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“ | Sure, it was difficult, but you are worth it! I mean, after all... I am your biggest fan. | „ |
~ Syndrome's most famous quote as he reveals his true identity to his former idol, Mr. Incredible. |
“ | I'll give them heroics. I'll give them the most spectacular heroics anyone's ever seen! And when I'm old and I've had my fun, I'll sell my inventions so that everyone can be superheroes. Everyone can be super! And when everyone's super… [chuckles evilly]… no one will be. | „ |
~ Syndrome explaining his true goal to culturally eradicate the supers. |
Buddy Pine, formerly known as IncrediBoy, and better known as Syndrome, is the main antagonist of Pixar's 6th full-length animated film The Incredibles, the first installment of the franchise of the same name.
He was the former biggest fan and wannabe sidekick-turned-archenemy of Mr. Incredible and the latter’s family who after being turned away by his idol, became a supervillain bent on destroying him and everything he holds dear, as well as eradicating the very concept of supers in the world.
He was voiced by Jason Lee, who also played Azrael in Dogma.
Appearance[]
Syndrome stood 5'7", excluding the height of his hair. He was barrel-chested, and he weighed 185 lb. His red (blonde as a child) hair extended straight up in a manner reminiscent of flames. Syndrome supposedly was "not a super", but he demonstrated exceptional ingenuity, technical knowledge, and planning skill far beyond the science of his time. His gadgets also let him perform superhuman feats or at least get past those more powerful than him.
Personality[]
“ | It tore me apart. But I learned an important lesson: You can't count on anyone, especially your heroes. | „ |
~ Syndrome's twisted philosophy. |
“ | See? Now you respect me because I'm a threat. That's the way it works. Turns out there are a lot of people, whole countries who want respect. And they will pay through the nose to get it. How do you think I got rich? I invented weapons. And now I have a weapon that only I can defeat. And when I unleash it, I'll get- | „ |
~ Buddy monologuing to Mr. Incredible now that he is Syndrome. |
Syndrome's personality (namely his callous disregard of others and lack of conscience or morality) all stem back to psychopathy and/or sociopathy. He is a derived and power-hungry scientist destined to make himself a “hero” even if it meant creating a destructive and killer robot to murder various retired ones.
Due to Mr. Incredible making him believe that he could count on nobody except for himself, he has no value of human life (except for his own) which was shown when he let loose the Omnidroid in Metroville to pretend to be a superhero, allowed missiles to fire on Helen, Dash, and Violet's plane even after discovering there were children on board and does not even value his own cohorts as shown that he was willing to risk Mirage's safety to dismiss Mr. Incredible's bluff of "crushing her", although he decided not to kill Jack-Jack's babysitter, Kari, and instead deceived her into giving her custody of Jack-Jack (though this may in part have been due to the fact that she was easily persuaded because of her being incapable of handling Jack-Jack's superhuman powers).
Syndrome was a scientific, technological, technical, and mechanical genius, and possessed the intelligence and resourcefulness sufficient to create an incredible variety of weaponry and equipment. He was also capable of creating a sentient, self-aware, incredibly powerful and intelligent being that ultimately defeated him despite him knowing how to destroy it. Even as a kid, he created rocket boots that let him travel great distances, including an entire skyscraper. He would use said rockets as his main mode of transportation upon assuming the identity of Syndrome which shows his superiority complex.
Aside from his derangement, Syndrome is cynical. He thinks that the only way to get respect was to become a threat. He shows himself to be extremely sadistic, as well, as shown when he overhears that Bob knew Helen from the transmission, he instantly set missiles on their plane. To show his cruelty, he allowed the audio to play to force Mr. Incredible to hear the destruction and smiles at his enemy’s despair. With both under the impression he had killed his family, Syndrome further emphasizes his cruelty by inhumanely mocking Mr. Incredible on their apparent deaths after recalling how Bob had told him that he worked alone. On top of this, he delighted in kidnapping Jack-Jack to get revenge on Bob's family further proving that he is willing to endanger even kids to achieve his goals.
