History Main / EvolutionaryLevels

* ''VideoGame/ReachinPichin''" Pichin can evolve into different forms depending on what he feeds on over time.

* In Creator/IDWPublishing's ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMegaseries'', the Machination’s Headmasters claim to be the next step in Cybertronian evolution, making normal Transformers like Hot Rod and Wheeljack surplus to requirements.

* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'': This occasionally pops up. Not all demons will evolve, however, and those that do demand they have learned all of the moves they can and reached a certain level. Once they do, they will ask the summoner if they are allowed to evolve; in most cases, MythologyGag is invoked as part of ShownTheirWork (Setanta evolves into Cú Chulainn in ''Nocturne'', for instance, and the Angel evolves into Archangel, who himself evolves into Power and so on until Cherub in ''IV''). Older ''[[Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona Persona]]'' games have the Mutation mechanic, randomly allowing ''certain'' Personae to evolve into secret ones in the same fashion.

* ''VideoGame/TheTiamatSacrament'': Az'uar can evolve after inhaling a certain number of runes, up to three times. His next dragon class is determined by the most inhaled rune at the time of evolution, and there are many classes based on the combinations of elements.

* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'': Digimon start out in their Baby/Fresh stage and progress through increasingly powerful forms, typically ending at the Adult/Champion level. A Digimon who goes through extensive training will eventually reach the Perfect/Ultimate level; a great deal more, and they can go into the Ultimate/Mega level, which is considered to be [[OlympusMons close to godhood]]. In fact, some Megas are physical gods themselves.
** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' introduced "Armor Digivolution" in which a Digimon digivolved by bonding with a special Digi-Egg. Normal Armor level Digimon are roughly on par with Ultimates but [[GoldColoredSuperiority golden Armor]] levels like [[Anime/DigimonTheMovie Magnamon and Rapidmon]] have power equaling that of a Mega.
** ''Anime/DigimonUniverseApplimonsters'': The Appmon are assigned a Grade which begins and ends as Standard, Super, Ultimate and God.

* Played with by the Ornimorphs from ''WebOriginal/{{Serina}}'', being evolved descendants of canaries with a peculiar life cycle that essentially re-enacts the evolution of vertebrate life. Having descended from [[BizarreAlienReproduction a group of birds that lay tiny-soft-shelled eggs and undergo an insect-like metamorphosis]], the Ornimorphs begin life as frogspawn-like eggs laid in water, hatch as aquatic fish-like "tadpoles", grow legs and become an amphibian-like larval stage, become fully terrestrial and enter a reptile-like juvenile stage, become arboreal as it enters adolescence, develop gliding membranes as it matures, and finally becomes a feathered adult bird upon raching sexual maturity, [[https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/0c179c95-0957-4392-987e-8c3acdcf3b56/dbjdal7-d2512334-9842-4c95-821e-7ab987d2fad6.png/v1/fill/w_1024,h_479,q_75,strp/birds123_by_sheather888-dbjdal7.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwic3ViIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl0sIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiIvZi8wYzE3OWM5NS0wOTU3LTQzOTItOTg3ZS04YzNhY2RjZjNiNTYvZGJqZGFsNy1kMjUxMjMzNC05ODQyLTRjOTUtODIxZS03YWI5ODdkMmZhZDYucG5nIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEwMjQiLCJoZWlnaHQiOiI8PTQ3OSJ9XV19.4UMPQfD07O-YEetF1z6RxFrUcmnLuw3Lgk1XnqRF198 all within the lifespan of a single individual.]]

* Played with by the Ornimorphs from ''WebOriginal/{{Serina}}'', being evolved descendants of canaries with a peculiar life cycle that essentially re-enacts the evolution of vertebrate life. Having descended from [[BizarreAlienReproduction a group of birds that lay tiny-soft-shelled eggs and undergo an insect-like metamorphosis]], the Ornimorphs begin life as frogspawn-like eggs laid in water, hatch as aquatic fish-like "tadpoles", grow legs and become an amphibian-like larval stage, become fully terrestrial and enter a reptile-like juvenile stage, become arboreal as it enters adolescence, develop gliding membranes as it matures, and finally becomes a feathered adult bird upon raching sexual maturity, all within the lifespan of a single individual.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' has those pesky Hollows that evolve as they get stronger by eating other spirits. First, you have a regular cannibal ghost. Then, that Hollow gets strong enough (usually by eating and/or merging with other Hollows) to become a Gillian, the first level in what's called the "Menos Grande" class. If that Gillian keeps a mind intact, it can keep eating to become a smaller but stronger Adjuchas. In extremely rare cases, this development can continue and result in the human-sized, insanely-powerful Vasto Lorde.

