Characters from The Incredibles
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The following is a list of characters from the 2004 Pixar animated film The Incredibles.
Contents |
[edit] The Incredible Family
[edit] Mr. Incredible
(Voiced by Craig T. Nelson) Robert "Bob" Parr, "Mr. Incredible". Bob possesses tremendous strength, and heightened resistance to harm. He also has enhanced senses. He is married to Helen Parr, the superheroine known as Elastigirl, and they have three children together: Violet, Dashiell Robert ("Dash"), and Jack-Jack.
Bob found forced retirement difficult, and often had to cheat his way out of the house on Wednesdays so that he could continue his superheroics. He was shocked to discover that his "Number 1 fan", Buddy Pine, had reformed himself as the villain Syndrome after Mr. Incredible had quelched Pine's wish to be his ward in an attempt to protect him, and it was not until Syndrome threatened the family's lives that Bob realized that his family was his "greatest adventure".
His red super suit (the name for superhero costumes in this movie), designed by Edna Mode, appears to have the same level of durability as Mr. Incredible himself. In his prime, Mr. Incredible drove a gadget-laden car, "The Incredimobile," not unlike the ones driven by James Bond or Batman (the silhouette of a newer version of the Incredimobile for the entire family is seen in the end credits).
His face was physically modeled after director Brad Bird.
[edit] Elastigirl
(Voiced by Holly Hunter) Helen Parr, "Elastigirl". Helen Parr is one of the more complex supers. She can stretch any part of her body up to 100’ (30 m) and can be 1 mm thin. She can also reshape her body in a variety of ways. In the movie she becomes a parachute and a rubber boat, and has used her arms for swings and a slingshot. She is a dedicated spouse and mother, and is frustrated with her husband's continuing dreams of glory. Her sharp wit and superb espionage skills, as well as her experience as a superhero, makes her an excellent tactician and leader.
Her powers show similarity to those of Mister Fantastic and Plastic Man. The name "Elasti-Girl" also belongs to a DC Comics superhero. Her Edna Mode-designed super suit is designed to stretch as far as she can (without injuring herself) and still retain its shape. It is virtually indestructible and can stand up to extreme heat or cold, yet it breathes like Egyptian cotton.
[edit] Violet
(Voiced by Sarah Vowell) Violet Parr A high school teenager stuck at the crossroads between girl and woman, Violet desperately wants to be like everyone else, to blend in with normal people, and to not stand out. Appropriately, her superpowers allow her to turn instantly invisible, and to generate spherical force fields to protect herself (and also to levitate extremely heavy objects. The interiors of the force fields are anti-gravitational, allowing Violet to levitate inside), similar to Marvel Comic's Invisible Woman, but it appears that energy consumption by those same force fields is her Achilles' heel, as is sufficiently heavy blunt force.
During the movie she and Dash combine their powers to create the IncrediBall (named in the video game), where Violet generates a force field around herself and Dash, a speedster, uses his speed power to use the ball like a cannonball or battering ram. Her struggle with her shyness and lack of confidence constitutes a major side story in the movie, spurred by Helen encouragement that she had more power than she realizes and that she just has to believe it, as well as her warning to her and Dash that the villains that they would be confronting are even more merciless than the ones that they used to see on Saturday mornings.
Violet's name alludes to "shrinking violet", which means a shy person (usually a girl) or as a reference to ultraviolet light, which is outside the visible spectrum. The name is also a reference to the violet color of her force fields. Edna Mode designed a sturdy super suit that turns invisible when Violet does and will not disrupt her force fields. The nature of Violet's powers naturally made the super suit a tricky one to fabricate, but nowhere near the potential challenge of designing a newer, more superpower-friendly super suit for Jack-Jack.
[edit] Dash
(Voiced by Spencer Fox) Dashiell "Dash" Robert Parr. Dash is a speedster. On Incredibles merchandise, he is called the "Fastest Kid on Earth". While he is only as strong as the average 10-year-old boy, the film's official website lists "enhanced durability" amongst Dash's powers, which is displayed by the amount of incidental high-speed collisions and crashes Dash endures without apparent injury). Dash also discovers throughout the course of the movie that his speed allows him to be able to run over water without submerging.
