History YMMV / Megamind

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: Hal Stewart, aka [[BigBad Titan/Tighten]], always had his fans thanks to his LaughablyEvil personality and Creator/JonahHill's standout performance and [[DracoInLeatherPants used to get a lot of sympathy from the viewers]] who originally felt that his [[FaceHeelTurn fall to villainy]] being the result of [[NotGoodWithRejection kept on getting rejected by his crush]], and many interpreted that he was a NiceGuy who let having superpowers go to his head. However, come the rise of the "incel" subculture in the late 2010s, consisting of the DoggedNiceGuy trope have become seen as a lot more problematic in recent years, with the EntitledToHaveYou mindset often leading to violence and people getting murdered by those whose romantic and/or sexual interest they reject. Since then, Hal [[NotGoodWithRejection going on a rampage after one rejection too many]] has been looked at as a disturbingly plausible outcome to a certain kind of Dogged Nice Guy gaining superpowers. Notably, this didn't result in people disliking the character, as the reassessment of him instead resulted in Titan becoming seen as a much more effective villain and [[RealismInducedHorror surprisingly realistic villain]] otherwise by being a perfect encapsulation of toxic masculinity and male entitlement before such problems became more well-known.

* EvilIsSexy:
** Megamind's wardrobe gets a lot of attention from straight women and gay men. Not to mention his Schumacher-esque suit-up montage.
** Titan manages to be this for fangirls of Creator/JonahHill, mostly because he becomes [[HeroicBuild more muscular]] upon gaining Metro Man's powers.

** Love and romance aren't transactional; just because you find someone attractive doesn't mean they owe it to you to find you attractive. Solely being nice to someone isn't going to convince them to date you, and you can't force them to date you either. If you really want to impress someone, you can start by improving your attitude, dressing smart, and sharing interests with your desired partner. Confidence and genuine kindness are attractive qualities when they are done sincerely and without expecting anything in return.

* MagnificentBastard: [[BrokenAce Metro Man]] was once the defender of Metro City and ArchEnemy to Megamind. Having fought against his rival for many years, Metro Man grows [[BeingGoodSucks tired of the process]], wanting to move on with his life. Faking his death via a forged weakness to copper and a skeleton decoy, he goes into hiding, allowing Megamind to achieve victory and dominion over Metro City, freeing him from society's strain and allowing him to persue his passions. At the end of the film, when Megamind managed to defeat Tighten and become Metro City's new hero, Metro Man is seen amongst the crowd of citizens, congratulating his old nemesis, having known that he had it in him to do the right thing.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: Hal Stewart, aka [[BigBad Titan]], [[DracoInLeatherPants used to get a lot of sympathy from the viewers]] because Roxy kept rejecting him, and many interpreted that he was a NiceGuy who let having superpowers go to his head. However, over time, once-common executions of the DoggedNiceGuy trope have become seen as a lot more problematic in recent years, with the EntitledToHaveYou mindset often leading to people getting murdered by those whose romantic and/or sexual interest they reject. Since then, Hal [[NotGoodWithRejection going on a rampage after one rejection too many]] has been looked at as a disturbingly plausible outcome to a certain kind of Dogged Nice Guy gaining superpowers. Notably, this didn't result in people disliking the character, as the reassessment of him instead resulted in Titan becoming seen as a much more effective villain otherwise.

