19

In The Incredibles, Edna Mode has a strong stance against capes on superheroes because of the multiple untimely deaths directly caused by capes.

What I can't seem to figure out is if Edna actually designed capes into the costumes and learned from her mistakes, or if that was a mistake made by others that she wanted to avoid.

I ask this because I've run across several people looking into her line:

Edna: "I never look back, dahling! It distracts from the now."

as a kind of joke or commentary about how headstrong she is for designing suits after her mistakes effectively killed at least six heroes.

GGMG-he-him
  • 6,496
  • 6
  • 33
  • 61
  • 1
    Two of the capes in question, if you look at the quote, were in action in the late 50's. I doubt she made those ones. – CHEESE Feb 24 '17 at 02:34
  • 1
    @Valorum: Seeing as nobody at that question came up with CHEESE's comment about the timelines not matching (while CHEESE came up with it in ~15 minutes), I'm skeptical of your dupe-vote. I do not think that the answer to that question is a good answer to this question. – Kevin Feb 24 '17 at 07:57
  • @Kevin - I've not voted as a dupe. I've merely highlighted it as a possible (future?) dupe since any sort of backstory to Edna would likely answer the other question as well. – Valorum Feb 24 '17 at 08:01
  • 1
    @CHEESE - The Incredibles seems to be set quite early in the new millennium. Edna's age isn't defined, but she could easily be in her 60s. If Edna started designing superhero suits in her late teens, she could have been responsible for the suits in question, or at least apprenticed to whoever designed them. – Valorum Feb 24 '17 at 08:07
  • @CHEESE I'd dispute the late 50s timeline. It would seem to be the same timeline as 'the past' for Mr Incredible. Which is highly stylised and non specific. – Jeremy French Feb 24 '17 at 11:05
  • Since Edna Mode was inspired by/based on Edith Head, who designed costumes for films for just over 50 years, there's no reason Edna couldn't have been designing suits in the fifties, especially if you accept the theory that The Incredibles took place during the seventies. – VBartilucci Feb 25 '17 at 14:44
  • @JeremyFrench: Edna names the years precisely. They are in the late 50's. Now, if you want to dispute when the "present" is, that might work, but the movie doesn't look very 90's-or-earlier to me. – Kevin Feb 25 '17 at 20:14
  • @CHEESE - A bit of research reveals that The Incredibles is actually set in 1962, at least according to Bob's newspaper in the opening sequence – Valorum Apr 06 '19 at 13:52

1 Answers1

7

Possibly.

The Incredibles: Essential Guide contains the following information about Edna Mode:

Cape catastrophes

A cape might seem like an accessory no Super could do without, but in reality, they are a real safety hazard. When you look at the number of Supers who have had cape-related mishaps, it's no wonder E has vowed never to make a cape again....

This strongly implies that she made them at least once in the past. Whether it was for those specific (and unfortunate) heroes isn't clear, but it's at least possible that she designed some/all of the suits we see in the flashback sequence.

Valorum
  • 689,072
  • 162
  • 4,636
  • 4,873