Jack-Jack Parr is the newest addition to the superhero family The Incredibles from Pixar. Created by the brilliant Brad Bird, this baby superhero is one of the funniest characters in the saga. From his place in the work, to the films and his role in the extended universe, here are 8 facts that you (maybe) didn’t know about Jack-Jack Parr aka the baby of the Incredibles:
#8 The name Jack-Jack is a play on words that is almost untranslatable into French
In original version, Flèche’s first name is actually Dash. The Disney France team therefore preferred to change its name to better convey the idea behind the concept of the character. However, for Jack-Jack, the translation immediately proved to be a headache, and his first name has remained the same. Indeed, the first name of the latest addition to the Parr family (the Incredibles) is as original as it is rich in meaning. In reality, Jack-Jack refers to the expression “Jack of all trades, master of none”.
In the United States, this expression is used to refer to a person who has acquired varied skillsrather than becoming an expert by focusing on a single area. “Jack of all trades” is often used as a compliment to someone who is good at repairing or creating things, and who has a good level of general knowledge.This type of person is often considered a chameleon : an individual who knows enough about various professions and skills to be able to combine them in a practical way. In France, it is the equivalent of the expression “to be a jack of all trades”. Suffice it to say that finding a first name that would have made it possible to make an equivalent play on words was not an easy thing.
#7 Jack-Jack’s nanny found a way to trigger his powers
The Incredibles, like most of Brad Bird’s films, each frame overflows with a thousand and one references and clues to better understand the film and its message. For example, in the first film, Jack-Jack’s nanny, Kari McKeen, tells Hélène Parr that she has planned lots of activities so that he has a good time, and thatshe also plans to make him listen to Mozart to make it smarter. However, as we know, it is during this babysitting that Jack-Jack will manifest his powers.
Obviously, drowned in the middle of a large amount of information, the reference to classical music only appears as an anecdotal element on Kari’s part. Except… dyears The Incredibles 2, we discover that after spending a night under the supervision of Edna Mode, Jack-Jack is calmer, more in control of his powers, and listens to Mozart again. In all likelihood, the music of the famous Austrian composer is therefore an important key in Jack-Jack’s relationship with his powers.
#6 Jack-Jack was infected by an alien virus before he was born
In the very first comic book from Incredibles and titled City of Incredibles #1, we discover how the Parr family learns of the upcoming birth of Jack-Jack while they are still prohibited from acting as superheroes. However, although the superheroes immediately respected the law and ceased their vigilante careers, the super-villains are still very active. The doctor who follows the pregnancy of Hélène Parr (aka Elastigirl) is a superhero specialist, Doctor Will Sunbright. Bad luck, the doctor is taken hostage by supervillains the day Hélène is due to give birth.
Mister Pixel and Tronasaurus, two super-villains from the dangerous Confederation of Crime, threaten to kill Doctor Sunbright if he doesn’t give them the alien virus container immediately which he keeps hidden in his laboratory. Luckily, the Incredibles arrive and fight the bad guys between contractions. The Incredibles manage to defeat the villains and Helene gives birth to Jack-Jack. Unfortunately, for a brief moment, Elastigirl held the alien virus container, and it appears that Jack-Jack, still in his mother’s womb, was exposed to it. His body appears to have absorbed and mutated the virus, but there is nothing to certify that it is the source of his many powers.
#5 Jack-Jack has at least 18 superpowers
To the great dismay of his father, Jack-Jack takes a long time to reveal his superpowers. During almost the entire first film, this adorable baby seems to be an ordinary child. Obviously, as you can imagine from the first minute, Jack-Jack reveals that he does indeed have superpowers in the final minutes of the filmwhich allows the ultimate conflict with the villain Syndrome to be resolved. The real surprise is that this little superhero is especially endowed with several superpowers.To date, in two films and three short films (and before the upcoming arrival of Incredibles 3), Jack-Jack has already revealed 19 superpowers to us, which are the following:
Superhuman strength and durability / Ability to crawl on walls / Polymorphism / Transformation into baby demon / Transformation into a fire baby / Transformation into a giant baby / Mimicry / Metal body / Body made of rubbery substance / Molecular vibration / Duplication / Phasing / Teleport / Interdimensional travel / Laser eyes / Electricity production / Telekinesis / Levitation.
