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''I'm the invisible man''
''Incredible how you can''
''See right through me"''
|'''[[Queen]]''', "Invisible Man"}}
One of the more frequently reused [[Speculative Fiction|science fiction]] ideas in TV, after putting people in spaceships, is turning people invisible. In addition to the frequent appearance of
Invisibility is often coupled with themes of isolation and alienation, as the invisible character's ability marks him an outcast. The [[The Invisible Man (novel)|original Invisible Man]] became a [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity|sociopath]] because of his condition. In many of these series, the character is [[Power Incontinence|permanently]] invisible, which strains normal personal ties.
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* In the 1975 series, McCallum's character was rendered visible via a [[Latex Perfection]] mask that was created by literally painting latex onto his skin.
* The ''[[Gemini Man]]'' had a small, fragile device which held his invisibility—and the certain death it brought with overuse—at bay.
* Alexa Hamilton in 1983's ''Invisible Woman'' used flesh-colored [[Body Paint]], a brunet wig and contact lenses.
* The hero of the Sci-Fi Channel series wasn't permanently invisible, but the artificial gland implanted in his brain that allowed him to become invisible also caused him to go insane if he wasn't regularly injected with a special "counteragent". This was due to the gland being sabotaged during its creation by a traitorous scientist planning to sell it and make the buyers dependent on him to provide the counter agent. Ironically, said scientist {{spoiler|ended up becoming permanently invisible later on (though he got better)}}.
* The invisible man of the film of ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]'' uses [[Coat, Hat, Mask|a full-length coat, gloves, sunglasses, a hat and white makeup applied to his face]] (which, by happy coincidence, allows the actor to use his real face in close-ups).
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{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* Teana of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'' has the ability to turn herself or one of her teammates invisible as an extension of her Illusion abilities. Garyuu and a type of [[Mecha-Mooks|Gadget Drone]] also have the ability to cloak themselves.
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* Speedsters such as [[The Flash]] in the [[DC Universe]] are able to vibrate their bodies so fast that they can't be seen. This solves the clothes problem because their costumes vibrate too. Of course, they can run [[Depending on the Writer|beyond/near]] the speed of light, so they can just be invisible by running.
== [[Fan
* In ''[[Aeon Natum Engel]]'', the use of cloaking devices (normally limited to Mechas and Mages, and thus is revolutionary for being compact sized and not magic dependent) by the Replica Assassins is one of the reasons for the fall of Iceland.
* Paul in ''[[With Strings Attached]]'' can boost his minor cosmetic illusion into full-blown invisibility. He cannot use this on anything except his own body. He can turn it on or off at will. And he's an [[Invisible Streaker]].
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* The young adult novel ''Things Not Seen''.
* In [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Discworld]]'', extraordinarily ''real'' characters such as [[The Grim Reaper|Death]] have a sort of invisibility: They're just ''so'' visible that people's minds can't take it and end up not recognizing they're even there.
** There's also Mr. Shine in ''[[
** Granny Weatherwax has the ability to become invisible by simply making people not notice she's there. Trainee witch Tiffany Aching manages to pick up on this trick, to the envy of her peers.
* [[Harry Potter]] has an [[Invisibility Cloak]] that he inherits from his father. The fifth book has Moody performing a Disillusionment Charm on Harry, a camouflage spell that makes him perfectly mimic his surroundings. And in the first book, Dumbledore mentions that there are different ways to become invisible (to imply that he was spying on Harry.)
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* ''[[Pumuckl]]'', the kobold protagonist of a German children's series is invisible, unless he gets caught by a human (which includes him getting stuck to a glue pot). The kobold laws state that Pumuckl has to stay with said human if this happens, which is how the series starts. Many stories are about Pumuckl being in danger of being seen by someone else but Eder, which would mean that he had to leave Eder.
* The psychic power known as "plateau eyes" in [[Larry Niven]]'s [[Known Space]] series makes people effectively invisible by forcing other people to ignore them.
* In the ''[[Mr. Men]]'' books, this is one of Mr. Impossible's talents, seeing as he can do impossible things.
== [[Live
* A 1958 [[ITV]] series in the United Kingdom.
* A 1975 David McCallum vehicle.
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* A 1984 [[Miniseries]].
* A 1998 series starring Kyle MacLachlan.
* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20140131183542/http://www.vanishingman.co.uk/ Vanishing Man]'', a more recent ITV series.
* ''[[The Invisible Man (TV series)|The Invisible Man]]'', a Sci-Fi Channel series running from 2000 to 2002.
** Note that this is one of the few shows that [[Hand Wave]] away the fact that invisibility causes blindness: It's said that though the "quicksilver" that makes Darien invisible bends all visible light around him, it lets in (and frequency-shifts) ultraviolet light which allows him to see.
