Edna Mode, the incomparable superhero costume designer of the world of "The Incredibles" famously said, “I never look back, darling, it distracts from the now.” That phrase seeped into our brains as Edna’s way of being, her poignant moment of wisdom given to us in a nonchalant and offhand remark about Mr. Incredible’s old suit. But I always felt that there was more to it than just never looking back. The past is the past, after all, but is it really wise to just leave in the dust? I don’t really think so, and upon further analysis, I don’t think Edna does either.
The scene that follows her statement is of her and Mr. Incredible sitting down to create his new costume, and Mr. Incredible suggests a cape, Edna’s response to which is a vehement ‘no’. She begins to list off superheroes who met with tragic ends because of their capes. Hero after hero, she rapidly lists them off so as to drive the point home to Mr. Incredible. It’s a funny moment because it seems like overkill (We get it, Edna, no capes!). But when you think about it, who designed those costumes?
Perhaps this is just based off of what we know of the world of "The Incredibles," but it seems like not only is Edna the premier superhero costume designer, she is the only one. And she’s been doing it for a long time. She made Mr. Incredible’s original outfit, and it’s safe to say that she made more than just that. From that, one could imply that she herself made those costumes with the capes, and that to some extent, she feels responsible for all those superheroes who died because of it. She knows every superhero who died that way because they were her mistakes.
But you know Edna, feisty and fierce, never showing weakness, the solid foundation upon which these supers rely (Even in terms of personal matters, as she later shows Elastigirl). Her attitude and behavior surrounding the whole cape debacle give context to her most well-known utterance: “I never look back, darling, it distracts from the now.” It seems clear that Edna has not forgotten the past or her mistakes, and in a way, she even acknowledges that. But she does not dwell on it, she keeps moving forward. That, I think, is the lesson we can truly learn from Edna Mode.
We have, each individually and as a society as a whole, our “cape” moments. Moments of failure, things that we would rather forget because that would be easier than facing it. Sometimes we waste time trying to run away from those things when we could be more productive with our time. I have plenty of cape moments myself. But it is, as Edna shows, essential to try and acknowledge these moments, but not to let them drag you down. Instead, use them as a vessel for improving future opportunities. The past is good in that it’s already happened and we can know not to make the same mistakes again since we’ve seen the consequences. Time is funny like that.
So take a note from Edna’s book, and focus on the now. Learn from the past, and use it to move forward.
