From Marvin the Martian to Ben 10, aliens have been well-represented in alien cartoons. They have been depicted in many ways, from the comical to the downright scary. Alien fear and curiosity have led to interesting imaginings that delight, entertain and haunt our imaginations.

Bugs Bunny always outwitted Yosemite Sam, and thus Animation director Chuck Jones felt it necessary to create a foe that was opposite to Yosemite Sam in every way. He was soft-spoken and deliberate, with a propensity for destruction and the ability to carry it out. One of the most popular and well-known characters in alien cartoons, Marvin the Martian made his debut as Commander X-23 in the cartoon short Haredevil Hare in 1948. His outfit of a green helmet inspired by those of the Roman Centurions, a green skirt, some red tights and white sneakers was very Earthly in its design. He has been voiced by Mel Blanc, Bob Bergen, Joe Alaskey and Eric Goldberg. He has subsequently been seen in 7 more cartoon shorts, 2 movies and has made a few cameo appearances in 3 animated television series. Marvin decided that because Earth was blocking his view of Venus, it had to be destroyed. He employed a weapon which he called the Uranium PU-36, which became the Illudium PU-36 in subsequent shorts. He also carried a hand gun known as the ACME disintegrator ray. As an interesting fact, the likeness of Marvin the Martian appears on both the Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers.

Since the debut of Marvin the Martian, other cartoons have followed suit. On October 29, 1965, The Great Gazoo first appeared on The Flintstones animated series. He was a tiny, green alien who floated. A punishment for inventing a machine with huge destructive power, he was exiled from his home planet Zatox and sent to Earth. After his flying saucer crashed, Fred and Barney discovered him. His mien was one of mischief as he was always causing problems. His story arc was never resolved.

Not known as one of the alien cartoons, The Simpsons is not alien to the depiction of them. In several episodes aliens are either characters or secondary depictions. In one episode Krusty the Klown watches a television show called “Hercules vs. the Martians.” Bart, in another episode, impersonates an alien. And in still another episode, the alien characters perform during a half time show. The fun thing about the Simpsons is the couch gags during the show’s opening credits. One such couch gag depicted the family being eaten after the couch turned into an alien.

Ben Tennyson of the alien cartoon Ben 10 discovers an alien pod in the woods. After examining, he comes upon watch-like device, called the Omnitrix that was stored inside. The mysterious becomes permanently attached to his wrist allows him to change into many different alien life-forms with their own unique powers. With aid from his friends, he begins an adventure which leads to him fighting evil, both earthly and of extraterrestrial origin.

Whatever your tastes, you certainly have a number of choices in alien cartoons.

Ben Ten alien force

Ben 10 Alien Force is an American animated television series which is created by Glen Murakami and Dwayne McDuffie and produced by Cartoon Network Studios. It is a sequel to Ben 10. Set five years after the original series, the storyline has matured with the characters and has a darker tone. The series was originally produced under the working title of Ben 10: Hero Generation. It will be followed by Ben 10: Evolutions.

Five years after the events of the original series, 15-year old Ben Tennyson has returned to a normal, everyday life. His adventures done, Ben has taken off the Omnitrix and has grown from a young boy into a confident teenager. However, a new menace is fast approaching Earth. A race of fanatic aliens, the Highbred, has secretly arrived on Earth with the intention of destroying humanity. Max, Ben's grandfather and an ex-member of the planet-defending Plumbers, has already set out to try and stop them, but has not been heard from since. Ben has no choice but to once again use the Omnitrix in order to fight back. The Omnitrix has recalibrated to Ben's teenage body, resulting in a new form, functions, and aliens to transform into.

Ben is not alone, either. His cousin Gwen is once again tagging along and her natural abilities have significantly grown over the years. Also joining Ben is his former rival Kevin Levin who has served his time in the Null Void and is trying to reform (though he still partakes in less-than-legal activities). Over the course of the series, Ben, Gwen, and Kevin fight off the Highbreed, do battle with both old and new enemies, deal with teenage hormones, and even make new friends with child Plumbers, some of which bear DNA and alien hero forms identical to Ben's old Omnitrix aliens.

Cartoon Network announced a live-action film based on the series. Monkey Bar Games and D3 Publisher made a game of the show. It is for PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS and PSP. Playable characters in the game include Ben, Gwen, and Kevin. All versions of the game allow Ben to become Swampfire, and Humongousaur; the DS version includes Chromastone, Echo, and Goop, while the console versions include Big Chill, Spider monkey, and Jet ray.
At Cartoon Network Upfront 2009, it was announced that another series called Ben 10: Evolutions would premiere right after the end of Alien Force in 2010. The all-new animated series follows 16-year-old Ben Tennyson as his secret identity has been revealed to the world and now he is an international mega-star super hero, loved by kids all over the world.