Incredibles: Why Edna Mode’s No Capes Rule Is Sadder Than You Realize

In the Incredibles, Edna Mode refuses to use capes in her designs, but there may have been a significant and melancholy reason for her decision.

An iconic part of Pixar’s The Incredibles was Edna Mode’s explanation that she does not design super suits with capes, but a theory from Tumblr has suggested that her reason may have been much sadder than it first appeared. Voiced by The Incredibles director, Brad Bird, Edna swiftly became a fan favorite thanks to her delightfully eccentric manner and genius eye for fashion design. More than this, she was magnificently quotable. Her mantras of, “Luck favors the prepared,” “I never look back, darling! It distracts from the now,” and, of course, “No capes!” became hugely popular despite her relatively limited screen time.

The last of these quotes came during a discussion with Robert “Bob” Parr/Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson), about the possibility of her designing him a new suit. Bob believed that a cape would look good on a new suit, but Edna insisted that this would and could never be an option. She then described examples of superheroes who had suffered from cape-related accidents. In listing the likes of Thunderhead, Meta-Man, Dynaguy, and Splashdown, she successfully managed to persuade him that capes were not a necessary addition to a new super suit and only served as a potential hazard.

Related: What Year The Incredibles Takes Place In

However, one theory (via Tumblr) has suggested that the other superhero Edna mentioned in this conversation may have had a greater personal impact on Edna Mode. Stratogale was a female superhero whose powers included sub-sonic flight and super strength, but these powers were not enough to save her. Instead, in a clear foreshadowing of the fate of supervillain, or possible government agent, Syndrome, she was tragically sucked into a jet turbine. According to her NSA file, Stratogale was between 13 and 19 years of age and was noted as being “deeply altruistic.” The suggestion in the post was that her death, especially given her young age and abundant kindness, may have deeply impacted Edna and prompted her to end the use of capes in her designs.

If this was true, it would prompt audiences to view Edna Mode’s unique brand of sass in a different light. Instead of the dismissive, if charming, egotism of a world-class fashion designer, the theory suggests she’s someone who cares deeply enough to hide how much she cares. By not looking back because “it distracts from the now,” Edna is potentially really concealing her pain over losing someone she cared about due to an unintended flaw in her flashy designs.

This, and the theory that Violet Parr is actually Edna Mode’s daughter, account for just two of the many theories about the character. However, what both The Incredibles and The Incredibles 2 have made abundantly clear is that Edna is just as much of a hero as anyone else. Her superpowers are her designs, and they are ultimately why Syndrome is defeated. Whether this is due to her new way of thinking after Stratogale’s death or not, by applying a “No capes!” rule, Edna Mode is able to learn from past mistakes and design the suits that give The Incredibles the best chance of victory.

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