6 Ways The Incredibles 3 Will Change Pixar's $1.8 Billion Superhero Franchise

Published Sep 2, 2026, 6:30 PM EDT Sky Blanton is a Movie Contributor at ScreenRant with professional experience covering movies, television, and pop culture. Her published work spans news, interviews, features, and opinion pieces, with a focus on film, franchise storytelling, and the entertainment industry. She earned her bachelor's degree in Communications with a concentration in Professional Writing and a minor in Business Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. Pixar has waited a decade to make The Incredibles 3, and the movie has the chance to be much more than just another trip back to the Parr family's retro-futuristic world. When Pixar announced the sequel at D23 in 2024, it confirmed that one of the studio's most beloved franchises was finally coming back after The Incredibles 2 became a $1.2 billion blockbuster. That alone would have been enough to get fans excited, but the third movie is also arriving at a point where the franchise can finally move beyond the story Pixar started telling in 2004. There is a lot to be curious about with Incredibles 3. The Parr family has had 24 years in The Incredibles' timeline to become one of Pixar's most recognizable superhero families, but this specific film has the opportunity to change what exactly that means for them. Brad Bird is still writing the screenplay, which keeps an important connection to the first two films, while Elemental director Peter Sohn is bringing a different perspective to the series. With a June 16, 2028, release date now set, Pixar is not just bringing the Parrs back. It is taking them somewhere new. 6 Violet, Dash & Jack-Jack Are The Leads The biggest challenge that Incredibles 3 carries is also the one that makes the most sense. Pixar has finally reached the point where Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack can carry a movie themselves. In The Incredibles, Violet is painfully shy, Dash is desperate to prove himself, and Jack-Jack is still a baby whose powers have not even appeared yet. In Incredibles 2, Violet is openly pushing back against her parents, Dash is eager to use his abilities, and Jack-Jack has become the family's most unpredictable Super. The third movie can finally let those three personalities drive the story instead of keeping them on the sidelines. Violet has arguably been ready for this longer than anyone. Her forcefield and invisibility made her an important part of the final battle in The Incredibles, but the character's real arc was about finding the confidence to stop hiding. Incredibles 2 continued by putting her teenage life front and center, particularly her frustration over losing her chance at a date with Tony Rydinger after Helen's secret identity is exposed. Now Violet and Dash are sneaking out to fight crime because they want to prove that they can handle themselves. Jack-Jack is absolutely the wild card. His scene with the raccoon in Incredibles 2 was one of the franchise's funniest, but it also showed just how absurdly powerful he could become (via Entertainment Tonight). He can teleport, shoot lasers from his eyes, walk through walls, multiply, change shape, and even turn into a tiny demon-like monster when his temper gets the better of him. If those abilities are now spiraling beyond the family's control, Jack-Jack could end up being more than comic relief. He could be the reason Violet and Dash have to grow into the heroes they have been trying to become. 5 The Parr Kids Are Still The Same Ages While the third movie will arrive 10 years after Incredibles 2, The Incredibles 3 is still moving forward only a few weeks. Violet is still a teenager, Dash is 10, and Jack-Jack is still a baby. Brad Bird has said that aging them up would hurt the franchise because the Parr children were designed around a specific stage of childhood (via The Direct). Their ages are not only details that belong to the characters, but they are the reason their personalities and powers fit together so well. Jack-Jack is in infancy and represents all the uncertainty that comes with it. His growing collection of powers shows the fact that nobody knows what a baby will become. Dash's speed is an extension of being 10 years old, when he is restless, impatient, and constantly looking for somewhere to direct his energy. Violet is a teenager, and her invisibility and force fields turn her insecurity and desire to shut people out into literal superpowers. 4 Superheroes Are Now Legal The Parr family has spent the first two movies fighting in a world where being a Super was illegal. That changed at the end of Incredibles 2, when the family's actions aboard the Everjust helped lead to the repeal of the Super Relocation Act. Bob, Helen, Violet, Dash, and the other Supers can finally use their abilities openly without risking arrest. That entirely changes the story that Incredibles 3 can tell. The first movie was about Bob secretly returning to hero work, while the second was focused on Helen becoming the public face of a campaign to make Supers legal again. Neither conflict applies anymore. At D23, Pixar teased a Superhero League in The Incredibles 3 and showed concept art of Mr. Incredible saving civilians while people gathered around to photograph him. Superheorism is no longer something the Parrs have to hide. It is becoming part of everyday society again. Supers no longer being illegal is indeed a good thing, but it could also raise an entirely new problem. After spending years fighting to be accepted, the Supers now have to figure out what happens when everyone wants them to be heroes. 3 Bob Is Struggling With His Relevance Bob's biggest problem in The Incredibles was feeling like he had been pushed out of the life he loved. He hated his insurance job because he knew he was meant to be Mr. Incredible. Now, Pete Docter says Bob is facing that same question again, but for a very different reason. Supers are legal, Violet and Dash are trying to prove they can handle themselves, and Winston Deavor is building a heavily sponsored Superhero League. Bob may be getting left behind. After spending the first movie fighting to get his old life back, it could be fitting for Incredibles 3 to ask whether he knows when it is time to let the next generation take over. 2 The Villain Is The Most Powerful Yet The first two Incredibles villains were dangerous because they were smart. Syndrome had an entire arsenal of weapons despite having no powers himself, while Screenslaver nearly turned the public against Supers without ever needing to overpower them physically. Incredibles 3 is taking a more intimidating route. At D23, Pete Docter teased a new Incredibles 3 villain with more power than the entire Parr family and the other Supers combined. Pixar has not revealed what that actually means yet, but the setup is hard to ignore. Bob is strong, Helen can stretch into almost anything, Violet has her force fields, Dash can move at an incredible speed, and Jack-Jack has shown an absurd number of abilities. Frozone is also still in the picture. Making all of that look insufficient could give the third movie its biggest challenge yet. The Parrs cannot just overpower this villain. They may have to figure out how to work together in a way they never have before. 1 Brad Bird Isn't Directing Incredibles 3 will be the first movie in the franchise without Brad Bird in the directors chair. Bird directed and wrote both previous films, but he is stepping aside for Pete Sohn because of his work on Ray Gunn. Sohn is no stranger to Pixar, having directed The Good Dinosaur and Elemental, but this is obviously a different kind of assignment. The good news for anyone worried about the change is that Bird is still writing The Incredibles 3 and will serve as an executive producer. That means Sohn's is not coming in to reinvent the Parr family from scratch. Bird is still carving out the story, while Sohn gets to decide how the story looks and moves on screen. After 14 years between the first two movies, the franchise has already survived one major creative transition. This time, at least, its original writer is still involved. The Incredibles First Film The Incredibles Cast Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Spencer Fox, Huck Milner, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee, Brad Bird, Elizabeth Peña, Catherine Keener Latest Film The Incredibles 2 Upcoming Films Incredibles 3 Movie(s) The Incredibles, The Incredibles 2 Character(s) Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, Violet Parr, Dash Parr, Jack-Jack Parr, Frozone, Syndrome, Edna Mode, Evelyn Deavor, Winston Deavor