History Main / AlienInvasion

* The Kreegans of ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic'' and ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' turn out to be this, using a combination of 1 and 2 (they ''start'' with an attack, then use infiltration after they've settled in and had the opportunity to get in touch with locals). The twist is that it looks like a ''[[TheLegionsOfHell Demonic]]'' Invasion to most natives (the Kreegan look similar to the actual demons of the setting, and they are unambigiously evil), to the point that ''Heroes'' only presents a slight hint that there's something else going on.
* The Septentriones of''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor''. They use the All-Out Attack method.

There are three main forms of this:

# The All-Out Attack. Technologically superior forces aim their weapons of war and [[TripodTerror three legged walkers]] at Earth, which bravely fights back, driving them off through cunning, bravery, or just dumb luck... [[TheBadGuyWins most of the time]].
# The Infiltration. Aliens are replacing, [[{{Brainwashed}} brainwashing]], or [[PuppeteerParasite controlling]] humans in order to take over from within. Generally, the populace at large [[{{Masquerade}} doesn't even know it's happening]]. May involve TheVirus.
# A combination of the above, with an infiltration paving the way for an all-out attack.

* ''Manga/AxisPowersHetalia'': [[BigDamnMovie Paint It White]] The plot involves an alien invasion of Earth [[spoiler:in which about [[KillAllHumans 90% of the global population]] and their countries are transformed into what looks like [[FacelessMasses white featureless humanoid clay]], known as [[TheGreys the Pict]]. In the final scene of the movie, [[strike:millions]] billions of converted [[strike:humans]] Pict can be seen walking into a giant mothership [[AliensAreBastards which then]] [[AlienAbduction departs Earth]] after [[OnlyTheLeadsGetAHappyEnding our heroes save the day]]. So even with the "happy" ending, there are still [[InferredHolocaust only a few hundred million people left on Earth]]. And [[TrueNeutral the Swiss]]. And Iceland.]]
* ''EurekaSeven'': TV series the Scab Coral drove humanity off of Earth for 10,000 years (unintentional) when it arrived. It grew and formed an outer layer around Earth, fooling humanity into thinking it was another planet when they returned and settled on the new surface. The Scab Coral later spawned human Coralians to live among humans to study and communicate with them. The BigBad uses this planet takeover history to justify his actions against the Scab Coral which was just trying to communicate with humanity.
* ''Manga/{{Gantz}}''The various aliens that appear in the manga series. It is not known when, how and why the aliens appear on Earth. The aliens use a variety of technology and abilities to infiltrate the earth where the Gantz team hunts them. [[spoiler: Later HumongousMecha land on Earth and begin to level the planet.]]

* ''ProjectBLueEarthSOS'': Is essentially a homage to 1950s/1960s-style science fiction shows, with two [[KidHero kids]] acting as the main protagonists and finding out about the incoming invasion and doing everything they can to stop it.
* ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'': Is also a deconstruction of this trope; it shows what would actually happen if a vastly superior alien race (which spends the majority of the series showing restraint, gathering intelligence, and generally being [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters more reasonable than the Earthlings]] despite being genetically programmed for war) decides that Earth is a threat. [[spoiler: Earth gets slagged, wiping out all of humanity in a single barrage. Only the titular Macross and her crew and refugees survive]]

* [[spoiler:Subverted]] in ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries''. [[spoiler:Calvin accidentally and unknowingly stops one of these [[ItMakesSenseInContext with a firecracker.]]]]

* ''Literature/TheTrueMeaningOfSmekday'', a combination of types 1 and 2 occurs. The Boov aliens are speaking to Gratuity's mother through a mole in her neck. They then abduct her to teach them English. Then they invade and force all the humans onto reservations in Florida. [[spoiler: Then even more powerful aliens invade.]]

* The ''WorldWar'' series by Creator/HarryTurtledove: This is a variation: the aliens invade during WorldWarTwo and this forces the warring sides to [[EnemyMine unite against them]]. Also, the aliens are deliberately given contemporary (at time of writing, i.e. 1994) levels of technology plus a little extra to allow them to travel between stars, rather than the usual insanely advanced aliens vs. present day humans. They are also really, [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks conservative]]. Like, they've been ruled by the same dynasty for [[SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale tens of thousands of years]] and are surprised that humans have advanced from the medieval era to the present in only a few hundred years, conservative.

* The Hch'nyv from the [[TrilogyCreep fourth book]] of [[TheDarkswordTrilogy the Darksword Trilogy]]. They are basically an alien invasion taking place in a fantasy setting. Almost all of their actions take place offscreen, but from what little is mentioned about them, they seem to go for the All out attack variant.

