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true-blue-megamind · 1 year

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I have a question. I don't know if this has been asked this before. Why does Roxanne fall for Megamind? I'm crazy happy they end up together but I still wonder why? Most people were scared of him until he saved the day. He kidnapped Roxanne all the time. She was super pissed at him for a while there. He's also not human. How does the whole attraction thing even work when you aren't the same species? Because, yeah, Megs is cool af, but an ET with blue skin and a big head probably wasn't the star of many Metro City girl's wet dreams. Maybe after he started the hero gig since people are just like that but not before. But Roxanne kind of flirted with him before he turned good or anything. So I guess she had to see something in him other people didn't. What do you think it was?

MEGAMIND FAN THEORY THURSDAY: Roxanne’s Attraction

Yes, I’m back again with another Megamind Fan Theory Thursday! Special thanks to this week’s anonymous contributor! I appreciate you, whoever you may be! I also want to express my sincere gratitude to all those who read, like, and reblog these posts… Knowing that you share the love for this fandom is the reason why I continue dedicating time, whenever possible, to researching and writing about these theories. This blog wouldn’t exist without you. Thank you!

If, however, you are that one individual who has inexplicably insisted upon reading two years' worth of articles about a film you still haven’t watched… I continue to have faith you’ll one day see the light. Or at least the movie. Hope springs eternal.

In the meantime: SPOILER WARNING!

We’re all human—at least, I assume most people reading this probably are—and that means we’re imperfect. One of the sadly common flaws of our species is a tendency to be rather judgmental, sometimes without just cause, and we certainly see that occurring in the film Megamind. After all, the alien genius was left to be raised in a high-security jail among presumably dangerous inmates simply due to his appearance and was pressured into supervillainy in part because he was different. Given that fact, along with the fear and ostracization many apparently showed him, there is reason to wonder exactly what first attracted Roxanne Ritchi to the blue man. After all, as today’s contributor pointed out, most humans, if asked to describe their perfect match, might not immediately default to “an alien with a large head and a complexion of a popular primary color, as a random nonspecific example.” Yet Roxanne is most certainly attracted to Megamind. Of course, many fan suggest that she must find him handsome—it’s doubtful she’d be in a romantic relationship with him by the end of the film if she thought him ugly—but they also contend that, given her disinterest in Metroman, the attraction must be more than physical. The question is: what qualities made her fall for him rather than an ordinary human or the supposedly perfect former Defender? Can fan theories shed any light? Let’s take a look!

Not Your Average Damsel

Some may be tempted to suggest that this is merely a typical case of the damsel falling for her rescuer. After all, that’s one of the common superhero tropes, isn’t it? Even Megamind himself, while talking to Titan after training, said that saving a lady was the way to her heart. The problem with this is that, in that particular instance, the blue man was completely and undeniably wrong. His love interest’s attraction had little or nothing to do with him whisking her out of Titan’s murderous clutches.

There are three reasons why fan theories rightfully dispute the concept of Megamind and Roxanne sharing a stereotypical hero/damsel romance. Firstly, the movie itself is well known for subverting superhero genre norms, and indeed that seems to have been one of the major themes of the narrative. Given how much effort was put into turning such conventions on their heads, sometimes even lampooning them, it’s extremely doubtful that the film’s creators would have suddenly adopted such stereotypes in this one case.

Secondly, there is Roxanne herself. This character is spunky, independent, and not easily cowed. During Megamind and Titan’s second fight, we see her holding a broken street sign, preparing to join in the fray. That’s a far cry from the expected behavior of a supposedly helpless damsel. Furthermore, despite being rescued by Metroman multiple times—hundreds, in fact, according to the prequel comic The Reign of Megamind—she states outright that they “were never a couple.” That alone clearly dismisses the idea of Roxanne swooning for the blue man simply because he rescues her. If she were the sort to do that, she would have fallen for Metroman as well—especially considering that most of the people around her apparently believed him to be Mr. Perfect.

The third and final reason is one we’ve touched on before. It bears repeating, however, as it truly puts the proverbial nail in the coffin of the Typical Damsel argument. As our contributor mentioned, Roxanne canonically was attracted to Megamind while he was still a supervillain. During the kidnapping scene, when the blue man draws close and practically purrs a vaguely suggestive line—“such… tricks won’t work on me”—in the reporter’s ear, rather than showing reluctance she asks him to “please talk slower.” Megamind, of course, responds by calling her “Temptress.” Tellingly, while she doesn’t acknowledge it, Roxanne also doesn’t object to the epithet. Fan theories suggest that this obviously indicates there was already attraction on both sides, although its extremely doubtful either would have ever acted upon it. (As a well-known television reporter, Roxanne may have been too well aware of the potential destruction of her career, and Megamind, despite having her at his mercy numerous times, was obviously too goodhearted to make a move without invitation. You can read more about the latter in Megamind and Masculinity.)

