58 Fun Facts About Megamind

Who voices Megamind in the 2010 film?

Will Ferrell surprised the crowd at the film's 2010 Comic-Con panel by walking on stage painted blue, in a full Megamind costume.

Which comedian voices reporter Roxanne Ritchi?

Tina Fey kept offering alternative takes, the director recalled, and Roxanne's weary put-down of the bickering rivals, 'Girls, girls, you're both pretty', was her own ad-lib.

Which A-list actor voices Megamind's nemesis Metro Man?

Brad Pitt missed the film's 2010 Comic-Con panel, so the cast announced him anyway and brought out a life-size cardboard cut-out to take the audience's questions.

Who voices Hal Stewart, the nobody Megamind accidentally turns into a superpowered menace?

Jonah Hill's Hal is handed a hero's powers by accident and trained to save the city, but decides stealing is easier and suggests that he and Megamind team up as villains.

Who voices Minion, the talking fish who has been Megamind's sidekick since childhood?

David Cross's Minion wears Megamind's face in the climax, flying in as a decoy to rescue Roxanne while the real Megamind arrives disguised as the fallen hero.

Which actor, first suggested for Megamind's title role, ended up voicing only a minor character instead?

Ben Stiller stayed on as an executive producer, and it was he and the studio's boss who pitched the story to its eventual director during a press junket for another film.

Which star was attached to voice Megamind before dropping out over scheduling conflicts?

Robert Downey Jr. was booked up with Iron Man 2 and Sherlock Holmes, the director later explained, so the supervillain's voice was recast in August 2009.

Who voices the Warden in Megamind?

J. K. Simmons's Warden seems to refuse Megamind's plea to be let out for the final battle, until the stern figure accepting his apology turns out to be Minion in disguise.

Megamind's director Tom McGrath voices which Madagascar character?

Skipper the penguin is McGrath's own voice across the Madagascar films; he says what sold him on directing Megamind was the chance to tell a superhero story from the villain's side.

What does Megamind call his hovering, dog-like robot helpers?

Brainbots are loyal but not always obedient: in the opening kidnap scene, one bites its own maker's hand in the middle of his villainous rant.

Megamind and Metro Man were sent to Earth as infants when what destroyed their home planets?

A black hole destroyed both worlds, and the rivalry starts in flight: the two escape pods bounce off each other, knocking baby Megamind's off its intended course.

Where was baby Megamind raised after his pod landed on Earth?

A prison yard is where the pod came down, so the inmates raised him and gave him his first lessons in villainy.

Metro Man claims his powers are weakened by which metal lining the observatory roof?

The hero claims copper lines the observatory dome and saps his powers; he later admits he invented the weakness because he was tired of being a hero.

Megamind apparently kills Metro Man with a death ray powered by what?

The sun powers the orbiting ray, which spoils the big moment: Megamind shouts 'Fire!' and nothing happens, because the weapon is still warming up.

After faking his death, Metro Man reinvents himself under what name?

The retired hero becomes Music Man, a guitar-strumming songwriter hiding in the old schoolhouse; he refuses to return even when the city is under threat.

What does Megamind's dehydration gun turn a person into?

A small cube is all that is left of anyone the gun hits, until water restores them; Megamind later fires it at himself in mid-fall and lands safely in a fountain.

Under what name does the superpowered Hal Stewart terrorise Metro City?

Tighten sounds like Titan, and when Hal asks what the name is supposed to mean, Megamind says it was the only one he could trademark.

Megamind trains Hal while disguised by hologram as which persona?

Space Dad spoofs Marlon Brando's Jor-El from Superman, mumbling voice included, and Minion joins the act in an apron and blonde wig as Hal's 'Space Stepmom'.

How does Megamind, disguised as the supposedly dead hero, give himself away to Hal?

His speech patterns betray him: his habitual 'Metrocity' for Metro City tips Hal off, and the unmasked villain is hurled into the sky.

Megamind's leather-and-spikes costume and stage presence were modelled on which rock star?

Alice Cooper was the director's model: he reasoned that a real supervillain would be a celebrity with a stage act, and pictured Megamind as an inventor dressed like the shock rocker.