Like many sociopaths, Syndrome holds a firm belief that mercy is a weakness, and disregarding life is strength, which was pointed out by Mirage. Syndrome himself is a very calm, levelheaded, and laid-back young man, rarely, if ever, expressing his temper. When Mr. Incredible had just destroyed his eighth Omnidroid, instead of initial anger, he simply compliments the feat by saying it was "surprising." This also shows when Bob takes Mirage hostage and Syndrome makes clear his lack of regard for the lives of others when he threatens to crush her. In addition to his lack of empathy, Syndrome proves himself to be ungrateful for kindness from others. In spite of Mirage protecting him from the enraged Mr. Incredible, Syndrome thanklessly continues to goad him.
Furthermore, despite being well aware of the difference between right and wrong, he did not understand why she was upset with him afterward. He was also perfectly willing to risk several lives once he set the Omnidroid free in the city just to boost his own ego and reap the benefits. Even as a child, he thought that being a hero was all about fighting bad guys and not saving people. That said, Syndrome can still lose it when provoked as shown when he snaps at Bob during the latter's attempt at reasoning with him.
Syndrome is an extremely spiteful, hypocritical, and vindictive individual. After being rejected by his former idol, it turned him into a megalomaniacal supervillain. However, he was still intelligent enough not to make his hatred allow him to be arrogant and realized that the Omnidroid would have to be worthy before fighting Bob hence why he tested it out on various other Supers. As one would expect from a sociopath, he showed no regard for others yet had no problem killing various Supers out of spite after he couldn't become one. Syndrome was still known to underestimate his enemies, such as Elastigirl believing that the missiles would destroy the plane. However, Elastigirl easily outsmarted him by turning herself into a parachute and saving her kids from falling to their deaths. Another example is that he believed that Mr. Incredible was weak and no longer a real hero after capturing him a second time. However, Syndrome was proven somewhat wrong when he destroyed his Omnidroid.
Despite his evil personality, Syndrome is also shown to have a comedic side, as he's often played up as the stereotype of an obsessive fanboy with way too many toys to play with, and is also a suitably hilarious take on seemingly jealous supervillains who just love the sound of their own voices too much. For instance, he remarks that Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl "married and got busy" after he noticed their children, and accidentally tossed Mr. Incredible far away while attempting to explain his plan to him. He also told Kari that the reason for there being an "S" on his suit was because it stood for "sitter" since initials for "babysitter" would've meant that he would've gone around wearing a big "BS", and he couldn't have gone with that. However, these traits do not contradict his actions.
However, Syndrome was not always like this. Buddy Pine was inventive and intelligent, though otherwise a little pestering and obnoxious. He was somewhat obsessed with Mr. Incredible, as he was a member of the fan club, knew his favorite catchphrases and fighting styles, and was his self-proclaimed number-one fan. He was a child prodigy, creating rocket boots that allowed him to fly. Sadly, however, his intrusions caused his idol to lose Bomb Voyage. After being rejected by Mr. Incredible when Buddy attempted to become the Robin to his Batman as IncrediBoy twice, the resentment led Buddy down a dark path until it became a desire for vengeance against his former idol and to make all superheroes obsolete.
Even as a child, Syndrome is made clear to have already had self-serving desires and a total disregard for superhero principles. He believed that being a superhero was about wearing cool outfits and getting to beat people up, showing no real desire to help others. Essentially, Syndrome just cared for the "Super" part and not for the "Hero" one. This was proven when Syndrome tells Mr. Incredible that all he wanted is to help him, a flashback of Syndrome's memory is seen, and the terrorist Bomb Voyage is absent from his mind. Therefore, although Mr. Incredible could have treated him better, perhaps even if Mr. Incredible had not rejected him, he would either still become a villain eventually, or at least an anti-hero as his reckless nature aside, Buddy's self-serving nature made him unworthy of being a hero. To be fair, however, he was a kid at the time, so he may not have understood what being a superhero really meant, though despite this, he didn't realize as he grew up that Mr. Incredible wasn't in the wrong, and even if he didn't want to forgive Mr. Incredible for his harsh treatment on him, that didn't justify going after supers who had nothing to do with his rejection.