* MemeticMutation:
** "And I love YOU, Random Citizen!" is commonly quoted whenever someone does or says something awesome.
** Megamind's [[AccentOnTheWrongSyllable speech]] [[MalaProper patterns]] are commonly imitated.
** The scene where [[spoiler: Metro Man accidentally reveals himself to be alive]] behind Megamind and Roxanne is commonly photoshopped where other characters replace all three. It became memetic for [[spoiler: Metro Man]]'s funny expression, which pretty much ''oozes'' OhCrap.
** "There is no Easter Bunny, there is no Tooth Fairy, and there is no [[FamousFamousFictional Queen of England]]!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]People replace the last part with whatever comes to mind, either calling out {{Flat Earth Atheist}}s or just [[EskimosArentReal because it's funny]]. Gained further popularity after an announcement that the Queen of England was "entering a new stage in life", which carried a light implication that she was about to die.[[/labelnote]]
*** Unsurprisingly, a screencap of Titan saying this line became popular among anti-monarchists in the months leading up to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and even more so in the direct aftermath of her death.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4KNd0Yv6d0 penis music]] [[labelnote: Explanation]]A sped-up gif of Hal during the DancePartyEnding captioned "penis music" became a popular meme in late 2019. It became doubly popular in early 2020 once the gif was synced up to Creator/LapfoxTrax's ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6aCaDqxRIc Rubber Band]]'', usually done to mock those who complain about how "terrible" newer music is.[[/labelnote]]
** "Music Man", [[spoiler:Metro Man's revamped identity after he fakes his death]] is often compared to WebVideo/{{Markiplier}}.
** Oh, I wouldn't say "freed." More like "under new management." [[labelnote: Explanation]]This line from Titan addressing his rule over Metro City is constantly used to portray events [[OutOfTheFryingPan going from bad to worse]], e.g. [[FullCircleRevolution a tyrannical government getting replaced by]] [[MeetTheNewBoss yet another tyrant]]. This line spiked in popularity when [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Sephiroth]] got revealed to be playable in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' during the 2020 Game Awards, with fans attributing this line to him.[[/labelnote]]
** "Maybe I don't want to be the bad guy anymore!" [[labelnote: Explanation]]A quote from the film's VillainProtagonist as he goes through his HeelFaceTurn. Often used in situations where someone or something usually considered bad actually does something good for once (such as the mainstream news media releasing an article about how video games DON'T cause violence).[[/labelnote]]
** Metro Man farting.[[labelnote: Explanation]]As Metro Man [[HolographicDisguise (actually Megamind in disguise)]] confronts Hal during the climax, there is a shot of him flexing his calves, which are strong enough for the frills on his boots to flare up. People have added fart noises to this scene so that it looks like he's [[ToiletHumor passing powerful gas]]. Hal visibly recoils immediately afterward, making it even funnier.[[/labelnote]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-38NBrZNN8 Titan's glow up]][[labelnote:Explanation]]An exploitable theory of the Snotty Boy from ''WesternAnimation/{{Barnyard}}'' implied to [[FanonWelding grow up to become Hal/Titan]], due to sharing similar face and frizzy red hair. Often used as a form of comparison between an inferior and superior things, similar to the "[[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/virgin-vs-chad Virgin vs Chad]]" or the "[[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/average-fan-vs-average-enjoyer Average Fan vs Average Enjoyer]]" memes. The song used in the video is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao4RCon11eY CLOSE EYES by DVRST]].[[/labelnote]]
*** It later gained [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFySCM2PYao a version also starring Metro Man]], which lead to escalation until finally a version including [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkHARh9BWVk Megamind himself in Black Mamba getup, followed by his giant robot]], emerged, making it closer to an Expanding Brain format.
** Titan's blank stare.[[labelnote: Explanation]]In late 2021, a frame of Hal Stewart/Titan sporting an unnervingly blank, seemingly horrified stare was discovered in the movie. It didn't take long for it to be paired with the recent skinwalker meme, with a black filter put over the image and "Never Forgive Me, Never Forget Me" by Akira Yamaoka from the ''Franchise/SilentHill'' soundtrack being put over. The image is often used in other morbid/strange/terrifying contexts as well.[[/labelnote]]
** [[https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/002/297/368/17f.jpg "NO BITCHES?"]] [[labelnote: Explanation]]A meme based on a shot of [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/megamind-peeking-no-bitches Megamind peeking]] with the aforementioned caption slapped onto it. It has since been made into a reaction image, because it's pretty much in the same vein of basically saying "YouNeedToGetLaid". Due to being an image meme, this naturally led to people doing edits or redraws of this meme, with Megamind being replaced by all sorts of characters and the caption being replaced by something appropriate to said character.[[/labelnote]]
*** [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLJgiaAXIAYeeUg.jpg "BITCHES?"]][[labelnote: Explanation]]An alternate shot from the same scene, subverting the phrase upon facing the opposite conclusion to a presented scenario, or that there is, indeed a chance to "[[YouNeedToGetLaid get bitches]]".[[/labelnote]]
*** [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLSIXhZVgAEU1pX.jpg "Unfortunately yes, Megamind. No bitches"]] [[labelnote: Explanation]]A response to the meme showing a sad Hal. Somewhat fitting because of his infamy as being seen as one of the first animated Incels before Incels became more of a well-known phenomena.[[/labelnote]]
*** [[{{UsefulNotes/Asexual}} No]] [[https://twitter.com/ChanderDeerfox/status/1511641194740301830?s=20&t=trzGX96UtIVz_JAbaFwPFQ bitches!]] [[labelnote: Explanation]]Another alteration of the meme showing an excited Megamind giving two thumbs up with the Asexuality flag superimposed onto the background. [[DontExplainTheJoke Since asexuals don’t feel any sexual attraction, they’re completely fine with]] [[YouNeedToGetLaid “having no bitches”]].[[/labelnote]]

