Dib Membrane

Dib Membrane is the deuteragonist of the Invader Zim series.

A 12-year-old (or thereabouts) self-styled "paranormal investigator", and one of only two people on Earth (the other being his sister Gaz) to realize Zim's extraterrestrial origin. Dib's goal is to expose paranormal phenomena to the rest of the world, but is regarded as a loon by pretty much everyone, and essentially treated like crap by the very people whose lives he's trying to save. Nonetheless, while he means well, he's fairly ruthless (at times bordering on sadistic) when it comes to dealing with Zim, making them not so different from each other.

In the XP4 fics, Dib made his debut at the XP4 Heroes of the Multiverse.

Appearance
Dib is 12 Earth years old (as confirmed during the opening narration of Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus) and resembles his father Professor Membrane. Both have black, scythe-like hair; in "Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom", Dib's got more jagged and bigger with age. Many people claim that Dib's head is big, a running gag in the show, but it's not visibly bigger. The redesign process God Save the Dib, however, actually gave him a bigger head.

His hair spike seems to be solid, and retains its shape even when getting wet. It took a water balloon of ridiculous proportions dropped from Earth's orbit and a second normal water balloon in order to get it to bend, as seen in "The Wettening".

Dib seems to be able to zip-line with his hair spike (using the spike as the runners), as seen in "Backseat Drivers From Beyond the Stars" and Issue 17. Likewise, it seems solid enough to punch through a brick wall like any part of his body if Dib is flung hard enough, as seen in "Mortos der Soulstealer".

He wears a pair of round glasses and a trademark black trench coat along with a blue shirt with an unsmiling grey face on it, pulled directly from Squee!, in which the main character, Todd, also known as Squee, wears exactly the same shirt. In some of the comics, the grey face on his shirt is replaced by a ghost. His comic appearance was carried into Enter the Florpus.

Personality
Dib is separated from the rest of his peers by his exceptional intelligence and determination. Also, Dib continues to seek out the paranormal despite the considerable ridicule he receives from both peers and family.

He considers himself to be the sole defender of Earth against Zim's plans of conquest, and rightly so; he's in fact the only one who knows (or cares) that Zim is an Irken Invader bent on world destruction.

When Zim first landed on Earth, Dib was initially shown to be more antagonistic, obsessed, and desperate, making it his sole goal in life to expose Zim as an alien by any means necessary.

However, he eventually realized that any efforts to reveal Zim would be wasted on his oblivious and mean spirited peers, and Dib eventually lost his obsessive, desperate edge, becoming a more humorous, depressive and more sympathetic character overall. His hatred of Zim eventually becomes real as the Irken takes every opportunity to make his existence even more miserable than it already it is even when unprovoked, making Dib's efforts to beat Zim all the more personal.

Abilities
Dib shares his father's scientific and technological prowess, with skills that far exceed the average human being. He has been known to created advanced technology entirely from scratch (for example, an advanced water balloon-launching apparatus). These skills aren't limited to just Earth-based technology, either. Dib has on multiple occasions proven a keen understanding of Irken technology as well, whether it be hacking into Zim's base, reverse-engineering a rogue Invader's crashed vessel, or remotely flying the Irken flagship itself.

Trivia

 * Dib is the first human to make an appearance on the series' premiere "The Nightmare Begins". This is fitting considering he serves as Zim's main rival on Earth.
 * Dib is among the most antisocial character in the show; he has no friends due to most of the other Skoolchildren ridiculing and bullying him most of the time. The only person who is more antisocial is his own sister, who seems to actively despise humanity because they seem to interfere with her life all the time.
 * Dib might have OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). This is suggested by one of lines in "Gaz, Taster of Pork": "How did I miss that?! Me, the obsessive-compulsive Dib!!".
 * The episode "Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom" seems to suggest that, like his sister Gaz, Dib may have been granted phenomenal powers and abilities far beyond those of normal humans. These abilities may have been given to him by the Meekrob in Dib's dreamlike illusion.
 * At some point in his life, he tried to raise the dead, as referenced by Professor Membrane twice in "Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars". It's inferred that he succeeded, as Membrane shouts "There better not be any walking dead up there!"
 * Despite his determination, he loses far more battles against Zim than he wins. Even when he wins, his plans don't work out the way he plans them. Before the seventh or so script, his profile on Nick.com said he was never able to win.
 * As seen in "Lice", Dib seemed to have come across a kindred spirit in Countess von Verminstrasser since she was mocked for believing in the Lice Queen just like Dib is when it comes to Zim being an Irken Invader and other paranormal things.
 * Dib and Captain Lard Nar are the only known people who have been seen fighting the Irkens and are quite possibly the Empire's smartest enemies.
 * A misconception of the end of "Future Dib" is that he aged, but he'd been there for a month and the beard was most likely a momentary gag.
 * The animators took a liking to his unique hairstyle, and in "Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom", they wanted it to grow into a longer, more jagged, lightning-bolt shape.
 * Dib, like Zim, doesn't know that Zim's mission to Earth was actually meant to be something to keep Zim out of the way while the actual Operation Impending Doom II is in effect. If Dib knew this, he might possibly see Zim differently, but that's just speculation.
 * Ironically, Zim is the closest thing Dib has to a friend.
 * Dib and Gaz are the only humans that know of the existence of the Irken Empire.
 * Although perceived as insane, he's in many ways the most sane and human character in the series to some viewers.