Overall, Syndrome lacks any sympathetic or redeeming traits, despite his past and the fact that part of him still admires Bob. Even his goofier side does not do anything to detract from his villainy as it does nothing but show his spiteful and vindictive nature as well as more often than not emphasize his sadism. One of his greatest weaknesses was that he put no value in human life, and his inability to understand what being a real hero is about which ultimately led to his downfall.
In spite of his brilliant mind, Syndrome had many fatal flaws as a supervillain as a result of his megalomania, cynicism, vindictiveness, desire to make superheroes obsolete, his pathological desire for attention, and his ego. Chief among these, he failed to account for his enemy's abilities and intelligence, such as Mr. Incredible's ability to improvise while evading his probe, and Violet's force fields, which allowed them to escape his grasp. Furthermore, Syndrome was so obsessed with becoming a hero himself after wreaking his vengeance that he failed to account for the fact superheroes were banned by society.
Even if he had succeeded, he would have endured constant scrutiny from the government, and it is possible that the government could have eventually discovered his unscrupulous dealings with weapons and his murder of various superheroes. In addition, Syndrome's use of technology would have resulted in his eventual destruction if it was hacked or malfunctioned, or in the event that he had succeeded in his goals, as his technology would eventually become obsolete. His oversights were such that he failed to account for his Omnidroid realizing it was being controlled as a result of its ability to adapt.
As a result, Syndrome had no contingency plans in place for when his robot turned against him after it realized he was controlling it. If his plan had succeeded, Syndrome's weapons and inventions would have possibly also resulted in more terrible wars and arms races, making the world far more dangerous. His desire to wear capes was also a dangerous inconvenience, and it nearly led to his death as a boy by Bomb Voyage, and later to his actual death when his cape became snagged in his jet's engine and explosion.
Suffice to say, for all his genius, Syndrome was very short-sighted and had no thought about the consequences of what he would unleash if he achieved his goals. In an ironic twist he did not consider, not only did his plans fail but he ended up getting the complete opposite of what he wanted as when the Incredibles and Frozone defeated the Omnidroid, it led to a much more positive viewpoint towards superheroes that resulted in their re-legalization a few months after his death.
Weapons and Inventions[]
Syndrome's list of super weapons that he made was extensive, but several notable ones included:
- Rocket boots
- Zero-point energy ray (traps and paralyzes target{s} in an energy beam)
- Omnidroid models
- Tracking/Scanning devices
- Miniature explosives
- Velocipods
- Containment units (in which the prisoner has mine balls on their hand and feet and is held up in a field of zero-point energy, causing the prisoner to be unable to escape).
Skills and Abilities[]
- Genius Level Intelligence: Even though he has no superpowers, he is an enigmatic genius with significantly above-average gifted intellect, largely compensating for his lack of special powers and making him an extremely dangerous opponent.
- Technological Genius: Syndrome is an incredible technician, being able to create a wide variety of weapons and high-performance vehicles. He was able to create flying boots at a young age, which he later modified as an adult, indicating he was a child prodigy. As an adult, he made himself rich by selling his weapons and was able to earn a vast wealth and many henchmen. He was able to create restraint systems for Supers, flying vehicles for combat and transport, a very powerful explosive battery, a lie detector or a large number of highly sophisticated combat robots.
- Highly Qualified Tactician: Syndrome was also an excellent tactician, he was able to put in place a complex plan to get rid of Bob involving the mass murder of superheroes, lure Bob to his island easily by exploiting his desire to return to his superhero life, set up a bluff against Bob when he takes Mirage hostage, put in place a plan to pass himself off as a hero through his Omnidroids, though this plan finally failed, and easily gain the trust of Jack-Jack's babysitters, although this is due to her inability to handle the baby and her stupidity.