* ValuesResonance: Hal's possessive behavior towards Roxanne (as well as his violent attitude when Roxanne rejects him) hits far harder today in an era where society pays more attention to sexual harassment.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: Hal Stewart, aka [[BigBad Tighten]], [[DracoInLeatherPants used to get a lot of sympathy from the viewers]] because Roxy kept rejecting him, and many interpreted that he was a NiceGuy who let having superpowers go to his head. However, over time, once-common executions of the DoggedNiceGuy trope have become seen as a lot more problematic in recent years, with the EntitledToHaveYou mindset often leading to people getting murdered by those whose romantic and/or sexual interest they reject. Since then, Hal [[NotGoodWithRejection going on a rampage after one rejection too many]] has been looked at as a disturbingly plausible outcome to a certain kind of Dogged Nice Guy gaining superpowers. Notably, this didn't result in people disliking the character, as the reassessment of him instead resulted in Tighten becoming seen as a much more effective villain otherwise.

* DracoInLeatherPants: There are a handful of people who romanticize Hal as a lovable loser who just needed a shot at love. They fail to realize that Hal is a deconstruction of that character type who showed his true nature once he had superpowers, threatening the entire city simply because he got friend-zoned. Some people even say it's not his fault because Roxanne "broke his heart," but they forget that Roxanne has the right ''as a human being'' to say no to a man if she isn't attracted to him. Hal seems [[EntitledToHaveYou incapable of taking no for an answer]] when human, his NeverMyFault attitude being a very early symptom that he would be a problem (see him hurting his hand on the van and then ''blaming the van''), and when turned into [[PsychopathicManchild Tighten]], he only becomes more entitled.

** Hal/Tighten, due to being a LaughablyEvil PsychopathicManchild.

** Tighten manages to be this for fangirls of Creator/JonahHill, mostly because he becomes [[HeroicBuild more muscular]] upon gaining Metro Man's powers.

** Hal Stewart, who becomes the main villain Tighten, gives unrequited advances towards Roxanne even before he becomes a supervillain, continues to do so when he's the "superhero" Tighten, and tries to kill Roxanne simply because Roxanne rejected him. In 2014, three years after this movie was released, the Isla Vista killing happened, with the killer having an eerily similar motive to that of Hal since both Hal and the Isla Vista killer became really dangerous threats to public safety after they were rejected by women.

** While the overall character of Tighten and his similarity to incels is a more serious matter (see below), it is rather funny how his face remaining chubby despite his now superhero-y physique reflects a popular incel myth: the concept of "gymcel" or the belief that even if an incel hits the gym, they'll still face rejection because of their "ugly" facial features. As with Tighten, incels fail to see that the real problem is their personality and attitude.
** During the [[Music/ElectricLightOrchestra Mr. Blue Sky]] training montage, Megamind forces Tighten to re-enact Donkey Kong by forcing him to climb a 2D platforming sequence with barrels. The same song would be used in the final scene of ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie,'' which would be funny enough on its own had Mario not been voiced by Creator/ChrisPratt, who also starred in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2,'' where the song was used to [[MemeticMutation great memetic effect]].

