History Main / InvisibleMainCharacter

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[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/DetectiveComics https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lf_1.png]]]]

A work in which the main character is rendered [[PlayedForDrama tragically]][=/=][[PlayedForLaughs comically]] invisible, and [[HilarityEnsues wackiness commences to ensue]]. This can be done to give the lead actor a small break so they can skip principal photography. It also allows an opportunity to give that character unexpected insights into his or her own character via the overheard statements of others, or to do things they wouldn't normally do.

In one variation, characters are placed "out of phase" so they're imperceptible to anyone on the show, but still visible to the audience. They can [[IntangibleMan walk through walls]], but they [[RequiredSecondaryPowers don't fall through the floor]]. They can't eat, but can still breathe oxygen. Often, if the character is "out of phase," there is one other character (usually a guest star) who [[OnlySaneMan can see and/or hear them]], but this character has a reputation for "seeing things" that aren't there or has been in a mental institution for years. This variation can be realized as an out-of-body or near-death experience.

* ''Manga/SketDance'''s protagonist Bossun tests his MadScientist teacher's invisibility potion and it works... at first. After successfully pranking Himeko by wearing a scary mask, the potion starts to wear off and his body (which is naked, naturally) starts to appear again, starting from the top. He and Himeko desperately try to find ways to cover him up (so that they won't scare other people with a half-visible naked guy running around) while racing back to the school to get his clothes. Hilarious use of HandOrObjectUnderwear ensues, which includes a deer mask for Bossun's head and an ''anime poster'' to cover his "out-zone".

* Issue #20 of ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' involved Sonic being turned invisible by Robotnik's Anti-Matter Machine. As it rendered him briefly intangible too, he was assumed dead until the effects wore off.

* A series of ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' strips in which Snoopy does his "[[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Cheshire Beagle]] trick" and sticks that way.

* Patrick Swayze's character in ''Film/Ghost1990'', due to his deceased status.
* Chevy Chase's character in ''Film/MemoirsOfAnInvisibleMan''.
* Kevin Bacon's character in ''Film/HollowMan'', requiring infrared goggles to be seen.

* In the book ''Literature/ThingsNotSeen'', the main character wakes up one day to find himself invisible.
* ''Memoirs of an Invisible Man'' is about a man who became invisible as the result of an accident and proceeds to write about his adventures.

* For most of ''Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder'', Jason David Frank (playing Dr. Tommy Oliver) was not available for filming, necessitating that he be rendered audio-only for much of the show's run, first by encasing his character in a block of amber, then by rendering him unable to remove his Ranger Suit, and finally by turning him completely invisible as his natural dino-power was stuck on.

* ''Series/GilligansIsland'' had an episode where Gilligan was rendered invisible.

* The "out of phase" scenario was done in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E24TheNextPhase The Next Phase]]" focusing on Geordi and Ro Laren when they were exposed to the energies of a new type of Romulan cloaking device.
* In the ''Series/{{Sliders}}'' episode "Gillian of the Spirits", the wormhole is struck by lightning, turning Quinn "out of phase".
* Done in an episode of ''Series/RoundTheTwist'', titled "Linda Godiva". The title is in reference to the way the InvisibleStreaker heroine helps another character win a horse race--after all, Linda is invisible, but her clothing isn't. In the end, the rider accidentally turns her visible again, just in time for her to ride off (nude, hence the episode's title) into the sunset as the credits start.
* In a 1992 episode of ''Series/SesameStreet'', repeated in 1994, Oscar the Grouch spritzes María, then himself, with invisibility spray called Disappear-O. Oscar's pet elephant, Fluffy, provides the antidote.
** In a two-part story in 2004, a magic ukulele makes Snuffy invisible, but he drops the ukulele while invisible and it breaks. He doesn't become visible again until the ukulele is repaired and brought back to Sesame Street.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E4FearItself Fear Itself]]", Xander experiences the visible-to-the-audience variation due to a demon exploiting his fear of being ignored.
** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E11Gone Gone]]", Buffy wreaks havoc and has invisible sex with Spike when hit by an invisibility ray, but soon has to be returned to normal as the ray's side-effect would have caused her molecular structure to break down.
* "Gillian of the Spirits" is an example where the out-of-phase character is perceived by another character.
* One episode of ''Series/SevenDays1998'' has Parker unable to be seen ''or'' heard, [[ByTheEyesOfTheBlind except by one]] BlindBlackGuy.
* ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse'' had this as the result of a magic trick ("Now You See Me, Now You Don't!"). PlayedWith in that invisibility was the intended result, but the means to reverse it were sold separately...