Arsenal[]
- Utility Gauntlets: Using zero-point energy, Syndrome could create a field of quantum energy that inhibited the majority of a victim's body movement. If the victim's skin is exposed, the range of motion of the victim's face was also taken to the minimum (only their eyes can move), and the ability to speak was also inhibited. These could be manipulated by simple finger movements.
- Field Blasts: Syndrome's quantum energy fields could also be fired in the forms of energy blasts and concentrated beams. Like the trigger for Spider-Man's web-shooters, the trigger for these weapons was located high on the palm of each hand to prevent most unwanted firings.
- Omnidroid Control: Syndrome's left-hand gauntlet also held the remote control for the Omnidroid.
- Communicator: A communicator is likely built into Syndrome's right-hand gauntlet.
- Bio-Probe - Used to locate temperature, atmosphere and life signals in various locations. Worn in the left-hand gauntlet.
- Miniature "I"-bomb - Small, but exceedingly powerful bomb contained in the right-hand gauntlet. Based on its detonation, its explosive may be triggered by impact as it doesn't explode until touching a rock. Unknown if it is exclusively a water bomb.
- Aero Boots - In his short days as IncrediBoy, Buddy used makeshift rockets. As Syndrome, his rocket boots were modified to project flames of blue fire.
- Omnidroid - To date, there have been ten known versions of this battle robot. The first nine were prototypes designed to fight and kill supers. The tenth was used in the foiled Operation Kronos. All of them were artificially intelligent, enabling it to solve any problem that it encounters; Omnidroid v.10 figured out that Syndrome used a remote device to control it and knocked him unconscious. Another feature of the Omnidroids is that they have colored eyes (e.g., 08 has a blue/green eye, v.10 has a red eye). The Omnidroid's only weakness is itself: in the film, Mr. Incredible scrambles into Omnidroid 08's inner workings, making the machine pierce its hull in a vain attempt to pry the hero free from inside, and later on, Mr. Incredible launched Omnidroid v.10's claw at it and tore right through it, ripping out its power core.
- Viper - Helicopter-like, VTOL vehicles with ducted fans attached that twist and turn to control the vehicle's altitude and movement. The ducted fans tend to decrease lift when changing the independent blade pitch.
- Velocipod - Round open cars with four surrounding blades that spin at exceedingly high speeds to keep them airborne.
- Manta Jets - Specially designed transporters resembling manta rays that have a translucent holographic monitor inside and can travel underwater.
- Energy Prisons - Prisons in which the victim is obtained inside a powerful electric field and unable to escape due to hard metal mine balls.
Behind the Scenes[]
“ | Imagine you want to be in with the cool crowd in school and they deny you access. You're a little bit crazy, as Syndrome is, and you will take revenge on these people in some fashion, to gain acceptance, because those insecurities exist... That's exactly what happens with Syndrome; he has an enormous chip on his shoulder. | „ |
~ Jason Lee describing Syndrome's character |
Conception and creation[]
Syndrome was originally meant to be a throwaway character. In a deleted scene (the alternate opening), Syndrome, after learning from an agent of his that Mr. Incredible had recently moved into a new neighborhood (after an incident where Mr. Incredible accidentally cleaved his hand with a butcher knife and, due to his superhuman durability, dented it in the process without injury to himself, and was forced to fake injury and hide the incriminating knife.), broke into the Incredible Family's home (the Incredibles used the last name "Smith" instead of "Parr"), disguising himself as a burglar and making enough noise to lure Bob to him, and then used Bob as a battering ram to wreck the home. He also tried to capture Violet while she was still in her infancy, but she, in her invisible state, regurgitated saliva onto his eyes (apparently, the baby Violet had a problem with this, as earlier in the scene, she regurgitated saliva onto her mother's shirt, much to the disgust of one of their neighbors), making him drop the parents. In response, Syndrome immobilized both Helen and Violet but became immobilized himself when Bob rolled a mirror between them and lodged him into the ceiling of Violet's room. Syndrome was ultimately killed when the family's home was totaled in a gas main explosion sparked by a flame in the fireplace (the Incredibles, however, managed to escape in time). In the same scene, Syndrome, upon discovering Violet, also hinted that Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl essentially broke the law by marrying and having children, although this concept was cut in the final version, as when a similarly scripted revelation occurred, he does not mention the legality of whether Supers should breed or not.