** ''Comicbook/{{Excalibur}}'': One issue (written by Creator/ChrisClaremont) says that all mutants are just a bit ''more'' in every department. Nightcrawler, for example, healed from his broken leg a bit faster then a regular human would. Nightcrawler doesn't have healing powers, he's just That Awesome because he is a mutant.
** The Kree, one of their subplots involved them being "unable to evolve" and needing [[HalfHumanHybrid Half-Kree Hybrids]] to further their "evolution", suddenly turning the whole race into the "self-evolving" Ruul.
** '''Mr. Immortal''' is so evolved that he's not just "''Homo superior''", he's "''Homo supreme''".

** A more modern-age interpretation is a little closer to real biology: the radical mutations present in mutants [[BlessedWithSuck aren't always going to make them "superior"]]; in fact, it seems the vast, ''vast'' majority are,
in fact, BlessedWithSuck

** ComicBook/{{Galactus}} is sometimes said to target worlds at the "apex of their evolution" to devour. For evolution to have an "apex", it has to be a finite process with multiple levels, and a highest, "best" level.

* Creator/DCCOmics:

** ComicBook/{{Galactus}} is sometimes said to target worlds at the "apex of their evolution" to devour. For evolution to have an "apex", it has to be a finite process with multiple levels, and a highest, "best" level.

** A more modern-age interpretation is a little closer to real biology: the radical mutations present in mutants [[BlessedWithSuck aren't always going to make them "superior"]]; in fact, it seems the vast, ''vast'' majority are, in fact, BlessedWithSuck

* ''Anime/StardustMemories'': Evolutionary levels are treated as being contagious on a mass scale -- if a world has primitive life, and it's visited by humans, that primitive life will rapidly evolve to fill all evolutionary niches required in order to produce human-like creatures. Unfortunately, [[BodyHorror it may hit an evolutionary dead end during the attempt]]...

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': {{Psy|chicPowers}}Keri are considered by some to be the next step in human evolution, due to their supernatural powers, the fact that they only started appearing towards the end of the Dark Age of Technology (a few tens of millennia in the setting's past and our future) and are now being born with increasing frequency, and a few extra details such as increased white blood cell counts and stronger and more extensive lymphatic systems. The rest of the Imperium, which is fanatically devoted to the idea that the baseline human form is perfect in every way, finds this notion to be outright heretical.

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':

* ''{{Franchise/Pokemon}}'' has over 800 different creatures in it, and the number of Pokémon without an "evolved" form decreases with every generation. Some Pokémon even have a forked path of evolution, most notably Eevee, which, as of Generation VI, has 8 choices for evolution.
* Occasionally pops up in ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' games. However, not all demons will evolve, and those that do demand they have learned all of the moves they can and reached a certain level. Once they do, they will ask the summoner if they are allowed to evolve; in most cases, MythologyGag is invoked as part of ShownTheirWork (Setanta evolves into Cú Chulainn in ''Nocturne'', for instance, and the Angel evolves into Archangel, who himself evolves into Power and so on until Cherub in ''IV''). Older ''[[Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona Persona]]'' games have the Mutation mechanic, randomly allowing ''certain'' Personae to evolve into secret ones in the same fashion.

* ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'': [[spoiler:the Catalyst claims that merging all organic and synthetic life is the 'next step in organic evolution'.]]
* In the "Reptile Pod" briefing file in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'', Huey says that the basic functions of the brain evolved "when our ancestors were still reptiles. ... Well, only at one stage of our evolution." Given that it's 1974 and Huey is not a biologist, it's reasonable that he would fall into this trope.
* The main character of ''VideoGame/VibRibbon'' will "evolve" from a rabbit to a fairy if she successfully clears enough obstacles in a row. If she misses a certain number of obstacles in a row, however, she will "devolve" into a frog, and then into a worm.
* The [[{{Precursors}} Forerunners]] of ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' built their society around a pseudo-religious philosophy in which their species must uphold the "Mantle of Responsibility", a position of galactic guardianship which belongs to "those whose evolution is most complete". Whether this is an actual tenet of the title as specified by the [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens Precursors]] or a means for the Forerunners to impose their will over [[FantasticRacism "lesser" races]] [[KnightTemplar while still claiming moral superiority]] is unknown.
* The monsters of ''VideoGame/{{Evolve}}'' have these as a major part of the gameplay. They have three levels, with Stage 1 being weaker than the quartet of hunters, Stage 2 roughly equal, and Stage 3 much stronger. Besides the health bonus and extra abilities that come with evolution, the monsters grow larger and develop [[SpikesOfVillainy dorsal projections]] to show off their increased power.
* In ''VideoGame/CerealSoup'', the levels are based on life stages (Baby, Teen, Adult, and Elder) rather than evolution. However, they still function as levels as the four stages have varying stats, size, and even appearance, as each stage has different markings and even colors. On top of that, the decision to evolve (or in this case, ''grow'') your character is completely optional and therefore can stay in each stage indefinitely.
* Pichin from ''VideoGame/ReachinPichin'' can evolve into different forms depending on what he feeds on over time.

* Given an interesting twist in ''WebOriginal/{{Serina}}'', where one of its speculative avians, the Ornimorph, undergoes a dramatic metamorphosis beginning with a tadpole-like larval stage, growing limbs and becoming amphiban-like, moves onto land as a lizard-like quadruped, climbs up into the treetops to become an arboreal glider, and finally becomes a true flyer as its feathers grow in, spending the rest of its life on the wing and never again landing, save for the females skimming over water to lay their eggs, which hatch into more tadpole-like larvae to start the cycle anew.

* {{WebAnimation/Dorkly|Originals}} parodies the usage of this trope in regards to ''{{Franchise/Pokemon}}'' evolutions in [[https://youtu.be/kTthcMOODvc if Pokemon Evolutions Were Realistic]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': An [[OverlyLongGag overly long]] [[RunningGag couch gag]] sequence features the evolution of Homer. This starts with single-celled organisms, then goes from jellyfish to fish to lizard, rodent, monkey, ape... and finally to the modern ''Homo sapiens'' before showcasing several historical eras ending in modern Homer walking into his house. This showcases the supposed evolutionary levels misconception. And subverted for RuleOfFunny; he meets Moe on the way who walks in the opposite direction... and devolves.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': Parodied.
** The characters find the lost city of UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}, in which the human inhabitants have evolved into mermaids. When Bender points out that this should have taken millions of years, the mayor's daughter explains that the caffeine from the Coca-Cola bottling plant sped things up.
** After being UnCanceled, the Professor accidentally creates evolving robots, who evolve much faster than organisms. Within a few days, they go from microscopic plankton-esque lifeforms to murderous trilobites to dinosaurs to cavemen to modern humans to EnergyBeings.

* In ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien,'' the Ultimate forms are from the Ultimatrix's "Evolution" function which the Omnitrix lacked. AllThereInTheManual explained that the Ultimate forms are computer simulations of what the species would be like after millions of years of having to survive a programmed worst-case scenario. The actual DNA the Ultimatrix uses is temporarily changed to match the simulated DNA.
* WesternAnimation/TheTransformers, in the G1 continuity, are said to have slowly evolved over the eons (as stated in part two of ''Desertion of the Dinobots''). Apparently giant 5obots can do that. In other continuities they were created by Primus, their god, meaning that even Transfomers can argue about creationism vs. evolution...
* ''WesternAnimation/TeachersPet'': The title card for "Muutamorphosis" features Spot the dog morphing evolution-style into his upright-walking Scott persona.

