Earlier this year, news broke that Brad Bird and Pixar will develop a sequel to the beloved Pixar superhero/super family movie, The Incredibles. Despite its popularity and genuine heart, this Pixar film never got a sequel, owing largely to creator/director Brad Bird’s fear of not being able to live up to the quality of the first story.
So, it’s been 10 years since we’ve seen the family Parr and their super-friends (like Frozone!) in action. But was it better to leave a good thing alone? No! The Parrs are the best Pixar thing ever and a sequel would be amazing. Here’s seven totally reasonable directions a sequel could take.
Mr. Incredible Versus Kal-El!
In the super-powered Incredibles universe, all the supers seem to be indigenous to Earth, meaning most of the comic-book homages in the film are not related to Superman, a space alien who becomes a hero. What would happen if a Superman-type (or a family of Kryptoptian-style heroes) descending upon the Earth of the Incredibles? How would the Earth deal with it? Even Violet’s force field might not be enough to save us from heroes from space!
The Incredibles: Unmasked
Most superheroes wear masks to hide their identities, and with a family of heroes, this is pretty much imperative. But, what if the conflicts referenced in the first film came back? What if the Parrs had to operate without their masks? Could the celebrity become too much for them? Also, let’s face it, the title is totally solid.
Frozone: The Movie
Though mostly relegated to the role of sidekick, Lucius Best, better known as Frozone, is one of the only other surviving supers in the world of The Incredibles. Considering that he was voiced by Samuel L. Jackson, it’s kind of confusing as to why Frozone wasn’t more of a main character. Maybe this time around, the Parrs can be sidekicks to Frozone, and the focus can be on him! At the very least, having Frozone (and maybe his family?) front and center is essential.
Jack Jack, The Fallen Son
At the end of the first movie, it’s revealed that the infant Jack Jack can burst into flames, change shape, and turn into basically a baby with a monster face. (This prompted the short film Jack Jack Attack.) So, this makes Jack Jack kind of like The Hulk of the Incredible family. But, what if the sequel dealt with a grown-up Jack Jack who has maybe kind of turned to the Dark Side? Maybe Helen and Bob have to bring him back to the good side? If done right, Jack Jack could be like a badass mashup of Darth Vader and Jason Todd.
The Incredibles Have Been Unstuck in Time
I’m suggesting this one mostly because I’m full-on in love with the writing talents of Sarah Vowell, the fantastic author who also happens to be the voice of Violet Parr! For those who don’t know, Sarah Vowell has written numerous highly entertaining books about U.S. history, from Assassination Vacation to The Wordy Shipmates. So, if Vowell was in on working on the story, what if the Parr family accidentally started traveling through time? How would the Pilgrims deal with superheroes? How would Lincoln? You know you want to see Steampunk Incredibles. Admit it.
Vigilantes Versus Supers
Sort of an inversion of the heroes-from-space concept, this one would see a world in which Batman-style non-super-powered heroes became serious competition for the Parr family and Frozone. Could a goofy version of the The Dark Knight Returns ensue here? If the Parr family met a family of non-super-powered, Kick-Ass-style heroes, you might suddenly have everything from envy to jealousy. Would the non-super-power heroes be jealous of the powers of the Parrs? Would the Parrs be jealous of the “normal” yet still-heroic family? I’m seriously crying already.
The Incredibles: Made Credible!
Everyone knows the best Superman movie is Superman II, which is secretly subtitled The One Where Supe Loses His Powers and Gets Beat Up in a Diner. And the reason why that movie is so great is because of the idea of losing the powers you’ve always had. True, the first film dealt with this a little bit by having the Parrs and other heroes like Frozone hide their gifts, but hiding and having that potential taken away are very different. Would Mr. Incredible still try and fight crime and save the world even if he lost his powers? Yes, this is kind of what Syndrome wanted to do in the first film, but what if it happened organically? Mundane, ordinary Incredibles would have to find a way to be Incredible without being Super.
What do you think? What insane directions should the The Incredibles 2 take? Plus, should they get new supersuits???
This post originally appeared March 20, 2014 on Tor.com.
Ryan Britt is a longtime contributor to Tor.com