Dash would like to go out for sports, but his mother Helen will not allow it because she thinks that he would show off his superspeed and blow the family's civilian cover. To vent his frustration, Dash uses his power to play pranks on his teacher, Bernie Kropp, which also threatens their cover.
Dash's reckless and impulsive nature and one-track mind have put him at odds with Violet's gloomier and more sarcastic nature more often than their parents would like, but when Dash is in battle, he cares deeply about his family.
His super suit is resistant to air friction and won't wear down or heat up when he runs in it. His powers are most similar to those of The Flash from DC Comics, as well as many other speedsters. Dash's willingness to freely use his powers, however, is reminiscent of The Human Torch, Johnny Storm (reinforcing the similarities between the Parrs and the Richards family in The Fantastic Four), while the parental restrictions placed upon the use of those same powers for diversions like sports is evocative of the prohibitions the young Clark Kent must endure in the retconned origin of Superman.
[edit] Jack-Jack
(Voiced by Eli Fucile) Jack-Jack Parr. Jack-Jack is the Parr's infant boy, the youngest of the Parr children. According to a guidebook published by Dorling Kindersley, his hair never needs hair gel. Initially believed to be the only family member without any powers, he manifests a multitude of superhuman abilities at the end of the film, most of which involve some form of shapeshifting. More powers are seen in the short film Jack-Jack Attack on the Incredibles DVD, making his powers the most versatile of the family, and according to a collectible poster included with some Incredibles toys, still more powers are undisclosed. In total, the powers Jack-Jack have displayed onscreen include:
- Shapeshifting into virtually any shape and/or substance he chooses, such as fire/plasma, metal and a demon-like form. (Similar to comics shapeshifters Grunge or Metamorpho).
- Either silent teleportation or superspeed (he instantly shifts from place to place by unknown means, but the poster says that it is the former).
- Phasing (the ability to become intangible and pass through solid objects).
- A slow anti-gravitational floating effect.
- Ability to project destructive energy beams from his eyes, which can be deflected by a mirror.
Although Edna Mode did not know what powers Jack-Jack might develop, she covered various possibilities by making him a fireproof and bulletproof blanket sleeper-like jumpsuit. The emergence of Jack-Jack's lengthy list of superpowers, however, has the potential to make designing another, more superpower-friendly jumpsuit for Jack-Jack even more of a challenge for Edna than Violet's skintight unitard was.
Creator Brad Bird explains on the DVD that Jack-Jack's varied abilities are a metaphor for how young children have infinite possibilities ahead of them in life.
[edit] Allies
[edit] Frozone
(Voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) Lucius Best, "Frozone". A long-time friend of the family, Frozone has the power to freeze water, or even the latent moisture in the air. He is limited by the amount of water available, either in liquid form, or in the air. It is also indicated that he can use the moisture of his own body, and that therefore, dehydration weakens his abilities. During the movie, it is suggested that he has adapted to civilian life much more easily than his long-time friend, Bob Parr, though he still possesses a hidden cache containing his costume and all of his old gadgets in working condition.
Before the heroes were banned, Lucius was a womanizer. However, he ended up marrying a woman named Honey. Honey is very demanding of Lucius and does not want him going out to perform any "derrin'-do", at least until the ban on the heroes is lifted. Her response to his claims of serving the greater good are to state that she is "the greatest good you're ever gonna get!" Lucius is best friends with Bob, and a close friend of Helen and the kids. Whenever Lucius and Bob go out on Wednesdays to save lives, they have to cover from their respective wives by claiming to be going bowling, but they stop going out when Bob is caught by Helen.
Lucius's super suit is designed to keep him warm in the cold, but he must wear a special set of refraction goggles as Frozone not only to protect his identity, but also to protect his eyes from the glare of the sunlight that bounces off his ice crystals. The soles of Frozone's snowboots can change into ice skates, alpine ice skis, and a snowdisc (the equivalent of a snowboard). These forms of transport, combined with chutes of ice, result in particularly speedy travel.