* Every {{Franchise/Digimon}} is split into these as well, with most starting out in their Baby/Fresh stage and ending at the Adult/Champion level. A Digimon who went through extensive training will eventually reach the Perfect/Ultimate level; a great deal more, and they can go into the Ultimate/Mega level, which is considered to be [[OlympusMons close to godhood]]. In fact, some Megas are physical gods themselves.

* One of the ideas in ''Stardust Memories'' is that evolutionary levels are contagious on a mass scale--if a world has primitive life, and it's visited by humans, that primitive life will rapidly evolve to fill all evolutionary niches required in order to produce human-like creatures. Unfortunately, [[BodyHorror it may hit an evolutionary dead end during the attempt]]...

* Extended Definition in ''Anime/ThisUglyYetBeautifulWorld'' basically rockets the organism in question to UltimateLifeForm status in an extreme form of survival instinct.

** ''Comicbook/XMen'': The comics dub all mutants as ''Homo superior'' (or ''Homo sapiens superior''), the "next step" in human evolution. A long-established but seldom-mentioned trait of Marvel's mutants is that they're a little tougher than a normal human of the same frame. E.g., In her solo comic, Dazzler mentions that one of the advantages of being a mutant is that she doesn't get tired as quickly as normal people, and the old Marvel-based RolePlayingGame gave all mutants + 1 level in the Endurance stat.
** One thing about mutants that's worth noting is that the X-factor responsible for mutations was not originally part of humanity's genetic makeup. The Celestials added it while they were playing god on Earth. Mutants are most definitely NOT the next stage in human evolution, but various characters- including some of the X-Men themselves, who should know better as they are aware of the Celestial origins-, use terms like that and "Homo Superior regardless (the latter was actually coined by ''Magneto'').

** '''Mr. Immortal''', who is so evolved that he's not just "homo superior", he's "homo supreme".
** ''Comicbook/{{Excalibur}}'': One issue (written by Creator/ChrisClaremont) says that all mutants are just a bit ''more'' in every department. Nightcrawler, for example, healed from his broken leg a bit faster then a regular human would. Nightcrawler doesn't have healing powers, he's just That Awesome because he is a mutant.

** Sometimes, ComicBook/{{Galactus}} is said to target worlds at the "apex of their evolution" to devour. For evolution to have an "apex", it has to be a finite process with multiple levels, and a highest, "best" level.
** The Kree, one of their subplots involved them being "unable to evolve" and needing [[HalfHumanHybrid Half-Kree Hybrids]] to further their "evolution", suddenly turning the whole race into the "self-evolving" Ruul.
* [[Franchise/TheDCU DC Comics']] Captain Comet is supposed to be the next stage of human evolution ("born [[SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale a hundred thousand years]] before his time!") In the ComicBook/{{New 52}}, his "species" is called Neo Sapiens.
** DC Comics also has a villain named the Ultra-Humanite, whose very name suggests this trope. Unusually for an "advanced human", he's not physically frail at all. Rather, he combines SuperIntelligence with SuperStrength, as he has a superhumanly intelligent genius' brain in the body of a super-strong white gorilla. However, he had his brain transferred into that body, so he's closer to GrandTheftMe than UltimateLifeForm.
** Franchise/{{Superman}} originally had this explanation for his powers, that the physical structures of Kryptonians were "millions of years advanced to our own," and real-life animals such as ants and grasshoppers can "already" accomplish the sort of feats he could pull off (though the SquareCubeLaw went unmentioned). This was later changed to him being a HeavyWorlder, and eventually to him being solar-powered. The idea was brought back, in a roundabout way, in ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon'', where it's revealed that [[spoiler:the Superman of that universe is actually from the future, where billions of years of evolution and development have led to humans gaining his powers.]]
* Interestingly, this trope was subverted in Creator/ValiantComics. [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Harbingers]] have StockSuperpowers and are regarded by people [[TheMasquerade who know they exist]] as the next step in human evolution. However, they are not actually physically different from the rest of the human race. Their powers derive from [[NinetyPercentOfYourBrain elevated levels of activity in their brains]] that give them [[PsychicPowers psionic abilities]]. It is in fact possible for ordinary humans to manifest Harbinger powers through the use of [[AppliedPhlebotinum brain-stimulating cybernetic "Psi-Borg" implants]].

* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'':
** Despite insistence from Magneto that they are "''Homo superior''", it's established that mutant powers are actually the result of a simple genetic carrier, "the mutant gene" (which somehow gives mutants powers which can break all the known laws of physics).
** All over the place in ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', usually invoked by Shaw, who explicitly claims mutants represent the next stage of evolution and that humans must be wiped out to allow their succession.
* ''Film/{{Evolution}}'': The aliens started out evolving to fit the ecological niches they found themselves in, but were eventually shown as evolving along a fixed path, becoming dinosaur-like things and then primates for no reason. In addition, despite the rapid evolution that was the point of the film, there was no sense that the creatures were going through multiple generations particularly rapidly (there was also a cartoon series based on the movie that made the same mistakes, only more so). One interesting aversion, however, is that the final form achieved by the creatures when forced through rapid evolution was essentially a giant amoeba. It's explained that this is the most efficient form for its particular environment so it can be considered the best adapted even though it's one of the simplest.

* ''Film/SuperMarioBros'': The entire plot is based on the idea of evolutionary levels. The brothers stumble on another dimension in which humans exist, but they evolved from dinosaurs instead of apes. When hit with a "de-evolution" gun, humans from our world turn into chimpanzees and the humans of the alternate world turn in to large, human-like dinosaurs. The rightful king of the other realm had been "de-evolved" into a fungus and is re-evolved into a human at the end. Also, Koopa uses a machine to "evolve" Spike and Iggy, which makes them extremely intelligent, or at least, improves their vocabulary.
* Used for a gag in ''Film/GeorgeOfTheJungle 2'':

* In the 2010 independent film ''Drones'', the main characters convince a benevolent alien to evolve the human race so that two other alien races will be impressed and call off their attack. After a massive wave of light passes over them, the humans are confused that nothing seems to have changed, but it becomes apparent that everybody has become more insightful and compassionate. The invading aliens are impressed enough to call off the attacks.

* ''Literature/{{She}}'', by Creator/HRiderHaggard: The climax has [[spoiler:the title character take another bath in the life-giving flame, which takes away her youth. Her dying form is described as being like a monkey]]. Darwin's theories had only recently entered the public consciousness when the book was written and the whole story is about the ''fear'' of "devolving" since people were scared that it ''might'' work backwards at the time.
* ''Literature/OddJohn'' by Olaf Stapledon: The titular character is one of a new species of supermen who happen to be born here and there around the world at roughly the same time. This story is apparently the origin of the term "Homo Superior" for such beings.

* "The Man Who Evolved": The whole premise of Edmond Hamilton's 1931 short story. In the story, a man uses a modified form of radiation to [[DevolutionDevice evolve himself in minutes]]. In the end, he eventually evolves into [[spoiler:protoplasm, since, for some reason, evolutionary levels apparently go in a cycle.]] Hamilton liked the idea that radiation caused evolution, since he took the implication to be that worlds without radioactive elements would have little to no evolution. "Devolution" takes another approach to the same problem: [[spoiler:the highest form of life to ever exist is a kind of alien bacteria that forms a benevolent HiveMind. All life on Earth is descended from some of that bacteria that was stranded here, but evolution has weakened rather than strengthened us, costing us our unity.]]
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's "The Hyborian Age", the BackStory to ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian'', the fall of the {{Atlantis}} produced devolution:
-->''Among the forest-covered hills of the northwest exist wandering bands of ape-men, without human speech, or the knowledge of fire or the use of implements. They are the descendants of the Atlanteans, sunk back into the squalling chaos of jungle-bestiality from which ages ago their ancestors so laboriously crawled. To the southwest dwell scattered clans of degraded, cave-dwelling savages, whose speech is of the most primitive form, yet who still retain the name of Picts, which has come to mean merely a term designating men — themselves, to distinguish them from the true beasts with which they contend for life and food. It is their only link with their former stage.''
* Creator/ArthurCClarke's ''Literature/ChildhoodsEnd'': The book is fundamentally about most of humanity evolving beyond their corporeal forms into a mass consciousness and merging with a universal psychic gestalt (if this sounds familiar to anime fans, Creator/HideakiAnno has cited the novel as a major inspiration for ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''). The story also features the Overlords, alien creatures that are an evolutionary cul-de-sac of sorts, who are apparently unable to achieve this level of evolution for some reason.
* ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'': The series discusses the "evolution" of the SufficientlyAdvancedAliens who brought TheMonolith to Earth. Read literally, it's an example of this trope, but is actually a case of a species reaching a point technologically where they can perform BrainUploading into machine bodies and then finally turn themselves into EnergyBeings — self-directed evolution rather than natural.

