| Robert Parr Mr. Incredible | |
|---|---|
| The Incredibles character | |
Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible as he appears in the films and in other related media | |
| First appearance | The Incredibles (2004) |
| Created by | Brad Bird |
| Voiced by | Craig T. Nelson (2004–present) Pete Docter (Mr. Incredible and Pals) Richard McGonagle (video games) Jeff Bergman (Lego The Incredibles) |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Robert Parr |
| Alias | Mr. Incredible |
| Species | Human |
| Occupation | Superhero Claims adjuster (formerly) |
| Spouse | Helen Parr(wife) |
| Children |
|
| Nationality | American |
| Abilities |
|
Robert "Bob" Parr, also known asMr. Incredible, is a fictionalsuperhero who appears inPixar's animatedsuperhero filmThe Incredibles (2004) andIncredibles 2 (2018). He is a superhero who possessessuperhuman strength, durability, and stamina. He is married toHelen Parr, also known as Elastigirl, and has three children namedDash,Violet, andJack-Jack. He is voiced byCraig T. Nelson in the films, while inMr. Incredible and Pals and the video games, he is voiced byPete Docter,Richard McGonagle, andJeff Bergman.[1][2] He was created by writer/director,Brad Bird, and is partly based on Bird's father, with Bird stating, "He's a little bit like my dad, because my dad was a great guy, really funny and smart, and I love him dearly".[3]
Mr. Incredible is voiced byCraig T. Nelson.[4] Nelson had always wondered about wanting to do a voice role after he recalled seeingThe Iron Giant again; he did his voicework when not working onThe District, which he was starring in at the time of the sessions, which took over two years.[4][5] Nelson would reprise the role again in its2018 sequel.[6] In video games, he is voiced byRichard McGonagle.[7]
On the day he is set to marry his fiancée Helen (also known as Elastigirl), Bob Parr (also known as Mr. Incredible) rescues Oliver Sansweet from a skyscraper being robbed by a supervillain called Bomb Voyage. While the two confront each other, a young fan of Mr. Incredible, Buddy Pine, flies in with rocket boots, but Bob rejects him as his sidekick. Bob's collateral damage lawsuits turn public opinion against superheroes. The government initiates the Superhero Relocation Program, forcing "supers" to abandon their exploits.
Fifteen years later, Bob, Helen, and their children Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack live in the city of Metroville and keep their superpowers secret. Bob, along with his best friend Lucius Best orFrozone, occasionally relive "the glory days" by being avigilante at night. While Bob is working as an insurance adjuster, he attempts to stop someone getting mugged but his supervisor, Gilbert Huph, threatens to fire him, causing Bob to throw him through several walls. After being fired, Bob receives a message from a woman named Mirage asking him to fight anOmnidroid, a tripod-like robot that has gone rogue. Bob secretly takes up the offer and flies to an island called Nomanisan. After returning from battling with the droid, Bob starts to get into shape. He takes his superhero costume to designerEdna Mode who makes new superhero costumes for the entire family.
Heading back out to Nomanisan, Bob learns that Mirage is working for Buddy, who is now going by the superhero name Syndrome. Helen gets suspicious and discovers what Bob has been doing. She activates a beacon Edna built into the suits to find Bob, inadvertently causing him to be captured while infiltrating Syndrome's base. Helen borrows a private plane to travel to Nomanisan, with Violet and Dash as stowaways. After the family is reunited, they escape to Metroville with Mirage's help. Together Lucius and the Parrs fight to stop the Omnidroid and destroy it. When returning home, the Parrs figure out that Syndrome is trying to kidnap Jack-Jack, but Jack-Jack's own shapeshifting superpowers manifest and he escapes. Syndrome is sucked into a jet turbine by his own cape. Three months later, the Parrs witness the arrival of supervillain Doug Talpid, better known asthe Underminer.
TheIncredibles andFrozone battleThe Underminer and successfully prevent him from destroying City Hall, but are unable to stop him from robbing a bank and escaping. The collateral damage gives the jealous government the perfect excuse to shut down the Superhero Relocation Program, denying the Parrs and other superheroes financial assistance.Violet's love interestTony Rydinger discovers her superhero identity, causing agentRick Dicker to erase his memory of her.