Smart is Hot

This, then, leaves us with the question of exactly what did attract Roxanne to Megamind. Does she simply have a thing for blue aliens, or is it something more than that? One fan theory suggests that the answer lies in a line that was cut from the final version of the screenplay. Initially, after telling Megamind, who was then disguised as Bernard, that Metroman had never been her type, she added that she’d always preferred brains over brawn. That is interesting because intelligence is certainly something the former supervillain has in abundance. In a previous Fan Theory Thursday post, Why Kidnap Roxanne, we explored the likelihood of Megamind’s clearly ingenious species being naturally attracted to intellect. The thing is that he may not have been the only one. Merriam-Webster defines the term sapiosexual as someone who experiences “sexual or romantic attraction to highly intelligent people.” As you can guess from the mere fact that this word exists, it is fully possible for some humans to possess this inborn predisposition. Many fans believe that Roxanne Ritchi is, indeed, a sapiosexual, and this may be one reason why she would fall head-over-heels for a super-genius, alien or otherwise. In fact, as discussed in How Smart is Megamind, the blue man may quite literally be the smartest person on Earth, making him extremely alluring to someone already attracted by brilliance.

Indeed, according to fan theories, several things about Roxanne’s character support this idea. She was originally imagined as an investigative reporter, so she’s obviously not stupid. She appears to dislike Hal not based upon his appearance but rather due to his lack of intelligence and his constant harassment. Perhaps the most telling evidence, however, comes from comparing her reactions to Megamind and his former nemesis. As mentioned before, Metroman is supposed to be most people’s idea of masculine perfection. Simply look at the way his fans, especially the female ones, behave during the opening of his museum. Add to this the fact that he is largely based on Superman and Elvis Presley—both of whom were, at one time, considered extremely handsome—and we can safely assume that Metroman is supposed to be some sort of Adonis. He’s also wealthy, famous, and powerful; three qualities that many people might consider great advantages in a potential boyfriend. Nonetheless, Roxanne Ritchi shows no interest at all in him.

Conversely, while dating Megamind in his guise as “Bernard,” the woman’s attention—and perhaps her heart—seem to be captured by his conversation, intellect, wit, and humor. She initially begins spending time with him because she believes him to possess expert knowledge concerning Megamind as well as enough intelligence to help her decipher the supervillain’s plan. She clearly enjoys having long conversations with him, laughing at his humorous stories, and reading books together in a library. Granted, the last was done for research purposes in the film, but the Bad Blue Brilliant comics show Megamind and Roxanne planning a date at a library after the blue man has become a hero. Obviously a shared love of books was something Roxanne liked about him. It appears that such traits attracted the reporter while riches and model-perfect looks couldn’t.

Of course, Roxanne rejects the former villain after she learns who he really is, but one Megamind fan theory suggests that that was almost certainly not because of him, but rather because of his actions. It makes sense. She is hurt and infuriated that he lied to her, and she makes her objections to some of his past behaviors known in no uncertain terms. However, when considering the charges she lays at his proverbial doorstep, it’s clear that what she cannot abide is his criminal behavior. She accuses him of murder, taking control of the city, and tricking her. Furthermore, she seems convinced that his only purpose in disguising himself was to toy with her emotions for his own sadistic amusement.

As the film progresses, however, she realizes that he did not actually kill Metroman and that he was sincere about their relationship. That, in turn, removes many of her objections and creates room for her love to grow once more. Indeed, when Megamind, obviously upset, mentions their breakup while they are driving to Metroman’s hideout, Roxanne briefly displays a sorrowful expression before apparently hardening her resolve and slamming on the breaks. (This was likely because she still thought the former villain guilty of murder.) Furthermore, during this unused clip cut from the final film, while taunting his captive, Titan refers to Megamind as Roxanne’s boyfriend, and she doesn’t correct him. Moments later, when he tells the woman to summon her hero, she doesn’t hesitate to issue a heartfelt plea to Megamind. When she sees the blue man make his grand entrance, the look on Roxanne’s face says clearly that she knew he would come. When she believes Megamind to be wounded, Roxanne weeps, and when he, at last, takes up the position of Defender, she kisses his cheek. It seems the woman has grown to trust and love the former Master of All Villainy.

