| The Incredibles
Mr. Incredible begins by enjoying life as a superhero, known as a “Super.” However, things take a turn when an eager young fan named Buddy Pine tries to become his sidekick. Buddy’s overenthusiasm leads to chaos, resulting in several civilian injuries, including Oliver Sansweet, who resented being saved. On the same night, Mr. Incredible marries fellow superhero Elastigirl. But after the fallout of these events, the public turns against Supers, forcing them into retirement. Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, now living under the names Bob and Helen Parr, go into hiding to live as an ordinary family. Together they have three children: Violet, who can turn invisible and create force fields; Dash, who can run at super speed; and Jack-Jack, believed to be powerless at first, though he actually has numerous powers. Bob grows frustrated and depressed with civilian life, stuck in a dull office job that contradicts his heroic nature, while his family feels equally repressed by having to hide their gifts. Secretly, he begins sneaking out with his old friend Frozone to fight crime again, though Helen discovers this and they argue. His frustration boils over when he attacks his boss after being stopped from helping a mugging victim, resulting in his termination. The government once again covers for his actions, thanks to case handler Rick Dicker, but Bob refuses relocation so his family doesn’t have to move again.
Soon after, Bob discovers a hidden tablet offering him a secret job from a mysterious woman named Mirage, who promises a large payment to destroy a rogue robot. Bob accepts, but his long retirement has left him out of shape. He struggles to fit into the launch pod, and even after Mirage warns him that the robot grows smarter the longer it fights, he’s unprepared. Once on the island, Bob stretches his stiff body, out of breath from minimal movement, and realizes just how unfit he’s become. While exploring, he encounters claw marks before the robot, Omnidroid 08, ambushes him. Their battle proves difficult: Bob is injured, outmatched, and nearly thrown into lava. Using every ounce of his strength, he barely manages to hurl the robot into the molten lake, injuring himself in the process. But the machine survives, forcing Bob to continue the fight. Ironically, during a brutal struggle, the robot accidentally corrects his back injury while trying to pull him apart. Laughing at his own luck, Bob tears off its limbs and tricks it into destroying its own core, winning the fight but ruining his old super suit.
Bob seeks out Edna Mode, a famous designer and old ally, who creates him a new suit. He spends months training, getting back into shape, and secretly pretends to still have his insurance job so his family doesn’t worry. But his next mission is a trap. Captured by the stronger Omnidroid 09, Bob is introduced to Mirage’s true employer—Buddy Pine, now calling himself Syndrome. Bitter over being rejected as a sidekick, Syndrome has turned into a vengeful villain. Bob realizes the earlier battles were just experiments to perfect the Omnidroid’s design. Syndrome captures and taunts him, even demonstrating his zero-point energy weapon. Bob escapes briefly and discovers the body of his old ally Gazerbeam, who carved the word “Kronos” as a clue before dying. Later, infiltrating Syndrome’s base, Bob learns in horror that many Supers were killed testing these machines, and that Syndrome plans to unleash Omnidroid v.10 on Metroville. Before Bob can act, his suit’s tracker exposes him, and he’s captured again by expanding black spheres. Syndrome tortures him for information and cruelly makes him believe his family has been killed when their plane is shot down. Bob lashes out in rage, grabbing Mirage as a hostage, but Syndrome calls his bluff. Bob gives in, losing more respect in Syndrome’s eyes.
Mirage, moved by Bob’s desperation, frees him. Helen and the children eventually reunite with him, though not without some tension. Syndrome then captures the entire family, intent on stopping them from ruining his plan to fake heroism by “defeating” his own robot. Bob is horrified that Syndrome murdered real Supers just to play hero, but the family manages to escape thanks to Violet and Mirage. They return to Metroville to stop the Omnidroid v.10. During the fight, Bob expresses fear of losing his family again, but together, they finally embrace their powers as a team. Violet protects her siblings with her shield, though it falters under the robot’s weight. Just before disaster, Bob holds off the machine with a burst of raw strength, giving Helen time to save the kids. Ultimately, with Frozone’s help, they destroy the robot.
When they return home, Syndrome attempts to kidnap Jack-Jack to raise as his sidekick. However, Jack-Jack reveals his many powers and resists. Helen rescues him, and Bob hurls Syndrome’s plane, causing the villain to be sucked into its turbine and killed. The Parrs’ house is destroyed, but Bob realizes that his family is the greatest treasure of all and that their unity is his true strength. In the end, the Parrs embrace their identities as heroes, working together as “The Incredibles.”
The Incredibles 2
Bob Parr returns in the sequel, once again voiced by Craig T. Nelson. The film begins immediately after the first, with the Parrs battling the Underminer. Helen helps Bob leap onto the villain’s massive drill, and Mr. Incredible attempts to deliver a heroic speech before the Underminer accidentally pulls him inside along with a load of stolen money. Bob punches his way free but is caught off guard when the Underminer attacks with his mechanical arms. Losing patience, Bob hurls him into the control panel, destroying it in the process. Though the Incredibles stop the drill from hitting the Capitol, the Underminer escapes, and the family is arrested for the damage caused. Rick Dicker bails them out but explains that the Super Relocation Program has been terminated, leaving them with only two weeks in a motel. During the ride, Violet is upset that her crush, Tony Rydinger, saw her unmasked, prompting Bob to tell Dicker, who wipes Tony’s memory. That night, Frozone arrives to escort them to DevTech, where siblings Winston and Evelyn Deavor propose a campaign to restore Supers’ legality. Since Elastigirl’s methods are less destructive than Bob’s, they want her to lead the effort. Bob convinces Helen to accept, knowing their family would otherwise be homeless, and the Deavors provide them with a luxurious new home.
With Helen gone, Bob takes over parenting. Violet, upset by Tony forgetting her, lashes out at her father, while Dash struggles with advanced math homework. On top of this, Bob realizes Jack-Jack has developed numerous unpredictable powers, first witnessed during the battle with Syndrome. Exhausted, Bob tries to help Violet by taking her to Tony’s workplace, but the attempt backfires, leaving her humiliated. Matters worsen when Jack-Jack displays his abilities in front of his siblings, who are shocked Bob kept it from them. Overwhelmed, Bob loses his temper, snapping at Violet and Dash before calling Frozone for help. Seeing Jack-Jack’s powers firsthand, Lucius suggests Bob seek outside support. Bob turns to Edna Mode, who eagerly agrees to study Jack-Jack and designs a special suit that can help monitor and manage his abilities. Meanwhile, after collapsing from exhaustion and sleeping for 17 hours, Bob finally regains his energy and reconciles with Violet.
Not long after, Bob receives a call from Evelyn claiming something has happened to Helen. However, it’s a trap—Helen has already been brainwashed with hypno-goggles, and she forces them onto Bob, placing him under Evelyn’s control as well. Together with a similarly brainwashed Frozone, Bob and Helen are made to publicly denounce Supers aboard the Deavors’ massive ship. Dash, Violet, and Jack-Jack sneak onboard and manage to free Helen, who quickly liberates Bob and Lucius. The family then joins forces to break Evelyn’s control over the other captured Supers and prevent the runaway ship from crashing into the city. With the threat stopped and Evelyn taken into custody, the Parrs emerge victorious. Soon after, Supers are finally reinstated as legal heroes once again.
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