LillyDiaz18

CW: animal abuse, animal death

That’s right! It’s that time again! SPOILER WARNING!

Also, this post is not going to be nearly as long as the two preceding it. Promise. LOL!

Megamind is an awesome movie. We’re all aware of that. However, it’s even more amazing than some may initially realize. If you’ve read previous posts… Well, then, you’re clearly a masochist of some kind. (I’m joking.) But you’re also probably already aware that the DreamWorks animation team behind the film put a lot of effort into incredible hidden details. (If you missed it, you can read What’s Hidden in the Animation for more on that.) This week, I’d like to look at a few more of those, specifically at those connected to foreshadowing. So buckle up and let’s get started!

Megamind’s Heel-Turn Was Hinted At

One of my personal favorite bits of foreshadowing in this movie was the moment when the fact Megamind is going to become the hero was alluded to by one small, clever detail in the animation. What am I referring to? When Megamind, disguised as Space Dad, is convincing Hal/Titan that he is supposedly destined to be a hero, he rips the top from a magazine and holds it up. Hal is able to see his own face above the cover image of Metro Man carrying a newly-rescued Roxanne Ritchi, a bit like one of those novelty photo booth prop boards common to fairs and festivals.

What does have to do with Megamind’s change from villain to hero? Well, later in the movie, we see something interesting happen. Around the same moment when the blue alien, along with the audience, realizes that Titan is turning toward evil, using his new powers for theft, we see the same scene but reversed. Again, the setting is the same—Hal’s apartment—but this time Titan is the one holding the same magazine up, and we can see Megamind’s face above the image for just a moment before the former uses his laser vision to burn the periodical away to ashes. We can also see the words "Game Over" displayed on the TV behind the blue man. (That's meaningful because, as I've mentioned before, Megamind seemed to treat his battles like he was merely playing.) All of this offers hints that the protagonist is, in fact, going to stop his "game" of villainy and become a serious hero by the end.

MegaRox was Foreshadowed, Too

Given the flirtatious banter during their first scene together and the sweet romance between “Bernard” and Roxanne Ritchi, I think it’s safe to say that none of us were particularly surprised when Megamind and the reporter become clearly attached by the end of the film. However, the same detail mentioned above may have further alluded to this relationship.

Of course, true to his character, Hal’s reaction is a rather creepy one. Upon seeing himself over the cover image, he looks with longing down at Roxanne’s face, drawing a clear connection between the incident and a desire to be with woman. Although when it’s Megamind’s turn to be integrated into the image, he’s more concerned with the situation, he does mention Roxanne by name, reinforcing the aforementioned parallel.

Interestingly, at the end of the film, when the reporter jumps into her new blue boyfriend’s arms, he ends up cradling her bridal-style in a manner very similar to his appearance in the previous magazine-related scene. This makes it clear that that moment was not only foreshadowing his turn to heroism but also his eventual romance with the “girl of his dreams.”

The Breakup Was Even More Inevitable Than You Think

Okay, just like their eventual love, I think it’s safe to say that we all knew that Megamind’s dating Roxanne while pretending to be someone else was bound to be a problem. A person can’t lie to a significant other about something that huge and expect everything to be okay. (Well, I mean, technically they could, but like the blue man, they’re going to be sorely disappointed.) However, the breakup was directly foreshadowed just before it happened.

How? At a couple of different points during the restaurant scene, we can see menus displaying the name of the establishment: Le Coeur Brisé. This is significant because, in English, that translates to The Broken Heart. Beyond that there are a sconces lighting the walls with what look vaguely like hearts, but they do not appear to be whole. All of this hints at the rather sad event about to unfold. Maybe Megamind should have chosen a different spot for his date?

Names Are Significant

One last significant piece of foreshadowing comes in the form of characters names—or, more specifically, in their first letter. Megamind, Minion, and Metro Man all begin with the letter M. That might not seem like much, but hear me out. By the end of the film we see several instances of one pretending to another. Minion disguises himself as Megamind to rescue Roxanne and buy his boss time. Megamind then appears disguised as Metro Man to save the day. Indeed, Metro Man is the only one who doesn’t take on someone else’s image during the film. However, he does change careers to become Music Man, sticking with the thematic letter.

We can even take it a step further. Megamind, Metro Man, and Minion all have dynamic character archs to one extent or another. By contrast, Hal and Roxanne both remain essentially the same. Of course, Hal gains superpowers, but he remains the same creepy incel as ever, experiencing no internal alterations. Roxanne, of course, is the same bold, spunky, intelligent reporter throughout the movie. This only those who’s names begin with M actually change. The blue hero and his former nemesis, of course, experience the most dramatic alterations, with one going from feared Bad Guy to beloved Good Guy and the other going from hero to wannabe rock star.

However, Minion is dynamic as well, although in a less obvious way. At the beginning, he is quite literally Megamind’s, well, minion, doing his boss’s bidding without hesitation or question. In the middle of the film, however, he has a blowout argument with Megamind and leaves only to later return and help save the day. In the end, we see him up on stage with his boss, piloting a big, attention-grabbing mech. If you look closely, he's even featured in Megamind's statue, inside the globe.

This is all significant because when Megamind first takes over the stage, Minion says that “when the give out the awards,” he’s going to be beside his friend. This in itself was foreshadowing as well because, although the blue alien scoffs at the idea in that moment, in the end that is exactly what occurs. This along with the fact that, after taking over Metro City, Megamind says “I did it” while after saving the city he says “we did it, thanks to you” all indicates that Minion has become less a henchman and more a partner.