Invader ZIM Commentary Archive

All quotes listed from cast and crew are from the official commentary track of the “Complete Invasion” DVD box set.

[zim-commentaryquotes]

ZIM infiltrating a middle school like:

[zim-commentaryquotes]

One time I saw somebody's hot take that Zim MUST be a child around Dib's age/'Irken years age equivalent' because otherwise the show would be 'problematic.' Because, the person said, having an adult infiltrate a school and pretend to be a child and be around and interact with children so much is something a gross predator would do. Which...buddy. Come on. They also claimed that the only reason people want Zim to be an adult is because they're also adults and trying to 'justify being sexually attracted to a minor-coded character,' which is at least an uno reverse I hadn't seen before in response to the 'wanting Zim to be a kid to justify shipping him with kids' thing, but...'minor-coded'? Why, because he's short and petty and sometimes a goofy little man?

Oh, really? Are we canceling ZIM now? Did ZIM do something problematic?

Yeah, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard the “short = kid” idea in this fandom, and it’s pretty shitty for a number of reasons.

1. ZIM’s culture discriminates based on height, so when people assume that ZIM must be a child because he’s short, they’re kind of disrespecting him in the same way. There are plenty of perfectly valid reasons to not respect ZIM; his height isn’t one of them.

2. Haven’t these people ever heard of dwarfism? Dwarfs do exist in reality, and they do have sex. Many little people marry and have relationships with people of average height, so implying that anyone who has a crush on someone who’s short is some kind of predator is big yikes.

3. A big part of the show’s humor is how hilariously awful ZIM is at acting like a kid. Assuming that he’s actually a kid when the whole joke of him being at school is that he’s terrible at pretending to be one is missing the joke by a country mile.

It’s also worth pointing out that ZIM’s signature high-pitched voice doesn’t sound that dissimilar from his voice actor, Richard Horvitz, whose voice is so high he’s often mistaken for his own wife on the phone. ZIM’s voice is coming out of an adult man, and while there are a lot of child characters voiced by grown men (including some of Richard Horvitz’s other characters), the man doesn’t sound all that different from ZIM when he’s just talking normally.

Also, I hate to make wild accusations, but claiming people just want to perceive ZIM as an adult to justify attraction speaks of projection to me. I don’t know if everybody making this argument is also a ZaDr shipper, but any ZaDr (or ZaGr) shipper who’s making this argument is pretty sus in my view.

Like, bruh, you’re the ones shipping children. Come on.

[zim-commentaryquotes]

I think the only human x irken ship that'd somewhat work is ZIM x Professor Membrane purely because the concept of ZIM dating Dib's Dad to spite him is objectively hilarious to me. ZIM puts on an adult human disguise and rizzes Prof Membrane. Dib has ZIM as a stepdad now. Funniest shit I've ever seen. I'd write a crackfic about it but I have a million other things to do.

That sort of reminds me of the comic issue (I forgot which one) where Dib wakes up to a world where ZIM is his brother. Of course, the whole thing turned out to be a simulation created by ZIM. It was pretty hilarious.

But, yeah, ZIM dating Dib’s dad is extremely cursed.

[zim-commentaryquotes]

Hi I just joined the fandom a few days ago and good lord. I thought Sonic age discourse was bad but IZ age discourse is so much worse Sweet Christ.

The worst thing about is that the main reason people cling to the age thing (as far as I can tell) is to justify shipping, which ignores several key issues:

1. Irkens are completely aroace as a species, so putting the characters closer in age won’t make a romance any more possible.

2. Shipping a 15-year old with a 12-year old (Dib’s age) is yikes.

3. Shipping a 15-year old with an 11-year old (Gaz’s age) is yikes.

4. The show is significantly funnier because ZIM is an adult who is consistently thwarted by children and spends a huge portion of his day suffering in a middle school classroom. Making him a kid too ruins that comedy.