#4 Jack-Jack created an army of super villains
Shortly after the events of the first film, an evil mutant gorilla named Ungorilla threatens the city. The Incredibles rush to save the day, but Elastigirl asks Violet to stay away from the action and keep Jack-Jack safe in one of her force fields. Unfortunately, the situation quickly becomes explosive and Violette loses Jack-Jack, who is then picked up by one of Ungorilla’s many henchmen. Jack-Jack isn’t scared, but that’s when the alien virus that infected him before his birth wakes up.. Jack-Jack sneezes and Ungorilla’s henchman is hit by contaminated miasma.
No sooner is he hit by the alien virus than the Ungorilla soldier immediately finds himself endowed with superpowers and becomes a Human Torch. Realizing the baby’s potential, he takes him to his base and introduces Jack-Jack to his co-workers. One by one, the henchmen are contaminated and all become supermen. So, because of Jack-Jack, an entire army of super-villains is born. Worse, Ungorilla’s subordinate named Shifty arranges to be overexposed to the virus. He then becomes an overpowered monster and mutates until it transforms into a gigantic dragon which attacks the Incredibles.
#3 Jack-Jack’s nanny moved very (very!) far away
You’ve probably noticed it, but the movie Ratatouille features, in the background, the return of the villain Bomb Voyage. This character, whom Mr. Incredible confronts in the introduction to the film, has returned to France and has resumed his activity as a mime, unless, of course, he is hatching a new explosive plan. Pixar has officially confirmed that the mime in Ratatouille is indeed Bomb Voyageas also indicated in a newspaper that Colette reads, where Bomb Voyage appears on the front page. However, this is not the only character in the Incredibles to have started a new life in Paris. For a few seconds, we see the silhouette of Kari McKeen behind a window. We don’t know if it was the department in charge of superhero anonymity that moved it, but 40 years after the events of the first film, Jack-Jack’s poor nanny has become a Parisian.
#2 Jack-Jack met the toys from Toy Story
During one of his many adventures, Jack-Jack is kidnapped by the Crime Confederation. This group of criminals, wishing to study the nature of his powers, locks him in an isolation room. To prevent the baby from panicking, the room has been designed with all the comforts necessary for a child of his age, including many toys. However, in the Pixar universe, all these toys are those of Toy Story. We see thus Jack-Jack alongside Monsieur Potato, Zig-Zag, Pile-Poil and even a three-eyed alien from Pizza Planet.
#1 Jack-Jack could become a super-villain
As we mentioned a little earlier, Jack-Jack is responsible for the appearance of an army of super villains. However, this is not his only misdeed. Indeed, as we see in the film, the young superhero not only has a strong character, but also a slight propensity for violence. It is also largely because of him that the villain Syndrome dies in an extremely violent manner in the first film. Subsequently, whether in the short film which shows it mistreating his nanny or in the second film, we see that he takes pleasure in causing disasters and even finds it amusing to burn his father’s hair.
In the comics Les Indestructibles 2: Crisis in Mid-Life! & Other Stories #1we discover Jack-Jack embarking on his first solo adventure. However, the latter is not entirely a good deed, since he mistreats a balloon seller disguised as a turtle, thinking that he had stolen balloons from a child. Finally, in the comics Les Indestructibles 2: Heroes at Home, we see a Jack-Jack who plays, with real mischief, Flèche and Violette, who are supposed to watch him for the evening.
And if you’re a fan of The Incredibles, you can discover 8 facts that you didn’t know (maybe) about the Incredibles films, but also about Mr. Incredible/Bob Parr or how the artist Warrick Wong reimagined them in badass mode right here .
Keywords :
The IncrediblesBrad BirdpixarDisneyComicssyndromemirageLEGOratatouilleThe Incredibles 2