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* [[Iconic Character|Tommy]] and [[Sixth Ranger|Trent]] both had this as their Dino-Gem induced ability in ''[[Power Rangers Dino Thunder]]''. Neither of them used it a whole lot, but it came in handy when the former's actor was unavailable for a few episodes - they just rendered him unable to become visible again (''after'' he escaped from being stuck in his costume).
* The ability of ''[[Nightman]]'''s [[The Cape (trope)|cape]] as long as it is properly charged.
* The alien Tosk from the ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' episode "Captive Pursuit", can do this.
== [[Radio]] ==
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* ''[[Shadowrun]]'' contains both the psychic mind-affecting and the light bending versions - a must for most mages in a game thats all about pulling heists.
* Both ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]'' and [[Vampire: The Requiem]] feature the Obfuscate Discipline, which is a form of mental invisibility or camouflage—it causes others to ignore your presence, or think that you're somebody else. Needless to say, it's a common feature of the [[Looks Like Orlok|Nosferatu]].
* Order of Mata Nui member Jerbraz in ''[[Bionicle]]'' became permanently invisible (along with his sword) after an experiment to gain extra powers went wrong. He seems to have adapted pretty well; he comments that while he was handsome and charming before he has to get by only on charm these days.▼
** Av-Matoran can change the color of their armor by altering the way light reflects from it. It's mentioned that they sometimes use this ability for camouflage.▼
== [[Video Games]] ==
* This is one of [[Sly Cooper]]'s powers.
* [http://www.microforuminternational.com/games_Adventure.html Microforum International's cell phone games]{{Dead link}} include ''The Invisible Man'', set in 1899 London, and ''The Invisible Lady'', set in modern Los Angeles.
* The Dark Templar of ''[[StarCraft]]'' severed their ties to their psionic brethren, as well as their ties to the visible world.
* ''[[Second Sight]]'' has multiple characters who use the mind-clouding variant, [[Visible Invisibility|represented as transparency]]. Security cameras ignore it, and it can't be activated if someone's already looking at the user ([[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard|unless that someone is you, anyways]].) It also malfunctions if the user gets too close to someone else, and odd things can happen if someone sees footprints forming without anything visible to form them.
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* Female Night Elves in ''[[Warcraft 3]]'' can Shadowmeld at night if they stand still. This ability was extended to males as well in [[World of Warcraft]].
* In ''[[Battlefield Heroes]]'', Commando soldiers can use their stealth ability to become invisible from far away, making them able to sneak up on enemies with a [[Knife Nut|knife]], or [[Sniper Rifle|snipe people]] from safe distances.
* ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' introduces the Tactical Cloak for Infiltrators, also extended to Kasumi, who has an attack based around it. Its very temporary and one particular enemy that doesn't rely on sight to get you can still...get you, but otherwise you can just run past your enemies. It seems to use a lot of energy as it can only be maintained at its longest for about 18 seconds.
* The Spy from ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'' has a wide variety of invisibility watches so he can get behind enemy lines. There's the default watch, where cloak drains when in use, but is regenerated when not-in-use or with resupplies. There's the Cloak And Dagger, which doesn't drain when you move, meaning you could be perpetually invisible. Finally, there's the Dead Ringer which if activated when injured will turn you invisible, drop a fake corpse, give a fake death notifcation and reduce your damage taken by 90%.
** Note the dangers, though; invisibility isn't instantaneous, and if you are hit, you'll briefly shimmer.
* Yooka the Chameleon from ''[[Yooka-Laylee]]'' can turn invisible for a set amount of time
== [[Web Comics]] ==
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* In one episode of ''[[Bratz]]'', The bratz find and use invisibility spray.
* Marceline from ''[[Adventure Time]]'' has this power for some reason.
▲== Other ==
▲* Order of Mata Nui member Jerbraz in ''[[Bionicle]]'' became permanently invisible (along with his sword) after an experiment to gain extra powers went wrong. He seems to have adapted pretty well; he comments that while he was handsome and charming before he has to get by only on charm these days.
▲** Av-Matoran can change the color of their armor by altering the way light reflects from it. It's mentioned that they sometimes use this ability for camouflage.
== [[Real Life]] ==
* The military, of course, is well-known for using the "bending light" method to make [[wikipedia:Stealth bomber|jets]] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20100308170325/http://www.history.com/videos/navy-launches-invisible-ship ships] invisible to radar, though not the naked eye. ''[[wikipedia:Philadelphia Experiment|Maybe]]''.
* Ghosts, if you believe they exist.
* In the near future, it will be possible to create a device that conceals you completely. Surprisingly, it would be quite similar to [[Harry Potter]]'s [[Invisibility Cloak]].
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]▼
[[Category:Futuristic Tech Index]]
[[Category:Stock Super Powers]]
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[[Category:Magic and Powers]]
[[Category:Older Than Feudalism]]
▲[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
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