Wealthy businessmanWinston Deavor and his sisterEvelyn, who run the media and telecommunications giant DevTech, propose secret missions for superheroes which will be recorded and publicized to regain public trust. Winston chooses the less accident proneElastigirl overMr. Incredible for the initial missions. Bob struggles in his new role as a stay-at-home parent: trying to helpDash with math homework, Violet's heartache over Tony standing her up for their first date (due to his memory wipe), andJack-Jack wreaking havoc with his burgeoning superpowers.Edna Mode develops a suit to help control Jack-Jack's abilities. Meanwhile, Elastigirl encounterssupervillain "the Screenslaver", who projectshypnotic images via TV screens. After preventing him from destroying a crowdedcommuter train, and thwarting his attempt to assassinate an ambassador, she tracks him to an apartment building and unmasks him as a pizza deliveryman who claims to have no recollection of his actions.
At a party celebrating the Screenslaver's arrest, Winston announces a summit of world leaders to legalize superheroes, hosted aboard his luxury yacht, theEverjust. Elastigirl discovers that the arrested pizza deliveryman is not Screenslaver but was beingcontrolled by hypnotic goggles. Evelyn forces the goggles onto Elastigirl, revealing herself to be the Screenslaver. While keeping her restrained via a chair in a freezing cold room to limit her stretching abilities, Evelyn explains her grudge against superheroes since her father was killed by burglars while trying to call superheroes for help instead of hiding, during the banning and relocation of superheroes 15 years before; (unlike Winston who rightfully believed the lack of superheroes was the reason) and her mother's subsequent death due to heartache. She plans to sabotage her brother's summit by causing a catastrophe to irreparably tarnish the reputation of all superheroes, ensuring they remain outlawed forever and the public will not return to relying on superheroes to handle crises. She lures Bob into a trap and sends a group of hypnotized superheroes to subdue the Parr children. Frozone tries to protect them but is overwhelmed.
Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack escape in a refurbished Incredibile, the supercar once owned by their father, and reach Winston's yacht. On board, the hypnotized Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, and Frozone recite a vindictive manifesto on air designed to paint superheroes as a threat, and then subdue the ship's crew, aim the yacht at the city, and destroy the controls. Jack-Jack removes Elastigirl's goggles; she in turn frees Mr. Incredible and Frozone. The Incredibles and Frozone release the other mind-controlled superheroes, and all work together to turn the yacht from crashing into the city. Elastigirl apprehends Evelyn attempting to escape in a jet. Superheroes regain legal status around the world.
Some time later, Tony accompanies Violet to a movie with the family. When the Parrs spot a carload of bank robbers, Violet leaves Tony at the theater, promising to be back in time, and the Incredibles suit up and give chase in their Incredibile.
Bob has received a generally positive reception from reviewers. Scott Nye ofSlant Magazine praised the maturity of hisstory arc, particularly his rejection of his job in pursuit of his dream and his acknowledgement of his responsibilities to his family.[8]The Austin Chronicle considered Bob's yearnings to return to his old superhero life to be realistic and touching.[9]Stephanie Zacharek fromTime positively commented on the realism of Bob inIncredibles 2 as an exhausted stay-at-home father and considered his adjustment to his wife's superhero work to be an exploration of the fragile male ego.[10] Staff atThe Ringer had a mixed response when assessing Bob's parenting skills but found him to be a competent father who attempts to fix his mistakes and learns about the challenges of raising children.[11] In aForbes review ofIncredibles 2, staff writer Scott Mendelson thought that the role reversal of Bob and Helen's working life was handled with sensitivity and noted that Bob is not depicted as a completely incapable father, but instead attempts to better himself to be a responsible parent, even asking for help from others when necessary.[12] Film criticMark Kermode felt that middle-aged viewers would be able to identify with Bob's parenting struggles and the challenges of feeling sidelined.[13]
In September 2021, Mr. Incredible became the subject of anInternet meme commonly referred to as "Mr. Incredible Becoming Uncanny". The meme features an illustration of Bob Parr, who becomes more traumatized, distorted and horrific. In 2022, the meme got more popular and more phases were added, including the sequel, "Mr. Incredible Becoming Canny". He becomes happy/ascended instead of traumatized.[14]