The villain was originally intended to be Xerek, a man who physically resembled the archetypal James Bond villain and had a much more conventional evil plot (whereas Syndrome would've been an old villain seeking revenge and would've been killed in the first scene). However, in terms of popularity with the creators, he was bested and replaced by Syndrome.
Other Media[]
Jack-Jack Attack[]
He appears in the short film Jack-Jack Attack. There, he was unmasked, and imposed himself to Kari McKeen as a "sitter" to "take care" of that short's namesake infant (when really, it's for his attempt on vengeance against the Parr family for thwarting his plan on faking heroism).
Disney Infinity[]
Syndrome appears as a playable character in the Disney Infinity video game series. While the main antagonist of the Incredibles Play Set level (which is likely set in an alternate universe where he survived the events of the 1st film), he also made a major antagonistic role in the 3.0 level, Toy Box Takeover, where he stole the Magic Wand from Mickey Mouse (as well as Merlin's magic wand) and tried to control the Toy Box world with the other villains (most notably Davy Jones, Venom, and Darth Vader as level bosses and the other Marvel villains within his "Hero Eliminator" level). When confronted in his lair, he used the Sidekick feature to make five copies of himself. After he was defeated, Syndrome and the other villains were blasted far away by Merlin's magic.
LEGO The Incredibles[]
Syndrome returns in the LEGO The Incredibles video game as an antagonist. While his role in the game's story mode is similar to the film on which it is based, his fate has been noticeably changed.
When the Parr family returned home after destroying the Omnidroid, they find the interior of the house covered in scorch marks before Syndrome stumbles into view admitting defeat and telling the family he will go into hiding. He also mentioned that they should tip their babysitter more, implying that Jack-Jack had already gotten the better of him.
Syndrome later reappears as a boss during the final crime wave in Metroville. He has his goons steal various technology to build a new Omnidroid so he can take over the city. He is eventually found in an abandoned warehouse where the boss fight takes place and is sent to prison after his defeat. Syndrome also becomes a playable character after stopping all crime waves in Metroville.
Disney Heroes: Battle Mode[]
Syndrome appears in the game as one of the playable and unlockable characters of the Incredibles category, he can stun enemies with his powers and can use his drone to get close to the enemy and explode.
Disney Emoji Blitz[]
Syndrome appears as an emoji in the game. He is unlocked using the Villain Box, His skill is that he can drag the emojis using his zero-point energy.
LEGO Pixar: BrickToons[]
He appears as the main villain of the episode "Pizza Night." He tries to knock out power across the entire city before he's defeated by Violet and Dash.
