“Invincible” Season 1 was a refreshingly dark take on the superhero genre, specifically DC’s wares as it features a villain similar to Superman and a Justice League clone that almost immediately gets wiped out (the Guardians of the Globe).
Our point-of-view character is the titular Invincible AKA Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun), who was just about to graduate high school when he finds out that his superhero dad, Nolan/Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) is evil, hailing from a brutal race of aliens called Viltrumites who are intent on taking over and enslaving the galaxy. Unlike Superman, their powers come from years of brutal eugenics in which the weak are killed via combat.
That’s a lot to take in, especially considering when we last saw Mark, his dad nearly killed him and admitted that he sees his mother as nothing more than a pet.
The first three episodes of Season 2 are reflective on those events, as Mark gradually works his way back into getting superhero jobs from Global Defense Agency chief Cecil Stedman (Walter Goggins), who is willing to use him, but like his father, doesn’t trust him. Meanwhile, his mother, Debbie (Sandra Oh) is devastated, finding no comfort even in support groups because of what Omni-Man did.
The new Guardians of the Globe also have some hiccups, with Rudy Connors/Robot (Ross Marquand/Zachary Quinto) being replaced as the group’s leader by The Immortal (Ross Marquand). That comes with its own issues, as The Immortal soon abuses his position of power and sleeps with Dupli-Kate (Malese Jow).
Donald Feguson (Chris Diamantopoulos) also appears to have been cloned in Season 1, and he is slowly finding out what Cecil did to him.
But the real core of the season so far is the dynamic of how Mark, Debbie and Nolan are coping with their lives after their family imploded last season. In Episode 4, we learn that Nolan has found a new home on a distant world with bug-like people and has even fathered a new son, whom he asks Mark’s help in protecting.
Each episode so far has been engaging and excellent — a rare gust of fresh air in a genre that has been stagnating and starting to rot on the big screen with underperforming and sometimes bombing films.
What I like and appreciate about this series is how much farther its willing to go than its peers in the genre. This is a brutal show about totalitarianism, eugenics, genocide and ultimately, love.
If you haven’t yet jumped into “Invincible,” now’s the perfect time to do so.
“Invincible” Season 2: Episodes 1-4 gets a 9/10
InReview: Reviews, Commentary and More 
Leave a comment