* Parodied in an episode of ''Series/GetSmart''. Max investigates KAOS claims that they have a ray gun that can turn people invisible (which is actually a hoax). In the final confrontation, [[IdiotHero Max believes]] he has become this trope and that only he can see himself, and the KAOS agents have to pretend this is true while also not letting him escape.
* The "out of phase" version is also played straight in ''Series/{{Silversun}}'', with [[spoiler: Cinnamon and Mara affected by a gravitational anomaly]] causing them to slip JustOneSecondOutOfSync.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'', Gentleman Ghost buries Batman alive. Batman then proceeds to use a trick taught to him by monks, rendering him a ghost that can go back into its still living body. HilarityEnsues.
* In the ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' special ''It's Magic, Charlie Brown'', Snoopy turns Charlie Brown invisible during his magic act. At first Charlie laments becoming a "lost soul", but then he discovers that he can kick the football off Lucy's hand before she pulls it away, which he [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome takes advantage of.]] Naturally, he becomes visible again just as he is attempting the kick a second time.

* In the WesternAnimation/BugsBunny cartoon ''Water, Water Every Hare'', Bugs douses himself in vanishing fluid to attempt escape from a MadScientist. It backfires when said scientist subsequently uses "Hare Restorer" to render him visible again.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'': Jimmy did this, in a way, by creating shoes that make him run so fast that nobody can see him. He abuses this ability to play mean tricks on all his friends.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': Timmy once wishes to make himself invisible to keep from being beat up by the school bully. He uses this opportunity to scare the entire student body until he has to wish himself visible again to get his award for perfect attendance.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'': Spongebob and Patrick accidentally paint themselves invisible (ItMakesSenseInContext) and then try to scare everybody in Bikini Bottom by [[ScoobyDooHoax pretending to be ghosts]].
* An odd variation happens in two episodes of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', In one Cartman believes he is invisible/dead because everybody is intentionally ignoring him, and another has him use a fake superpower of invisibility. In both episodes, everyone but him knows that he is not invisible.
* Wile E. Coyote has ''painted'' himself invisible once. [[spoiler:The paint came off when he fell into a body of water, however.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/ArchiesWeirdMysteries'': "[[Recap/ArchiesWeirdMysteriesInvisibleArchie Invisible Archie]]" involved Archie and Reggie having become invisible due to a side effect from one of Dilton's potions. Archie spent the time trying to get back to normal before the effects became lethal while Reggie, unaware of the possible danger, went into InvisibleJerkass mode.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheDickTracyShow'': In "Lab Grab," Joe Jitsu concocts and drinks an invisibility formula before the Brow and Oodles get their hands on it. Now invisible, he subsitutes the book from where the formula came from with a book of chemical failures and plants it on the villains, causing them to create GargleBlaster formulas. Joe then concocts a quasi-formula of the real thing which renders the Brow and Oodles halfway invisible--Oodles' top and the Brow's bottom are all that shows, prompting Joe to wax that it will save the city money in that only one prison suit will be needed between them.
* In the WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck cartoon "WesternAnimation/TheVanishingPrivate", camouflage painter Donald is knocked into a barrel of experimental invisible paint by Sergeant Pete; he spends most of the rest of the cartoon playing pranks on Pete and causing the General to think the sergeant is going insane from sunstroke.

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', the First Doctor turns invisible for the serial ''The Celestial Toymaker''. This was actually supposed to set up for an instance of TheNthDoctor by having him become visible again as a different actor, but William Hartnell ended up coming back. The actor change would have to wait until a bit later, at which point it became part of his natural heritage.
** An earlier First Doctor serial, "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E7TheSpaceMuseum The Space Museum]]", had the TARDIS "jump a time track" and render the Doctor and his companions invisible and inaudible to anyone around them due to being JustOneSecondOutOfSync until it wore off.