 * Dib can be just as dangerous as Zim since in "The Most Horrible X-Mas Ever" he was seen accidentally causing a blackout on the City which resulted in some accidents and its apparently a regular thing, this is something Zim has been known to do quite frequently on entire planets, also, Dib very nearly killed the Tallest when he was driving the Massive in "Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars", which was something Zim succeeded in doing as revealed in "The Trial."
 * His Swollen Eyeball codename may derive from the legend of Mothman, who would appear right before a disaster as a warning.
 * Whenever he talks to Tak's ship and Zim's Dib Robot (both share Dib's personality), he starts to notice why people see him as obnoxious.
 * Dib is Jhonen Vasquez's favorite character in the show.
 * Vasquez has said in an interview that Dib has as much contempt for his fellow human beings as the person he's trying to stop. Because of his intelligence, he's kind of looked down on by most of the other kids and is viewed as a freak; Dib is as much an alien to his own people as Zim is.
 * Jhonen has also said that Dib has gotten to the point where he's not really a bad person, he's just frustrated. He lacks the patience to explain anything to anyone anymore. He's so used to people not believing him that he goes right into screaming at them. He immediately assumes that they're going to be morons and aren't going to believe him -- and normally they don't.
 * In the commentary for "Bad, Bad Rubber Piggy", Jhonen Vasquez jokingly stated that the original idea for the episode was for Zim to kill Dib permanently, and for Dib to be replaced with a new kid named Louie. However, Nickelodeon wouldn't permit it.
 * He is one of the two characters to have technically died on the show, the second being Invader Skoodge.
 * Dib wears a shirt that looks exactly like one that Squee wore in certain comics.
 * Dib had a yellow shirt in the pilot.
 * On Verizon cable, in the summary for "Mysterious Mysteries", Dib's name is misspelled as "Dub" rather than "Dib".
 * Dib is the first human to have set foot on other planets as in "Battle of the Planets" he visited Mercury while in Issue 24 he went to Cyberflox trying to track down Zim and in Issue 42 and Issue 43 he is stranded on Plim.
 * Dib was first seen in a commercial for Invader Zim before it premiered; the commercial started off seemingly as a typical Nickelodeon bumper, until it was interrupted by Dib, who stated "Zim is coming!"
 * On Nickelodeon an Invader Zim special aired before the premiere, and at one part they "call" Dib. [2]
 * Dib is not playable in Nicktoons MLB, but he has a collectible card. The card mentions that he knows that there is 'alien activity' going on in the major leagues and that he is undergoing psychological screening. However, the card does not acknowledge Dib knowing or caring that his sister is partnering with his mortal enemy.
 * Dib's Japanese voice actress (Ayumi Kida) also voiced Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory, and the two characters show some similarities
 * Jhonen Vasquez may have been aware of this and made a reference in Enter the Florpus, as Dib was seen wearing a lab coat and purple gloves which was Dexter's iconic look.
 * Alternatively, the lab coat and gloves were made to resemble Professor Membrane's look.
 * In the Latin American version of the show Dib has a tendency to scream out planets when surprised, for example "Por Saturno" which would translate to "By Saturn!", this became both a running gag and a sort of catchphrase for him.
 * In the French version of the show, for an unknown reason Dib is named Fred.
 * Ironically, while on his mission to save the Earth and expose Zim, Dib has committed a few crimes such as breaking and entering, spying and in one occasion nearly killing Zim.
 * As seen in "A Room with a Moose", Dib is capable of being a bully, as he was seen bullying Zim like all the other skoolchildren, which is ironic, as he is usually the main target of his peers. This is later referenced in "Mysterious Mysteries", as Zim in his version of events makes Dib look like a bully who is after his lunch monies.
 * According to Eric Trueheart in the "Interview of the Writers" in the DVD, if the show had continued, Dib would go on a quest to find out why his life is so horrible and would have discovered that he was a clone or creation of Professor Membrane's rather than a naturally-produced biological son.
 * It's never stated in the show how or why Dib is capable of seeing through Zim's terrible disguises. It is also clear that its not his intelligence alone, since neither Professor Membrane or Ms. Bitters realize that Zim is alien despite being smart in their own rights.
 * According to polls on the Internet, Dib is the most liked character in the show (other than GIR of course) while within the universe of the show he is perhaps the most hated.
 * Dib's glasses, like many cartoon characters', seem to contort to his facial expression on many an occasion. However, not only do his glasses reflect his expression, but they sometimes disappear when Dib closes his eyes. Also, his glasses don't have earpieces. As a result, the only way to tell when he's wearing glasses or not is if you look for the nose piece, signified as a straight line connecting his eyes.
 * It can be interpreted that some of the "big head" insults towards Dib might not be literal; since nobody believes Dib's claims of paranormal activity, they may viewing him as arrogant/self-centered, or "big headed".