Quotes[]
“ | Cool! Ready for takeoff! | „ |
~ Young Buddy after he gets into a young Mr. Incredible's car and his first lines. |
“ | Oh, no, no, you don't have to worry about training me! I know all your moves, your crime-fighting style, favorite catchphrases, everything! I'm your number one fan! Hey! Hey, wait! | „ |
~ Buddy Pine's effort to become Mr. Incredible's sidekick, only for Mr. Incredible to eject him out of his car. |
“ | Surprising. We must bring him back. Sound the all clear, and… invite him to dinner. | „ |
~ Syndrome after witnessing Mr. Incredible beat the Omnidroid 08. |
“ | My name is not 'BUDDY'! And it's not Incredi-Boy, either! That ship has sailed. All I wanted was to help you. I only wanted to help! And what did you say to me? "Fly home, Buddy. I work alone." It tore me apart. But I learned an important lesson: You can't count on anyone, especially your heroes. | „ |
~ Syndrome, to Mr. Incredible. |
“ | You sly dog! You got me monologuing! I can't believe it! | „ |
~ Syndrome, to Mr. Incredible |
“ | It's cool, huh? Zero-point energy. Yeah, I saved the best inventions for myself. Am I good enough now?! Who's super now?! I'm Syndrome, your nemesis and… oh, brilliant. | „ |
~ Syndrome gloating before accidentally throwing Mr. incredible away. |
“ | Alright, try this one out for size, big boy. | „ |
~ Syndrome bombing Mr. Incredible. |
“ | Syndrome: YOU sir, truly ARE Mr. Incredible. You know, I was right to idolise you. I-I-I always knew you were tough, but tricking the probe by hiding under the bones of another super? Aw, MAN! I'm still geeking out about it! And then you just had to go and… ruin the ride. I mean Mr. Incredible calling for help? "Help me! Help me!" Lame, lame, lame, lame, LAME! Alright, WHO DID YOU CONTACT?! Mr. Incredible: Contact? What are you talking about? Syndrome: I am referring to last night at 2307 hours while you were snooping around. You sent out a homing signal. Mr. Incredible: I didn't know about the homing device. Syndrome: And now a government plane is requesting permission to land here. WHO DID YOU CONTACT?! Mr. Incredible: I didn't send for a plane. Syndrome: Play the transmission. Elastigirl: India Golf niner-niner, checking in. VFR on top. Over. Mr. Incredible: Helen! Syndrome: So you do know these people? Oh, well, then, I'll send them a little greeting. |
„ |
~ Syndrome after he kidnaps Mr. Incredible. |
“ | Too late! Fifteen years too late. | „ |
~ Syndrome after Mr. Incredible begs him to call off the missiles. |
“ | Ah, you'll get over it. I seem to recall you prefer to work alone? | „ |
~ Syndrome after apparently killing Mr. Incredible's family |
“ | Mr. Incredible: Release me! NOW! Syndrome: Or what? Mr. Incredible: I'll crush her. Syndrome: Oh, well, that sounds a little dark for you. Ah, go ahead. Mr. Incredible: It'll be easy. Like breaking a toothpick! Syndrome: Show me! |
„ |
~ Syndrome ordering Mr. Incredible to crush Mirage to her death, showing just how callous he is. |
“ | I knew you couldn't do it, even when you had nothing to lose! You're WEAK! And I've outgrown you. | „ |
~ Syndrome mocking Mr. Incredible after the latter refuses to kill Mirage. |
“ | What have we here? Matching uniforms? (*sees Elastigirl*) Oh, no. Elastigirl?! You married Elastigirl?! (*Laughs and soon notices Violet and Dash*) And got BUSY!!! It's a whole FAMILY of supers! Looks like I've hit the jackpot! Oh, this is just too good! | „ |
~ Syndrome realising Mr. Incredible's married to Elastigirl, aka Mrs. Incredible, fifteen years ago. |
“ | Syndrome: Huh, huh? Oh, come on! You got to admit, this is cool. Just like a movie! The robot will emerge dramatically, do some damage. Throw in some screaming people! And just when all hope is lost, Syndrome will save the day! I'll be a bigger hero than you ever were! Mr. Incredible: You mean you killed off real heroes so that you could PRETEND TO BE ONE?! Syndrome: Oh, I'm real. Real enough to defeat YOU! And I did it without your precious "gifts", your "oh-so-special" powers! |
„ |
~ Syndrome explains his plan for the Omnidroid to the Incredibles. |
“ | No, no. I'm a NEW Superhero! I'm SYNDROME!!! | „ |
~ Syndrome introducing himself to the citizens. |
“ | Alright, stand back! | „ |
~ Syndrome |
“ | Someone needs to teach this hunk of metal... a few manners! Ha-ha! | „ |
~ Syndrome punching one of the Omnidroid v10's arms. |
“ | Huh? NO. | „ |
~ Syndrome's frustrated breakdown after the Incredibles and Frozone foiled his plans. |
“ | Is this the Parrs' residence? | „ |
~ Syndrome to Kari. |
“ | Shh… the baby is sleeping. (*chuckles evilly*) You took away my future. I'm simply returning the favour. Oh, don't worry, I'll be a good mentor: supportive, encouraging, everything you WEREN'T. And in time, who knows? He might make a good sidekick. | „ |
~ Syndrome attempting to kidnap Jack-Jack in revenge for his loss. |
“ | This isn't the end of it! I will get your son eventually! I'll get your son! (*laughs evilly, but gasps after seeing Mr. Incredible hurling his car into the jet*) Oh, no. | „ |
~ Syndrome's last words. |
Relationships[]
Allies |
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Enemies |
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Trivia[]
- The Incredibles director Brad Bird voiced Syndrome in the deleted scenes for the DVD.
