Martian

This article is about hypothetical inhabitants of Mars. In computer networking there are also "Martian packets," and a group of famous physicists and mathematitians from Hungary were dubbed "The Martians"

The name Martian is given to the hypothetical native inhabitants of the planet Mars.

There have been many fictional depictions of Martians in the past, including the famous invaders from H. G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds, Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, and also many people who have believed in the existence of real Martians. Many speculations (aided by false evidence such as "martian canals"), hypothesized exotic aliens with ornate and advanced cultures. At this point in time, however, it is generally accepted that Mars has no macroscopic native life, and even the presence of bacteria-scale life is speculative at best, though due to the evidence of water in Mars's past, scientists believe that life once existed on the planet.

If Mars is one day colonized by humans, the generations descended from the settlers will most likely also be called Martians.