It’s What’s Inside That Counts

Megamind’s intelligence is likely not the only reason Roxanne finds herself falling for him. Many fan theories suggest that his personality was also a driving factor. As mentioned before, he is funny and likable during their dates. When they ride bikes together, he’s clearly having fun, and that makes him fun to be around. While dining out, just before the kiss and the holowatch’s malfunction, he obviously charms her. Even before that, however, the blue man seems to display some very positive traits. His mourning his nemesis, laughing with Minion, and playing with the brainbots all evince a kind heart hidden beneath the black leather and spikes. That same trait continues to appear throughout the film. Later in the narrative, during Titan's attack, Megamind displays a concern for the people of Metro City despite those same people having ostracized him all his life. He is manifestly not as evil as he tries to appear. In fact, his treatment of his damsel offers further proof of this. While he has Roxanne tied up in his Lair as bait for Metroman, it becomes obvious that Megamind’s so-called doom devices have been carefully calibrated not to actually harm the woman, and she seems to know it as she shows no fear. She even seems to enjoy her situation sometimes. When Megamind makes a veiled Star Wars reference, Roxanne smirks as if she’s trying not to laugh.

Thus it appears extremely likely that, from the start of the movie, the reporter already knew Megamind was too good a person to actually hurt her and it seems she appreciated his geeky humor. This is hardly surprising. According to the prequel comic, The Reign of Megamind, he has had more than 600 failed plots and Roxanne has been his compulsory guest of honor for many of them. Consider how much time for interaction that must have afforded them before the cameras started rolling. Even if Roxanne was only awake for an average of half an hour before each actual battle began, that would still mean that she spent roughly 300 hours alone in Megamind and Minion’s company. To put it in perspective, that’s twelve-and-a-half days! It seems nearly impossible that Roxanne could spend the equivalent of nearly two weeks in Megamind’s company without some of his charm, kindness, and humor showing through. This is quite possibly another reason for her evident attraction.

That’s not all. As mentioned in the post What Sort of Hero Will Megamind Be, the blue man lists several qualities necessary for a Defender while discussing the topic in the Metroman Museum. Although he doesn’t seem to recognize it at the time, he actually displays all of them with the exception of his former adversary's DNA. Strength? The fact that Megamind breaks a saw on Titan’s face while punching him indicates that the former villain is far more physically powerful than he looks, and his ability to remain calm and think under extreme pressure suggests that he has serious willpower. Determination? Megamind talks about learning from his many defeats, and the simple fact that he continued to get up and try again after losing more than 600 times shows that he certainly doesn’t give up easily. Courage? The alien genius goes to Roxanne for help in finding Titan’s weakness rather than fleeing despite Titan’s attempt to kill him. Afterward he puts his life on the line to save Roxanne from the new villain—and that’s after facing a superpowered foe for years. Whatever else he may be, no one can argue that Megamind isn’t brave.

Finally, there’s also Megamind’s industriousness. Imagine how many inventions he must have constructed over the years… There would doubtlessly be hundreds! Everyone one of them had to be not only built but also designed and tested. How many hours of plans, calculations, schematics, calibrations, and labor go into each one? It's unclear, but what is certain is that, despite clearly knowing how to have fun, the blue man just as obviously understands the value of hard work. It’s doubtful that laziness is a vice he has ever suffered from.

So, why is Roxanne Ritchi attracted to Megamind? While we may never know how physically desirable she finds him—although fans speculate that, based on their relationship, she must find him handsome—the blue man possesses plenty of other beguiling virtues. Alien or not, Roxanne obviously finds his intelligence and personality too alluring to ignore, and as soon as he embraced goodness rather than behaving in destructive ways she could not condone, she gave him her heart. If you consider it, that really isn’t shocking at all. If any one of us were courted by a person who was smart, funny, courageous, kind, charming, hardworking, fun-loving, and strong, would we remain unaffected? Or would we, like the movie’s heroine, tumble head-over-heels into love? In the end, it’s little wonder that Roxanne fell for the new Defender of Metro City. It would have been more surprising if she hadn’t.

That concludes this week’s Fan Theory Thursday! I hope you enjoyed it!

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true-blue-megamind · 2 years

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FAN THEORY THURSDAY – Why Did Megamind Choose Hal?

Yes, yes, I know, I'm late again. So sue me. (Don't really do that; you'll only be disappointed.) But at last, I am back!

If you are that one person who still insists reading these posts without having ever watched one of DreamWorks’ best animated movies, well, firstly, I have questions. Secondly, SPOILER WARNING!