Metro Man's costume and showmanship were designed to evoke which performer?

Elvis Presley was the pitch the director gave the actor, who ran with it and asked for a microphone so the hero could parade about working the crowd.

Megamind's character is a parody of which pair of Superman villains?

Lex Luthor and Brainiac always lose to Superman in the end; the director said the film's hook was asking what such a villain would do with himself if he actually won.

Megamind's Hal Stewart shares his names with Hal Jordan and John Stewart, heroes of which comic-book franchise?

Green Lantern has had both a Hal Jordan and a John Stewart behind the ring; Megamind's Hal is likewise handed great power, then turns villain.

Before it was Megamind, the film went through which two working titles?

Master Mind and Oobermind came first; the film was still called Oobermind when its announced star dropped out and the lead voice was recast.

Which filmmaker, brought onto Megamind late as a consultant, suggested the opening fall-to-his-death scene?

Guillermo del Toro saw a late cut and suggested opening on the narrator plunging to his death; the director had animators on it almost that day, three weeks before the final mix.

Which Michael Jackson hit plays in Megamind, a fitting anthem for a supervillain?

Bad was so on the nose that Variety's review listed it among the film's 'obvious musical choices'; asked how the song was licensed, the director laughed that he never asks questions.

Who composed Megamind's orchestral score?

Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe shared the credit, a step into the spotlight for Balfe after years working behind the scenes on Zimmer's scores.

Which Guns N' Roses song is heard in Megamind?

Welcome to the Jungle kicks in for the final battle, as Megamind returns to face the superpowered menace he created and then lost control of.

Which landmark does Megamind set out to destroy, only to see it rebuilt in his own honour?

The museum built to honour Metro Man is the one he resolves to blow up so he can forget his old rival; the film ends with it reopening as a tribute to Megamind instead.

What is Hal Stewart's job before Megamind's serum accidentally gives him superpowers?

News cameraman Hal films Roxanne's reports and pines for her; handed a hero's powers, he assumes they will win her over, and turns on the city when she says no.

Why was Megamind's release in Japan cancelled?

An earthquake and tsunami the day before the planned 12 March 2011 opening left the release in limbo, and within days the distributor's international chief said the film would not be released there.

In the 2024 Megamind sequel, the knight-themed villain Lord Nighty-Knight attacks by manipulating what?

Shadows are his weapon, which sets up the follow-up series' joke: once his powers are stolen, the fearsome knight turns out to be afraid of the dark.

Which band does Megamind blare as his villainous theme music?

AC/DC were 'taboo, Devil's music' when the director was in junior high, he said, so it made sense for Megamind to blare them to intimidate people as he marches down the street.

Which animated film topped 2010's worldwide box office, far ahead of sixth-placed Megamind?

Toy Story 3 was the first animated film to gross $1 billion; Megamind more than doubled its $130 million budget that year and still ranked only sixth among animated releases.

Megamind stayed the highest-grossing film of its lead voice actor's career until which 2014 film?

The Lego Movie finally out-earned Megamind's $322 million, not a poor run for a film whose own studio boss complained that parodies like it 'did not travel well internationally'.

What does Minion name the spiked cape he sews for Megamind, his 'most terrifying cape yet'?

The Black Mamba is finished just before the pair fall out; Megamind wears it to his grand showdown, then stands about for hours because his opponent never turns up.

Megamind's old gang, the Doom Syndicate, first appeared on screen in 2010 in what?

A tie-in video game, Megamind: Ultimate Showdown, took in the gang after it was cut from early versions of the film; the 2024 sequel revived the name with a new line-up.

Megamind's holographic disguises are projected by a gadget he wears as what?

A wristwatch does it: mailed in as a gift, it swaps his face with the Warden's, so the guards seize their own boss while Megamind strolls free.

What is the title of the short film released with Megamind's DVD and Blu-ray in February 2011?

Megamind: The Button of Doom finds the new hero selling off his evil gadgets on his first day in the job, a clear-out that goes wrong when one unsold item turns out to still work.

In the 2011 Megamind short, a boy who buys the dehydration gun promptly uses it on whom?