[zim-commentaryquotes]

I'm forgetting if you've already answered this kind of question but. Does the whole "Zim is 150 in Earth years and 15 in Irken ones" have any credible basis, or is that another fanon idea that originated on the wiki?

Yes, I have talked about this at length, and no, there is no canon basis for this claim. That is 100% a fandom idea.

I went into more detail into this common myth (and why it makes no sense) in a post I made on this blog a couple of years ago, which you can find here.

[zim-commentaryquotes]

Ur blog is really informative I like it! I recently got into the fandom and I barely know anything lol I vaguely remember the show as a child and I never got into it idk why it’s really funny. Anyways just wanna say thank u for spreading accurate information of the show!

Thanks so much! And welcome to the fandom!

[zim-commentaryquotes]

Have you ever, in your research into commentaries and interviews, ever seen anything that confirms the thing some fans like to pass around in favor of 'it's not pedophilia for Zim to be shipped with kids' that goes, 'Jhonen shipped Zim and Gaz and said they would've been endgame if the show hadn't been cancelled'? I know JV slapped that down in a commentary when someone said 'she's your love interest' to Richard (by saying there was no love in the show), so where are people getting this idea?

While I can’t offer any insight into the origin of this rumor, I can tell you the first place where I personally saw it, which was the fan-edited Invader ZIM Wiki.

As any Steven Universe fan who’s found themselves opening a page titled “Big Buff Cheeto Puff” can attest, fan wikis are notoriously prone to vandalism, often by the fans themselves. While mistakes and false information are usually removed quickly, the Invader ZIM fandom seems particularly susceptible to the rumor mill. Part of the problem has to do with Jhonen himself, who loves to give out obviously false information in interviews (such as the time he said that the series would end with ZIM becoming a lawyer) which eager fans assume is genuine. However, I can’t find a source where Jhonen said something like that even in jest. 

An even bigger part of the problem is most likely the show’s incomplete nature. Since the series was unceremoniously cancelled, rumors abound about the direction the show might have ended up going, and these rumors are impossible to quash since the show’s cancellation makes them impossible to prove either way. The most speculation surrounds the supposed planned finale to the series titled “Invader Dib.”

For those who are new to the fandom, Invader Dib is the widely accepted title for a television movie which would have happened at the end of either the second season or the fifth season (I’ve heard either). Supposedly, at the beginning of the final season, whichever it was, ZIM was supposed to give up on his mission and flee Earth, causing Dib to pursue him across the galaxy in TAK’s ship. After a season of off-world adventures, Dib and ZIM would arrive on Irk just in time for a war. The story goes that the Meekrob, one of the races targeted in Operation Impending Doom II, would discover the Invader assigned to their planet, one Invader TENN.

You know. Her.

The Meekrob would capture TENN and declare war on the Irken Empire. Dib and the Resisty would join the fight along with the Meekrob to hopefully take down the Empire once and for all.

That was the version as I first heard it way back in 2007 when I joined the fandom. However, over the years, all kinds of details have been added to this premise, stuff that probably wouldn’t be locked at the movie’s stage of development. Things like all the Invaders being mobilized to rescue TENN, SKOODGE being the one who actually saves her, TAK betraying the empire to side with the Meekrob, Gaz acting as some kind of incognito “Deep Throat” character whose identity would be hidden for the majority of the movie, and, finally, ZIM being declared the new Tallest with Gaz acting as his queen. 

Probably what happened is that as the “Invader Dib” concept became more well-known, fans couldn’t resist speculating on the ever more tantalizing concept of a finale in a time when we all believed the series would never have a proper conclusion. Some of this fan fiction speculation made its way to the Wiki, where it was seen by tons of hapless youngsters who assumed, because it’s on the fan site, it must be true!

As for why this rumor has persisted for so long despite being debunked by a lack of sources and the testimony of the cast and crew as to the series’ lack of romantic content, it’s my personal experience that rumors usually persist because people want them to persist. ZAGR shippers want to ship ZAGR, and they’ll cling to any tidbit, no matter how flimsy, to justify their preferred pairing. It’s a textbook case of “I reject your reality and substitute my own,” proving that Invader ZIM fans might be Not So Different from the title character of the show. 

