Is Scooby-Doo an Alien? His Bizarre Mystery Inc. Origin, Explained

Scooby-Doo was a huge part of all our childhoods, but there’s one question that’s bothered all of us from the start. How on Earth is he able to talk?

Given the team devotes their time to solving mysteries, it’s more than a bit ironic that this aspect of the pooch’s identity is a bit of a mystery itself. However, that all changed in 2013 during the second season of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated. 

An out-of-this-world storyline featuring mysterious beings known as the Anunnaki seemed to finally put years of speculation to rest by giving us an explanation as to what makes Scooby so special. But not all fans interpret this arc, and in turn, what it means for the character, in the same way…

Who Are The Anunnaki?

According to Historic Mysteries, the Anunnaki are ancient deities who were worshipped by early members of civilization like the Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Akkadians. A well-known conspiracy theory peddled by author Zecharia Sitchin is that the Anunnaki were actually aliens from a ‘12th planet’ called Nibiru, which collided with Earth thousands of years ago, NBC News reported. 

Among other things, Sitchin’s incredibly dubious theory, as explained by the New York Times, suggests that these extra-terrestrial beings came to Earth because they wanted the gold reserves in Southeast Africa. Once they arrived, it is said that they recruited the primates inhabiting Earth to build eight cities. An Anunnaki named Enki, who, according to the New York Times, is the Sumerians’ god of science, is said to have passed on their advanced genetic makeup to these primates so that they could mine for them, thus kick-starting evolution. 

As the outlet explains, the theory is that these cities have been conveniently washed away by a flood. But, before the Anunnaki — who are referred to as Nibiru-ites in the article — left Earth in 500 BC, they apparently imparted more knowledge to humanity. 

How Do They Relate To Scooby-Doo?

Some elements of this controversial conspiracy theory are adapted in Scooby-Do! Mystery Incorporated. In the animated show, Anunnaki are described as having a history of helping humans, though not all are good.

It is also said that, because the Anunnaki have no physical form, these aliens inhabit the body of animals, with particular links to animal gods in Ancient Egypt.

Crucially, the show also says that this is why some animals, specifically descendants of those inhabited by the Anunnaki, are able to talk, while others are not. So, given Scooby is able to talk, many have interpreted this as proof that he is one of those descendants.

The Alien Question Has Sparked Debate

There’s a key nuance to this theory that is tying some fans up in knots: they can’t decide whether Scooby is a descendant of purely the vessels the Anunnaki used, or of the Anunnaki themselves. 

According to one Redditor: “Scooby is a relative of one of those canines that had been possessed by Anunnaki, passing on the powers of speech among other heightened abilities, Therefore, technically, he is not Anunnaki himself, but merely descended from dogs possessed by them.” He concludes that Scooby “is technically not an alien but a canine born of the Earth whose lineage traces back to those possessed by aforementioned aliens.”

However, other users on this Reddit post disagreed with this interpretation.

“Technically, even being a descendant of that species would make him an alien since he has alien DNA inside of him,” one replied. “Think about the Dragon Ball route. Goku is a full blooded Saiyan who marries a human named Chi Chi. They have Gohan, a half Saiyan who eventually grows up and meets Videl, another normal human. They eventually have Pan, a quarter Saiyan. Would you call her just a normal person or call her a Saiyan? Even if Anunnaki… was like 20 generations ago for Scooby, he still should have a trace of alien DNA.”

The Debate Continues

In response to this, the original Redditor added: “Scooby is not a direct blood descendant of the Anunnaki though as that is impossible, he is a descendant of dogs possessed by Anunnaki. That is not the same thing. We are talking about possession, what you are describing is interspecies cross breeding.”

They continue: “The Anunnaki have no physical form, therefore there is no DNA to be passed down. The Anunnaki took the form of dogs which gave them their strange abilities, and those dogs went on to have children which kept those traits. In the lore of the show no animals bred with the Anunnaki, those ancestors of Scooby were hosts for the Anunnaki so they could interact in the physical plain.”

Still, further Reddit users on the thread remained unconvinced. 

“It would only make sense for descendants of the Anunnaki to be able to talk if they have the DNA,” a third Redditor wrote.

“Or, the Anunnaki's presence simply caused the animal's DNA to mutate in some way granting speech,” a fourth suggested. 

So, which one is it? Is Scooby-Doo really part-alien or not? Both explanations seem plausible, but hopefully, the upcoming Netflix series Scooby Doo: Origins is able to establish what exactly is canon moving forward.