His mother is first, then other children's parents: Megamind finds the kids throwing a party to celebrate, takes the gun back and revives the grown-ups with a glass of water.

In the 2011 Megamind short, a forgotten invention from his villain days comes to life as a giant robot called what?

Mega-Megamind was built to destroy Metro Man, so when it scans its maker in his new hero's supersuit it mistakes him for the old rival and attacks.

Which old gadget does Minion admit he secretly kept as a pet in the 2011 Megamind short?

The Spider-Bot, hidden from the clear-out because Minion had grown fond of it, ends up saving the day: Megamind rides it to lure a rampaging robot to the old observatory.

Where does baby Metro Man's escape pod land, giving him the privileged upbringing Megamind missed?

A wealthy mansion was meant to be Megamind's landing place, the director has said: the two pods collide in flight, and the other baby takes the life he would have had.

The 2024 sequel, Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate, was released on which streaming service?

Peacock belongs to NBCUniversal, which bought the studio behind Megamind in 2016, so the sequel skipped cinemas and went straight to the group's own streaming service.

In the 2024 Megamind sequel, his sidekick quits and turns a run-down diner into a thriving shop selling what?

Doughnuts turn the failing diner around after the sidekick, feeling undervalued, walks out to find other work; its owner, voiced by Tony Hale, is credited as Mel, alias Mr. Donut.

In the 2024 Megamind sequel, Minion goes by what new name?

Ol' Chum was chosen for its double meaning, the sequel's director said: chum is shark bait, and it is also an old friend.

Why did Minion have to change his name in the 2024 Megamind sequel?

A fast-food chain sent a cease-and-desist, the film jokes: Mr. Minion's Meatsicles claims the name, a wink at the Minions of Despicable Me, released the same year as Megamind.

Lady Doppler of the Doom Syndicate has the power to control what?

The weather obeys Lady Doppler, who used to report on it: before turning villain she was Gail, a TV colleague of Roxanne's.

Doom Syndicate villain Pierre Pressure is themed on what?

A mime who talks: Pierre Pressure hypnotises his victims in a French accent, and the series later reveals the accent is fake once his powers are stolen.

Behemoth, the Doom Syndicate's hot-headed muscle, is what kind of creature?

A lava golem designed long before the sequel: Behemoth appears in the 2010 film's art book as a villain cut from the story, then waited 14 years for his screen debut.

What abandoned villainous scheme does Megamind reveal to the Doom Syndicate to keep them fooled?

Launching Metro City to the Moon was a real plan he had shelved, rockets already buried under the streets; the bluff backfires when the Syndicate decide to press the button themselves.

Who is Keiko Morita in the 2024 Megamind sequel?

Megamind's biggest young fan runs his online fan club and films everything for her followers; she helps him fake a bank robbery to fool his old gang and ends the film on his team.

At the end of the 2024 Megamind sequel, Roxanne takes on which new role?

Mayor of Metro City: voters elect the reporter who helped save the city in place of its cowardly incumbent, and the follow-up series opens with her in office.

The sequel's mid-credits scene introduces Megamind's former mentor, named what?

Machiavillain, a pun on Machiavellian, visits the jailed Syndicate in the mid-credits scene and returns in the follow-up series, where he mind-controls Roxanne into turning villain.

Which American Idol star voices Megamind's old mentor in Megamind Rules!?

Adam Lambert, the 2009 American Idol runner-up who went on to front Queen on tour, voices Megamind's old mentor in Megamind Rules!

What was the working title of the Megamind follow-up series ordered in 2022?

Megamind's Guide to Defending Your City fitted the premise, a reformed supervillain learning on the job how to be a hero; by its 2024 launch the series had been renamed Megamind Rules!

Which creator of MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch directed Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate?

Eric Fogel, who made his name staging clay celebrity brawls on MTV, directed Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate and also voices its robot parakeet, Polly 227.

In the sequel's opening, Megamind and his sidekick stop a criminal trio from stealing what?

A priceless fish is the Go-Fish gang's target; Megamind is handed the key to the city for stopping them, while his sidekick is left feeling overlooked.