WARNING: Spoilers for Incredibles 2.

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The Underminer was a long-teased foe for the Parr family, and the final moments of Incredibles 2’s credits once again tease he is still out there. Director Brad Bird decided to start Incredibles 2 right where the first film left off, with The Underminer attacking the city and forcing the Parrs to suit up once again. However, he escapes their grasp and isn’t seen again for the rest of the film - well, until the credits.

Incredibles 2 may be a superhero movie in some ways, but it ditched the trend Disney’s mega-franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has made so popular: there was no post-credits scene with Incredibles 2. However, they still teased what could possibly be in the future. Following a 2D animated reenactment of the film’s story and just before the screen goes black, Underminer’s drill can be seen driving across the screen. The final image is a friendly reminder (and fun tease) that Underminer is still out there.

Even after years of build-up surrounding The Underminer, he is actually barely in Incredibles 2. The movie opens on his assault from the end of The Incredibles, with the John Ratzenberger character enacting his plan to rob multiple banks. Mr. Incredible does his best to stop him, but comes up short only for Elastigirl and Frozone helping save the day (a recurring trend in the movie). At the end of the skirmish, The Underminer escapes through the aforementioned drill machine, leaving behind city damage and the arrest of the Parr family. The whereabouts of The Underminer are not addressed for the rest of the movie, making the credits tease stand out even more.

There’s two ways this tease can be viewed. The better (and hopefully correct) one is that it is a tease for Incredibles 3. It would only be fitting that Underminder returns if a third film happens. His tease at the end of the first movie was done without knowing if Incredibles 2 would ever happen (in fact, his reign was already once covered in video game form), but it created a nice cohesion between the duology. Now he’s still underground and at large, there’s another opportunity to have him recur to wrap up the trilogy.

However, this could also just be a fun tease by Bird and the Pixar crew that will never pay off. The box office returns for Incredibles 2 makes it clear another film would be welcomed with open arms, but Bird took his time with the sequel and wouldn’t be rushed into anything. Pixar is also said to be moving away from sequels despite how profitable they may be. There’s a real chance Incredibles 3 is never made, making this nothing more than a reminder that Underminder is free.

It is safe to say that most fans are ready for a third Incredibles right now. Whether it happens in five years or another fourteen, this Incredibles 2 tease at least gives them the potential to use The Underminer once more should it happen.

MORE: Incredibles 2 Completely Ignores Modern Superhero Films

  • The Incredibles 2 Release Date: 2018-06-15