The original post: /r/movies by /u/Mst3Kgf on 2024-12-29 13:49:28.
Much like Syndrome in "The Incredibles", this character should easily work in a "serious" live-action superhero movie. And while Hal/Titan isn't portrayed as dangerous/evil as Syndrome is (he never tries to kidnap or kill children, at least not on camera), he's still a very disturbing concept, as in "What if an incel type got superpowers?" His behavior towards Roxanne was creepy from the start (the guy has a cutout of her over his bed with "GOOD NIGHT HAL" added to it, yikes), but once he gets superpowers, it just gets to another level. Especially once she gently turns him down, because then his sense of entitlement and rage at rejection causes him to go to some very dark places.
The sequence where he shows off his powers by taking her flying especially shows this off. The scene is of course a parody of the classic Superman and Lois flight sequence in the original film, but in that, Superman invites Lois to fly and after she accepts, he gently and gracefully takes her on the flight while always being mindful of her safety. Hal/Titan just grab Roxanne against her will and takes her flying around while constantly putting her in danger so he can "save" her. Because while Superman genuinely cares for and respects Lois as a person, to Hal/Titan, Roxanne is just an object he's owed. And once he doesn't get his prize, like a classic example of an incel, he can't fathom it (he's a nice guy AND he has powers now!) and he turns violent. You can also justifiably see how terrified Roxanne is of him on that scene alone; if he almost killed her trying to "save" her, she knows how much damage he could do if he was intentional about it.
"Megamind" as a whole is an unexpectedly more complex and well-made film than many might expect (I can see why its reputation and popularity have grown in recent years), but having a genuinely unsettling villain concept is one of its best features. If Syndrome personifies toxic fanboy culture, Hal/Titan is the worst case scenario of the guy who won't take "no" for an answer.