Media Through Time

An Incredible Story: Relating Modern Disney Heroes to Ancient Archetypes

Heroes are not heroes simply because someone says they are. Heroes are heroes because they have faced a series of events that build character and test their strength. The Greek character Odysseus is one such hero, torn from his family and desperately trying to find his way back. He is, however, just one hero among many. Even today, heroes face the same basic conflicts and confrontations with which Odysseus dealt. In the case of Mr. Incredible from the Disney movie The Incredibles, the parallels between the heroes are striking.

The Call

In Odysseus’ case, the call comes in the

form of leaving home to do battle

with Troy over Helen.

For Mr. Incredible, the call comes

when the “super hero” goes into

hiding following a daring deed that

did more harm than good.

The call is the first step in any hero’s journey.

AlliesA key part to any hero’s journey, allies help the hero

prepare for and complete his or her journey.

Odysseus is aided in his journey by people and gods alike. His crew plays a huge part in helping him return to Ithaca, and later the Phaiacians, Alcinoos, Nausicaa,

Aiolos, Hermes, and Teiresias do as well. Even Circe and Calypso offer aid after keeping

him for nine years between them. Once he reaches home, Odysseus is helped by three

loyal servants. And, of course, no one could forget his

ever-watchful companion, the goddess Athena.

Allies (con’t)Mr. Incredible also receives help from a

plethora of people. Aiding him in his journey back to heroism and fame at various times in said journey are his friend and fellow hero, Frozone, the “designer to the supers,” Edna Mode, his family, and friend-turned-enemy-

turned-friend Mirage who helps Mr. Incredible escape his enemy’s lair.

Crossing the ThresholdThe crossing of the threshold represents the

official commencement of the hero’s journey.

Odysseus’ crossing occurs when he leaves Troy and sets off for Ithaca.

Mr. Incredible’s crossing occurs when he receives a message and begins acting

like a superhero again.

Road of TrialsThe road of trials is comprised of the majority of the obstacles thrown into

the hero’s path. The trials may seem like they last forever, but without them, the hero would not have the character to live up to his or her potential.

Odysseus faces trouble wherever he goes. On various islands he finds roadblocks like the lotus-

eaters and the cyclops. On other islands he finds people who

convince him to stay for a time, like Circe and Calypso. On the sea

Odysseus is battered by Poseidon’s storm and comes face-to-face with dangers like the sirens, Scylla, and

Charybdis.

Road of Trials (con’t)Mr. Incredible largely faces a series of increasingly more high-tech robots designed by his enemy Syndrome. Like Odysseus escaped Polyphemos by stabbing the monster in the eye, Mr. Incredible destroys the first of the robots by taking out its eye. (Clips open in separate window.) Later, he is locked up in Syndrome’s lair underneath his private island.

Later, he is locked up in Syndrome’s lair underneath

his private island.

Saving Experience/GiftOdysseus’ saving experience is

represented by the Phaiacians aid in finally returning him to Ithaca. A

people who regularly offer transport across water, they finally

bring to fruition Odysseus’ main goal of two decades.

Mr. Incredible is helped by Mirage when he is trapped as Syndrome’s captive. Following this, he is reunited with his family, albeit they are temporarily trapped again.

The ReturnAfter many long, unanticipated years, Odysseus returns home only to find

his home overrun with suitors hoping to woo his reluctant wife. Disguised

as a beggar, he deals with the suitors by triumphing in a

competition of skill with a bow and arrow

and proceeds to slay all who disrespected him, his family, and his

home.

The Return (con’t)

Mr. Incredible’s return comes when he leaves the island via hijacked rocket and returns to, with help from family and friends,

save the city from Syndrome’s latest robot

run amuck.

Sharing the GiftUltimately in both stories, the final gift is peace. Odysseus,

after killing his near-usurpers, comes to peace with their families and the people of

Ithaca, thanks largely to Athena’s intervention. The city

inhabited by the Incredibles has its heroes and constant

protection back. All ends well for all.