* ''Series/DarkSkies'': A series on FOX was pretty much a textbook type 2, infiltrating with parasites and (at the end) electronic implants. The point of the series was that many of the events of the 20th century were secretly part of the infiltration, such as the Kennedy assassination.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'': Uses all three variants of invasion. The series also inverts this tropes in many future-based stories, humans are themselves the invaders. We're usually not outright malicious, but we're often quite destructive to native species, paralleling historical imperialism and colonization.

* In VideoGame/ArtemisSpaceshipBridgeSimulator you defend a sector of space from a modified type-1 scenario.

* ''TheConduit'' : The game subverts this trope. It starts off with an invasion by the Drudge, a race of BigCreepyCrawlies. Later, [[spoiler:it is revealed that the invaders are actually human-created clones as part of a GovernmentConspiracy.]]
* ''DestroyAllHumans'' subverts this trope: YOU are the invading alien. Crypto utilizes both infiltration and outright military force.
* ''VideoGame/DoctorWho’’: In the first chapter ‘’The Adventure Games'', ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoTAGE01CityOfTheDaleks City of the Daleks]]'': The Doctor and Amy arrive in London to discover it has been conquered by Daleks and have to travel back in time to stop the invasion.

* ''{{Gungrave}}'': The "infiltration" method is used in the games. [[spoiler: A race of parasitic aliens called "Methuselah" came to the planet eons ago and just wanted to infect all living things with the substance that the main characters know as the designer drug called "Seed". It turns humans and animals into mindless mutants subservient to the alien consciousness. It was these beings that manipulated and corrupted Harry in the original game, provided the technology that created the Necrolization Project, and gave Garino, the BigBad of ''Overdose'', power beyond imagination. Garino was even planning to leave the planet to continue spreading seed]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Half-Life|1}}'': Is about aliens coming through a portal to Earth, albeit unintentionally (though given the chance, the Nihilanth was more than happy to conquer, or try it anyway). The second is set in a {{dystopia}} where different aliens came through and defeated Earth.
* ''{{Halo}}'': Follows the "All-Out Attack" example, with The Covenant attacking Earth colonies before finally taking the fight to Earth. In order to ''prevent'' an alien invasion, all ships that are losing a battle are commanded to wipe their memory banks and ''self-destruct'', denying the aliens knowledge of human colony locations, as well as Earth. In the end the Covenant find Earth anyway [[spoiler: though they were looking for something else]], but this particular strategy allowed humanity to fight for years, when otherwise they would have been defeated in weeks or months.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' : In the game, with interesting takes on the infiltration variation. In the story, alien life forms, called [[EnergyBeing FM-ians]], must fuse with humans who are very lonely thru manipulation in order to attack other people. This is because being energy waves they have no physical form and thus can't harm physical beings under normal circumstances. They can't even be ''seen'' normally. Fusing with humans allows the FM-ian to materialize and thus cause physical harm. They can also disrupt electronic devices or if there is enough electromagnetic energy being emitted, turn people ''into'' energy waves to attack them.

* The first two ''VideoGame/EscapeVelocity'' games featured type 1. In the original, the Confederation [[spoiler:nearly]] wiped them out completely. In ''Override'', the United Earth pushed the Voinians back pretty darn far; the war continues (apparently. There ''is'' a peace treaty, but no one seems to bother about it outside the treaty station of Pax), but has devolved into frequent border skirmishes.

* ''An Introduction to Planetary Defense’’ by Travis S. Taylor, Bob Boan, R.C. Anding and T. Conley Powell: A nonfiction look at the possibilities of an alien invasion of Earth. They make various suggestions, discuss issues regarding first contact, and possible ways to help deal with an invasion.
* ''When Aliens Attack'’: A production on the National Geographic Channel, and takes a look at the trope, using input from scientists, military personnel, and various other professionals.

* ''Film/TheThing1982'': A strange alien found in the artic with the ability to mimic any living creature, whether it intended to go to Earth in the first place is unclear. It still threatens to take over.

* Music/RunningWild's "Iron Heads" from the ''Death Metal'' split-album and ''Masquerade'' is about version 1.

** And the theme returns in the X-COM series' spiritual successor, VideoGame/{{Xenonauts}}.

See also DemonicInvaders, EasilyThwartedAlienInvasion, WeComeInPeaceShootToKill and AliensAreBastards; and for fun, HowToInvadeAnAlienPlanet and WhyYouShouldDestroyThePlanetEarth. Contrast BenevolentAlienInvasion.

* ''PaperinikNewAdventures'':This Italian Disney series features the Evronians, a hostile species of [[Franchise/{{Alien}} H.R. Giger-inspired]] aliens, planning the invasion of the Earth. The main thing standing in their way? ''DonaldDuck in a superhero suit''.

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' Zinyak invades Earth and it's up to the Saints to kill him and save Steelport and Earth altogether

!!Examples:

!Examples:

->''If you were going to take over the world, would you blow up the White House ''Film/IndependenceDay''-style, or sneak in through the back door?''

