SPOILER WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for Disney/Pixar’s The Incredibles 2, in theaters now.


2004's The Incredibles was a warm superhero flick all families could enjoy. It focused on the Parrs, a super-powered family, fighting off the megalomanic known as Syndrome in a straightforward plot; stop the madman who thinks taking over the world is all fun and games.

However, there was a powerful message under the standard superhero hijinks: Don't go overboard with your fandom and worship of superheroes. This is what Buddy Pine did as a kid, and why he eventually turned into the deadly Syndrome. In Brad Bird's highly-anticipated sequel, there's another crucial message at the heart of the story, and it's particularly fitting for modern times in terms of gender equality.

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The director cleverly uses Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) as the face of feminism, firmly placing her into the limelight, and really and truly making her the star of the film this time around. In doing so, Incredibles 2 makes it abundantly clear that fearless women are stepping up and making their mark in the world, no matter who wants to hold them back.

In the sequel, superheroes are drawing the ire of the public for the collateral and infrastructural damage they cause fighting villains. Of course, this is all helped along by criminal despots like Screenslaver, who demonize them and turn politicians against the capes. But Bird offers Elastigirl the chance to fight back as she fronts a pro-hero PR campaign from DEVTECH -- a company run by Winston and Evelyn Deavor -- to make superheroes great again.

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One would have expected Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) to be the face of this social movement, especially as he was the subject of reverence in the first film, but instead Winston wants Elastigirl because he believes in the power of women. She takes center stage while Mr. Incredible becomes the stay-at-home dad, cooking, cleaning and babysitting, finally realizing how stressful it is for moms -- a message many modern men understand, but remember, The Incredibles don't exist in our era. He even admits this as he breaks down, as if to remind us to never take women for granted.

The message gets even stronger as Elastigirl sets off on her crusade, riding motorbikes, stopping criminals, saving trains and even rescuing politicians from terrorist attacks -- something unfathomable in a male-dominated era such as the '60s -- as she easily wins back the favor of the public. In a key conversation with Evelyn, who's more or less the Alfred to her Batman-esque heroics, Elastigirl explains just what it means to be out of the shadow of Mr. Incredible. She paints a sense of liberation and justice for women, which she convinces Evelyn to adopt. The pair become Incredibles 2's dynamic duo from here on in, as Evelyn wants to break free from Winston's shadow herself... although it's revealed later on she did have some ulterior motives for doing so.

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Nonetheless, Elastigirl's speech is huge, and one that will surely impact on young female viewers, reminding them they can be anything they want to be, as long as they believe in themselves -- and yes, this includes women becoming superheroes. Elastigirl wants to show the world women can break down barriers, just as much as men can, and if it involves butt-kicking along the way, then so be it. We also see Voyd (Sophia Bush) embracing this philosophy as she's taken under the wing of Elastigirl, now very much a public inspiration and worldwide mentor. Even the male population stops objectifying her in the movie, with some adoring her antics more than her husband's.

This is something we're also going to be seeing addressed in Ant-Man and the Wasp, with Paul Rudd's Scott Lang actually pointing out in an early trailer that Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne might be better than him at the superhero game, something fans felt should have been addressed by director Peyton Reed in the first movie. In Elastigirl's case, she takes the subtlety away from her endeavors and decides to get in the audience's face. She makes it obvious to the likes of Voyd and Evelyn that it's not just about saving the day, but about spreading the message and taking control.

This is also something we ironically see rubbing off on her daughter, Violet, who lectures her father after finding out he helped mind-wipe her crush after the latter found out her secret identity. Violet makes it perfectly clear women aren't to be treated as damsels in distress and men shouldn't be rushing in to make their decisions for them, even if done out of love. They're perfectly capable, and if they need help, they'll ask. Over the course of the film, Mr. Incredible realizes he does need to respect women more and let them achieve goals on their own merits, instead of assuming they're weak and require men to steer their lives.

It's not as aggressive an arc as her mom's, but Violet's storyline will hopefully resonate with parents who try to control their teens, especially dads, as she tugs at the heartstrings in terms of trust and how fathers need to believe young girls can handle dire situations on their own. In fact, as soon as he understands Violet is her mother's daughter, Mr. Incredible lets this epiphany dictate her destiny, and she becomes even better in the field of battle, an issue he was skeptical about before.

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All in all, Incredibles 2 is a huge statement on superhero feminism, and well, feminism in general. It transcends age and reminds us, at their core, whether it's teens, young adults or mature women, they can save the day. We just need to step back and let them do so, because women, after all, have been showing us for decades they really are the greatest superheroes on this planet.

Written and directed once again by Brad Bird, Incredibles 2 stars Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Sophia Bush, Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener, Jonathan Banks, Sarah Vowell, Isabella Rossellini and Brad Bird. The film opens today nationwide.