Today, the teaser trailer for The Incredibles 2 finally dropped. For fans of The Incredibles, it’s been a long thirteen years since the first film of what some call the best superhero franchise in recent history. The teaser focused on the member of the Parr family with the least screen-time in the first film: Jack-Jack. The youngest Parr was thought to be without any superpowers until the last scene in the film, when viewers were treated to a glimpse at what would later be revealed to be a veritable menagerie of fantastic abilities, foreshadowed by a slew of frantic calls from the Kari, the babysitter, to Jack-Jack’s mom, Helen Parr (AKA Elastigirl). However, because Jack-Jack only used his powers on Syndrome when they were airborne, none of the other Parrs were aware of his abilities — until now.
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The teaser trailer for The Incredibles 2 did little else than allow Jack-Jack to flex a couple of the superpowers the baby has in his growing arsenal. The teaser started off with Jack-Jack’s ability to phase through walls and other solid objects, much like the X-Men character Kitty Pryde. This made it clear that though the majority of the powers he has displayed in the past were offensive, Jack-Jack’s defensive capabilities won’t be totally ignored in the coming film. A giggling Jack-Jack then activated his laser-vision, launching streams and bursts of thick green lasers — as opposed to the thin purple laser beams we saw in the 2005 short, “Jack-Jack Attack.” At the end of the teaser, Jack-Jack’s dad, Bob Parr (AKA Mr. Incredible) is revealed to be aware of his youngest son’s abilities. This is punctuated by Jack-Jack sneezing, which made use of the baby’s laser-vision and pyrokinesis. It also revealed Jack-Jack’s lightning powers, which could mean that the pyrokinesis we’ve seen three times now, is just another aspect of latent elemental manipulation.
While the array of powers Jack-Jack uses in the teaser trailer is impressive, it barely scratches the surface in terms of utilizing powers the baby has already been revealed to have. While the majority of these powers are revealed in “Jack-Jack Attack,” the end of The Incredibles revealed a slew of incredibly useful offensive powers. Not only does the first film reveal Jack-Jack’s Human Torch-esque pyrokinetic abilities, but also the power to turn rearrange his own molecules, allowing him to turn his body into a heavy metal. Though, perhaps the most fearsome power revealed at the end of The Incredibles is his ability to morph into an aggressive demonic beast, with the musculature and dexterity required to climb all over Syndrome, despite Jack-Jack not being able to walk steadily in his regular form.
The bulk of Jack-Jack’s powers come to light in “Jack-Jack Attack” in which his babysitter, Kari recounts the babysitting gig from hell. The short kicks off Kari’s call to Mrs. Parr being cut off, possibly alluding to Jack-Jack having electromagnetic powers. However, it quickly progresses from there, revealing that Jack-Jack is able to teleport, though the nature of this power is unknown. Expanding his arsenal of defensive/supportive abilities, Jack-Jack begins to levitate when Kari’s back is turned. Though whether or not this is the ability to fly outright, or via telepathic means has yet to be revealed. This short also reveals Jack-Jack’s Spider-Man-esque abilities. He’s able to comfortably sit upside down on the ceiling, with only his butt touching. Additionally, he’s able to horizontally climb around his playpen, which only the most physically fit adults would be able to do; in a baby, this would seem to indicate enhanced strength. Jack-Jack then breaks out of the playpen by biting through its wooden bars. However, the lack of leftover debris seems to point to Jack-Jack also having the ability to consume inedible matter.
Jack-Jack has demonstrated an arsenal of powers far more expansive and impressive than any other member of his family, despite only receiving ten minutes of exploration between The Incredibles, “Jack-Jack Attack,” and the teaser trailer for The Incredibles 2. Even though Jack-Jack’s only a baby, he might be the strongest member of the Parr family. He has already demonstrated such an expansive stable of super powers at such a young age, that the villain for The Incredibles 2 had better be leagues more powerful than Syndrome. After all, the baby was able to dispose of him in seconds, using only a fraction of his abilities. And if you ask us, Jack-Jack’s power set will probably be expanded upon in the sequel to the 2004 box-office hit.
Arriving in theaters June 15, 2018, The Incredibles 2 is directed by Brad Bird and stars Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner, John Ratzenberger, Bob Odenkirk, and Catherine Keener.