[edit] Edna Mode
(Voiced by Brad Bird) Edna "E" Mode is an eccentric fashion designer who designs the costumes for many members of the superhero community. To that end, not only does she take the aesthetics of the clothes into account, but also their practical uses such as protective qualities and accommodation to the powers of the wearer. Edna's no-nonsense personality and round glasses are a direct homage to the late Edith Head, the legendary Hollywood costume designer, perhaps with nods to Elsa Klench and Anna Wintour. Edna Mode also appeared with Pierce Brosnan to present the Academy Award for Costume Design at the 77th Academy Awards. Edna "E" Mode is also a parody of the gadget designer branch in the James Bond movies, the "Q" branch.
Edna cares a great deal about the supers who are willing to pay her a huge sum of money for her designs. Naturally, she had to warn Mr. Incredible about the impracticality of capes, which, prior to the ban on superheroes, led to the deaths of Dynaguy, Meta-Man, Stratogale, and Thunderhead and the disappearance and possible death of Splashdown.
The film's creators originally couldn't find an appropriate actress to voice Edna. Finally, when asking actress Lily Tomlin to voice Edna, Brad Bird provided an example of what she should sound like. Tomlin told Bird that he had nailed the voice well, and she suggested that Brad should perform the voice himself — which he did (with its unique German/Japanese accent).
[edit] Gazerbeam
Gazerbeam (Simon J. Paladino) is a super mentioned and briefly seen in The Incredibles. His powers allow him to generate blasts of laser energy from his eyes, provided that he concentrates on the object he wishes to target. His powers and costume bear a resemblance to Cyclops of Marvel Comics' X-Men, though Gazerbeam apparently has greater control over the discharge of his energy blasts than Cyclops does.
According to his biography on the DVD, Gazerbeam was originally a member of the superhero team The Phantasmics, but rivalry with team leader Everseer led to Gazerbeam's dismissal. Following the death of Dynaguy, Gazerbeam replaced him as leader of the Thrilling Three (a parody of the Fantastic Four) along with previously established members Phylange and Apogee. In-group tensions and arguments eventually led the threesome to disband. When the public began suing superheroes for damages done, Gazerbeam became an advocate for superhero rights.
Gazerbeam appears alive only once in the film—as a guest during Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl's wedding—and is mostly seen in photos or mentioned by others. He was featured in a Super postage stamp collection alongside Frozone, Elastigirl and Mr. Incredible; this is seen among Mr. Incredible's selection of memorabilia. He was also seen in an article in the Metroville Tribune newspaper; his address is shown to be Traction Avenue, in the financial district of Metroville (the street where Operation Kronos is put into effect).
In the film, Frozone compared Mr. Incredible's difficulties in adjusting to civilian life with those of the recently-disappeared Gazerbeam, who experienced similar problems. As events would reveal, Gazerbeam was killed on Nomanisan Island while attempting to disable an Omnidroid; he was likely hired by Mirage, as Mr. Incredible was. Gazerbeam apparently discovered the reason for his mission—i.e., Operation Kronos—and used his powers to burn the word "KRONOS" into a cavern wall on the island prior to his death. Mr. Incredible located Gazerbeam's skeletal remains by chance while attempting to evade Syndrome and his Omnidroid; Mr. Incredible then used the remains to convince Syndrome that he had been killed by one of Syndrome's mini-bombs. Mr. Incredible proceeded to sneak back into Syndrome's base and access the Operation Kronos computer, using Gazerbeam's final message as the password.
[edit] Rick Dicker
(voiced by Pixar animator Bud Luckey) Rick Dicker is a government agent who was once part of the NSA (National Supers Agency) and now oversees the Superhero Relocation Program. Some feel he looks like Richard Nixon (a.k.a. "Tricky Dick") and sounds like Ronald Reagan. Others feel he bears a resemblance to Tommy Lee Jones and is a play on Agent K, the character that Jones played in the Men in Black films; indeed, Dicker's subordinates bear a striking resemblance to the stereotyped image of the Men in Black. In the DVD commentary Brad Bird jokes that he had an idea to start Bud Luckey's short film Boundin' with Rick Dicker coming in to his office late at night, pulling out a bottle of "booze" and a banjo to start in on Boundin'.
His name may be a reference to Rick Deckard, the protagonist of Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and of the film Blade Runner based on that book.
