Rewatching the Incredibles (both 1 and 2) and having my love for superhero media reignited was NOT on my schedule.
Alas, AU with Thomas and Martha where they’re both extremely different superheroes.
Thomas most definitely gave himself powers, while Martha had hers genetically.
Like. Imagine their INTERVIEWS?
Vicki Vale thought it'd be easy. Interview Hero of The Year, get a good headline, win another award, go home.
“So— what's the best way of dealing with a supervillain?”
Thomas laughs, “Oh, I just kill ‘em.”
The entire studio could chew that silence. Thomas blinks a little behind the domino mask.
“I get it, okay, kinda controversial, but! All of that? The lawyers, the trial, the jury, — I mean me personally, I hate jury duty, — it's just… Meaningless! You know? Justice doesn't have to wait a year.”
“…So… All of them?”
“Nah, I'm not gonna bother with some lowlife thug stealing change from a gas station register. Gordon’s gotta eat, too! I let the little fish eat each other while, I go after the sharks, you know? Just seems like I'm doing everyone a favor.”
—-
Meanwhile, in Metropolis? Perry White is having a TIME with Gray Ghost. Aka, Martha Kane. “You… Came to save us. Even if we’re not from the same city.”
She stares off into the cup of tea with a glossy sort of timidity — like if God tried to be mortal.
“ you needed help. And I could help. I don't see why borders have a say in that.”
“And you took the guy to the station yourself.”
“Because the police wouldn't have walked him to a trial. They would've walked him in the ground,” she shrugs, “He needs help. Not a… Beatdown.”
—-
Thomas tells Vicki, sipping on a 10th espresso, leaning back,
“I mean, look, I don't even trust the government with REGULAR criminals, let alone a guy who eats worlds for brunch. So why stall?! They have a heartbeat, I have 5 seconds, everyone wins here.”
“Even if the public’s scared of you?”
“Oh, come on, Vik, — that's not fear. That's jealousy.
But they don't hate me, they hate the FORMULA. People don't save people. Heroes save people. Also? Let's be real for a second.
I'm young, I'm rich, I’m devastatingly handsome, and I'm government approved.” His voice lowers. “So even if you ARE scared. What, exactly, could you do about it?”
—-
“Why save the world when you could just rule it? I mean, why does any superhero?”
Martha’s shoulders sigh down. “Because we all bleed red, even if we bleed differently. We all help each other, everyday, even in tiny, obsolete ways. I know I'm privileged. I can't make us equal. But I can make it fair.”
“And your — counterpart. Gotham. What do you think of him?”
Martha, for the first time, doesn't shy away. “Troubled.”
—-
Thomas LAUGHS when Vicki asks him the same question in Gotham.
“Ghost? She's adorable.”
