u/Stheteller

For most of my life, *The Incredibles* has not only been one of my favorite movies from one of my favorite directors, Brad Bird, but I have always viewed it as an allegory for the LGBT community. However today, I came across this article.

(Warning: transphobia)

https://www.mafranklin.com/p/what-the-incredibles-teaches-us-about

Alright yes, the article has a plot twist transphobic ending, however, I'm not focusing on the transphobia of the writer of the article, instead what they said about the movie has been marinating on me. What if the character Syndrome is an allegory for transgender individuals?

The movie always seemed to be an lgbt allegory to me because these supers, who are explicitly stated to be a marginalized minority, *"Longtime advocate for Superhero Rights, is missing? Gazerbeam..."* but the crux of the story is that these individuals who are gifted because of what they were meant to be, a superhero, are forced to be someone they're not. Much like Superman, their true identity is not their secret identity, mr. incredible's true identity is mr. incredible. Bob parr is his costumed form. but society sees their gifts as a negative, much like a gay, lesbian, or bisexual individual, and forces them to conform to what society wants them to be, an everyman, who has to hide who they really are and are meant to be.

Obviously, this not only tears mr. incredible apart, but his family also. it's only when him and his family get to be their truest, best versions of themselves, that they not only are happiest, but the world around them becomes better by being saved by them being their true selves.

But then, there's syndrome. Syndrome wants to be a superhero, which we obviously know he wasn't meant to be, he was meant to be a villain. He believes you can be super without powers, and he claims he has no powers. We all know however, that he actually does, and it's his intelligence. but him pretending to be a superhero causes him to lose, andthe article claims that identity is something that is decided for you at birth by other people (transphobic), but what if syndrome is meant to portray that? Someone who wants to change their identity later, and it being portrayed as bad by the movie, showing him being an allegory for Trans individuals believing they can change their gender? That the movie is pushing the message that trans is not part of the community of minorities, because we shouldn't exist?

However, I also keep jumping back to something that makes me feel this just cannot be what Syndrome represents. That something, being the other works of writer/director Brad Bird.

Ratatouille has already been headcanoned as a trans allegory for a long time, of course while also being a movie about the nature of talent and ego, with Remy wanting to change what his identity was decided to be for him at birth, and the changing from being a trash eating rat to a refined cook, ends up making him far happier and more accomplished when he stops hiding it from not just his father, but the world.

But the real *GIANT* thing that makes me think this interpretation of syndrome MUST be incorrect... is that the interpretation COMPLETELY contradicts the message and story of Bird's previous film, *The Iron Giant.* A movie who's message is not ambiguous or subtle, and is said loud and clear, *You Are... Who You Choose To Be.* This message completely contradicts the interpretation of syndrome being an allegory for the trans mindset. *The Iron Giant* feels especially transy because the Giant was explicitly built, (or had his identity decided for him), to be a destroyer. A *GUN*. But as we all know, that's not who the Giant wants to be. The Giant wants to be a hero. A friend. His identity isn't decided by those around him, it's decided by him and him alone. *You Are... Who You Choose To Be.* He doesn't want to be a gun or a destroyer, like he was built to be. He wants to be a hero, like Superman. And it ends up making him happy, and saving the day.

So I wonder now, if syndrome truly is meant to be an allegory for the transgender mindset, or not. I always thought of him as a sociopath, because he doesn't ever think of himself as a villain, or as a super, even though his power is his intelligence.

Sorry for rambling about this, but it's been on my mind for a while. I hope yall can shine some light on this.

(I better not see any comments like "it's a children's movie, it's not that deep." Come on. Brad Bird is explicitly political.)

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