[edit] Kari McKeen
Kari is a friend or neighbor of the Incredibles whom Violet calls upon to babysit Jack-Jack while the rest of the family are flying to save Mr. Incredible. She's taken numerous babysitting classes and feels more than adequately prepared to care for Jack-Jack in any capacity, and assures Helen Parr to that effect. She has one scene in the film, and she is heard later on Mrs. Parr's voice mail, complaining that some "very weird things" are happening. Her eventful night with the baby (see above) is documented in the Jack-Jack Attack short included on the DVD release, ending with Rick Dicker erasing her memory of the incident.
[edit] Villains
[edit] Syndrome
(Voiced by Jason Lee) Buddy Pine, aka Syndrome. This villain was once Mr. Incredible's "greatest fan". In an attempt to earn his hero's respect, Buddy Pine tried to aid him in fighting crime as "Incredi-Boy", with gadgets he had invented in his spare time. Mr. Incredible declined Buddy's offer, and during a subsequent conflict between Mr. Incredible and the French supervillain Bomb Voyage, Buddy intervened, and ended up with a bomb attached to his costume. Incredible's attempt to remove it led to the destruction of a section of train tracks, which required him to save an approaching train. Angered with Buddy's carelessness, he handed him over to the police to be returned to his family.
Out of bitterness, Buddy recreated himself as an evil genius who plotted revenge on his former idol. In the scene where Syndrome confronted Mr. Incredible for the first time in fifteen years, Syndrome declared himself to be Incredible's nemesis. At one point, the DVD Director's Commentary seems to point out that his complete lack of conscience is a direct result of schizophrenia, making him a mad scientist. Intensely amoral, he allowed missiles that he shot at an airplane carrying Helen, Dash, and Violet to continue on after Helen revealed the children's presence on the plane, bet Mirage's life in a subsequent showdown when Mr. Incredible threatened her, and carelessly threw behind himself a fully-loaded fuel tanker that could've endangered civilians. After his plans to fraudulently become a superhero and replace the supers that he had killed off were foiled by both the Incredibles and Frozone, Syndrome planned to abduct Jack-Jack and raise him as a sidekick, but failed due to the baby's recently emerged powers. Syndrome's cape got caught in his jet's intake and sucked him in. He was killed by either the engine's blades or the subsequent explosion.
Syndrome has no physical powers, but he is incredibly intelligent, making him a super in his own right. He has invented numerous weapons, and hi-tech vehicles that utilize such principles as robotics, anti-gravity and zero-point energy, which he sold to black market buyers to make himself rich. He owns his own island, complete with a mansion, a sophisticated monorail system, missiles, and a staff of guards equipped with exotic vehicles of Syndrome's design. His lack of superhuman powers, combined with intelligence and apparently vast resources bear a resemblence to the Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom. The 1960s aesthetics of his lair as well as the portrayal of his henchmen and elaborate planning involving rockets and public deception are also highly similar to various early James Bond villains.
Like Mr. Incredible, his character was also physically modeled after Brad Bird.
[edit] Mirage
(Voiced by Elizabeth Peña) Mirage was Syndrome's seductive right-hand woman and possible accomplice in the murder of many "supers". Though she has no superhuman abilities, she appears to have extensive computer and espionage skills. In her video-tablet message to Mr. Incredible, Mirage mentions that like him, according to the government she does not "officially exist".
Despite several hints at a more intimate relationship between Mirage and Buddy Pine (Syndrome), nothing is explicitly stated in the movie. (There is a part in the film where Syndrome reveals his feelings for Mirage by trying to kiss her, though she refused.) Initially, Mirage seemed at ease with Syndrome's casual regard to murder, even when it came to launching missiles at the Incredibles' plane with little provocation. However, Syndrome crossed her moral line when he nearly allowed Mr. Incredible to kill her, spurring her to end her relationship with Syndrome, angrily informing him, "Next time you gamble, bet your own life!" She then released the captured Mr. Incredible, who nearly strangled her to death for killing his family until she was able to gasp out word of their survival. Mr. Incredible then embraced her, only for his wife to find them in mid-embrance and knock Mirage flat.
She subsequently helped the Incredible Family to escape the island and thwart Syndrome's scheme. Her ultimate fate remains undisclosed.
