In this post of Badass Fantasy Parents, I’m going to talk about the space bounty hunter. The beskar wearing, vibro-blade slashing, Jawa disintegrating man, known as Djin Djarin. Also known as The Mandalorian. From the show of the same name, the Mandalorian, or Mando for short, plays the part of the unwittingly guardian of a selected target. But, before we get into that, let's get some backstory on him. Mando was a child who lost his parents due an invasion of battle droids. When said droids were going to kill him, Mando was saved by a group of jet-packed warriors, clad in blue and grey armor. One of the warriors saved little Djin, and took him along. From there, Mando was indoctrinated in the ways of The Mandalore. The ways of The Mandalore involves a group of selected few, charged with protecting other Mandalorians. If their helmet is removed by an enemy or if they take it off in front of anyone, they may never put it back on again, according to the Mandalorian Armorer.
Due to the reign of the Galactic Empire, the Mandalorians were forced into hiding. After the Empire razed the planet for their natural resources during the height of their power, many Mandalorians were forced underground. Some took the job of bounty hunter, such is the case of our main character. When we first see Djin, or Mando as his cohorts call him, he's not exactly cold blooded. He does have some sense of honor and decency. But, when he's contracted to bring a bounty in, no amount of begging will stop him from fulfilling a contract. When he takes a job to bring in an 80 year old child, however, something changes inside him. After having his life saved by The Child, or Baby Yoda, as the internet dubbed him, Mando now feels responsible for him. So much so, that Mando goes back on the deal, rescuing The Child from the Imperials who were going to experiment on him. He also turns his back on his Bounty Hunter's Guild, which means that there's a price on both their heads. After flying through planet after planet, making new allies, and finally taking down the Imperial Commander behind all this, (or so he thinks) Mando takes The Child back to his ship to find The Child's kind. In the meantime, according to The Code of The Mandalore, Mando is the Child's surrogate father.
The main question we ask is why is Mando doing all this? Why risk being on the run, ch
ased throughout the galaxy by bounty hunters, with a price on his head? And why did he save the Child in the first place? Was it mercy? Compassion? Or perhaps Mando saw some of himself within The Child, since Mando himself was saved from being murdered as a child. Whatever his reasons, The Mandalorian has done everything in his power to protect and care for The Child. There was a period of growing pains in the beginning, such as Baby Yoda playing with parts of the ship, Mando constantly taking dangerous objects out of his reach, even going so fast as to leave Baby Yoda on a farm where he knows for a fact that the farmers can care for the Child better than Mando can.
Let me tell you something. Mando AIN’T the one to mess with, when it comes to protecting Baby Yoda! My mans strolled into a Imperial hideout, killed ery’body in his way. Didn't hesitate to put hands, blasters, flamethrowers, homing rockets and anything else he could grab to save The Child. Mando even put hot plasma through Greef Karga aka Carl Weathers aka Apollo Creed aka Dillon aka Action Jackson!
And Baby Yoda isn’t just a passenger on this trip. He’s a ride or die alien infant. Not only does he try to help Mando (in his own cute ways), he won’t hesitate to lay the Force Smackdown on anyone who dares to hurt his surrogate daddy. The Child even pulled a Vader and force choked Cara Dune (played by the beautiful and badass Gina Carano)! Mando had to calm him down, quick!
All in all, The Mandalorian has a bit of everything you would want in something related to Star Wars. Action, adventure, great characters, depth, and nods to other parts of the mythos. But, to me, this series has one aspect that outshines all the cool special effects. The depths of how far a father will go, to protect his son.
Season 2 of The Mandalorian will be out by October 30th, so catch up if you haven’t and remember...This is The Way.
Updated: Jun 28, 2021
It's hard, being a parent and a spouse. raising kids, making enough money for your family, and all the while, maintaining some semblance of normalcy. So, imagine if not only you and your spouse are superheroes, but your three kids are super-powered, and you're trying to make ends meet! Amid struggling to adapt to a new society where being a Super is banned. In this addition of Bad-Ass Fantasy Parents, we're talking about Bob and Helen Parr, otherwise known as Mr. Incredible and Elasti-Girl.
(Playful banter...aka flirting)
Early in their superhero career, Mr. Incredible and Elasti-Girl fell in love and got married, unbeknownst that the government would pass a law banning vigilantes. Being forced into retirement, Bob and Helen had to find a new way to live in society. in addition to having three kids (two of them having superpowers, and both in school.) They basically had to juggle suppressing their gifts while raising their family. In the first movie, this was incredibly (Sorry, had to! Lol) difficult for Bob, who wanted to relive the glory days of stopping crime, being remembered as a hero, instead of being a lowly insurance accountant. He still helps people, by giving advice on how to avoid legal loopholes every now and then. But that wasn’t enough. Once he got his chance to go back to the way things were, Bob jumped right back into his tights. After a cool training montage, of course.
(Getting rid of the infamous dad-bod)
Helen, meanwhile, has adjusted to life as a housewife and mother. Picking up the kids from school, cooking dinner, and making sure that Bob remembers why they’re retired and why they had to relocate so many times. It’s because of Bob being reluctant to let go of his glory days as a superhero. Eventually, Bob gets his act together, after escaping from a villain of his own making, named Syndrome. Bob realizes that his family is his greatest power.
Fast forward to The Incredibles 2, where immediately after the Parr family is arrested for vigilantism, broke and now homeless, Bob and Helen must find a way to provide for their family. Fortunately, an opportunity arrives when an independent corporation wants to try to make supers legal again. When the heads of Deav-tech, Winston and Evelyn want the front-runner of their plan to reinstate supers to be Helen, both she and Bob are surprised. Bob, because in his mind, he is the ideal super. Strong, tough, experienced, the typical male heroic type. But when explained that Helen was more suited for the job, due to her skillset and being way less destructive when on patrol, she’s taken aback. Helen, too, wants to go back to being a super. But her family comes first. And this is where we see the difference between the two. Whereas Bob would drop everything to put the mask back on, Helen mulls it over, thinking about her kids adjusting to school and a new-born. Bob puts his pride aside, and encourages Helen to go for it, taking up the responsibilities of home.
(Yeah, Bob. Way better. The city can’t keep spending billions on property damage!)
So, their roles reversed, Bob being the stay-at-home dad, Helen as the bread-winner, they soon learn to be careful what they wish for. Helen adjusts to being not only a super, but the face as a new campaign for the public to trust supers, utilizing excellent detective work and gaining a new arch-nemesis in The Screenslaver. Bob on the other hand is struggling to help his son Dash with math, trying to help Violet with her kind-of boyfriend (Bob had the poor guy’s mind erased) while dealing with her own struggles as a older teenager, and finding out the hard way that Jack-Jack has powers, all the while trying to maintain his sanity. Eventually, he cracks, realizing that it’s perhaps not as easy as Helen makes it. With the help of best friend Fro-Zone and Edna Mode, Bob gets some rest and settles into his new role. Oh, let's not forget that new-born Jack-Jack's powers have fully developed! So on top of everything else, Bob has to care for a moody infant with god-like powers!
It’s been proven that while formidable alone, Mr. Incredible and Elasti-Girl together are a force to be reckoned with. Whether fighting crime, relearning how to be supporting spouses or parents, Bob and Helen continue their quest for truth, justice and hope. And more parents need to learn from them.
(Stronger together, indeed.)