[hideousspacebug]

From my understanding “Invader Dib” and the season 2 finale are two completely different things.

The season 2 finale was untitled, and a 2 part episide and involved Invaders rescuing to Tenn and the Meekrob. Supposedly it would have ended up with Zim being stranded on a meteor and Dib being made ambassador of the Meekrob.

However this supposedly wouldn’t have involved Dib going to Irk to defeat Irkens once and for all. That SUPPOSEDLY wouldnt have happened until Invader Dib, which said to be a TV movie and a finale for the entire series, not just season 2 (meaning hypothically more seasons may have come in between.

If you had to ask me personally whether these are true, well, I don’t remember any 100%. confirmation from an official source, but I do recall someone in the commentary for Backseat Drivers saying something along the lines of “we were really building up a lot of continuity with the Meekrob and the Resisty near the end” or something a long those lines (maybe OP can find the exact quote when he gets to the episode?) Add to that the details seemed pretty specific for a fan theory, and had a lot of stuff that had been repeatedly referenced and foreshadowed as being important during the last 11 or so episodes, leads me to believe it’s probably true.

I’m a lot more skeptical about Invader Dib though. The premise seems a lot more fanficy than the Meekrob one, I find it harder to believe the creators planned that far ahead, given the spontaneous nature of the show, and I can’t find any official references to it at all even in passing.

If anyone knows some official source I may have missed, I’d love to hear about it.

Also I know at one point the creator of the Scary Monkey Show Website (which back in the day, was THE best source for Invader Zim info, before fan wikis became a thing) had made a fanfic called “Battle for Meekrob” which was basically their idea for what the script for the season 2 finale may have looked like, and honestly, it captures the shows tone better than any other IZ fic I’ve ever read. Not sure if there’s any way to find it without the Way back Machine, though.

[zim-commentaryquotes]

Dude, I totally remember The Scary Monkey Show site. That site was The Place to read up on IZ lore, and I was super disappointed years later when I went looking for it and saw that it was gone. I also remember the Bad, Bad Rubber Piggy site, which used to be the best source for Invader ZIM screen caps. It seemed like every other frame of the show was chronicled on that website.

Anyway, I’ve already transcribed quite a bit of the commentary for “Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars.” The exchange you’re thinking of referring to the future direction of the show might be here, though I don’t think they specifically mention the Meekrob in that conversation.

[zim-commentaryquotes]

Rikki: Something happened in this episode, and, like, all the color crew disappeared except for me and Ron.

Eric: So, you had to color the entire vat of slaw?

Rikki: So, I actually had to ask my wife Tavisha to help me with this one.

Eric: Who's also a color artist.

Rikki: Who's also a color artist-

Eric: And a surgeon.

Rikki: Um, actually I don't think Tavisha is credited for this, but she actually helped out.

*Richard makes ridiculous, distracting noises*

Eric: No, she's not credited.

Jhonen: Tavisha Wolfgarth-Simons. She colored a burrito in my ZIM comic.

Rikki: Yeah! She was very- A little boy at a convention pointed that out!

[zim-commentaryquotes]

Jhonen: Here's my contribution to the episode is Turkeyneck.

Eric: Yes.

Jhonen: The Turkeyneck scene is - I think - my interest level goes up, way up!

Eric: Really?

Jhonen: Yeah! Strangely enough.

Richard: It has not piqued my interest, yet.

Rikki: That's because you're a disgusting narcissist.

Richard: At least you're talking about me!

Eric: Jhonen or Richard?

Richard: Right! Jhonen or me?

Jhonen: Jhonen or Richard?

Rikki: *stammering* Oh, I don't know... You sort of both nailed it...

Jhonen: I think I'm a better narcissist than Richard is.

Richard: I think I'M a better narcissist!

Jhonen: No, me!