* In ''Literature/TheWarAgainstTheChtorr'', it's stated that since Chtorran lifeforms have a billion-year evolutionary head start they have a massive advantage over Earth lifeforms.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': The God of Evolution's personal project, the creature he's been working to perfect for centuries: [[spoiler: the cockroach]].
** Another Discworld example: In ''Discworld/CarpeJugulum'', Lord Magpyr refers to fairies and Igor as evolutionary cul-de-sacs, although he was probably just being arrogant and mean, rather than making any thoughtful judgments on their place in the world.
* Parodied in ''Literature/TomorrowTown'' by Creator/KimNewman: one of the claims made by the futurists who have set up shop in Tomorrow Town is that they have evolved beyond their 1970s contemporaries, or '[[FantasticRacism yesterday men]]' as they are called. Like most things to do with their "futopia", they're quite, quite mistaken.
* One theory for the Weaver race's origins, as mentioned in ''Literature/PerdidoStreetStation'', is that normal spiders were subjected to occult forces that bumped them up several Evolutionary Levels, from mindless bug-eaters to something akin to an UltimateLifeForm.
* In Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs's ''[[Literature/TheLandThatTimeForgot Caspak]]'' trilogy each individual begins as tadpole like creatures and slowly evolves over its lifetime until it reaches its proper niche where it stops. The one exception are the humans at the peak of this ladder, some of whom have reproduced the normal way.
* Justified in ''Angel Fire'' by Andrew Greely, because the discovery of evolutionary levels in fruit flies was presented as a Nobel-winning breakthrough rather than evolution-as-usual.
* In the ''Literature/{{Tunnels}}'' series, in the novel ''Spiral'', the Styx are said to be on a higher evolutionary level than humanity.

* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': [[InsufferableGenius Sheldon]] [[ArtisticLicenseBiology fails biology forever]] because he believes "[he] is farther down the evolutionary ''line''" than the rest of humanity, and has [[WeWillNotHaveAppendixesInTheFuture smaller incisors and pinky toes than everyone else]]. Given that he explicitly does internet searches to find out anything about biology (like why his stomach might be hurting), he probably doesn't [[KnowNothingKnowItAll know half as much about biology or medicine as he thinks he does]]. [[InsufferableGenius Not that it would stop him believing that he's superior anyway]].

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E4TheMutants "The Mutants"]] depicts a species that moves regularly up and down the scale of Evolutionary Levels in response to cyclic changes in their home planet's climate. In an aversion of fiction's usual human chauvinism, the HumanAlien form is explicitly at the most "primitive" level in the scale, with {{Insectoid Alien}}s above them, and the top rung being, predictably, {{Energy Being}}s.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E3Gridlock "Gridlock"]]: The Doctor suggests that [[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E7TheMacraTerror the Macra]] have devolved since the last time he encountered them, as they used to be intelligent but are now mindless beasts, billions of years in the future.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E12TheDoctorFalls "The Doctor Falls"]]: The Cybermen rapidly evolve through their various incarnations from the point of view of the protagonists, although from the perspective of the Cybermen this is happening across several generations (both are trapped on different levels of a spaceship caught in a black hole, so time is warped around them). As ever with this trope, this is NOT how evolution works in RealLife and these Cybermen should have neither the resources nor the vision to turn into their modern day versions just because a lot of time has passed, but it's what the show runs with regardless.
* In the ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' episode "My Three Crichtons" an alien probe creates two clones of Crichton, one looks like a tall neanderthal, the other is bald with [[MyBrainIsBig a large head that resembles the surface of a brain]].