* ItWasHisSled: Tighten becomes a villain over being rejected by Roxanne. Thanks to the Internet, it's no longer a twist anymore.
* JerkassWoobie: Hal Stewart/Tighten to an extent. While he is an entitled PsychopathicManchild who was creepy towards Roxanne and then tried to kill her and Megamind and destroy Metro City because she rejected him, it's hard not to feel bad for him when he sees Roxanne and Megamind disguised as Bernard on their date before slowly flying away. Hell, it's the only time you'll feel sorry for the guy because he looks absolutely ''crushed''.
* LauncherOfAThousandShips: Megamind, due to his TragicVillain nature. Fan work pairing him with all of the major characters is surprisingly easy to find. He's shipped with [[HoYay Minion]], [[LoveRedeems Roxanne]], [[FoeYayShipping Metro Man]] and even [[CrackPairing Hal]]/[[FoeYayShipping Tighten]]! Some even [[CrackPairing ship him with Bernard]], despite them only having one non-romantic interaction and him [[ScrewYourself effectively replacing Bernard]] for most of the story.
* LoveToHate: Hal Stewart aka [[FromNobodyToNightmare Tighten]] is a PsychopathicManchild who [[EntitledToHaveYou creeps on his coworker Roxanne]] and flat-out tries to ''kill'' her once she makes clear that she isn't interested and tries to stop him. He's a popular character for being both an innovative idea for a BigBad, his mindset becoming more and more repulsive as time goes on, and the fact that his fake adorkability actually being incredibly creepy is played 100% straight from the very beginning, something which is still not seen all that often.

*** Unsurprisingly, a screencap of Tighten saying this line became popular among anti-monarchists in the months leading up to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and even more so in the direct aftermath of her death.

** Oh, I wouldn't say "freed." More like "under new management." [[labelnote: Explanation]]This line from Tighten addressing his rule over Metro City is constantly used to portray events [[OutOfTheFryingPan going from bad to worse]], e.g. [[FullCircleRevolution a tyrannical government getting replaced by]] [[MeetTheNewBoss yet another tyrant]]. This line spiked in popularity when [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Sephiroth]] got revealed to be playable in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' during the 2020 Game Awards, with fans attributing this line to him.[[/labelnote]]

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-38NBrZNN8 Tighten's glow up]][[labelnote:Explanation]]An exploitable theory of the Snotty Boy from ''WesternAnimation/{{Barnyard}}'' implied to [[FanonWelding grow up to become Hal/Tighten]], due to sharing similar face and frizzy red hair. Often used as a form of comparison between an inferior and superior things, similar to the "[[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/virgin-vs-chad Virgin vs Chad]]" or the "[[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/average-fan-vs-average-enjoyer Average Fan vs Average Enjoyer]]" memes. The song used in the video is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao4RCon11eY CLOSE EYES by DVRST]].[[/labelnote]]

** Tighten's blank stare.[[labelnote: Explanation]]In late 2021, a frame of Hal Stewart/Tighten sporting an unnervingly blank, seemingly horrified stare was discovered in the movie. It didn't take long for it to be paired with the recent skinwalker meme, with a black filter put over the image and "Never Forgive Me, Never Forget Me" by Akira Yamaoka from the ''Franchise/SilentHill'' soundtrack being put over. The image is often used in other morbid/strange/terrifying contexts as well.[[/labelnote]]

* MoralEventHorizon: Tighten crosses it when he starts rampaging through Metro City and tries to kill Roxanne, all because the latter wouldn't return his feelings. And that's if you're not completely freaked out by the sight of him kidnapping Roxanne and dropping her from a great height ''repeatedly'' so he could "save" her, then demanding she be his girlfriend out of gratitude.