Richard: No!

Rikki: I don't know which of you is which anymore. You just sort of melted into one giant super being.

[zim-commentaryquotes]

Jhonen: You know, what maybe bugs me about this episode is that there's chicken in it.

Rikki: Well, you shouldn't have added any, then.

Jhonen: I didn't add-! This isn't my-! Hey, man. I approved it because I thought this was a strong, solid story.

Richard: *like a lunatic* Chicken! Chicken!

Rikki: Did you know there was chicken in it?

Eric: Did you know there was chicken in it?

Jhonen: No, I didn't read it.

Eric: Really?

Jhonen: I didn't read the script.

Eric: It was called "Chickenfoot."

Jhonen: Uh, you know, I assumed it was about, like, some kind of fungal condition.

Eric: Really?

Richard: I thought it was about a lucky chicken foot.

Rikki: Really?

Richard: Yeah.

Eric: Eh.

Richard: When I got the script and noticed I wasn't in it-

Eric: How long did it take you to notice that?

Richard: About... thirty pages.

[zim-commentaryquotes]

Eric: But, yeah, I like the idea of doing Dib episodes instead of-

Jhonen: Well, it's just neat to see him in his element outside of ZIM's story, you know what I mean? Like, he's a paranormal investigator. This is what he does.

Richard: What he discovers is that he's got a really boring life.

*laughter and outrage*

Jhonen: It's a sad, sad life!

Eric: But, he seems so strangely... moved forward.

Richard: His life seems to be much more interesting, and eleven minutes goes by a lot faster when ZIM's in it!

Eric: Well, that's... that's all Andy-

Richard: Eh, save it, Eric!

Eric: Alright, that's it, Richard. You're out of here.

Richard: Save it! Write me out of the episode!

Eric: I did!

Richard: Oh...

Eric: This is exactly why I wrote you out of the episode!

[zim-commentaryquotes]

Eric: Just the German man doesn’t laugh.

Rikki: How do you know he’s German?

Richard: Yeah, how do you know he’s German?

Eric: Because only Germans have monocles.

Rikki and Richard: Oh!

Eric: They’re born with them.

Richard: Wait a second, the Monopoly man has a monocle. Is he German?

Eric and Jhonen: Yes!

Richard: Oh...

[zim-commentaryquotes]

This just in: We’re officially at 1,000 followers!

Sorry, Professor, but I’m afraid it is so.

Thanks so much to everyone who’s been enjoying this blog! There’s plenty more IZ trivia to come, so stay tuned!

[zim-commentaryquotes]

Have you ever, in your research into commentaries and interviews, ever seen anything that confirms the thing some fans like to pass around in favor of 'it's not pedophilia for Zim to be shipped with kids' that goes, 'Jhonen shipped Zim and Gaz and said they would've been endgame if the show hadn't been cancelled'? I know JV slapped that down in a commentary when someone said 'she's your love interest' to Richard (by saying there was no love in the show), so where are people getting this idea?

While I can’t offer any insight into the origin of this rumor, I can tell you the first place where I personally saw it, which was the fan-edited Invader ZIM Wiki.

As any Steven Universe fan who’s found themselves opening a page titled “Big Buff Cheeto Puff” can attest, fan wikis are notoriously prone to vandalism, often by the fans themselves. While mistakes and false information are usually removed quickly, the Invader ZIM fandom seems particularly susceptible to the rumor mill. Part of the problem has to do with Jhonen himself, who loves to give out obviously false information in interviews (such as the time he said that the series would end with ZIM becoming a lawyer) which eager fans assume is genuine. However, I can’t find a source where Jhonen said something like that even in jest. 

An even bigger part of the problem is most likely the show’s incomplete nature. Since the series was unceremoniously cancelled, rumors abound about the direction the show might have ended up going, and these rumors are impossible to quash since the show’s cancellation makes them impossible to prove either way. The most speculation surrounds the supposed planned finale to the series titled “Invader Dib.”

