Why does Buddy Pine call himself Syndrome?
Buddy Pine, the villain from The Incredibles, goes by the name Syndrome. But it's not really clear why.
Many of the other superheroes have names that are either fitting their abilities (e.g. Elastigirl, Frozone, ...) or generically heroic (e.g. Thunderman, Mr. Incredible, ...). But the name Syndrome seems on the one hand very generic, without a clear connection to his abilities and traits (be it as an Iron Man style inventor "hero", or even as a villain bound on eradicating all heroes), but on the other hand also remarkably unusual to suggest some deeper meaning above just denoting him as a villain.
So why does Buddy Pine go by the name Syndrome? How does this name relate to his personality, his abilities, or his goals? Does it more relate to his role as a (wannabe) superhero or his role as a supervillain (well, the word itself is certainly more negatively denoted)? Is this elaborated any further in the movie itself or maybe in external material? If not, are there at least reasonable conclusions to be drawn based on his character and his actions? Or is there not much of an in-universe explanation but at least commentary from the film-makers why they chose the name?
Best Answer
Like another of Brad Bird's films, Tomorrowland, The Incredibles is a very objectivist film.
Without getting bogged down in the details, objectivism is a philosophy that states people have no ethical or moral responsibilities to help anyone other than themselves, and that exceptional people shouldn't be held back by normal people.
It isn't hard to see how The Incredibles espouses that philosophy - it's a film about people who are better than most being forced to hide their abilities so that normal people don't feel threatened. Bob Parr expresses this this idea directly at one point in the film, when referring to his sons inability to play sports thanks to his powers;
"People keep coming up with new ways to celebrate mediocrity, but if someone is genuinely exceptional…"
Likewise, the evil plan that Syndrome undertakes can be summed up in one quote;
“When everyone’s super, no one will be.”
These quotes both speak to the idea that society at large is scared of those that are better than them, and will do anything it can to force a feeling of equality between those who are unequal in ability or talent.
Google defines the word "syndrome" as "a group of symptoms which consistently occur together, or a condition characterized by a set of associated symptoms".
Within the context of The Incredibles, Syndrome is what happens when the supers are forced underground - a symptom that society has been broken, or made ill, through placing limitations on what the truly exceptional can do. Here is a normal man who thinks he can compete with the supers, a belief reinforced by a society that limits the supers in order to make the normals feel better about themselves. Of course, he can't really, and it's left up to those who really are super to sort out the mess he created.
He could also be named after hero syndrome, which causes people to create desperate situations that they can resolve in search of recognition for their heroism - something Syndrome actually does in The Incredibles.
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Why is Syndrome called that?
Combining its two Greek roots, syndrome means basically "running together". So when diagnosing a condition or disease, doctors tend to look for a group of symptoms existing together. As long as a set of symptoms remains mysterious, it may be referred to as a specific syndrome.What was syndromes original name?
In The Incredibles, Buddy Pine (a.k.a. Syndrome) (voiced by Jason Lee) first appears as a 10-year-old child named Buddy Pine who professes to be Mr. Incredible's "number 1 fan".Why did Syndrome turn evil?
Syndrome is an extremely spiteful, hypocritical, and vindictive individual. After being rejected by his former idol, it turned him into a megalomaniacal supervillain.Is Syndrome Mr Incredibles son?
This could indicate Syndrome in fact wasn't his son, but the narrative doesn't address Bob's response to Syndrome's death in depth in a particular shot or any dialogue. This whole theory may sound crazy, but it potentially adds more depth to Syndrome/Buddy's character, his relationship with Bob/Mr.Why Did Buddy Pine Become Syndrome? | Incredibles Theory: Full Story Part 1
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Answer 2
I would say that, Syndrome was chosen for his name because he is the embodiment of the term hero syndrome.
As defined there, hero syndrome refers to the phenomenon in which someone seeks recognition by creating a problem that only he can fix and thus getting praises. That right there is the root of Buddy's plan of creating a robot that only he can stop so that he gets recognition as a hero when he wins.
Answer 3
Hero syndrome:
people who seek heroism or recognition, usually by creating a desperate situation which they can resolve. This can include unlawful acts, such as arson.
Essentially, it's wanting to be a Hero. (but being a false hero just for praise/recognition)
Syndrome does exactly that at the end of the movie. Showing how much he wanted to be a superhero. He was after the praise by defending the people from his own robot. And very poorly acted out, which was likely directed that way specifically, to further express Hero Syndrome at work. Syndrome trying to make himself look all awesome, destroying it with single punches.
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