* RealismInducedHorror: Hal Stewart/Tighten is a shockingly realistic portrayal of people who [[EntitledToHaveYou feel like they're owed romantic affection]]. He pretends to be nice and flirts with Roxanne with every chance he gets, even when Metro Man supposedly died. When he gets powers, he believes that if he rescues Roxanne, she'll automatically fall in love with him. But when he finds out that's not how real life works, he goes on a temper tantrum and starts destroying Metro City, even trying to ''murder'' Roxanne [[IfICantHaveYou for not returning his feelings]].

* RewatchBonus: When you watch the movie, Hal's descent into villainy doesn't come out of nowhere: he was always an entitled creep. Megamind giving him powers just made him into a ''dangerous'' entitled creep.

* VindicatedByHistory: While it had an okay-to-middling reception upon release, the superhero blockbuster era of the 2010s caused many to look back on superhero movies from before the GenreTurningPoint of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. The film then was praised for its strong comedic and narrative writing that manages to both [[DeconstructiveParody deconstruct]] and [[AffectionateParody affectionately]] parody of the superhero genre, as well as its excellent animation. This is compounded by Hal's character, as sexual harassment, unwanted advances, and men feeling entitled to women came strongly into cultural focus in the late 2010s.

* MemeticBadass: Metroman's displays of strength and speed (ESPECIALLY the moment he took an entire day's worth of reflection in the course of a microinstant) has endeared him to those who love powerful characters, some even placing him on the same pedestal as Superman or Saitama.

* FandomRivalry: While some like both films, ''Megamind'' fans are still bitter about ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'' [[DuelingMovies upstaging their movie]], with the omnipresence of the latter being the most common source of blame for the lukewarm reception that ''Megamind'' got.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: As Megamind talks to Minion about who they should make into a hero and how this hero should be "someone of noble heart and mind, who puts the welfare of others above their own," he is interrupted by his mobile ringing. ''It's Roxanne''. She is ''right outside''. Because she ''tracked him down to stop him''. If he'd been given more than a few minutes to dwell on the thought, he almost certainly would've chosen her. Many have pointed out that this would have been part of a great {{Deconstruction}} of the tropes and genre by having the damsel become the hero, the villain becomes the damsel, and the hero becomes the villain, as you could still have Hal become the villain later. Instead, it goes for a more cliche "the villain becomes the hero" trope.

** Is Hal an incel? Fans of the movie agree that he is an entitled danger to Roxanne's life, and that he takes the rejection poorly (to say the least), but whether he qualifies under the definition of "incel" (given the term was not prominently used at the time of this movie) is a mass center for debate. Arguments both for and against the use of this label on Hal range from movie reviews, forum arguments, and reddit threads, with highly divided opinions on both sides. Both sides agree Hal is a bad person (mostly as there are defenders of Hal's character), it's just the definition of incel and whether Hal fits into it.

** "Music Man", [[spoiler:Metro Man's revamped identity after he fakes his death]] is often compared to LetsPlay/{{Markiplier}}.