For those who are new to the fandom, Invader Dib is the widely accepted title for a television movie which would have happened at the end of either the second season or the fifth season (I’ve heard either). Supposedly, at the beginning of the final season, whichever it was, ZIM was supposed to give up on his mission and flee Earth, causing Dib to pursue him across the galaxy in TAK’s ship. After a season of off-world adventures, Dib and ZIM would arrive on Irk just in time for a war. The story goes that the Meekrob, one of the races targeted in Operation Impending Doom II, would discover the Invader assigned to their planet, one Invader TENN.

You know. Her.

The Meekrob would capture TENN and declare war on the Irken Empire. Dib and the Resisty would join the fight along with the Meekrob to hopefully take down the Empire once and for all.

That was the version as I first heard it way back in 2007 when I joined the fandom. However, over the years, all kinds of details have been added to this premise, stuff that probably wouldn’t be locked at the movie’s stage of development. Things like all the Invaders being mobilized to rescue TENN, SKOODGE being the one who actually saves her, TAK betraying the empire to side with the Meekrob, Gaz acting as some kind of incognito “Deep Throat” character whose identity would be hidden for the majority of the movie, and, finally, ZIM being declared the new Tallest with Gaz acting as his queen. 

Probably what happened is that as the “Invader Dib” concept became more well-known, fans couldn’t resist speculating on the ever more tantalizing concept of a finale in a time when we all believed the series would never have a proper conclusion. Some of this fan fiction speculation made its way to the Wiki, where it was seen by tons of hapless youngsters who assumed, because it’s on the fan site, it must be true!

As for why this rumor has persisted for so long despite being debunked by a lack of sources and the testimony of the cast and crew as to the series’ lack of romantic content, it’s my personal experience that rumors usually persist because people want them to persist. ZAGR shippers want to ship ZAGR, and they’ll cling to any tidbit, no matter how flimsy, to justify their preferred pairing. It’s a textbook case of “I reject your reality and substitute my own,” proving that Invader ZIM fans might be Not So Different from the title character of the show. 

[zim-commentaryquotes]

Thank you! For posting the commentary and giving insight!

I have no idea how old this ask is. It may have been sent back in the Mesozoic Era for all I know. Still, thanks so much for your kind words!

[zim-commentaryquotes]

Jhonen: Now, look at his legs.

*Roman laughs raucously*

Jhonen: He’s actually got a hole through him! Like, you can see through him to the rock behind- Oh wait, no.

Roman: *still laughing* I thought those were nerves hanging out.

Kevin Manthei: Oh, no...

Jhonen: They are nerves. His legs are all nervy. 

Kevin Manthei: Ugh, that’s the first time I noticed that.

Jhonen: That’s revolting. I am proud of it. 

[zim-commentaryquotes]

Jhonen: How frustrating is it, Kevin? Like, asking yourself afterwards how many zillions of episodes-

Kevin Manthei: Yeah.

Jhonen: If I’m doing something that sounds-

Kevin Manthei: While I’m hearing the music.

Jhonen: Well, not just that, but, “Does this sound like what I did in that other episode?”

Kevin Manthei: Right, sure.

Jhonen: How many variations on action and screaming monster can you get? Especially on this show? 

Kevin Manthei: That’s true. I mean, there’s all kinds of issues. There’s, you know, I have deadlines. I want to keep the music similar to other stuff because it’s, you know, cohesive element of all the music sounding similar because it’s Invader ZIM. At the same time, you wanna feel like you’re doing something different and original. So, you got all those elements.

Kevin Manthei: Basically, I just try to work fast and do something cool every time, and, well, sometimes it comes out better than other times.

Jhonen: Well, you usually get at least one seriously memorable thing and then build on it. And then, the rest can be just sort of spot music here and there. 

Kevin Manthei: Right. Yeah. 

Jhonen: Sort of like, well, you’re lucky if you can get, like, a funny joke. In my case, I’m happy if I get a funny joke across.