* The short-lived show ''Series/{{Prey}}'' proposes that the next stage of human evolution is already here, living among us, preparing to replace us (the same way we "replaced" Neanderthals). The so-called Dominants (''homo dominant'') are emotionless killers with enhanced strength, intelligence, and PsychicPowers, as well as the ability to breed incredibly fast (with every HalfHumanHybrid ending up as a Dominant) and a pathological desire to kill "less advanced" primates, including humans and monkeys. Their appearance is handwaved as vaguely related to long-term global warming, and that they first "evolved" somewhere in Mexico. It's estimated that there are about 200,000 Dominants in the world, living among us and preparing to rise up. Some factions are striving for peace, while others (on both sides) would rather fight it out.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'': Evolution may indeed work differently in the Star Trek Universe thanks to [[http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Ancient_humanoid Ancient humanoids]]. Spock explains:

** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': One episode had an alien developing HealingHands and other [[StockSuperpowers superpowers]] because [[EvolutionPowerup his species]] was on the verge of an [[EnergyBeings "evolutionary leap"]]. Their government was terrified of this and had been killing anyone who showed signs of beginning to transform.
** The ''Next Generation'' episode "Genesis" had the crew "devolve" thanks to a "de-evolutionary virus". In addition to having the crew devolve to specific "levels", the Earth-species had their levels completely ''wrong''. Riker turned into a neanderthal-like creature (they split off from the human evolutionary tree and weren't our direct ancestors), Picard begins turning into what Data suggests is some kind of lemur-like creature (which split off from monkeys/apes entirely) while Barclay turned into some sort of spider-thing. What takes the cake is what poor Spot turns into. She ends up turning into an ''iguana'' which then somehow manages to [[spoiler: give ''birth'' to ''kittens'']]. The episode's explanation is that the virus is activating "junk" DNA, the unused genes that have somehow accumulated throughout the millennia.

* ''Series/{{The Tomorrow People|1973}}'': The entire premise revolved around "the next step in human evolution".

* In Chinese folklore it is believed that animals on the path to enlightenment can become human along the way to better achieve it. Some do it by simple meditation, other more unscrupulous ones may attempt it by just devouring humans. Of course, this is spiritual rather than biological evolution, as it means they [[{{Reincarnation}} reincarnate]] as humans.

* The Wrestling/MissingLink, who hailed from PartsUnknown, had a green and blue painted face and a few unconnected tufts of hair. He never spoke beyond an occasional grunt or roar.

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': The Slivers seem to be an insectile species that has evolved the ability to evolve faster and share genetics through some sort of [[HiveMind psionic link]], resulting in not just momentary changes to genotype but also phenotype when two different varieties are in proximity. In addition, some flavor text references Evolutionary Levels. The Ghostflame Sliver, for example, seems to be a reference to the common misunderstanding of the punctuated equilibrium theory, as they are "on the cusp of evolution", but it's most notable in the Sliver Overlord, which declares it the ''end'' of evolution. Then again, the Slivers evolve so quickly partially by devouring other life forms and adapting their advantageous genes to their offspring, grow rapidly to adulthood, are semi-sentient, act in concert, and are almost virus-like in their ability to infest, consume, and spread rapidly, so it might just be an intimation that [[HordeOfAlienLocusts the Slivers will kill everything on the planet]], halting evolution permanently.
* ''[[Franchise/MarvelUniverse Marvel Superheroes Role-Playing Game]]'': Among the list of powers available to players, some sort of "Hyper-Evolution" power that lets a hero shift up and down along their "evolutionary path," generally affording them the ability to "devolve" into cave-man form (temporarily lower their intelligence to raise their strength) or "evolve" into frail but hyper-intelligent (and possibly psionic) "future" form. The write-up for the "Evolution" power in MSH even lampshades it: "This is comic book evolution, people, the kind where super-strong cavemen eventually evolve into giant brains with vestigial limbs."
** ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'' took it a step further with ''their'' version of the "super-evolution" power, with five "phases": [[BlobMonster a barely sapient mass of corrosive protoplasm]], a strong feral caveman, a modern day human, a physically atrophied big headed genius, and a being of pure psychic energy. Suggestions are also given of putting ''dinosaurs'' somewhere in the middle, revealing exactly how serious the whole idea is, which is absolutely not.
* PlayedWith in the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' game ''Pages from the Mages'': The spell "Evolve" changes a normal animal into an intelligent and more or less human-like form. [[DontExplainTheJoke The punchline]] is that glorified name aside, the spell just permanently transforms the target halfway to its caster (presumed to be a human smart enough to use a 8-level spell), using his own blood sample(!) as a component.
* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': The Tyranids avert this. While they "evolve" at a hyper-accelerated rate (accomplished by [[HordeOfAlienLocusts devouring entire biospheres]], then using the material to spawn custom-creatures) most of these creatures are short-lived, and allow their superiors to devour them once they've served their purpose. It's bizarre and science-fictiony, but the sheer fact that it's portrayed as being generational makes it closer to RealLife evolution than most of the examples on this page.

