It has been long forgotten that the Men in Black franchise started with a solid first movie. At its time, it was an inventive sci-fi buddy cop movie, loosely based on a Marvel Comics imprint, and starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in the lead roles. It was cool, slick and tremendous that fans of the movie would cast aside any plot holes that may detract from the movie’s greatness.
To help neurlayze those doubts, here is a breakdown of several plotholes and errors from the movie and some theories from the original movie that would help their case.
Makes No Sense: The Observation Towers Disguised as Flying Saucers
The climax of the film consists of the main antagonist, the Bug under Vincent D’Onofrio’s skin, kidnapping Laurel and forcing her to take him to Flushing Meadows, where the New York State Pavilion is located since the observation decks there are actually flying saucers that were previously used by extraterrestrials to land on Earth, using the 1964 World’s Fair as setup.
That may be a neat idea for Men in Black to formulate clever origin stories of landmarks having extraterrestrial backgrounds. But it makes one wonder how some personnel never assumed of this as suspicious, unless they are from MIB.
Fan Theory: Men in Black Could Be Part of the MCU
As previously mentioned, Men in Black is based on a comic book series under the Marvel Comics imprints (much like Kick-Ass and Kingsman). So, it would be natural for fans to wonder if MIB could be taking place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This theory was featured in a Vanity Fair video wherein Men in Black: International stars Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Kumail Nanjiani reacted to MIB theories, considering three of them are in the MCU.
But in the context of the original film, that could be plausible, considering both universes feature alien shape-shifters, non-government supervision and high-tech organizations.
Makes No Sense: Unclear Why The Cops Chase the Alien
On James Darrell Edwards III’s first appearance, he was seen chasing a criminal, along with other cops, from the Grand Central Terminal to the Guggenheim Museum. James got him cornered, but the criminal jumped over the ledge to his apparent demise.
While that chase got the attention of the MIB, it is not indicated who was the “suspect and what crime he committed that made James chase him for several blocks and caught the MIB’s attention. That could be broadened briefly other than a vague throwaway line.
Regardless, this got the soon-to-be-Agent-J in the MIB game, even with missing information.
Fan Theory: Can Neuralyzers Be Useless to Those With Eye Deficiencies?
One of the famous motifs is the use of neuralyzers. They have become effective weapons to wipe memories of regular citizens to erase any trace of information regarding extraterrestrial presence and the MIB themselves. They were also used when MIB agents want to retire.
The way it works is that the gadget is pointed to the eyes, marked with a specific time on which memory to retain. With the focus on the eyes, a legitimate question would be if a neuralyzers effect would be null if the target has an eye problem. Here is the simple theory to suggest that.
Makes No Sense: The Use of a Cleaner-Like Neuralyzing Team in Broad Daylight
Speaking of neuralyzers, whenever there is a massive-scale attack around New York or anywhere in the globe, a backup MIB team would be sent for damage control and neuralyzing duties. They are the equivalent to a cleaner team for assassins.
This idea is applied when J fire his Noisy Cricket to stop the Bug from escaping. K sends a cleanup team to assess the damage. But with damage like that on a New York block could garner notice from law enforcement. So, taking the role of the cops could raise red flags for the government. Try cleaning that up, MIB.
Back to the nature of neuralyzers, there have been explanations to try to explain how they work and how they were able to wipe memories from people. And upon exploration of the idea, a plausible theory could be that the memories work like hard drives, in terms of storing memories and enabling them to be deleted.
That is a possible mechanics for the neuralyzer since Men in Black 2 introduced the De-Neurlyzer, which can retrieve memories long deleted. If such neuralyzers work that way, it is possible that though K had been neuralyzed, his memories are archived for special cases.
Makes No Sense: Not Much Protection Given to the Arquillian Alien
MIB had been known to welcome alien refugees to Earth. Under this pretense, it should be given that they would also implement high protection towards the extraterrestrial visitors from other extraterrestrial threats and other humans. This is so to avoid disputes like the one that happened when an alien of Arquillian royalty, disguised as a wealthy jeweler, was murdered.
While the aliens in human disguises are allowed to roam around New York, the MIB should have extended their protection and oversee the stakes if not executed well. Otherwise, the whole world might have unintentionally descended to war. Galaxy defenders, guys!
Fan Theory: The Actual Litmus Test is the Table
Evaluating J’s recruitment process, it is interesting to witness how he got qualified to enter the Men in Black organization. Two tests are shown for his recruitment, with the shooting range providing an opportunity for J to shine (and riff all the way out).
While the shooting range is a crucial factor of becoming a field MIB agent, the most crucial test could be the paper exam, as this theory explains. Potential agents are designated to egg-shaped seat and made to answer a written exam with no surface. Yet, J thought out of the box and moved the table closer.
Makes No Sense: No Clear Results Were Given On the Shooting Test
But back on the shooting test, as mentioned, J got to explain to Zed why he shot Little Tiffany out of all the creatures in the shooting range. Though he got his point out, Zed remained silent and retained his despondent expression as he walks back to Agent K for assessment.
From their decision, it is implied that J might have succeeded, along with the rest. But there is no specific implication that J passed the shooting test. And that leads to many gaps of how MIB qualifies its recruits. Otherwise, J just got on board for simply chasing an alien.
Fan Theory: The Men in Black is A Huge Con
Men in Black is already inspired by a conspiracy theory of secret operatives in black shades, suits and ties, who are behind some extraterrestrial cases. Thus, it is reasonable to be suspicious about MIB's true intentions, other than open the gates of Earth to the hapless aliens wanting to migrate.
The theory of the organization being a mere con job could be plausible, linking the advancement of our technology to the alien warfare. MIB could possibly be sneakily taking advantage of this, explaining the government loopholes, the black market access, the philosophy of man's capability of otherworldly knowledge and the existence of the neuralyzer.