Works Cited (Part I)“Athena and Odysseus.” Image. deviantART. deviantART, 2012. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://geniusbee.deviantart.com/art/Athena-and-Odysseus-

153423057>.“Athena.” Image. FZN Honors English 1. Wikispaces, n.d.. Web. 6 May 2012. <https://fznhonorsenglish1.wikispaces.com/Odyssey+books+1-5 >.“Calypso.” Image. Greek Myths & Greek Mythology. N.p., n.d.. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/calypso-odysseus-

greek-myth/ >.“Circe.” Image. Necropolis Now. Blogspot, 9 Sept. 2011. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://necropolisnow.blogspot.com/2011/09/witches-of-ancient-

greece-and-rome.html >. Cletamane. “A odisseia - Cíclope ( The odyssey - cyclops ).” Video. YouTube. YouTube, 8 Sept. 2011. Web. 6 May 2012.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5OERqTniro&feature=youtu.be&t=5m30s >.DisneyPixar. “The Incredibles on Blu-ray: "Mr.Incredible vs. The Robot" – Clip.” Video. YouTube. YouTube, 28 Mar. 2011. Web. 6 May 2012.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK9oPk8bsvk>. “Edna Mode.” Image. Screened. N.p., n.d.. Web. 6 May 2012.

<http://www.screened.com/edna-mode/15-374/all-images/132-1926090/edna_mole/131-140464/ >.“Frozone.” Image. Shadow and Light. Blogspot, 7 Aug. 2010. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://shadowandlight-chiara.blogspot.com/>.“Incredible Covert Message.” Image. Google Images. Google, n.d.. Web. 6 May 2012.

<http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i843.photobucket.com/albums/zz352/loaloauk/Universal%2520Singapore/Disney%2520and%2520more/07-big-e1296235084908.jpg&imgrefurl=http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2011/01/did-steve-jobs-test-ipad-with.html&usg=__v2ghvkMstkJuxaioAFZjkUx2_yQ=&h=285&w=640&sz=19&hl=en&start=1&zoom=1&tbnid=Qpox-i0kS1oUHM:&tbnh=73&tbnw=165&ei=z9emT4PFE4qF6QGM44G1BA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bincredibles%2Bmirage%2Bmessage%26tbnh%3D73%26tbnw%3D165%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26sig%3D101423480107013733829%26biw%3D1311%26bih%3D609%26tbs%3Dsimg:CAESEglCmjH6LSRLWiEJjjNHXvrGmw%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=72&vpy=192&dur=6065&hovh=150&hovw=337&tx=228&ty=93&sig=101423480107013733829&page=1&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:80 >.

“Incredible Family.” Image. Classes and Careers. One on One Marketing, 26 May 2010. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://www.classesandcareers.com/collegelife/5-reasons-why-pixar-needs-to-make-the-incredibles-2/>.

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baaaaaaaack-with-another-ridiculous.html >.“Incredible Trapped.” Image. Bluelight. Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd, n.d.. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/threads/619908-you-just-

inherited-your-own-island-in-the-pacific/page3 >.“Incredibles Logo.” Image. English Language Literature. Wordpress, 2012. Web. 3 May 2012.

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king_alcinous/131-356161/ >.

Works Cited (Part II)“Lotus-Eaters.” Image. Sculpt Fine Art. N.p., n.d.. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://www.sculpturefineart.com/index.cfm?sid=2533&pid=38714&item=6187 >. Marcelotanos. “Incredibles part 2.” Video. YouTube. YouTube, 31 Aug. 2009. Web. May 6 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-

qlBGMYvkuU&feature=related>. “Military Intervention.” Image. War Geeks. vBulletin Solutions Inc, 27 Jun. 2011. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://wargeeks.org/showthread.php/10325-50-Greatest-

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71024,00.html >.“Mr. Incredible and Frozone.” Image. IGN Movies. IGN Entertainment, 4 Nov. 2004. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://movies.ign.com/articles/563/563285p1.html >. “Mr. Incredible Poster.” The Disney Wiki. Wikia, 5 Feb. 2012. Web. 5 May 2012. <http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/File:Mr._incredible_Poster.jpg>.“Mr. Incredible Profile.” Image. Giant Bomb. CBS Interactive Inc, 2012. Web. 5 May 2012. <http://www.giantbomb.com/mr-incredible/94-9492/>.“Nausicaa.” Image. The Wulfshead. Blogspot, n.d.. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://wulfshead.blogspot.com/2009/09/where-does-nausicaa-go.html >.“Odysseus Boat.” Image. HowIsHow. HowIsHow, 2010. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://howishow.eu/search/odysseus-ships.html >.“Odysseus Sailing.” Image. Schoolwork Helper. St. Rosemary Educational Institution, 11 Feb. 2011. Web. 6 May 2012.

<http://schoolworkhelper.net/2011/02/homer-iliad-odyssey-greek-history/ >.“Odysseus Sculpture Head.” Image. The Fine Young Gentleman. Wordpress, 27 Mar. 2012. Web. 5 May 2012.