* HarsherInHindsight: Hal Stewart, who becomes the main villain Tighten, gives unrequited advances towards Roxanne even before he becomes a supervillain, continues to do so when he's the "superhero" Tighten, and tries to kill Roxanne simply because Roxanne rejected him. In 2014, three years after this movie was released, the Isla Vista killing happened, with the killer having an eerily similar motive to that of Hal since both Hal and the Isla Vista killer became really dangerous threats to public safety after they were rejected by women.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: Hal Stewart, aka [[BigBad Tighten]], [[DracoInLeatherPants used to get a lot of sympathy from the viewers]] because Roxy kept rejecting him, and many interpreted that he was a NiceGuy who let having superpowers go to his head. However, over time, once-common executions of the DoggedNiceGuy trope have become seen as a lot more problematic in recent years, with the EntitledToHaveYou mindset often leading to people getting murdered by those whose romantic and/or sexual interest they reject. Hal [[NotGoodWithRejection going on a rampage after one rejection too many]] has been looked at as a disturbingly plausible outcome to a certain kind of Dogged Nice Guy gaining superpowers. Notably, this didn't result in people disliking the character, as the reassessment of him instead resulted in Tighten becoming seen as a much more effective villain otherwise.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: While Hal/Tighten always had his fans thanks to Creator/JonahHill's LaughablyEvil performance, some originally felt that his [[FaceHeelTurn fall to villainy]] being the result of getting [[NotGoodWithRejection rejected by his crush]] to be rather underwhelming and disappointing. However, come the rise of the "incel" subculture in the late 2010s, in which [[EntitledToHaveYou young men feel entitled to women]] and react with violence when their feelings aren't returned, Hal's character has largely been re-evaluated as a [[RealismInducedHorror surprisingly realistic villain]] by being a perfect encapsulation of toxic masculinity and male entitlement before such problems became more well-known.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: While Hal/Tighten always had his fans thanks to Creator/JonahHill's LaughablyEvil performance, some originally felt that his [[FaceHeelTurn fall to villainy]] being the result of getting [[NotGoodWithRejection rejected by his crush]] to be rather underwhelming and disappointing. However, come the rise of the "incel" subculture in the late 2010s, in which [[EntitledToHaveYou young men feel entitled to women]] and react with violence when their feelings aren't returned, Hal's character has largely been re-evaluated as a [[RealismInducedHorror surprisingly realistic villain]] by being a perfect encapsulation of toxic masculinity and male entitlement [[ValuesResonance before such problems became more well-known]].

* ValuesResonance: The film's condemnation of Hal's NiceGuy traits, particularly his DoggedNiceGuy pursuit of Roxanne making her extremely uncomfortable, has aged extremely well, particularly due to the MeToo movement.
* VindicatedByHistory: While it had an okay-to-middling reception upon release, the superhero blockbuster era of the 2010s caused many to look back on superhero movies from before the GenreTurningPoint of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. The film then was praised for its strong comedic and narrative writing that manages to both [[DeconstructiveParody deconstruct]] and [[AffectionateParody affectionately]] parody of the superhero genre, as well as its excellent animation. This is compounded by Hal's character, as sexual harassment, unwanted advances, and men feeling entitled to women [[ValuesResonance came strongly into cultural focus in the late 2010s]].

* UnintentionallySympathetic: While perhaps crossing over with DracoInLeatherPants, some viewers may actually feel a bit of pity for Hal, at least at first. His [[DoggedNiceGuy laughably pathetic attempts at flirting]] with Roxanne clearly make her uncomfortable and are intended to portray him as a creep, but this can come across as him being InnocentlyInsensitive rather than acting out of any sort of toxicity. It doesn't help that even though [[FaceHeelTurn he becomes a super-villain later on]], at least part of it was due to Megamind's manipulation of him, [[KickTheDog lying to him and taunting him]] about kissing Roxanne in the guise of Bernard just so he could have a good fight. While he [[DisproportionateRetribution goes too far in trying to outright murder Megamind]], it was still a pretty jerk thing of him to do. That being said, he finally loses any unintended sympathy when he [[MoralEventHorizon tries to destroy Metro City and kill Roxanne]] [[IfICantHaveYou just for rejecting him.]]

* ValuesResonance: Hal's DoggedNiceGuy and EntitledToHaveYou behavior towards Roxanne being portrayed as incredibly creepy and disturbing, up to the point where he becomes a super-villain [[NotGoodWithRejection just because she rejects him]], has become ''extremely'' relevant in the late 2010s and early 2020s thanks to the rise of the "incel" subculture, in which troubled young men, such as Hal, think they're owed romantic affection and react with violence and/or toxic behavior when they don't get what they want.

