‘The Incredibles’ Still Holds Up in the Age of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

The long-awaited Incredibles 2 picks up exactly where its predecessor left off: in a parking lot as The Underminer emerges from beneath ground to threaten a recently-established peace. While no time has elapsed in the world of the film, the world we live in has undergone a seismic shift in the nearly fourteen years that has elapsed since The Incredibles first arrived in theaters. That’s especially true for the ecosystem of superhero movies, a growing section of the blockbuster industry in 2004 at that has nearly swallowed it whole in 2018.

Pixar’s original Incredibles holds up surprisingly well in this era of extended universes and franchise crossovers. It’s a stretch to say Brad Bird’s film either influenced or predicted our current moment, sure. But The Incredibles feels more at home as part of the landscape that the sequel is being released into than its own release over a decade ago.

Though it might be difficult, think back to 2004, a time when superhero movies were merely isolated hits rather than guaranteed smashes. Studios tried launching Daredevil, Hulk, Hellboy to varying degrees of success – plus Catwoman to land in a pile of kitty litter. When The Incredibles was released, the only real heroes on the block to really connect with audiences were the original cinematic incarnations of the X-Men and Spider-Man, the character whose real-world rooted realization by Sam Raimi effectively kicked off the modern superhero era.

These early superhero films tended to be deeply individualistic, highlighting the depths to which a hero needed to mine their powers or their selves to overcome evil. The power to save the day rested in one person, provided he or she could summon the strength from within. They were, in many ways, reflective of a Bush-era ethos. Perhaps no article made the connection better than Andrew Klavan’s notorious 2008 Wall Street Journal editorial about the genre’s high-water mark, The Dark Knight, that explicitly compared the Caped Crusader with the Commander in Chief. Mr. Incredible was a strong hero who had to reach inside himself to quell fears of inadequacy and irrelevancy, yet he was hardly a lone wolf or vigilante fighter (at least, not by choice). He does not act in isolation – he’s part of a team made up of both friends like Frozone and family like Elastigirl.

While the X-Men series carried some cultural cache, the concept of heroes as teammates and family did not become the dominant strain of narrative until 2012 with The Avengers. Though the team-up of Marvel’s most popular heroes was made with its eyes primarily on the toy aisle, New York Times film critics A.O. Scott and Manohla Darghis also noted the film played into a decade’s new political spirit. They described the film’s narrative as one of community organizing, a story predicated on the notion that a diverse group of talented individuals could overcome petty internal squabbles and join together to save the world from the imminent threat of evil.

The Incredibles shines in this current climate because, at its core, it is a film about family. And not one that’s makeshift, provisional or concocted by market forces in a studio boardroom. Nothing about the movie requires advanced knowledge of comic book back issues, nor does it require an extensive projection of oneself into fully supernatural situations. Writer and director Brad Bird takes the experiences of anyone who’s been a parent, child or sibling and puts them on steroids by adding in some powerful gifts (but no capes). Their struggles are recognizable, as are the remedies to overcoming shared obstacles.

The film is also built for 2018 in other ways as well. For example, the humor of The Incredibles sends up expectations of the superhero figure, someone supposed to jacked, lean and sleek. Mr. Incredible is far from his fighting weight in the film, something the film gently ribs him for on multiple occasions. As genres are popularized, it’s normal for more parodic takes to emerge since audiences can recognize both tropes as well as attempts to subvert them. Various humorous heroes from Kick-Ass to Deadpool have enjoyed their day in the sun over the past few years, though the genuine affection Bird has for the genre ages far better than the winking cynicism of other self-aware films.

On the less fortunate side, The Incredibles’ villain, Syndrome, has become an all-too familiar figure in culture. Overzealous admirers of celebrities are nothing new under the sun, but his particular brand of toxic fandom makes for an enemy better appreciated now. Syndrome’s retributive quest to take down Mr. Incredible, his former luminary, after a perceived slight as a young man now has far too many real-world analogues: the Star Wars fans who drove Kelly Marie Tran off Instagram, Marvel enthusiasts bullying Josh Whedon off Twitter, the alt-right terrorizing Leslie Jones after her appearance in Ghostbusters. The film was lightyears ahead of society in recognizing the real danger posed by people who cannot handle a culture that does not put their needs and desires first.

Incredibles 2 is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, but even if it were a Pixar sequel more in the Cars mold, the series would already have one entry that speaks to present-day audiences. The Incredibles is anything but a nostalgic relic from a bygone period of cinema – it’s a vital work that saw beyond a single moment in the superhero genre and can thus resonate far beyond its initial release.

Marshall Shaffer is a New York-based freelance film journalist. In addition to Decider, his work has also appeared on Slashfilm, Slant, Little White Lies and many other outlets. Some day soon, everyone will realize how right he is about Spring Breakers.

Where to stream The Incredibles