‘Incredibles 3’ Is The Second Time The Series Missed A Perfect Storyline
Incredibles 3 (2028) is officially happening and has had many people wondering if this was a sequel we even needed and what kind of theme the story would have in the first place. Continuing from where the last film left off, superheroes are back in fashion as a new team is formed by Bob Odenkirk's Winston Deaver.
This film's main focus is on the kids, Dash, Violet, and Jack-Jack, while Mr. Incredible goes through an identity crisis. But as some ideas feel fresh and others rehashed, it reminds us that this is the second time the series has missed its biggest advantage: a time skip.
A Time Skip Is Exactly What ‘The Incredibles’ Needed
The Incredibles (2004) nailed its pulp '50s aesthetic, harkening back to the golden age of superheroes and science fiction. The framing of a retired superhero getting his mojo back is both fun and relatable for multiple demographics, and the story itself was heartfelt.
The first film told us everything we needed to understand the world of the Incredibles, and its conclusion showed that superhero life could continue without a problem. Instead, the sequel picked up right where that story left off, when it would've been even better to see the main cast a few years older and more experienced.
By the third movie, if the time-skip method were used, we would feel like we've lived with these characters in the same way the Toy Story franchise had us grow with Andy for three movies. It's a powerful method to comment on the various eras of superheroes while still keeping its themes of family and purpose intact without it feeling overdone, especially with how the idea of superheroes evolved after the '50s.
Years Between Movies Make It Hard for ‘The Incredibles’ to Grow
One of the biggest problems following The Incredibles was the time it took between films. Incredibles 2 (2018) hit theaters over a decade after the first and even had an apology video from the creators and cast for the wait. Pixar has always been notorious for not doing too many sequels, and if they had one, there had to be a strong reason.
But the wait between movies meant that many had forgotten what actually happened in the first film on a deeper level, resulting in a plot that felt very similar to the first, with Elastigirl as the focal point instead, not long after they defeated Syndrome. The movie itself was still a fun time and explained the lore, but that was about it.
It's hard to see our favorite characters grow when we have no time passed for them to grow. We wanted to see the kids become more adept at their powers, and we didn't get that the way we hoped. Then, when it ended, we had no idea whether or when another sequel would come, or what that would mean for our characters, since we've now had two films with little growth in the family.
Introducing the Children as Older Could Have Helped ‘The Incredibles’
Had a time skip between films been used, we could've seen the kids in a much larger light that would've shown how their life as heroes differs from Bob and Helen's. For example, if we followed the story over some decades, we could see colorful villains from different eras and larger stakes than a villain like Bomb Voyage or even Syndrome. Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl may not know how to handle it, but they can still help their kids defeat these new enemies with their wisdom.
There's also the chance that the kids will find love, and by the third film, we see a new generation of Incredibles and the hope of even more stories. With so many years between films, growing with our heroes makes the most sense and creates deeper narratives to explore.
The first two Incredibles movies were far from bad, but while the first one was a masterpiece, the second felt like it was missing something to make it stand out. The hope would be that the third one would avoid this, and focusing on the kids is a great start. But there's also the wonder of what the universe would look like if the kids remained the focus and grew after the second movie.
