With the recent announcement of Megamind’s Guide to Defending Your City coming to Peacock, it seems that the internet has been vindicated in their support of what many had written off as a generic DreamWorks flick back in 2010. Audiences are now seeing that the film was ahead of its time given the way it critiqued superhero media.
While Megamind might not be as insightful as The Boys with its deconstruction of superhero commercialism, the movie’s broad humor and willingness to poke fun at superhero tropes have made it a timeless feature. There’s nothing in the film that anchors it specifically to the year 2010, and this fact, along with the sharp comedy, has been crucial in understanding why Megamind’s memes continue to be popular on the internet.
Some Coincidence
While it’s generally easy to dismiss conspiracy theories as the inane ramblings of uninformed citizens, it’s hard to ignore the similarities between Megamind and Despicable Me. As the meme points out, both movies are about villains who are assisted by silly minions and who become good guys by the conclusion of their films.
Though it’s likely that one film was inspired by the other during production, it should be noted that the specifics of each story vary. Megamind is about how a man is capable of change when given the opportunity to do so, while Despicable Me is more focused on becoming more compassionate because of family.
He Did It
The whole plot of Megamind is built around the idea of a supervillain actually succeeding in killing his arch-nemesis. While Megamind is like the scrappy rogue in the meme, his plan technically wasn’t flawless given the fact that Metro Man let him win.
Beyond summing up the premise of the movie, the meme also works to describe the finale, wherein Megamind legitimately proves himself. Against all odds, he was able to defeat Titan and save the city, despite how little faith people had in him
Clowning His Way Out Of Prison
Due to being voiced by the hilarious Will Ferrell, Megamind is something of a comical trickster. His supervillain plans never amount to anything more than silly attempts to take over the city, and his stints in prison don’t do anything to alter the character’s behavior.
Despite the meme pointing to the lack of remorse Megamind has regarding his crimes, it also alludes to the idea that Megamind is a relatively harmless person. He might be responsible for millions of dollars of property damage, but he’s never intentionally hurt anyone in his skirmishes with Metro Man.
Rejected For A Blue Guy
Hal Stewart starts out as a goofy but likable supporting character in Megamind who harbors a crush on his co-worker Roxanne Ritchie. Despite the clear signs that Roxanne isn’t interested in him, Hal continues to pursue her until she makes it abundantly clear that the two aren’t meant to be.
While the meme comes from Hal’s perspective and lends the character some level of sympathy, it also points to the danger of Hal’s obsessiveness. The character believes Roxanne belongs to him, and that misogyny ultimately leads him to go down a path of villainy once he’s granted superpowers.
Speed-Walking Nearby
Roxanne Ritchie is the object of affection for several characters in Megamind. She and Metro Man used to be a thing, her co-worker Hal is constantly making googly eyes at her, and even Megamind begins to crush on her after he takes on the guise of Bernard.
Because of the number of people who want to be with Roxanne, it would make sense that she would be conscious and worried about people creeping on her. The irony of it all is that the person she is that she fails to realize the person she’s most creeped out by is the person she has begun dating.
Megamind Did It First
While nowhere near as gory or politically charged as The Boys, DreamWorks’ Megamind did subvert the superhero genre first. The two properties are largely focused on saying different things with their stories, but both offer up a “realistic” portrayal of what happens when people get superheroes.
What makes the EquivalentInflation’s meme so potent is that it draws a parallel between two properties most people wouldn’t even consider comparing. Megamind is aimed at families while the Boys is geared towards adults, yet both show how people become selfish jerks when they become “super.”
Villains Vs. Supervillains
Centered around one of the most iconic moments from Megamind, nixonico’s meme works to sum up several aspects of the film Megamind. The obvious application of the meme comes in comparing it to one of the film’s earliest scenes, where Megamind chooses to become a supervillain after failing to make friends in school (thanks in part to Metroman).
While the scenario points to how vindictive Megamind is at the start of the film, he largely views his rivalry with Metroman as a game. So it is that when he faces off against Titan, he’s shocked at how seriously the upstart hero treats Megamind’s manipulations.
Kill Metroman?
Like the Joker, Megamind is the supervillain equivalent of a dog chasing cars. He’s constantly crafting schemes to defeat Metroman, but when Megamind actually succeeds in offing his arch nemesis, he doesn’t know what to do with himself.
Though Megamind got what he wanted, he didn’t expect to become bored with crime. It was an unforeseen consequence of his actions and ultimately led him down the road to becoming a hero.
Trials And Tribulations
Throughout the incredibly underrated Megamind, multiple characters go through trials and tribulations. It’s safe to say that Metroman goes through this when confronting Megamind in their constant battles, but the person who goes through the most trial is arguably Megamind himself.
Most of Megamind is dedicated to the character’s efforts to find meaning following the loss of his arch-nemesis. His actions to create a new superhero, unfortunately, lead to more hardship for the character as he ends up pushing his friends away and has to save the city from the menace he created.
Finally Got A Girlfriend
Despite constant kidnappings, Roxanne was part of his schemes involving Metro Man, Megamind didn’t show much infatuation for the woman he was constantly bickering with. The two were rather contemptuous of one another, and the blue alien honestly didn’t expect to find love at all considering his childhood.
Though the odds were stacked against Megamind in the romance department, he somehow found love at the end of his movie. The impetus for his relationship with Roxanne might have been built on lies and manipulation, but the latter was able to forgive Megamind once he chose to save Metro City from Titan.