- In The Incredibles: The Video Game, Syndrome is completely absent in-game but he appears in cutscenes which are directly ripped from the film. The game ends after the destruction of the Omnidroid 10. The reason for this is unknown. An in-game model of Syndrome was leaked online. [1]
- Syndrome is the second main antagonist in a Pixar film to die, after Hopper from A Bug's Life.
- Syndrome was originally conceived as a minor villain in the film with the role of the main antagonist going to Xerek. However, due to his popularity with the film's producers, Syndrome was promoted to the main antagonist and Xerek was scrapped and instead appeared in The Incredibles comic series.
- In the alternate opening, Syndrome was established as an old enemy of Mr. Incredible who attacked the Parrs (then called the Smiths) after learning from an agent of his that Mr. Incredible had recently moved into the agent's neighborhood. He broke into the family's home, disguising himself as a burglar and making enough noise to lure Bob to him, and then used Bob as a battering ram to wreck the home. He also tried to kidnap Violet while she was still in her infancy, but she, in her invisible state, regurgitated saliva onto his eyes (apparently, the baby Violet had a problem with this, as earlier in the scene, she regurgitated saliva onto her mother's shirt, much to the disgust of one of their neighbors), making him drop the parents. In response to Helen grabbing Violet, Syndrome immobilized the two of them but became immobilized himself when Bob rolled a mirror between them, reflecting his zero-point energy beam back onto him. After being lodged into the ceiling of Violet's room, Syndrome was ultimately killed when the family's home was destroyed in a gas main explosion sparked by a flame in the fireplace.
- Syndrome's supervillain name might be a reference to the phenomenon known as "hero syndrome", in which a person who seeks fame and heroic recognition creates a harmful situation that they then can resolve, which was exactly what Syndrome was doing when he planned a Omnidroid attack in the city.
- In some novelizations, Syndrome's fate is not fully explained, likely due to the dark, violent nature of his death in the film. Instead of being sucked by the propellers, it is described that after Mr. Incredible launched his car against the plane, Syndrome was left without his getaway vehicle; it is then said that after that "anyone never heard anything about Syndrome again".
- Syndrome has the second highest body count out of all Pixar villains behind Mor'du.
- Syndrome is the only villainous animated character to be voiced by Jason Lee.
- Syndrome serves as a dark parallel to the following characters:
- Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible: They both desire the glory of being a superhero. However, while Bob's motivation was due of his sense of justice and desire to save people, Syndrome wants the praise and recognition. When the Super Relocation Act is passed, Bob continues to pursue the glory by illegally listening to the police scanner and helping out when he can. Syndrome, however, kills Supers to develop his Omnidroid which will be part of an elaborate Engineered Heroics scam that will bask in the glory without regards for those who may be hurt or killed as a result. Bob realizes his desire for the glory days has caused him to miss out on his family and apologizes, but Syndrome has no such realization. If Bob started to put his excessive obsessions with glorifying the golden age of superheroes and seeking public recognition before his family, he would've ended up like Syndrome.
