Who started the modern reptilian conspiracy and when did it gain popularity?

1. Origin story: fiction, folklore and the 1929 seed

Scholars and reference sources trace the trope of reptilian humanoids in modern culture back to pulp fiction and mythic antecedents: Robert E. Howard’s “Serpent Men” stories from 1929 helped originate the modern reptilian humanoid trope in popular imagination ^[3]. These literary and folkloric antecedents provided raw material that later conspiracy authors would rework into political and extraterrestrial narratives ^[3].

2. The decisive pivot: David Icke made it a conspiracy, not just a myth

David Icke — a former British sports presenter turned conspiracist — converted scattered themes (ufology, ancient astronaut ideas, anti‑establishment narratives) into a sustained conspiracy claim that shape‑shifting reptilian aliens control world affairs. Reference sources and encyclopedic entries identify Icke as the figure who popularized the reptilian conspiracy in late 1990s publications, notably The Biggest Secret ^{[1] [2] [5]}.

3. How Icke’s version differs from earlier tropes

Icke fused older motifs with a modern political thesis: reptilians originating from star systems (often Alpha Draconis or Draco in Icke’s telling) possess shape‑shifting abilities and infiltrate ruling bloodlines and institutions — a claim that reframes mythic monsters as contemporary puppet‑masters of governments and finance ^{[6] [1]}. That transformation is what made the idea move from fiction and folklore into a detailed, conspiratorial worldview ^[1].

4. Internet era: scale, memes and mainstream sightings

Sources show that since the 1990s the idea has been amplified online, turned into memes and attached to real public figures — from the British royal family to tech CEOs — producing periodic viral surges ^{[7] [8] [9]}. Reporting on incidents linked to the belief (for example, the Nashville bomber’s apparent adherence to lizard‑people ideas) demonstrates how internet‑age conspiracies can cross into real‑world violence or obsession ^{[10] [2]}.

5. Competing explanations and academic caution

Historians and critics note lineage and borrowings: Edward Guimont and others argue Icke’s theory drew on earlier pseudohistorical legends (e.g., Great Zimbabwe, mokele‑mbembe) and sometimes echoes historic dehumanizing tropes used in anti‑Semitic propaganda, which raises concerns about hidden or recycled prejudices in the narrative ^{[1] [11]}. Some commentators stress that long‑standing fiction, psychological factors and internet algorithms, rather than literal evidence, account for the theory’s persistence ^{[12] [4]}.

6. Popularity timeline: slow burn to internet ubiquity

The conspiracy moved from fringe literature and occasional pop‑culture portrayals (1929 onward; TV miniseries V in 1983) into a recognizable conspiracy movement when Icke packaged it in the 1990s; the internet and social media then turned sporadic belief into recurring viral phenomena through the 2000s–2020s ^{[3] [1] [8]}. Reporting and surveys since the 2010s show the idea persists as a durable internet trope and occasional stated belief among small percentages of the public ^{[13] [8]}.

7. Why the story keeps returning

Analysts say conspiracies that personify systemic problems in a single villain class are psychologically and narratively satisfying; Icke’s reptilians create a concrete villain. The internet’s network effects and visual media (alleged “eye glitches,” deepfakes) provide endless fodder for confirmation and mockery alike, keeping the myth in circulation ^{[8] [12]}.

Limitations and sourcing note: this account synthesizes details from the provided sources. Sources identify David Icke as the main popularizer in the 1990s and sketch earlier literary roots beginning in 1929; available sources do not mention any single earlier modern individual definitively “starting” the full conspiracy as Icke presented it beyond those influences ^{[3] [1] [2]}.