Like a lot of super villains Elijah Price is capable of great, unspeakable things. He has a charming way about him that people tend to lock on and he’s quite the character. His ability to capture the attention of others is owed largely to his charismatic way and the intelligence that makes him so interesting but also so very dangerous. In the beginning of the film he acts as a mentor to David Dunn and tries to convince him that the world is indeed ready for a superhero and that he is that hero.
The problem is that Elijah is not quite who he seems to be.
He doesn’t come off as the classic super villain at first. He carries himself well aside from the fact that his condition, that of a weak bone structure, leaves him extremely vulnerable to harm and makes it impossible for him to be a physical threat to anyone. But that’s not the danger that he represents. He is more of a cerebral villain and is able to strip people bare using only his intelligence and powers of intuition. He knows things about the human psyche and the capability of people. This is a part of what makes him so dangerous.
He is also a very obsessive character, as he does not quit when it comes to his belief nor when he is seeking to prove a point. In fact this very quality leads him to serious bodily harm in the movie as he attempts to follow a man that David had suspected was carrying a gun down a long, steep flight of stairs into the subway. The resulting fall shatters many of his bones and sends him to a physical therapist that just happens to be David’s estranged wife. Through a great deal of charm and mild persuasion he gets her to talk about David and their relationship, and if David has ever seemed special in any way.
After healing up for a bit he continues to watch David and obsess about the role of superheroes in the modern world. It is only when David attends a gallery opening in which Elijah decides to showcase his collection of comic book art that David eventually realizes that Elijah is a very, very dangerous man. The blueprints, the plans, and the makings of a bomb that David sees makes him realize that Elijah has been looking for someone like him for a very long time, and hasn’t cared who gets hurt during the search. Elijah is so wrapped up in his own fantasy that he continues to call after David, stating that they are polar opposites, that this is the way things need to be. He states that he knows this because of the kids. They called him Mr. Glass.
Price is the best Shymalan character simply because he is driven, he is dedicated, and he is so beautifully insane that his grip upon reality is just as strong as his grip upon his own fictional fantasy. When the two meet it makes for a character that might be unstoppable.
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