** Spoofed in the episode "200", when SG-1 discuss an unseen incident when Jack O'Neill became invisible, leading to a HurricaneOfPuns and ultimately proves useless as he can no longer signal to his team ("Making hand signals here, people!"), leading to confusion all around. What makes the spoof even more delightful is that it was originally scripted in case Richard Dean Anderson wasn't available for filming... but he finally was, up to the point ''he acted as his own stand-up in a green suit'' for a scene involving special effects. The characters [[LampshadeHanging hung a big lampshade]] on this whole trope in the dialogue.
** Subverted and parodied in "The Road Not Taken", where the team assume that Carter is out of phase and spend two weeks keeping her company and talking to her, when [[spoiler: she had in fact been transported to an alternate timeline]].
** Played straight but still toyed with in "Arthur's Mantle": Carter and Mitchell really are invisible due to being "out of phase" but it takes a while for everyone else to figure that out, first deciding on miniaturization as a likely source of their disappearance.
** Daniel goes out of phase in "Crystal Skull"; the only person who can see him is his grandfather, who's spent the last few decades in an insane asylum after undergoing a similar experience.
*** Daniel is not only invisible and intangible. He also doesn't experience hunger, thirst, or the need to relieve himself. When he realizes this, he assumes it's because he's dead. Of course, this is never brought up again.
* The "out of phase" scenario was done in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "The Next Phase" focusing on Geordi and Ro Laren when they were exposed to the energies of a new type of Romulan cloaking device.
* In the ''Series/{{Sliders}}'' episode ''Gillian of the Spirits'' the wormhole was struck by lightning, turning Quinn "out of phase".

* In the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode "Gone", Buffy wreaked havoc and had invisible sex with Spike when hit by an invisibility ray, but soon had to be returned to normal as the ray's side-effect would have caused her molecular structure to break down. In "Fear Itself", Xander experienced the visible-to-the-audience variation due to a demon exploiting his fear of being ignored.

* An episode of ''Series/SevenDays'' had Parker unable to be seen ''or'' heard, [[ByTheEyesOfTheBlind except by one]] BlindBlackGuy.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' did this in the episode "In My Time of Dying." Due to a coma, Dean's spirit was walking around the hospital where his body was parked, invisible to everyone on the show but visible to the audience. He even referenced the Patrick Swayze example above.

* Patrick Swayze's character in ''Film/{{Ghost}}'', due to his deceased status.

[[folder:Films]]

->''"I've dealt with people like this before: no personal ties, no strong beliefs, no particular interests. In fact, when you think about it this guy has the perfect profile. He was invisible before he was invisible."''

-->-- '''David Jenkins''', ''Memoirs of an Invisible Man''

* Chevy Chase's character in ''Film/MemoirsOfAnInvisbleMan''.

* In the book ''Things Not Seen'', the main character wakes up one day to find himself invisible.

An episode in which the main character is rendered [[PlayedForDrama tragically]] / [[PlayedForLaughs comically]] invisible and [[HilarityEnsues wackiness commences to ensue]]. This can be done to give the lead actor a small break so they can skip principal photography. It also allows an opportunity to give that character unexpected insights into his or her own character via the overheard statements of others, or to do things they wouldn't normally do.

[[folder:Film ]]

[[folder:Literature ]]

[[folder:Live Action TV ]]

[[folder:Western Animation ]]

* The "out of phase" version is also played straight in ''Series/Silversun'', with [[spoiler: Cinnamon and Mara affected by a gravitational anomaly]] causing them to slip JustOneSecondOutOfSync.

* ''Series/{{Sliders}}'' had an episode where the wormhole was struck by lightning, turning Quinn "out of phase".

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/ArchiesWeirdMysteries'' involved Archie and Reggie having become invisible due to a side effect from one of Dilton's potions. Archie spent the time trying to get back to normal before the effects became lethal while Reggie, unaware of the possible danger, went into InvisibleJerkass mode.