Special thanks to Berry Marais for suggesting this, and I quote: “wickedly bad idea for the greater good of bad.” You’re amazing!

During yet another interesting discussion on the Megamind’s Evil Lair Discord, a fellow fan, Berry Marais, brought up an interesting point: if our favorite blue alien is supposed to be so incredibly smart, how did he not notice that Hal was literally the worst person in Metro City he could possibly imbue with superpowers? “I mean,” she went on to say. “Minion realized it at once and wanted to diffuse Hal as soon as possible. This was a serious case of not reading people.”

Is that all that it was? Could Megamind be a true super-genius yet also a completely inept judge of character? If so, why? Let’s take a look at what the evidence can tell us!

Initially, the blue man’s failure to recognize Hal’s obvious lack of heroic qualities seems oxymoronic, completely at odds with other aspects of Megamind’s character. This is not only because of his genius but also due to his background. Consider for a moment how the former villain was raised; as a child, he survived and even thrived while living in a high-security prison filled with adult criminals. As I’ve mentioned before in other posts, the alien child may have had the protection of some of those inmates—his “prison uncles,” as the fandom has charmingly named them, who we see teaching him when he is an infant—but by the time he was old enough to enter grade school, he had already been separated into a lonely cell.

Why does that matter? It may indicate that Megamind often had to rely on his own methods to keep both he and Minion safe. His success was likely based in part upon forming a terrifying reputation from a young age, (you can read more about that in The Warden,) but there was almost certainly more to it. In order to identify possible threats as well as potential allies, he would have needed to become an excellent judge of fellow prisoners’ characters. Although this is never stated outright, it’s difficult to imagine that the blue man would have protected himself and even climbed to the top of the criminal world without such insights. So why did that same skill fail him where Hal was concerned?

Perhaps the most obvious fan theory is that Megamind simply didn’t know Hal. As far as we know, he’d never interacted with the creepy cameraman before the latter was infused with Metroman’s DNA. (Many fans point to Megamind’s obvious attraction to Roxanne Ritchi coupled with the fact that he did not rain villainous wrath down upon her harassing stalker as possible evidence of this.) Indeed, in the original film script, Hal accidentally “saves” a mother and her baby, thus leading Megamind to assume he is a quintessentially Good Guy. Of course, that part was cut from the final version, but it nonetheless illustrates that the blue man clearly knew little or nothing about his homemade nemesis.

The next conjecture finds far more notable support in the movie itself. Starting during his school days, Megamind appears to develop a near-obsession with the concept of Good Versus Evil as well as with that of Destiny. These ideas help form his worldview and remain a driving force for the character throughout much of the film.

Two things render those facts vital to this examination. Firstly, the blue man firmly believes that Hal has been chosen as his new nemesis by fate—he even says as much when Minion suggests it was a mere mistake—and he seems to possess an almost zealous conviction where destiny is concerned. Thus he might not only fail to question what he viewed as a predetermined outcome but also ignore any evidence contradicting it. Secondly, Megamind seems, throughout much of the movie, to have a nearly binary understanding of society. Many argue that it’s likely he feels people must fall into one of two categories: Good or Bad. Therefore, if he and other criminals are bad, then supposedly “normal” citizens must, by the process of elimination, be good. This concept may be combined with the previous hypothesis; although Megamind was probably adept at reading fellow lawbreakers, he may have lacked equal insight into regular people.

Indeed, the rules governing interactions within a prison or a criminal organization differ vastly from those dictating ordinary interactions on, for example, a city street. This brings us to our next supposition: it’s possible that, while he perfectly comprehended how to read other Bad Guys, the blue man may have been so unfamiliar with normal social norms that they were nearly alien to him. It’s not a far leap. Having been raised in prison and ostracized for the majority of his life, Megamind is unlikely to have ever been fully socialized. This means that the only cultural norms, so to speak, he would be deeply familiar with are those of the prison subculture. Judging the character of anyone outside of that group would be nearly as difficult for him as it would be for us to read a stranger in an unknown country.

There is a problem with this theory, however. Megamind and Minion were raised together, in the same circumstances, so why would Minion be better able to see Hal for what he was? Aside from the concepts already discussed, such as Megamind’s preoccupation with fate, there is another possible answer. The fishy henchman may have had more opportunity to observe ordinary society. One reason for this is that, while they did both spend a significant portion of their childhoods incarcerated, Megamind is the only one we ever see in jail as an adult. Whether because he was Metroman’s sole focus, because he regularly bought his friend time to escape, or, as some fans theorize, because he made it abundantly clear that messing with Minion would be extremely bad for a person’s health, the blue man alone seems to have endured punishment following his plots.

