The Big Picture
- The Spy Kids franchise is part of a larger cinematic universe that includes other films like The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl and We Can Be Heroes .
- The original Spy Kids trilogy follows Carmen and Juni Cortez as they stop the plans of Floop and his army of robotic children.
- The Machete movies, though more mature in tone, exist in an alternate universe within the Spy Kids franchise.
Robert Rodriguez's Spy Kids franchise has become surprisingly prolific, but would you believe us if we told you that the family-friendly franchise is also home to a twisty, interconnected cinematic universe? Granted, the core Spy Kids series is already very expansive, with a whopping four films under its belt, and the fifth installment, Spy Kids: Armageddon, having just recently hit Netflix. However, we're not just talking about the Spy Kids movies. Oh no. We believe that the rabbit hole that is the Spy Kids cinematic universe goes much, much deeper than just those five movies.
Now, first things first. We don't want anyone to think we're suggesting that every Robert Rodriguez-directed project takes place in the same universe. Come on, Sin City, Alita: Battle Angel, and The Book of Boba Fett coexisting in the same world? Yeah, right. That would just be ridiculous...
...but what we are suggesting is that the Spy Kids share their timeline with shark and lava-based superheroes and non-shark and lava-based superheroes. Yeah, buckle up, because things are about to get weirder than an army of thumb robots. Why? Because we feel it is our civic duty here at Collider.com to tell you all about the Spy Kids cinematic universe and what it entails.
The Saga Begins with 'Spy Kids' (2001)
Our story begins with the film that started all - the original Spy Kids film from 2001. While it's curious how this somewhat low-budget and cheesy kids' film spawned four sequels (and other loosely connected entries we'll mention later), Spy Kids has an indescribable charm that once again proves Robert Rodriguez's talent as a diverse filmmaker. The creative ideas and vibrant visuals didn't go unnoticed by audiences either, as the first Spy Kids film brought in over a hundred million dollars in profit at the international box office.
The original Spy Kids trilogy follows the exploits of Carmen (Alexa PenaVega) and Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara), two ordinary kids who learn their parents, Gregorio (Antonio Banderas) and Ingrid Cortez (Carla Gugino), are living double lives, when Gregorio and Ingrid are kidnapped by the host of the creepiest children's show ever made, Fegan Floop (Alan Cumming). Along with his minion...er...Minion (Tony Shalhoub), Floop seeks to create an army of robotic children to infiltrate the world's governments since the captured agents he mutated, and thumb robots he developed have not yielded tactical results. With the help of the kids' estranged inventor uncle Machete (Danny Trejo), Carmen and Juni are able to save their parents and even convince Floop of the error of his ways. The film ends with Carmen and Juni officially being recruited by the Organization of Super Spys leader, Devlin (George Clooney), formally kick-starting the Spy Kids program.
Carmen and Juni's Story Continues in 'Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams'
With the first film's massive success, it only made sense that a sequel would be on the horizon. We got that in Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams, where Carmen and Juni are now experienced super spies. However, the Spy Kids program has led to the sibling partners having some stiff competition. Their biggest competitors are another set of spy siblings, Gary (Matt O'Leary) and Gerti Giggles (Emily Osment), who consistently upstage them with their prototype gear, such as when the President's (Christopher McDonald) daughter (Taylor Momsen) got stuck on a dangerous amusement park attraction. The Giggles siblings get their advanced tech courtesy of their father, Donnagon Giggles (Mike Judge), one of the mutated agents saved from Floop's Castle in the first film.
On their next mission, Juni and Cortez are tasked with finding what is known as the Transmooker Device - a brilliant piece of technology capable of emitting a powerful EMP field that disables all electronics. They find the Transmooker on a desolate island populated by seemingly aggressive hybrid animals. Those animals and the Transmooker were created by Dr. Romero (Steve Buscemi), who says totally normal things like "Do you think God stays in heaven because he too lives in fear of what he's created"? In the end, it is revealed that Donnagon was seeking to use the Transmooker for himself, but is stopped by the Cortez kids and the parents, as well as the kids' Grandpa (Ricardo Montalban) and Grandma (Holland Taylor). Oh, and Juni and Carmen permanently get psychic powers when they go into a cave filled with skeletons.
The Original Trilogy Concludes With 'Spy Kids 3: Game Over'
Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams ended with Juni leaving the OSS, choosing to freelance instead. He returns to the agency when he's told by Devlin, now the President of the United States, that Carmen has gone missing. When he meets up with a reformed Donnagon and his wife, Cesca (Salma Hayek), Juni learns that Carmen isn't physically gone, but her subconscious is trapped in the video game called "Game Over". Created by a digitally incarcerated criminal called The Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone), the game is a means to hypnotize and control the minds of all who play it once it launches at midnight.
