When you think of Kurt Russell, your brain probably goes straight to Snake Plissken or that terrifying beard in The Thing. Rugged. Tough. A bit of a jerk, maybe. But for a specific generation of kids who grew up in the mid-2000s, Russell isn't just an action icon. He’s Steve Stronghold. He’s The Commander, the world's greatest superhero who also happens to be a dorky real estate agent with a massive ego and an even bigger cape.
Sky High was a weird moment for Disney. It came out in 2005, right when the superhero genre was starting to take itself way too seriously. Batman Begins had just dropped two months earlier. We were entering the era of "dark and gritty." Then comes Russell, 54 years old at the time, squeezing into a blue-and-gold rubber suit to play a guy who punches giant robots and worries about his son being a "sidekick."
Honestly? It was brilliant.
A Disney Homecoming Nobody Expected
Most people don't realize that Sky High wasn't just some random paycheck for Russell. It was a massive full-circle moment. He started as a Disney child star in the 60s. We’re talking about a kid who was literally a protege of Walt Disney himself. Before he was Steve Stronghold, he was Dexter Riley in The Strongest Man in the World.
Coming back to Disney for Sky High allowed Kurt Russell to lean into a specific kind of "dad energy" that he hadn't really explored before. He wasn't the brooding hero anymore. He was the over-enthusiastic hero.
He actually had a lot of input on the script. Originally, the movie had a bit of a meaner, nastier tone. Russell sat down with director Mike Mitchell and basically said, "Look, I’ve got these pages I wrote out. Let’s make this fun instead." He wanted that classic Disney vibe. He wanted the laughs to be visual. He wanted a character that felt like a throwback to the stuff he did as a teenager.
📖 Related: Ten Wanted Men Explained: Why This Explosive 1955 Western Still Packs a Punch
The Problem With Being The Commander
In the movie, Steve Stronghold is basically Superman if Superman worked at a Century 21 office. He’s obsessed with his legacy. He’s a "hero" in every sense, but he’s also kind of a terrible listener.
- Powers: Superhuman strength and invulnerability.
- Day Job: Realtor (working alongside his wife, Josie/Jetstream).
- The Conflict: He desperately wants his son, Will, to inherit his powers so they can be a legendary trio.
The dynamic is awkward. You’ve got Michael Angarano (playing Will) trying to hide the fact that he has zero powers, while Russell is in the "Secret Sanctum" showing off trophies and punching meteors. It’s a perfect parody of the "star athlete dad" trope, just with more spandex and radioactive property damage.
The suit was a whole other issue. Critics at the time—like Peter Hartlaub—ripped into the costume, calling it "god-awful" and "tacky." But that was sort of the point. It was kitschy. It was supposed to look like a silver-age comic book brought to life in a world that was rapidly moving toward tactical leather and muted colors.
Why The Performance Holds Up
Russell plays the role with this weird, infectious sincerity. He isn't winking at the camera. He really believes he's the greatest thing since sliced bread. When he finds out his son is in "Hero Support" (the sidekick track), the look of pure, soul-crushing disappointment on his face is hilarious because it’s so misplaced.
He treat’s the "Secret Sanctum"—his basement full of villain trophies—like a proud suburban dad showing off a finished patio. It’s that balance of "Global Savior" and "Boring Suburbanite" that makes the character work.
"I thought that it could be a fun character to play and I think that the movie had something to say at the end of the day," Russell told MovieWeb back in 2005.
It’s about expectations. The Commander is a man who defines himself by his "Hero" status, which makes it all the more satisfying when the "Sidekicks" are the ones who actually have to save the day.
The Ego Connection
There’s this wild fan theory that’s been floating around Reddit for years. People love to connect Sky High to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, specifically Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Think about it. In both movies, Kurt Russell plays a god-like father figure with a massive ego who is obsessed with his son inheriting his powers. In Guardians, he’s literally named Ego. In Sky High, he’s Steve Stronghold, but his "ego" is basically his second superpower. Some fans jokingly claim that Steve Stronghold is just one of Ego’s many "expansions" on Earth. It’s a stretch, sure, but it’s hard to ignore the parallels. Russell is just really good at playing dads who are a little too intense about their family lineage.
The Legacy of Sky High
Sky High didn't exactly set the box office on fire. It made about $83 million worldwide on a $35 million budget. Not a disaster, but not a "franchise starter" either. There were rumors that the cast was contracted for a TV series that never happened.
But over the last two decades, the movie has become a cult classic. Why? Because it’s one of the few superhero movies that actually understands the "High School" part of the equation. It treats the social hierarchy—Heroes vs. Sidekicks—as a stand-in for the cliques we all dealt with.
Kurt Russell’s involvement gave the movie a level of "cool" it otherwise wouldn't have had. You had Bruce Campbell as Coach Boomer and Lynda Carter (the original Wonder Woman) as the Principal. It was a love letter to the history of the genre.
Moving Forward
If you're revisiting Sky High today, look past the 2005 CGI. Watch Russell’s timing. Notice how he uses his physicality to portray a man who literally doesn't know his own strength—like when he’s casually tossing an SUV-sized weight to his son.
If you want to dive deeper into this era of Russell's career, here is what you should do:
- Watch "The Strongest Man in the World" (1975): It’s the perfect double feature with Sky High. You get to see a young Kurt Russell playing a version of the character he would eventually "parody" as an adult.
- Look for the Cameos: Pay attention to the teachers. Having two members of The Kids in the Hall (Kevin McDonald and Dave Foley) as faculty members is a level of comedic casting we rarely see in family movies anymore.
- Check out the Soundtrack: It’s a time capsule of mid-2000s pop-punk covers of 80s hits. It shouldn't work, but it does.
Sky High is a reminder that Kurt Russell is one of the few actors who can jump from a prestige Tarantino film to a goofy Disney superhero movie without losing an ounce of credibility. He’s just that good.
Next Steps for the Fan:
Go back and watch the "Secret Sanctum" scene again. Specifically, look at the trophies Steve has collected. It’s a masterclass in background storytelling—each one represents a villain or an adventure we never got to see, but because it's Kurt Russell explaining it, you believe every word.
The movie is currently streaming on Disney+, making it easy to catch all those details you probably missed when you were ten.