FAN THEORY THURSDAY: What is Megamind’s Name?
Yes, alright, I know you’re all waiting to hear me say it. SPOILER WARNING!
This may seem like a slightly odd question to explore. I mean, obviously Megamind’s name is Megamind because, well, I literally just called him Megamind, but that is the moniker he chose for himself upon becoming a supervillain. Does the blue alien have a real name, and if so does he know what it is? Does he at least have a legal name? What is it? The bad news is that there’s no definitive answer, but the good news is that fan theories offer some compelling ideas.
The first, and probably most popular, headcanon is that Megamind’s real name is Syx. Featured in multiple fanfictions by several authors, the concept has become widespread in the fandom, yet it sprung from an unlikely and seemingly innocuous detail in the film. During a press conference, when asked by Roxanne what he plans to do with the city he’s taken over, Megamind, clearly at a loss for answers, responds with: “Imagine the most horrible, terrifying, evil thing you can possibly think of, and multiply it by six!”
Many fans felt that this was an odd number to choose. Why six? Most people would have naturally defaulted to a nice, round number with unit digit of 0, like 10 or 100, or at least to the divisor 5. Those are, after all, the numerals that, thanks to being both easy to calculate and the bases for many ancient number systems, tend to pop into mind first. The resulting fan theory is that Megamind must have had a specific reason for choosing the number 6 instead, and many fans agreed that this was because it somehow connected to the only thing the blue man could really claim as wholly and rightfully his own: his name.
There are two major suppositions connected to this idea. The first is that Syx is all or part of the name Megamind’s parents called him. (After all, if, at only eight days old, he could remember details such as his father telling him he was destined for something, he should be able to remember his own name, right?) Some claim that this is his real name, but others, citing the fact that Megamind never actually uses the epithet in the movie, instead theorize that this was more like a pet name. He wouldn’t go around calling himself Syx any more than one of us would call ourselves “Cutie-Pie” or “Little Angel.”
The second is that Syx is another chosen name, one based on either Megamind’s prison number or the Cell Block where he spent his childhood. Both are interesting concepts, but neither has even the most tenuous support from the film or other canon. The back of the blue alien’s prison jumpsuit only displays the word “prisoner” without a number, so we have no way to determine what his prison number actually was. Although it’s clear that Megamind was raised in a different cell than the one he occupied during his brief stays in prison as an adult, and it’s possible that that could have been on Cell Block 6, the number is never shown on the screen, so again, it’s only a guess. In fact, the only cell block we do see clearly associated with Megamind in the movie is Cell Block 9, where his high-tech, ultra-secure cell is located near the beginning of the narrative.
Vying with Syx for the spot of Most Popular Epithet in Megamind Fan Theory is the name Blue. This is something which many agree is more like a nickname, most likely one used only by the former supervillain’s “prison uncles” and, perhaps, a few close friends. The origin of the name is obvious, but as far as I know, there is, once again, no canon support for it. (That doesn’t stop me from liking it, however.)
Another theory concerning Megamind’s name comes from what Metro Man calls him: Little Buddy. Some fans suppose that this may be what the prisoners who raised Megamind when he was small called him, and that Buddy may have been accepted as his name. Perhaps that is what he called himself for the short time he attended elementary school. After all, it would be better than being known as Nobody or Prisoner Number Whatever. It would also make sense that, as he grew older, the future supervillain would have rejected a moniker that sounded so friendly and cute. It certainly wouldn’t have helped him maintain the tough guy image needed to survive in a jail filled with adult criminals.
Next is a suggested name based on another small detail from the film. When the Warden is unwittingly disguised by Megamind’s holowatch, at nearly the same moment that we hear one prisoner yell: “Hey, Warden!” another seems to shout: “Hey, Lee!” Who is Lee? Obviously, the prisoners wouldn’t call the top official of the entire facility that, but they might call another prisoner by the name. This has led to the fan theory that Lee may be part of the name Megamind was assigned as some point, perhaps when he was registered for school.
Finally, we come to what, on the surface, appears to be the most likely and obvious fan theory: Megamind’s legal name is John Doe. This is, after all, a common epithet used for any unknown person, living or dead, throughout much of the United States, where Megamind is supposed to take place. There’s just one problem: Metro City is located in Michigan, and that specific state’s laws differ from the norm. It took some research, but I finally learned what the Michigan State Government does about unnamed children, and the answer is: nothing. That’s right. Nothing. According to the website Today I Found Out, in Michigan, it’s possible for a baby to be given a birth certificate with no name on it, and a name can be submitted later. Not even a surname is required. (This must make life far easier for indecisive parents!) However, due to state and federal regulations, there will come a time when the person must be named, such as if they wish to obtain a drivers’ license or a passport. This is where things get really interesting. If a name is never submitted for a person, it may be possible for them to legally choose one for themselves. This means that Megamind may literally be the blue man’s only moniker, as well as his legal name.
So, in short, the answer to the question “what is Megamind’s real name?” is: we don’t really know. Thanks to the inventiveness of all those who love this film, however, there is a plethora of options to choose from. With so many fan theories, the possibilities are nearly endless. If you can find some sort of evidence, or at least a plausible idea, to back it up, our favorite blue hero’s name can be whatever you want it to be.
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