An Incredible Reinvention of Masculinity

    Hello! I'm not going to lie to you, I wasn't really planning on writing about the Incredibles for one of these blogs, but as luck would have it, I ended up watching it for my Multicultural Film class, so I actually have a few thoughts about it. As a part of my assignment for the class, I had to choose a social concept (race, gender, class, etc.) and apply it to the movie, analyzing what the film says about the topic. Admittedly, I was lost at first on what to write about, but after watching the movie, I think I'm going to write about the Incredibles' depiction of masculinity and how it rejects the traditional idea of what being a man means in favor of a more compassionate aspiration for men. At least, that's what I think I'm going to write about. The paper itself isn't due until mid-December, so I'll use this blog as a very rough draft to get some ideas out!

    From the very beginning of the movie, a few things are made evident about Mr. Incredible (I'll just call him Bob for the rest of this blog post). Details like his relationship with Elastigirl or his dynamic with the boy who would eventually become Syndrome are crucial seeds for establishing important characters in the rest of the movie. However, the most important thing that is set up in these opening scenes is Bob's devotion to "the mission" or saving people, putting aside personal milestones (he's literally late to his own wedding) in favor of continuing his superhero work. Viewers get a real sense for his need to feel needed and saving people's lies as it is his life, until at the wedding, Helen asserts that she wants to put their family and personal future first. You can sense a little resistance from Bob, since superheroing is his passion, but this is quickly shut down following the lawsuits against superpowered beings and them having to go into hiding.

    This is mostly just exposition for my main points, since one of the easiest examples of the film's commentary on masculinity is captured in Bob's frustrations with having to be "normal" and working at an insurance firm, which claims to "save" people, while Bob yearns for the days where he actually "saved" people from danger physically, rather than through paperwork. Furthermore, we see that the Parr family has regressed into more traditional gender norms (Bob being the working breadwinner, Helen being the housewife who raises the kids) as opposed to their former lives, where both Bob and Helen were actively engaged in superhero work and on an equal level of power in society. 

    As a result of their struggle to adapt to civilian life, Bob sneaks out and lies to his wife in order to continue moonlighting as a hero with his friend Frozone, albeit without the glory of a costume and being out and about. This scene is very important for fleshing out Bob's character, as it cements the idea that Bob doesn't yearn for the glory days out of a sense of wanting the glory for himself, but rather because saving people gives him his kicks, regardless of recognition. Because of this, while audiences can recognize that going out to save people is a selfish action from Bob's part since it endangers his family's anonymity, it is not fueled by a selfish motivation such as wanting to be praised and recognized for his powers. This is a strong contrast with the motivations of Syndrome, who is revealed to be the main villain at the tail end of the film, who only seeks to engage in "saving" people for the glory and recognition of his "power".

    At this point I'd like to shift the discussion to the contrast between Syndrome and Bob's characters, as they are the main representations of masculinity in the film. To Syndrome, Mr. Incredible was the peak representation of his vision of what masculinity meant: power, showmanship, and violence. Even though this wasn't Bob's intention, that is the image he put out in his glory days, as evident by his violent saving of the person attempting suicide, which ended up grievously injuring the victim amid Bob's claims of saying he "saved his life". When Bob rejects Syndrome in the beginning of the film, Syndrome views this rejection as a condemnation of not having powers (meaning he lacked the strength necessary to be worth respecting), while Bob gave it little thought beyond labelling him as unsafe and unfit to help him.

    This would eventually result in Syndrome's "might is right" ideology, which is meant to tackle "supers" when in reality it's how the film presents its commentary on masculinity. Time and time again, Syndrome chastises and criticizes Bob's behavior on the island, namely his calling for help (Syndrome calls this lame) and not killing Mirage when Bob had the chance (Syndrome calls this weak). In fact, his violent superiority complex is best illustrated in one of his first lines upon his reintroduction: "See, now you respect me, because I'm a threat." Opposing this perception of masculinity is Bob's newfound compassion, as he states when he reunites with his family: "I was so obsessed with being undervalued that I undervalued you guys." Bob exists as a contradiction to Syndrome's idea of power and masculinity, valuing his family and connections instead of his power, making him a more modern idea of what a man should be.

   It's a long and well-fought arc, but eventually Bob realizes that he places too much value on being "needed" and feeling useful through his powers. Instead, he recognizes his mistakes and flaws, and puts his energy into supporting his family through their personal milestones, like cheering on his son Dash at his school track and field race. Ultimately, it is this supportive presence that defines the film's modern idea of what a man should be, and I think it did a great job of communicating this redefinition subtly and effectively.