[edit] Bomb Voyage
Bomb Voyage is a villain in The Incredibles who appears at the beginning of the movie. He is a recurring enemy of Mr. Incredible, as he is introduced, and by his language and outfit, it is presumable that he is French. He was last seen in a tall building, confronting Mr. Incredible when Voyage was stealing something from a vault. Buddy Pine, Mr. Incredible's big-time fan and the future villain Syndrome, interrupted their impending showdown and tried to appeal to Mr. Incredible that he would be a worthy sidekick for Mr. Incredible. As Buddy flew off to get the police, Voyage threw a bomb on Buddy's cape (unknown to Buddy), forcing Mr. Incredible to release Bomb Voyage, in order to save Buddy. Bomb Voyage successfully made a getaway and it is unknown what happened to him afterwards.
However, in the video game version, Voyage is the main villain for the first three levels of the game. In the last level he is involved in, he recreates the scene in the movie, throwing a bomb in Buddy Pine's cape, forcing Mr. Incredible to save him. After this, he attempts to escape in a helicopter, and Mr. Incredible defeats him by throwing six bombs at his it, causing it to fly out of control and presumably crash, killing Voyage.
[edit] The Underminer
The Underminer is the Incredibles' second enemy after Syndrome, and appears to be patterned after the Fantastic Four's first foe, the Mole Man. He first appeared at the end of the first movie where he drilled out of the ground with a giant drilling machine and through a microphone, yells, "Behold the Underminer! I have always been beneath you but nothing is beneath me! I declare war on peace and happiness! Soon, all will tremble before me!" This led to such a cliffhanger for many Incredibles fans that the creators of the original Incredibles game created the video game sequel, The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer, which takes place shortly after the movie where the Underminer has a whole group of killing robots and machines invade Metroville. Mr. Incredible told his family to flee while he and Frozone would stop the Underminer. But when they got to him, the villain fled underground, where the two Supers were forced to follow him. It is revealed that the Underminer created a machine called the Magnomizer, which would make Earth polluted above ground. Mr. Incredible battled through the Sludge Station, a snowy underground continent and destroyed the Magnomizer Guardian by unscrewing the bolts to the machine while Frozone fended off the Magnomizer's robot guards. The Underminer became aware of the machine's destruction and warned the Crustodian, leader of the Giant Robot Factory, about their arrival to it. After the two had the factory destroyed after a battle against the Crustodian, the two got to a underwater tower, run by a robot named Dug, who helped them get to the level they needed to go to save a group of scientists the Underminer held captive. They then got upground where the Underminer introduced his giant machine known as the Corrupterator. With a different, smaller machine, the Underminer used it to battle against Mr. Incredible and Frozone. The villain was defeated when the two Supers did enough damage to the machine to make it go haywire and fly into the sky, crashing down on the Corrupterator, possibly killing the Underminer.
[edit] Other superheroes
- Apogee - Her superpowers involved gravity control and levitation. She was a former member of the Superteam The Thrilling Three, along with Gazerbeam and Phylange. The Operation Kronos database assigned her a threat rating of 6.5. She was killed by the Omnidroid v.X4 during the training sessions for Operation Kronos.
- Blazestone - Her superpowers involved the control of fire and the production of pyrotechnic discharges; Frozone and Downburst competed for her affections in a Super love triangle. The Operation Kronos database assigned her a threat rating of 5.5. She was killed by the Omnidroid v.X2 during the training sessions for Operation Kronos.
- Blitzerman - His superpowers allowed him to control electricity. He was killed by an Omnidroid during the training sessions for Operation Kronos.
- Downburst - His superpowers involved flight and "gaseous expulsion"; he competed for the affections of the superheroine Blazestone with fellow Super Frozone. The Operation Kronos database assigned him a threat rating of 6.5. He was killed by the Omnidroid v.X3 during the training sessions for Operation Kronos.
- Dynaguy - able to fly courtesy of rockets on his forearms, Dynaguy was unfortunately one of the first Supers sued (for public endangerment) following the Mr. Incredible lawsuits. He was killed when his cape snagged the ground during a takeoff. Following his death, Gazerbeam replaced him as leader of the Superteam The Thrilling Three.
- Evergreen - His superpower was the ability to manipulate plant life; for example, he could cause vines to grow rapidly and surround an object. Killed by the Omnidroid v.X1.
