Binge-worthy: Family drama meets superhero violence as Invincible’s story arcs grow

Invincible 3

Prime Video
★★★★☆

Since its 2021 launch, this animated series has maintained consistent quality – a feat few titles from superhero giants Marvel and DC have achieved.

In the first season, the world’s most powerful superhero Omni-Man/Nolan (voiced by J.K. Simmons), a saviour worshipped by billions, reveals his true identity. He has been sent to infiltrate Earth to help in the enslavement of its human population by the militaristic Viltrum Empire.

Nolan reveals the truth to his son Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun), who has his father’s powers, hoping to recruit the younger man to the Viltrumite side. Instead, Mark tries to stop his father and is almost killed by the older man. Nolan flies into space, emotionally conflicted.

In Season 2, Mark and his mother Debbie (Sandra Oh) cope with the pain of abandonment. A troubled Nolan lives a secret life on a different planet, but Viltrumite officers capture him and ready him for execution.

Back on Earth, Mark has adopted the Invincible persona and works with the Global Defense Agency, a secret organisation that coordinates superhero activity. The agency’s director, Cecil (Walton Goggins), appears to care for Mark and his superhero friends. The season ends with Nolan being imprisoned with the alien being Allen (Seth Rogen), a representative from an anti-Viltrumite alliance. Allen tries to flip Nolan’s loyalty, with little success.

The first three episodes of the third season, which premiered on Feb 6, show Mark maturing in his power and emotional control. Mother and son have healed somewhat from the betrayal, but a supervillain thought to have been vanquished in the previous season makes a reappearance.

Here are three reasons to watch Invincible.

A mix of sweetness and brutality

Mark is 17. His mood swings and social awkwardness feel right for his age, but it gives the show the tone of a young adult story.

That uncomplicated sincerity sets Invincible apart from its Prime Video superhero stablemate The Boys (2019 to present), which exists as satire – both of the superhero format and the current political reality in the United States.

In contrast, Invincible pays homage to comic-book crusaders. It borrows the teen angst of Spider-Man and the child-versus-parent dynamic of Gamora and Thanos from Guardians Of The Galaxy, among others.

But comics creator Robert Kirkman (who also created The Walking Dead horror book series) also loves to shock, so occasionally, viewers see the grisly results of Mark’s powers. Along with his father’s Viltrumite powers, Mark has inherited his bad dad’s uncontrollable rages.

Lively character dynamics

Mark navigates several relationships: with Debbie, and his first girlfriend, the ordinary human Amber (Zazie Beetz). In Season 3, he gets romantically involved with a fellow superhero and is part of a rambunctious young superhero team whose members often disagree with his objectives.

There is also Cecil, whom Mark wants to put his trust in after losing faith in his father. Cecil is an ordinary man directing superhumans who can crush him like a bug, so the wily executive must keep a few tricks up his sleeve.

The balance of emotional weight and frantic action is handled with care and style. In a flash, scenes move from heavy conversations about duty and legacy to battles with giant centipedes.

A story that moves forward

Superhero shows often lapse into repetition before petering out into cancellation. For reasons of budget, fan service or writer exhaustion, the main character will fight the same kind of villain week after week.

Invincible has seen Mark’s story arc grow with each season, along with the arcs of supporting characters. The richness of the plot has to do with its reliance on the source comics. Kirkman has released 144 Invincible issues, published between 2003 and 2018, so there is plenty of material yet to run through.