Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom

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Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom is an episode of the Nickelodeon cartoon series Invader Zim. Originally produced as episode 19A, "Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom" aired as episode 19B on May 24, 2002.

[edit] Plot

Dib is frustrated at his failure to stop Zim's plans for world domination, and takes to playing minor pranks on the Invader, such as throwing a muffin at him (for which Zim swears revenge). One night while he's in bed, two mysterious shapes appear in Dib's room which then transform into a pair of shoes. The shoes explain that they are aliens made of pure energy, taking the form of shoes because Dib's mind couldn't comprehend them. Dib points out that he saw their real shapes and didn't have a problem comprehending them, but the aliens insist he couldn't, silencing him with a slap of a shoelace (described on the DVD commentary as a lace-to-the-face). The alien shoes explain that they are enemies of the Irken Empire, and that as part of a plan to weaken the Irkens they're giving Dib various powers that will enable him to fight Zim. They then put Dib back to sleep (how is not made clear) and fly away.

Dib awakens and finds himself with telekinesis, incredible agility and strength, and being able to do many other amazing things. He then goes to Zim's house and uses his powers to evade the security gnomes. He confronts Zim and talks to him for hours. The talk is so convincing that Zim promptly grabs a suitcase, tells GIR to self-destruct ("Finally!" the robot says before he explodes) and surrenders. Dib is then finally hailed as a hero and goes on to solve more paranormal mysteries, such as ghosts, the Loch Ness monster, etc.

After twenty years, Dib learns from the captured Zim that the Irken Armada is planning to invade Earth. He devises a plan which involves targeting the Irken ships' weak point—the section containing the snacks. He leads the attack in a tremendous space battle against the Invaders—led by the Almighty Tallest themselves. He then heroically vanquishes the Armada and The Massive itself, freeing Earth from the Irkens' tyrannical plans.

Years later, when Dib is an old man, he is on a talk show telling the epic story of his life. Amidst the questioning, the host asks, out of the blue, if he ever threw a muffin at Zim. Dib, a bit confused, admits he did throw a muffin once. Instantly, the scene disappears and we find the young Dib in a giant lab in Zim's complex. All the events of his life had apparently been an illusion orchestrated by Zim to confirm that Dib threw the muffin at him. As Dib departs dejectedly, a giant cannon appears and points menacingly at Dib. It then fires a muffin at him.

[edit] Trivia

• The original title for this episode was 'The Happy Smily Dib Show.' ^{[citation needed]}

• This is the first and only appearance of the Meekrob.

• The scene of food being absorbed into a boy's eye is a reference to the black oil from The X-Files, as confirmed in the DVD commentary for the episode.

• This is the first appearance of President-Man, who later appears in "The Girl Who Cried Gnome" and "The Most Horrible X-mas Ever."

• The food, 'Meekrob,' also appeared in Jhonen Vasquez's comic book Fillerbunny. [1]

• There is a nod to the last shot of Brazil just after the audience turns into laughing Irkens. [2]

• When Dib is showing the crowd of people the ghosts behind the curtain, look carefully when he jumps up to pull the curtain. He appears to be wearing the same boots as Tak ("Tak: The Hideous New Girl") and Johnny the Homicidal Maniac.

• An adult Gaz was supposed to make an appearance before Dib introduces the Dib Institute of Paranormal Studies/School of Paranormal Tolerance/Museum/Snack Bar, but was taken out for time. However a quick shot of her is scene standing next to Dib right before the jets fly overhead. [3]

• This is the fifth and second-to-last episode with the word "doom" in the title.

• The fact that the Irken Armada is invading Earth is a hint that the entire situation is fake, as the Tallest do not consider Zim's mission official. However, they may have run out of planets to conquer and decided they as might as well come to Earth.