* HarsherInHindsight: Hal Stewart, who becomes the main villain Tighten, gives unrequited advances towards Roxanne even before he becomes a supervillain, continues to do so when he's the "superhero" Tighten, and tries to kill Roxanne simply because Roxanne rejected him. In 2013, three years after this movie was released, the Isla Vista killing happened, with the killer having an eerily similar motive to that of Hal since both Hal and the Isla Vista killer became really dangerous threats to public safety after they were rejected by women.

** Like ''Woah'' between Megamind and Metro Man: Megamind goes into mourning over Metro Man, bringing flowers to his statue and lamenting about all the battles they'll never have and how it's "not the same" without him.

** During the [[Music/ElectricLightOrchestra Mr. Blue Sky]] training montage, Megamind forces Tighten to re-enact Donkey Kong by forcing him to climb a 2D platforming sequence with barrels. The same song would be used in the final scene of ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie,'' which would be funny enough on its own had Mario not been voiced by Creator/ChrisPratt, who also starred in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVolume2,'' where the song was used to [[MemeticMutation great memetic effect]].

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: While Hal/Titan always had his fans thanks to Creator/JonahHill's LaughablyEvil performance, some originally felt that his [[FaceHeelTurn fall to villainy]] being the result of getting [[NotGoodWithRejection rejected by his crush]] to be rather underwhelming and disappointing. However, come the rise of the "incel" subculture in the late 2010s, in which [[EntitledToHaveYou young men feel entitled to women]] and react with violence when their feelings aren't returned, Hal's character has largely been re-evaluated as a [[RealismInducedHorror surprisingly realistic villain]] by being a perfect encapsulation of toxic masculinity and male entitlement [[ValuesResonance before such problems became more well-known]].

* DracoInLeatherPants: There are a handful of people who romanticize Hal as a lovable loser who just needed a shot at love. They fail to realize that Hal is a deconstruction of that character type who showed his true nature once he had superpowers, threatening the entire city simply because he got friend-zoned. Some people even say it's not his fault because Roxanne "broke his heart," but they forget that Roxanne has the right ''as a human being'' to say no to a man if she isn't attracted to him. Hal seems [[EntitledToHaveYou incapable of taking no for an answer]] when human, his NeverMyFault attitude being a very early symptom that he would be a problem (see him hurting his hand on the van and then ''blaming the van''), and when turned into [[PsychopathicManchild Titan]], he only becomes more entitled.

** Hal/Titan, due to being a LaughablyEvil PsychopathicManchild.

** Titan manages to be this for fangirls of Creator/JonahHill, mostly because he becomes [[HeroicBuild more muscular]] upon gaining Metro Man's powers.

* HarsherInHindsight: Hal Stewart, who becomes the main villain Tighten, gives unrequited advances towards Roxanne even before he becomes a supervillain, continues to do so when he's the "superhero" Titan, and tries to kill Roxanne simply because Roxanne rejected him. In 2013, three years after this movie was released, the Isla Vista killing happened, with the killer having an eerily similar motive to that of Hal since both Hal and the Isla Vista killer became really dangerous threats to public safety after they were rejected by women.

** While the overall character of Titan and his similarity to incels is a more serious matter (see below), it is rather funny how his face remaining chubby despite his now superhero-y physique reflects a popular incel myth: the concept of "gymcel" or the belief that even if an incel hits the gym, they'll still face rejection because of their "ugly" facial features. As with Titan, incels fail to see that the real problem is their personality and attitude.
** During the [[Music/ElectricLightOrchestra Mr. Blue Sky]] training montage, Megamind forces Titan to re-enact Donkey Kong by forcing him to climb a 2D platforming sequence with barrels. The same song would be used in the final scene of ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie,'' which would be funny enough on its own had Mario not been voiced by Creator/ChrisPratt, who also starred in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVolume2,'' where the song was used to [[MemeticMutation great memetic effect]].