* Given an interesting twist in ''WebOriginal/Serina'', where one of its speculative avians, the Ornimorph, undergoes a dramatic metamorphosis beginning with a tadpole-like larval stage, growing limbs and becoming amphiban-like, moves onto land as a lizard-like quadruped, climbs up into the treetops to become an arboreal glider, and finally becomes a true flyer as its feathers grow in, spending the rest of its life on the wing and never again landing, save for the females skimming over water to lay their eggs, which hatch into more tadpole-like larvae to start the cycle anew.

* ''Series/TimeTrax'': Humanity is depicted as being on the cusp of an evolutionary advance granting some (almost realistically) minor abilities such as greatly enhanced agility and the ability to "time stall" (Nothing strange and extratemporal: the term refers to an ability to alter the way the brain processes sensory data giving the ''perception'' of time slowing down). An episode featured protagonist Darien Lambert meeting a young boy with enhanced athletic skills similar to what's described above. Darien wondered if this boy might be the "missing link" between the present humanity and future humanity. In the end, it turns out the boy is himself from the future, brought there by his father when he was very young. Future humans in general are stronger, faster, and smarter than present humans with a 30 beats-per-minute heartbeat and the ability to swim fast underwater for 20 minutes at a time. Interestingly, one episode seems to indicate that being present in the polluted present is slowly robbing future humans of their advantages.

* In Chinese folklore it is believed that animals on the path to enlightenment can become human along the way to better achieve it. Some do it by simple meditation, other more unscrupulous ones may attempt it by devouring humans.

** Despite insistence from Magneto that they are "''Homo superior''", it's established that mutant powers are actually the result of a simple genetic carrier, "the mutant gene".
%%** All over the place in ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', usually invoked by Shaw.
* ''Film/{{Evolution}}'': The aliens started out evolving to fit the ecological niches they found themselves in, but were eventually shown as evolving along a fixed path, becoming dinosaur-like things and then primates for no reason. In addition, despite the rapid evolution that was the point of the film, there was no sense that the creatures were going through multiple generations particularly rapidly. (There was also a cartoon series based on the movie that made the same mistakes, only more so.) One interesting aversion, however, is that the final form achieved by the creatures when forced through rapid evolution was essentially a giant amoeba. It's explained that this is the most efficient form for its particular environment so it can be considered the best adapted even though it's one of the simplest.

* ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'': E.V.O. with better graphics.

** All over the place in ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', usually invoked by Shaw.

** ''Comicbook/XMen'': All mutants comics dub mutants "homo superior", the "next step" in human evolution. A long-established but seldom-mentioned trait of Marvel's mutants is that they're a little tougher than a normal human of the same frame. E.g., In her solo comic, Dazzler mentions that one of the advantages of being a mutant is that she doesn't get tired as quickly as normal people, and the old Marvel-based RolePlayingGame gave all mutants + 1 level in the Endurance stat.

* [[Franchise/TheDCU DCComics']] Captain Comet is supposed to be the next stage of human evolution ("born [[SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale a hundred thousand years]] before his time!") In the ComicBook/{{New 52}}, his "species" is called Neo Sapiens.

* Peachin from ''VideoGame/ReachinPichin'' can evolve into different forms depending on what he feeds on over time.