Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney and today we continue our look at Disney's non-MCU supervillains with Syndrome from Pixar's The Incredibles. Okay, let me this straight out of my system, anyone that has followed this blog since it's inception knows that I used to hate this movie with a burning passion and I think that hatred came from a place of misunderstanding the movie as I used to view it as just a dour and mean-spirited movie. While I wouldn't call it my favorite Pixar movie, that's not the case anymore. I've now seen this film three times and every time I've grown to like it more than the last. And well, the character we are looking at today is perhaps even more poignant now than when this movie came out. Also for those wondering about Screenslaver, I've not seen Incredibles II because of the epilepsy issues with that movie, so I'm going to wait to see it and also I wouldn't feel right doing one of these for a villain that just debuted in a movie, this year. And I'm already doing five villains instead of the traditional four, this year. With that outta the way, let's begin.
Voice Actor
Jason Lee
Lee is perfect in this role as he gives Syndrome, this smarmy charm that makes you like and hate it him at the same time. He makes Syndrome seem so charismatic but you know that he's not a good guy.
First Appearance
We are first introduced to a young Buddy during the opening of the movie and see that this ten-year-old is an overzealous superhero fan, especially of his idol, Mr. Incredible but we can see throughout this whole montage that Mr. Incredible has become annoyed with Buddy's actions and in some regards, rightly so because the kid doesn't know what he's doing. And that brings us to the most important line from Incredible during this opening that causes Buddy to go down the path of villainy.
Okay, let's look at this line in a broader sense and apply it to the interaction between fans and creators that we see today. Buddy is someone that has wrapped so much of his identity in a fan of Mr. Incredible and it's almost to the point of being stalkerish levels creepy. Sure, he's just a kid but Mr. Incredible is like that of a lot of creators who get fed up with their "fans" that take things too far. I may be off base but I think Buddy is a fan that doesn't understand what his idol stands for. This comes from an earlier quote in this sequence. About being his best self and he thinks that means being Mr. Incredbile's sidekick. It's kind of tragic in a way what happened to Buddy after this.
Personality
I could talk about some of the base level traits of Buddy/Syndrome's personality. And the Disney Wiki does the obvious yet interesting thing in listing both of his personality traits as Buddy and Syndrome.
While all of these are applicable and hugely agree with them, I think one of the keywords that I would use to describe Syndrome is toxic. This ties back to the idea of this movie being more poignant now because so often over the past couple of years, we've seen a rise in toxic fans. Whether it be MRA's complaining about the all-female reboot of the really good Paul Feig Ghostbusters or more recently, people that have issues with The Last Jedi and have decided that want to remake it to fit their vision. (Also, can we please keep the comments civil?) Tying into the latter idea is kind of where Syndrome is as an adult. He felt scorned and betrayed by Mr. Incredible and thought and decided that he could be a better superhero than the real supers that inhabit this world. This is perhaps the most important aspect of who Syndrome is as a character from where I sit. Part of me has to wonder if Brad Bird was attempting hold up a mirror to some people and show them this is all they can look. That may not be the case but is something to consider, all the same.
Beyond this, however, there is another quote that I want to bring up as it shows how aware Syndrome is of superhero/villain tropes that is actually a bit clever.
Oh, ho ho! You sly dog! You got me monologuing! I can't believe it...
This is established after Syndrome does indeed monologue and I think this shows that Syndrome is smart and self-aware. And while it's not the biggest thing to bring up regarding this character but all the same, it's interesting to look at.
Grand Desire
I'm just gonna quote Syndrome here as it's the easiest way to describe what he wants.
Oh, I'm real. Real enough to defeat *you*! And I did it without your precious gifts, your oh-so-special powers. I'll give them heroics. I'll give them the most spectacular heroics anyone's ever seen! And when I'm old and I've had my fun, I'll sell my inventions so that everyone can be superheroes. *Everyone* can be super! And when everyone's super...
...*no one* will be.
It's a simple desire on the surface but if we go back to what I brought up regarding Syndrome's personality and the example of the people that want to remake The Last Jedi to fit their vision because they were unhappy with the movie that Rian Johnson directed. Syndrome presents a similar idea to how those fans reacted as he does put up a strong fight towards the Supers and thinks that he can replace them but the movie shows that he doesn't quite have the perfect grasp on how to defeat the Omnidroids that he created. As he is tossed about quite a bit.
Now yes, he does switch his plans when he gets desperate and thinks that he's gonna lose and kidnaps Jack-Jack. To take and raise him as his own evil sidekick. Which we will discuss more in his Demise.
Lackey
Mirage
I've not seen many Bond movies but Mirage does seem to take inspiration from Bond Girls and this is one of the few times where the word that I use for this category doesn't exactly apply as Mirage shows herself to be an equal to Syndrome, just that in the beginning she is the face of Syndrome likes to remain in the shadows. We do see something with Mirage that isn't too often seen with henchpeople, she grows a conscience and helps the Parr family to figure how to take down Syndrome.
Most Evil Deed
This one was a little easy to figure out in my mind because I think it shows how dark and twisted, Syndrome truly is.
This deed predates the events of the movie and it just shows how far Syndrome is willing to go as he killed so many Supers in order to get his Omnidroids right before getting to Mr. Incredible. It's just so dark and twisted and there is a suggestion that he gets a gleeful sense of joy out of killing.
Demise
Syndrome's demise ties back into Enda's most famous line from this movie. As you'll recall, when Bob suggests that he wants a cape for his new suit, Mode's response is...
No capes
And as described by the Disney Wiki, this shows why.
Syndrome got back on his jet and started yelling that their battle is not yet over and he would "get your son eventually!". However, as Syndrome laughs evilly, Mr. Incredible threw his prized sports car at the jet, knocking it off-balance and causing Syndrome to slide toward the left turbine. Syndrome's cape got tangled in the spinning blades, just as foreshadowed by Edna Mode, and the evil genius was pulled in, resulting in the explosion of the plane
This is perhaps one of the darkest deaths that I've looked at on Villains Profile since perhaps Clayton's but I think in some ways, this is a karmic death as Syndrome is paying for the death of Supers that his Omnidroids killed with his own life.
Is Syndrome A Good Villain?
Yes, he is one of the best and the darkest villains that has been featured on Villains Profile. And as I've brought up throughout this look at his character, he is a character that seems so much more poignant now in holding up a mirror to fans that can take things too far. Okay, after looking at a Nazi and a toxic fan, next week's Villains Profile is thankfully a bit on the lighter side. Join me next time as we look at...
Royal Pain
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