- Mirage: Both have worked together for the purpose of targeting supers, with their headquarters being located in Nomanisan Island. However, Mirage herself doesn't actually hold anything against supers, and has a high sense of morality, as well, which is what lead to her complete redemption. Syndrome, on the other hand, hated supers ever since his youth, but also fails to completely know the difference between right and wrong, as demonstrated when he's only staging a battle between him and the Omnidroid v.10 in Metroville for the public admiration rather than for actual justice. Had Mirage not realized the error of her ways sooner and did not help the Incredibles stop Syndrome's plans, she would've ended up being like Syndrome himself.
- Evelyn Deavor: Both initially have nothing against supers before, but eventually grew to hate them due to agonizing experiences involving those beings (Evelyn's father was killed by burglars when the supers failed to arrive due to the Super Relocation Act law; Syndrome got rudely turned down by Mr. Incredible, albeit for safety reasons). Both them also possess no superpowers, therefore making them ordinary humans; however, their great intelligence compensates for their lack of powers. Both of their goals involve getting revenge against supers (Evelyn wants to ban supers forever; Syndrome wants to kill all supers and render them obsolete with his technology). But, while Evelyn has some redeeming qualities (as she still cares for her family, and that she has no plans on killing supers themselves), Syndrome is far more despicable as he enjoys killing others, including children. Syndrome also has gone so far with his crimes, that he even captures Jack-Jack out of spite. Thus, Syndrome is an example of what Evelyn would have become is she let her hatred of supers really consume her completely had she not recognized her own family more often.
- Ironically enough, Syndrome was indirectly responsible for Evelyn's tragic descent into villainy, since if he didn't ignored Mr. Incredible's warnings about the bomb on his cape while still as IncrediBoy, which was placed by Bomb Voyage, then the Super Relocation Act wouldn't have been fully enacted, which would've ensured the survival of her and Winston's parents from intruders at their old home.
- Syndrome is one of the very few Pixar villains to attempt child murder, along with Hopper, Thumper, Randall Boggs, Henry J. Waternoose III, Charles F. Muntz, and Ernesto de la Cruz.
- Syndrome is also the second Pixar villain whose defeat was caused by a young child. Randall Boggs from Monster’s Inc. was beaten by Boo after tackling him and bonking him on the head with a bat giving Sullivan the time to catch him off guard. Syndrome was attacked by his kidnappee Jack-Jack with his unforeseen powers such as being on fire, turned into iron, and transformed into a demon brute, causing him to loose his balance and giving Bob Parr the opening to throw his new car at Syndrome’s jet, thus leading him to his death.
- Ironically, for someone who fantasizes himself as being a "superhero", Syndrome has actually exemplified each of the seven deadly sins.
- Pride: He thinks highly of himself, believing that he deserves to be a hero while not giving any concern for the lives of others.
- Wrath: He's easily capable of losing his temper, and has developed a strong grudge against supers since youth.
- Envy: He gets embittered when someone else takes away any of his desired chances of attempting heroism.
- Sloth: He doesn't have the essential responsibilities of being a genuine hero, which includes morality. He also leaves most of his work to his robots and workers rather than himself.
- Gluttony: He continuously killed off numerous supers just so that he could be the "only living superhero".
- Greed: He only wanted to be a superhero for the fame and glory rather than actual justice.
- Lust: He's pleased with both the serial murders of various supers and the public attention he gets from his fake heroism. He's also implied to have a sexual relationship with Mirage, who he sees as nothing but a pawn.
External Links[]
- Syndrome on the Pure Evil Wiki
- Syndrome on the Disney Wiki
- Syndrome on the Pixar Wiki
- Syndrome on the The Incredibles Wiki
- Syndrome on the VS Battles Wiki
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