* ItWasHisSled: Titan becomes a villain over being rejected by Roxanne. Thanks to the Internet, it's no longer a twist anymore.
* JerkassWoobie: Hal Stewart/Titan/Tighten to an extent. While he is an entitled PsychopathicManchild who was creepy towards Roxanne and then tried to kill her and Megamind and destroy Metro City because she rejected him, it's hard not to feel bad for him when he sees Roxanne and Megamind disguised as Bernard on their date before slowly flying away. Hell, it's the only time you'll feel sorry for the guy because he looks absolutely ''crushed''.
* LauncherOfAThousandShips: Megamind, due to his TragicVillain nature. Fan work pairing him with all of the major characters is surprisingly easy to find. He's shipped with [[HoYay Minion]], [[LoveRedeems Roxanne]], [[FoeYayShipping Metro Man]] and even [[CrackPairing Hal]]/[[MindGameShip Titan]]/[[FoeYayShipping Tighten]]! Some even [[CrackPairing ship him with Bernard]], despite them only having one non-romantic interaction and him [[ScrewYourself effectively replacing Bernard]] for most of the story.
* LoveToHate: Hal Stewart aka [[FromNobodyToNightmare Titan]] is a PsychopathicManchild who [[EntitledToHaveYou creeps on his coworker Roxanne]] and flat-out tries to ''kill'' her once she makes clear that she isn't interested and tries to stop him. He's a popular character for being both an innovative idea for a BigBad, his mindset becoming more and more repulsive as time goes on, and the fact that his fake adorkability actually being incredibly creepy is played 100% straight from the very beginning, something which is still not seen all that often.

*** Unsurprisingly, a screencap of Titan saying this line became popular among anti-monarchists in the months leading up to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and even more so in the direct aftermath of her death.

** Oh, I wouldn't say "freed." More like "under new management." [[labelnote: Explanation]]This line from Titan addressing his rule over Metro City is constantly used to portray events [[OutOfTheFryingPan going from bad to worse]], e.g. [[FullCircleRevolution a tyrannical government getting replaced by]] [[MeetTheNewBoss yet another tyrant]]. This line spiked in popularity when [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Sephiroth]] got revealed to be playable in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' during the 2020 Game Awards, with fans attributing this line to him.[[/labelnote]]

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-38NBrZNN8 Titan's glow up]][[labelnote:Explanation]]An exploitable theory of the Snotty Boy from ''WesternAnimation/{{Barnyard}}'' implied to [[FanonWelding grow up to become Hal/Titan]], due to sharing similar face and frizzy red hair. Often used as a form of comparison between an inferior and superior things, similar to the "[[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/virgin-vs-chad Virgin vs Chad]]" or the "[[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/average-fan-vs-average-enjoyer Average Fan vs Average Enjoyer]]" memes. The song used in the video is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao4RCon11eY CLOSE EYES by DVRST]].[[/labelnote]]

** Titan's blank stare.[[labelnote: Explanation]]In late 2021, a frame of Hal Stewart/Titan sporting an unnervingly blank, seemingly horrified stare was discovered in the movie. It didn't take long for it to be paired with the recent skinwalker meme, with a black filter put over the image and "Never Forgive Me, Never Forget Me" by Akira Yamaoka from the ''Franchise/SilentHill'' soundtrack being put over. The image is often used in other morbid/strange/terrifying contexts as well.[[/labelnote]]

* MoralEventHorizon: Titan crosses it when he starts rampaging through Metro City and tries to kill Roxanne, all because the latter wouldn't return his feelings. And that's if you're not completely freaked out by the sight of him kidnapping Roxanne and dropping her from a great height ''repeatedly'' so he could "save" her, then demanding she be his girlfriend out of gratitude.

* RealismInducedHorror: Hal Stewart/Titan is a shockingly realistic portrayal of people who [[EntitledToHaveYou feel like they're owed romantic affection]]. He pretends to be nice and flirts with Roxanne with every chance he gets, even when Metro Man supposedly died. When he gets powers, he believes that if he rescues Roxanne, she'll automatically fall in love with him. But when he finds out that's not how real life works, he goes on a temper tantrum and starts destroying Metro City, even trying to ''murder'' Roxanne [[IfICantHaveYou for not returning his feelings]].

** Titan revealing his true nature to the mayor.