Juni goes into the game to find his sister, even bringing in his Grandpa to help him. Coincidentally, grandpa has a history with The Toymaker, as he is the one who put him in a wheelchair before Juni was born. With the help of some other beta testers, Juni eventually finds his sister, and they shut down the game. However, seemingly seeking vengeance against his rival, Grandpa releases the Toymaker and his robotic minions. This culminates in a final battle that goes full Avengers: Endgame, with almost every major character from the past films showing up to fight the robotic threat. In the end, Grandpa forgives the Toymaker for taking his legs and the Cortez family live happily ever after (though this is not the end of Juni and Carmen's story).
'The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl' Expands the 'Spy Kids' Universe
The first non-Spy Kids movie to exist in this alleged timeline, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl brings superheroes into the mix (even though we knew superpowers already existed from that whole part with the cave in Spy Kids 2). This is seemingly all thanks to young Max (Cayden Boyd), whose vibrant imagination creates the heroes Sharkboy (Taylor Lautner) and Lavagirl (Taylor Dooley). Max's dreams come to the real world when Sharkboy and Lavagirl themselves come to find Max and take him to Planet Drool so he can save it.
Once there, the trio comes face to face with the villainous robot Mr. Electric (George Lopez) and the nefarious mastermind Minus (Jacob Davich). It takes some convincing, but Max eventually uncovers his true potential and saves Planet Drool, even saving his parents' marriage in the process because why not? Though Sharkboy and Lavagirl seemingly only existed in Max's imagination, they would later unite with a new superhero force long in the future.
The Spy Kids Return with 'Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World'
A new generation of young super spies emerges with Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World, but we also reunite with some familiar faces as well. Just like Juni and Carmen before them, Rebecca (Rowan Blanchard) and Cecil Wilson (Mason Cook) discover that they have one parent who is a retired spy, this time being their stepmother Marissa (Jessica Alba). Marissa and later the kids, along with the robotic dog Argonaut (Ricky Gervais), are thrust back into the gray when a time-traveling criminal called the Time Keeper (Jeremy Piven) begins causing chaos.
A mission this great requires extra help, so the now-adult and currently estranged siblings Carmen and Juni also come in to help. Though the Spy Kids program is defunct during the events of Spy Kids 4, the courageous actions of Rebecca and Cecil make the O.S.S. second guess that decision. Perhaps the contentious Spy Kids program will return in full one day.
Sharkboy and Lavagirl Join a Team in 'We Can Be Heroes'
Everything in this 20+ years journey comes together in We Can Be Heroes, and by coming together, we mean there are a few references here that suggest it takes place in the same universe as the already mentioned movies. Juni and Carmen aren't the only characters who grew up, as Sharkboy (J.J. Dashnaw) and Lavagirl also return as adult heroes in We Can Be Heroes, now a part of an Avengers/Justice League-type organization called The Heroics. They also even had a daughter together named Guppy (Vivien Lyra Blair), who has water powers that are a combination of her parents' abilities.
However, We Can Be Heroes is not Sharkboy and Lavagirl's story. Instead, the focus is on Missy Moreno (YaYa Gosselin) and a group of children who are the descendants of these heroes. When an alien invasion comes to Earth and abducts The Heroics, the kids all must learn what it means to be a hero. We then get a Spy Kids connection in the return of Christopher McDonald's president character, implying that he won re-election at some point after Devlin's term was up. We also learn his name is Neil Anami, spelled backward as "I Am an Alien," referencing the twist towards the end. Since that is his full name, perhaps this means Anami has been an alien ever since Spy Kids 2.
'Spy Kids: Armageddon' Reboots the Franchise Yet Again
The latest installment in this long-running saga, Spy Kids: Armageddon starts things completely fresh. While there are plenty of nods to the past films, such as yet another video game designer as the film's main villain. Other than that though, Spy Kids: Armageddon is almost entirely disconnected from the stories featuring Carmen and Juni. Instead, the fifth Spy Kids film focuses on an all-new family of spies, as they work together to stop all the world's technology from being controlled by a video game.
The fifth film also introduces a new individual by the name of Devlin (D.J. Cotrona) - the new OSS boss who is likely George Clooney's character's successor.
The 'Machete' Movies Turn the 'Spy Kids' Universe Into a Multiverse
Now that we're caught up on the core Spy Kids universe, there's one more wrinkle in this theory we need to address, and it has to do with the Machete franchise. Yes, Danny Trejo plays a character of the exact same name as his Spy Kids counterpart in two action films by Robert Rodriguez. The only difference is that these movies are as R-rated as they can possibly be, so they don't precisely fit the Spy Kids aesthetic. Despite this, Trejo isn't the only Spy Kids alum who returns, as Alexa PenaVega and Antonio Banderas appear as different characters entirely.
How is this possible? Well, Rodriguez himself claimed in a Reddit AMA that the Machete films exist in an alternate universe. That's right. Long before Hollywood's recent obsession with multiverses, the concept already existed with this wacky and crazy pseudo-spin-off. Who knows? Maybe the Machete franchise's connection to the Spy Kids cinematic universe will be expanded upon once the long-delayed Machete in Space comes out.
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