Character Analysis
Like many a young troublemaker, Dash Parr doesn't act out because he's a bad kid, but because he isn't being pointed in the right direction. He's no super-villain-in-training. He's an Incredible.
Faster Than a Speeding Bullet
Want to know what's not incredible, though? Helen and Bob's insistence that Dash not play sports because it might reveal the family's superpowered secret. This backfires, of course. Dash still uses his powers, but to cause trouble in class, rather than doing anything productive with them.
Here's a telling convo between him and Helen after one such incident. Check it:
DASH: Dad always said our powers were nothing to be ashamed of. Our powers made us special.
HELEN: Everyone's special, Dash.
DASH: Which is another way of saying no one is.
Afraid of revealing their own secrets, Helen and Bob have accidentally held their son back from fulfilling his own potential. This impacts his life in a range of ways.
Running Man
Fortunately, this dynamic radically changes after the whole family is thrust back into the world of superheroes and supervillains. Unlike his sister Violet, Dash adapts immediately to the sudden shift, gleefully fighting off baddies and exploring Syndrome's terrifying island like it's Disneyland. This is what he's being waiting for his entire life.
With this experience behind them, Bob and Helen finally relent, allowing Dash to join the track team. Of course, they're careful to keep his superpowers in check, having him throw the race to take a respectable second place. Call it a compromise.
It might not seem like much, but it's exactly what Dash has always wanted—an opportunity to live up to his own potential.