- Everseer - His superpowers included telepathy, clairvoyance, and "magni-vision". At one time, he was the leader of the Superteam The Phantasmics; he fired Gazerbeam over a rivalry between the two. The Operation Kronos database assigned him a threat rating of 3.2. He was killed by the Omnidroid v.X1 during the training sessions for Operation Kronos.
- Fironic - A woman mistook Syndrome—who had just saved her and others from being crushed by a tanker truck which the Omnidroid v.10 had hurled at them—for this superhero.
- Gamma Jack - His superpower was the ability to create controlled bursts of radiation; he was easily recognized by his wave-like hairstyle. The Operation Kronos database assigned him a threat rating of 7.9. Gamma Jack did manage to destroy a prototype Omnidroid during the training sessions for Operation Kronos, but he was promptly killed by its successor prototype.
- Hyper Shock - His superpower was the ability to generate seismic waves. The Operation Kronos database assigned him a threat rating of 7.5. Hyper Shock managed to destroy the Omnidroid v.X3 during the training sessions for Operation Kronos, but was then killed by its successor, the Omnidroid v.X4.
- Macroburst - His superpower was the ability to project a high-density force field. The Operation Kronos database assigned him a threat rating of 5.9. He was the first Super to score a victory over a Omnidroid, defeating the Omnidroid v.X1 during the training sessions for Operation Kronos. Unfortunately for him, he was then killed by the successor to the v.X1, the Omnidroid v.X2.
- Meta-Man - His superpowers included flight and enhanced strength. He was killed when his cape snagged steel framework while lifting an express elevator back into place.
- Phylange - His superpower was the ability to project sonic fields. He was a former member of the Superteam The Thrilling Three, along with Gazerbeam and Apogee. His name is likely a pun on the audio effect known as flanging. The Operation Kronos database assigned him a threat rating of 4.7. He was killed by the Omnidroid v.X2 during the training sessions for Operation Kronos.
- Psycwave - Her superpowers included psychic foresight, thought control, and telekinesis; her superhero uniform was notable for an atomic insignia. The Operation Kronos database assigned her a threat rating of 1.6, the lowest rating of the Supers displayed. She was killed by the Omnidroid v.X1 during the training sessions for Operation Kronos.
- Splashdown - water-based superpowers; sucked into a vortex by his cape and went missing (according to his NSA file).
- Stormicide - Her superpowers involved the generation of electrical discharges and gale-force bursts. The Operation Kronos database assigned her a threat rating of 6.7. She was killed by an Omnidroid during the training sessions for Operation Kronos.
- Stratogale - Gifted with the superpowers of flight, superstrength and the ability to communicate with birds, Stratogale had just pulled a commercial jet airliner out of a steep dive on April 23, 1957, when her cape became caught in its #2 jet turbine, pulling her in and killing her.
- Thunderhead - Gifted with storm-controlling powers, courteous, and "good with kids", Thunderhead unfortunately had a reputation for low intelligence (his name is a play on the word "dunderhead"). This would prove his undoing on November 15, 1958, when his cape caught on the fin of an outbound missile, tearing Thunderhead right out of his boots and gauntlets and killing him.
- Tradewind - His superpower involved control of the elements, mainly wind. He was killed by an Omnidroid during the training sessions for Operation Kronos.
- Universal Man - His superpower involved the ability to manipulate the atomic density of materials; his superhero uniform was notable for a wave-styled headpiece. The Operation Kronos database assigned him a threat rating of 2.9. Universal Man had the unlucky distinction of being the first "Super" killed by an Omnidroid, the Omnidroid v.X1, during the training sessions for Operation Kronos.
- Vectress - Her superpower was the ability to generate sub-sonic bursts. She was killed by an Omnidroid during the training sessions for Operation Kronos.
- Mr. Skipperdoo - A rabbit who appears in Mr. Incredible and Pals in the Top Secret of the DVD disk 2, along side Mr. Incredible and Frozone to go up against Lady Lightbug. He did not demonstrate any powers and was only there to be a cuddly sidekick.
[edit] Source
- Spun-off from The Incredibles 05:41, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
The Incredibles characters
| Incredible Family: | Mr. Incredible · Elastigirl · Dash · Violet · Jack-Jack |
| Allies: | Frozone · Edna Mode · Rick Dicker |
| Villains: | Syndrome · Mirage · The Underminer · Bomb Voyage |
