The Truth Behind Syndrome: My Look at The Incredibles' Villain

Photo credit: pixar.wikia.com

Hey everyone! I don't have much to report so on with my post!

I was watching The Incredibles the other day, and I remembered why I love that movie. It's really solid, particularly with its characters. Each character has multiple layers, even though they're based on superhero and family stereotypes. What makes these characters so fascinating is that Pixar basically took all these stereotypes and turned them on their heads. But what I really want to talk about is a character that some people tend to overlook, which is ironic since he's the villain. Yes, I want to talk about Syndrome/Buddy.

You really shouldn't be surprised; I've always liked villains and Syndrome is probably one of Pixar's best villains, not necessarily because he's the most powerful, (although the weapons and technology he built were very impressive) but because he's the most human and the most complex. But to understand Syndrome, we need to look at his earlier version: Buddy.


At a first glance, Buddy is another stereotype. He's the stereotypical crazy fan who takes it too far when he tries to become Mr Incredible's sidekick. At least that's how I saw him initially, and I'm sure that's what he represented. Most of us didn't think a second thought about him until he shows up later, just like Mr Incredible didn't think about him. But remember how this movie takes stereotypes and adds layers to them? Well Buddy's no exception. Buddy's not just a crazy fan. Buddy is a representation of us (to a certain degree).

Photo credit: taringa.net

Think about it. Who hasn't wanted to be like the person they admire? This is especially true with superheroes. What child hasn't wanted to be like Superman or Wonder Woman? And for a kid like Buddy, Mr Incredible is his idol. The boy is obsessed with the man and Mr Incredible is everything to him. So when he rejects Buddy, it breaks the boy. What would you do if your all-time hero basically told you he wanted nothing to do with you? Yeah, we're more like Buddy than we think. Granted, we probably wouldn't quite react the same way that Buddy did, since he was obsessive and borderline psychopathic, but it probably would have a significant effect on us. Buddy isn't just a representation of a crazy fan, he's an extreme representation of anyone who's been let down by a hero.

This is why Buddy became Syndrome. He was so obsessed with Mr Incredible that when he got rejected, he took his obsession to a different angle. The whole motive of Syndrome throughout the movie is to become the "hero," the hero that he's grown up watching, saving the day and having the masses worship him like he worshipped Mr Incredible. He still wishes to live out his childhood dream because he never really got over Mr Incredible's rejection.

This carries over into Syndrome. For all his power, he is still very childish. He doesn't seem to care about long-term consequences. He sent a robot over to trash the city with no regard for the human lives endangered, all because he wanted to play hero. He hasn't really matured because his obsession prevented him from maturing. Even when he has Mr Incredible in his clutches, he doesn't just monologue or gloat; he talks about how great Mr Incredible is. He still worships the man, but it's more like a twisted hateful kind of worship. It's childlike with a psychopathic twist, which is what I find so fascinating about it. Buddy is what we potentially could become if we let our idolizations go too far. I think that's what makes him a bit frightening: he's human, he's relatable, and he's humanity's potential for evil.

So there you go: the next time you watch The Incredibles, pay some extra attention to Syndrome, and I think you'll see what I'm talking about. That's all for now, folks!