'''There are three main forms of this:'''

!!Examples:

[[folder:Film]]

* ''BattleLosAngeles'' : The alien invaders land off of the coast near California and immediately launch a military offensive. The movie is notable for using reasonably accurate in presentation of the military and the aliens operating as a military force.

* ''InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers'': Is one of the most famous versions of The Infiltration as [[RedScare Communist metaphor]]. Humans are kidnapped and replaced with alien lookalikes..
* ''ItCameFromOuterSpace'' (1953) : A subversion where the aliens appear to be carrying out a classic Infiltration-style attack, but are only trying to quietly repair their spacecraft which crashed due to a malfunction.
* ''{{Knowing}}': Aliens have been secretly visiting Earth to prepare themselves in to extract the chosen life forms from Earth in light of the Earth's destruction by the Sun. They disguise themselves as humans to do so (though they never speak human language).

* ''MarsAttacks'' : A parody which drew inspiration from the trading cards of the same name. Like the trading cards the movie portrays a military invasion by the Martians.
* ''MonstersVsAliens'': An animated film that portrays and alien invasion by Gallaxhar seeking out the last remaining sources of [[{{Unobtanium}} quantonium]]. The invasion starts off with a giant robot sent to reclaim the remaining quantonium. [[spoiler: Later the main character is kidnapped and has the quantonium she absorbed extracted from her allowing the villain to clone an invasion army from himself.]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* ''FallingSkies'': A TNT Show takes place about six months after an alien invasion devastates most major cities and wipes out a large percentage of the population. The show describes a ragtag group of survivors trying to find food and shelter to get by, while avoiding murderous aliens and roving bands of outlaws and trying to survive and fight back. While the series avoids showing the actual invasion (the background is told by a child and a series of drawings in the pilot), it involves huge circular {{Ominous Floating Spaceship}}s appearing over major cities. They hang there for a while, but the world leaders decide not to strike first, hoping the aliens are friendly. They aren't. The ships emit powerful EMP waves, shutting down power grids and defense systems before proceeding to obliterate most major cities. They land ground troops with infantry and mechs (the survivors note that the mechs are bipedal, despite the aliens having 6 legs) that proceed to wipe out much of the adult population, while capturing children and putting MindControl harnesses on them (presumably, to make them slaves). The large ships depart, while the invading forces begin constructing large structures in places of destroyed cities. The human survivors are forced to retreat and use only basic weaponry (rifles, machineguns, and C4), as any heavy munitions tend to piss off the aliens, and their bombers simply level the entire area.

[[quoteright:250:[[MarsAttacks http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alienuploading_4992.jpg]]]]

* ''{{Slither}}'': The alien invader uses infiltration by taking over human beings. The movie Includes a {{homage}} to the movie ‘‘Thing’’, by naming the town's mayor after Kurt Russell's character, R. J. [=MacReady=].

* ''SpacedInvaders'' is a comedy about a crew of inept Martians who intercept a rebroadcast of OrsonWelles's ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' radio drama and assume their fleet is attacking Earth (in fact, their fleet is in the process of being obliterated by their enemy the Arcturians). They crash-land in a small American town and begin their "invasion". HilarityEnsues.

* The Septentriones of ShinMegamiTenseiDevilSurvivor. They use the All-Out Attack method.

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]

One of the [[OlderThanRadio oldest stories]] in SpeculativeFiction: Beings from space come to Earth to conquer.

* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'': Novel series, ''Doom: Hell on Earth''. As the name implies, is about the aliens and their genetically-engineered-to-scare-humans creations attacking planet earth.

[[caption-width-right:250:TooDumbToLive So, do you think they're friendly?]]

[[caption-width-right:250:So, do you think they're friendly?]]

* ''{{Parasyte}}'': Infiltration by aliens called parasites which are worm-like creatures that enter human bodies and transform their brain, killing them. They then go about disguised as their host secretly eating other humans.

* ''{{Starcraft}}'': the Terrans are facing two invasions: the [[BugWar Zerg]] and [[WellIntentionedExtremist Protoss]]. The Zerg favor infiltration [[BodyHorror infestation]]) as a way to soften up targets for the Swarm. The Protoss, on the other hand, employ a range of tactics, from "shoot missiles at it" through "shoot [[MacrossMissileMassacre more missiles at it]]" past "[[BeamSpam throw in lasers]] for good measure" and on to "screw it, let's just [[ApocalypseHow sterilize the planet]]". Notable in all of this is the Battle of Tarsonis, where the Zerg, Protoss, and [[LaResistance Terran rebels]] all try the All-Out Attack on the poor planet [[ClimacticBattleResurrection at the same time]]. The Protoss were not as much invading the Terrans as they were containing the Zerg who would then perform an all out invasion on the Protoss.