condition. Watch the lights - the import of those words became clear a short time later: Adele was amazed to see many strange, bright lights, like faeries, fill the room from its darkest corners, dancing over everything... the spectacle lasted a few minutes, and then one by one the lights floated out the window, until they were all gone.
— Anonymous account of an encounter with a Man in Black

Men in Black (or M.I.B.s) are sinister, humanoid beings, typically dressed in black, who appear to witnesses of strange, unnatural events, and make vague (or sometimes direct but remarkably strange) threats to coerce the witnesses into silence. Men in Black typically dress in black suits, ties, and hats, and are often described as having strange, glowing or otherwise unnatural eyes or wearing dark sunglasses even at night (presumably to hide their eyes). Witnesses sometimes describe their appearance as "exotic", with features that might be described as vaguely "Asian" or "American Indian". Their movements tend to be stiff or otherwise unnatural, "robotic" or as if they are unused to moving in this form, and their speach is often strange, mechanical, and unnatural as if they are unused to speaking in English and perhaps any other spoken language. Witnesses sometimes also report seeing wires, tubes, and other devices embedded in the skin of Men in Black, and these beings have been known to appear and vanish suddenly.

By some accounts, M.I.B.s seem to be capable of shape-shifting from the form of amorphous monsters into humanoid shape, sometimes choosing to look like specific, recognizable people and celebrities; their presence is often marked by sense of dreamlike surrealism, as if the witness is "watching a film" about the events they are experiencing, or as if seeing something projected from a great distance in time and space, and some theorists speculate that the Men in Black do not exist in "consensus reality", but instead as a projection from a higher reality.

Men in Black frequently claim to be members of government organizations, sometimes organizations with unrecognizable logos, badges, and even lettering and symbols on vehicles and identification, and these beings are typically associated with UFO and alien encounters, as if they are helping to cover the experience up. However, real government agencies have been known to warn civilians not to speak to Men in Black and to report sightings to authorities, and Men in Black have been known to become involved with witnesses to far more than just UFO sightings: they've also been known to question and threaten witnesses to sightings of strange creatures ("cryptids" like the Loch Ness Monster or Sasquatch), hauntings and demonic possessions, and occasionally for no obvious reason the witnesses can identify.

The modern version of the M.I.B. legend dates back only to the 1950s and the modern era of UFO sightings, but similar accounts can be traced back into the dawn of history, with "Men in Black" appearing in the forms of demons and devils, angels, vampires, witches and wizards, phantoms and spectres, faeries, and other such supernatural beings.

Associated Mythos Elements

Men in Black might be representatives of any of a number of similar Mythos and supernatural races, including:

• Mi-Go
• Arthur Machen's [Faerie|Little People]], Richard Sharpe Shaver's Deros, Robert E. Howard's Worms of the Earth and Serpent Men, H.P. Lovecraft's Ghouls and Deep Ones, Lloigor, People of K’n-yan, and any number of other troglodytic mythos beings
• Sorcerors, Wizards, Witches, and Cultists (perhaps using some form of Mythos magic to conceal their real identity or form)
• The projected minds of the Yithians
• Nyarlathotep, in one of its many forms
• Devils, Demons, Angels, etc.
• Ghosts, spectres, phantoms, etc.
• Vampires, Liches, Mummies, etc.
• The Mothman
• Mythos Investigators and Delta Green agents, perhaps using magic, covering up the truth to protect themselves or in a well-meaning attempt to protect the sanity of the witnesses and the safety of humanity
• Grey Aliens, Reptilians, and other standard UFO conspiracy extra-terrestrials
• Natives of the Dreamlands, experiencing and reshaping our "reality" in their Dreams

References

• Film: The Mothman Prophecies (2002 film)