 * It should be noted that he joined the Evil Syndicate in the video game Nicktoons: Globs Of Doom, and Zim joined the good guys, so it's possible he did this just to stay away from whatever side Zim was on. But, it should also be noted that the video game is most likely non-canon to the series.
 * It has been implied that Dib is quite self-loathing, possibly to the point of suicide; in "Dibship Rising", Dib reprograms Tak's ship to have his memories and reflect his personality, and it immediately crashes itself.
 * Dib also seems to have hair on the back of his head (instead of just on top) in the comics. Jhonen has said this is due to his desire to make Dib seem more his age.
 * The issue of Dib's eyes changing color in Issue #1 was a layering effect error.
 * Dib has a new hairstyle in the comics. The sides of his head are no longer shaved. This was done to make him more like a 12 year old boy. [3]
 * In the intro of Enter the Florpus, Dib calls Zim "Invader Zim"; this makes him the only character other than the Tallest and the Control Brains to refer to him by that rank.
 * Jhonen Vasquez has confirmed that Dib, his sister Gaz, and their father are all Mexicans, however this was not mentioned in the show because it didn't serve the story.[4]
 * On the Jhonen Vasquez variant cover of Issue 2, Dib is shown wearing an outfit different than his normal blue shirt with a face on it. This time he wears and orange ghost shirt with matching orange boots.
 * Dib has only cried twice during the duration in the series, first in "The Frycook What Came from All That Space" and then in Enter the Florpus.
 * In Issue 8, it's revealed that crying makes Dib uncomfortable.
 * In Issue 11, it's revealed that Dib is allergic to animal dander.
 * In Issue 13, when Dib is being transformed into Humungodib by the humungoserum, the face on his shirt changes as well, becoming an angry face.
 * Issue 18 shows that Dib is a fan of burritos, as he's shown arriving at the Burrito King for some of the free burritos being given away (unaware that Zim is the one giving them away).
 * In Issue 19, it's suggested that Dib has been repeatedly going to the police to try and expose Zim, and apparently thinks that they're voluntarily working with him. However, it's clear that the police barely know Zim exists, and don't care about him.
 * Oddly, in Issue 26, Dib is never once shown wearing his glasses.
 * His name may be a reference to Muad'Dib, an alias used by the main character, Paul Atreides, in Frank Herbert's Dune.
 * According to Jhonen Vasquez on his blog, Dib has a clubfoot.[5]
 * Interestingly, despite being a child, Dib is the only one (aside from his sister Gaz) who is capable of stopping Zim's plans and lives to tell the tale, while the Tallest, Sizz-Lorr, or Tak end up nearly getting killed any other time they encounter Zim.
 * At times, Dib's mission to save the Earth and his distrust of Zim has been seen as a disadvantage. For example, in "Planet Jackers", despite Zim seeking help to confirm whether or not the planet was in danger, Dib was too paranoid to fall for any of Zim's "schemes" and sent the Irken away, while in "Future Dib" Zim counted on Dib trying to stop him on the destruction of a "Perpetual Energy Generator" that he tricked him using a Dib Robot-Spy to trap him and get the boy out of his way.
 * Jhonen Vasquez later stated that Dib is his own worst enemy as his desire for people to admire him and realize he was right about aliens backfired on him as he unwittingly gave Zim the keys for a new plan of world domination as seen in Enter the Florpus.
 * Dib is the only one of the four main characters who hasn't conquered the Earth.
 * In Issues 8, 29, and 30, Dib narrates by means of a "paranormal investigator's log", but is never actually shown to be recording into anything. This suggests that he's simply taking mental notes.
 * Unsurprisingly, Dib has come in contact with magic more times than anyone else in the series as mentioned in "Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars" and seen in "Mortos der Soulstealer", "Gaz, Taster of Pork", as well as Issue 29 and 30.
 * Vasquez has stated that the four main characters aren't evil and that Zim and Dib are both "good guys" but on "different sides".
 * Some people have noted similarities between Dib and Dipper Pines, the protagonist of the animated series Gravity Falls, in that both are investigators in the paranormal who aren't believed by anyone around them.
 * In Issue 40, it was revealed that across the multiverse, in universes where both Zim and Dib exist, they always end up meeting and are destined to be enemies.
 * Oddly, Issue 41 depicts Dib's skeleton as having a scythe as part of his skull, indicating that it's a growth rather than just an unusual hair style. This directly contradicts when Issue 31 had him shaved bald and showed a perfectly normal shaped head, suggesting that the skull having a scythe in this issue was just a gag.
 * Ironically, the unmade finale "Invader Dib" and Issue 43 show Dib being more effective at invading than Zim (albeit accidentally in the latter case).
 * In the same issue, Dib became the first non-Irken to (accidentally) conquer an alien planet for the Irken Empire, and to the combined frustration of both Zim and Dib, he will also be remembered as "one of the greatest Invaders of all times."
 * Issue 44 reveals that Dib is awful at skiing, unlike his father and sister, who are both very good at it.