This means that his henchfish may have had more time and opportunity to experience society. Furthermore, we know that Megamind and Minion both have holowatches—two of the disguise generators are used during the final battle with Titan—and we know that Minion likely donned his to go out in society more often. During the film, when Megamind lies about his date with Roxanne, claiming that he needs to “run a quick errand,” Minion reminds him that he doesn’t run errands. Yet someone must have taken care of such chores, and the most likely candidate is the fishy henchman himself. Therefore he may have had regular interactions with the people of Metro City while Megamind did not, giving Minion far better insight into humanity in general.

Both the film and other sources support this. According to The Analytical Couch Potato, an online entertainment magazine, director Tom McGrath described Megamind as “a villain who is really naive to the ways of the world, who never had a decent childhood.” He goes on to explain that this is why “everything’s new to this guy outside of his darkened Lair.” However, there are several times during the movie when Minion appears to have superior insight to the society around them. For example, when Megamind is enthused by the windows of the mayor’s office, Minion tells him what they are. Although a bit absurd—the blue man has to have seen windows before; even the Evil Lair has them, albeit old, thickly grimed ones—this scene and others like it were apparently intended to illustrate just how unfamiliar with normal life Megamind really is. However, Minion seems to be a good deal more knowledgeable, suggesting once more that he has greater experience with social interaction.

So, Minion may have been better able to recognize Hal’s unsuitability as a hero simply because he had spent more time among ordinary people and therefore had better comparative data. There is one more reason, however, why our favorite villain-turned-hero may not have easily seen what sort of person Hal really was. Surprisingly, it has to do with Megamind’s intellect. That’s right. While many would naturally assume that a genius should be better able to read people, there is some evidence that the opposite may be true.

According to an article by Dr. Roberta B. Ness in Psychology Today, geniuses are more likely to have difficulty relating to people, and can often even be antisocial. Interestingly, this piece focused specifically on inventive geniuses, which could certainly describe the blue alien, and stated that they can often become so focused on ideas and pursuits that they sometimes overlook people. “In the case of some geniuses, the most radically original thinking may have the greatest blind spot for human interactions,” Dr. Ness explained. Indeed, another article on Learning Mind takes it a step further, stating that highly intelligent people often have poor social skills and difficulty understanding other people. Due to tendencies such as overthinking everything, focusing on cerebral interests rather than social ones, and becoming disinterested in anyone who seems dull, geniuses can sometimes have a hard time comprehending and interacting with other individuals. This could be another reason why Megamind didn’t see that Hal was clearly a terrible choice for a new hero.

Interestingly, that might also help explain how the blue man could have been able to read people well enough to survive a childhood in prison yet have been completely blind to Hal’s faults. If you consider the issues discussed above, it becomes obvious that many of them are connected with focus. Ideas and curiosity will often hold a genius’s attention better than people—especially if they find those people too ordinary and boring—and even when they do socialize, their minds are likely to be engaged by overthinking their own responses rather than listening to others. However, this suggests that a genius can focus on reading people if that task becomes important enough to be prioritized.

In fact, we may actually see this occurring in the movie. While the former supervillain seems to have been entirely oblivious to Hal’s negative qualities at first, the more problematic the creepy cameraman becomes the better Megamind seems to be able to read him. After his supposed new nemesis fails to accept his public challenge, Megamind recognizes fairly quickly how best to enrage Hal, prompting him into their first battle. During their final fight, he comprehends his enemy even faster. Consider the scene during which Megamind is trying to run for the invisible car when Titan picks him up by the collar. It takes the blue man a mere second to not only formulate a plan, but judge exactly what he can say to make Hal propel him toward the unseen vehicle. If he had angered Titan too much, Megamind might have been incapacitated or ever killed; too little and his plan might not have worked. Yet he was able to pick the perfect balance to achieve his goal. It seems that because Hal had become a threat, he had become worthy of attention, and because he was worthy of attention, Megamind was able to focus on him and accurately predict his reaction.

So, why did Megamind not initially see, as was so obvious to Minion, that Hal was decidedly not hero material? It may well have been a combination of nature—the predisposition of highly intelligent people to have poor social skills—along with nurture—the lack of experience interacting with people outside of criminal groups leading to false assumptions. Considering all of the proverbial cards stacked against him, it’s little wonder that the alien genius had difficulty understanding his short-term nemesis at first. However, it appears that our favorite blue hero does have the capacity to read people very well once they gain his full attention. That concludes this Fan Theory Thursday post! I hope you enjoyed it!

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