<http://www.thefineyounggentleman.com/2012/03/odysseus-on-style/>.“Odysseus Ship.” Image. Myths Encyclopedia. Advameg, 2012. Web. 3 May 2012. <http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Ni-Pa/Odyssey-The.html>.“Odysseus the Beggar.” Image. Pan Historia. Pan Historia Inc, n.d.. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://www.panhistoria.com/Stacks/Novels/Character_Homes/home.php?

CharID=9626>.“Omnidroid.” Image. Eat My Zombie. Wordpress, 14 Jan. 2011. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://www.eatmyzombie.com/15-most-powerful-sci-fi-robots>. “Peace.” Image. Addiction Journal. Wordpress, 1 Mar. 2012. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://addictionjournal.net/?p=3319>.“Phaiacians Preparing to Sail.” Image. The Department of Greek and Latin at the Ohio State University. Ohio State University, n.d.. Web. 6 May 2012.

<https://greekandlatinmedia.osu.edu/index.cfm?fuseaction=collections.seeItemInCollection&CollectionID=e634ba1b-2e57-4435-89d5-d6ff099df87a&ItemID=ca1db091-862e-4494-92dc-ebefd6d4b49e>.

“Polyphemos.” Image. Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 3 May 2012. Web. 6 May 2012. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphemus >.“Robot Hand.” Image. D A T S U N. N.p., 2009. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://www.datsun.org/roadster/resources/incredibles.html>.“Sailing Ship.” Image. Just Food Now. Just Food Now, 3 Oct 2010. Web. 5 May 2012. <http://www.justfoodnow.com/2010/10/03/homer-revisited-odysseus-and-i/>.“Scylla and Charybdis.” Image. The Book Palace. The Book Palace, n.d.. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://www.bookpalace.com/acatalog/Home_Roger_Payne.html >. “Shooting Axes.” Image. Odysseyschoenborn. Wikispaces, n.d.. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://odysseyschoenborn.wikispaces.com/Book+XXI>. “Sirens.” Image. Liberating Spaces. Wordpress, 31 Dec. 2009. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://www.aribo.eu/tag/technology/ >.SubComFeppo. “THE ODYSSEY Full Movie.” Video. YouTube. YouTube, 12 Feb 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?

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science/t/odysseus-return-trojan-war-dated/>.

Works Cited (Part III)

“Polyphemos.” Image. Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 3 May 2012. Web. 6 May 2012. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphemus >.“Robot Hand.” Image. D A T S U N. N.p., 2009. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://www.datsun.org/roadster/resources/incredibles.html>.“Sailing Ship.” Image. Just Food Now. Just Food Now, 3 Oct 2010. Web. 5 May 2012.

<http://www.justfoodnow.com/2010/10/03/homer-revisited-odysseus-and-i/>.“Scylla and Charybdis.” Image. The Book Palace. The Book Palace, n.d.. Web. 6 May 2012.

<http://www.bookpalace.com/acatalog/Home_Roger_Payne.html >. “Shooting Axes.” Image. Odysseyschoenborn. Wikispaces, n.d.. Web. 6 May 2012.

<http://odysseyschoenborn.wikispaces.com/Book+XXI>. “Sirens.” Image. Liberating Spaces. Wordpress, 31 Dec. 2009. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://www.aribo.eu/tag/technology/ >.SubComFeppo. “THE ODYSSEY Full Movie.” Video. YouTube. YouTube, 12 Feb 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=b6RXwZkKujU&feature=youtu.be&t=2h42m30s>. “Suitor Slaughter Horizontal.” Image. MSNBC. MSNBC, 23 Jun. 2008. Web. 6 May 2012.

<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25337041/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/odysseus-return-trojan-war-dated/>.“Suitor Slaughter Vertical.” Image. Spirit of the Ages. N.p., n.d.. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://spiritoftheages.com/the%20toils

%20and%20travels%20of%20odysseus%20(1908)%20-%20frank%20c%20pape.htm>.“Teiresias.” Image. Google Image. Google, n.d.. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://www.google.com/imgres?

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“Trapped Incredibles.” Image. TLC. Discovery Communications, LLC, n.d.. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/how-the-incredibles-works5.htm>.

“Wrecked City.” Image. D A T S U N. N.p., 2009. Web. 6 May 2012. <http://www.datsun.org/roadster/resources/incredibles.html>.