Though its source material is over 20 years old, “Invincible” is exactly the type of comic book show people need right now. Hot off a riveting second season, it doesn’t let up in its third outing.
Mark Grayson/Invincible (Steven Yeun) is still scarred by his encounter with his father Nolan/Omni Man (J.K. Simmons), whom he reconciled with last season. Having almost been defeated by the multivere-traversing Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown), who he believes he killed in Season 2’s finale, Mark has spent the time skip in between seasons training under Global Defense Agency head Cecil Stedman (Walton Goggins).
That training pays off, but it proves to be just enough to keep Mark alive this season.
That’s because Season 3 introduces larger threats, including a healed Levy that brings an army of evil Invincible variants to Earth from other dimensions in an adaptation of the comic’s “Invincible War” arc. Mark also goes up against one of the strongest VIltrumites, Conquest (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).
However, at the center of this season is Mark’s falling out with Cecil and his relationship with Sam Wilkins/Atom Eve (Aria Kane), who has the power to create anything from thin air by manipulating nonorganic matter.
With his father still far away in space, Mark looks to Cecil to fill the void he left behind, a role Cecil initially excels at. However, the two clash when Mark learns that Cecil has been rehabilitating villains by giving them a chance to use their gifts for good — a practice Cecil was once morally against himself.
Their argument escalates, and Mark gives into his darker nature, trying to use force to get Cecil to stop the practice, forcing Cecil to use the countermeasures he’s put in place in the event Mark ever turned.
The conflict is controversial amongst fans, but the evil Mark variants that appear later show us exactly why Cecil was right to have such measures in place. It also introduces the most powerful idea the show has to offer: That you can either be the good guy or the person who saves the world — you can’t always be both.
Meanwhile, Mark’s relationship with Eve starts off rocky, but eventually the two click. Season 2 proved that Mark can’t date a normal person; they will always be a liability. However, Eve is more than capable of standing up for herself, which she proves especially during their fight with Conquest.
Mark also spends time training his new brother, Oliver (Christian Convery). Though he was the result of an affair Nolan had with a Thraxan (a buglike alien), Debbie (Sandra Oh), Mark’s mom, raises him as her own.
Villain of the week
The villains in Season 3 are vastly inconsistent. Early on, Doc Seismic (Chris Diamantopoulos), a crazed environmentalist, is a major antagonist that serves as an engine for Mark and Cecil’s rehabilitation debate (Cecil has to call the reformed villains into action as a last resort), but is throughly flat and unremarkable. He is completely outclassed by Powerplex (Aaron Paul), who hates Invincible because his family was caught in the crossfire of his Season 1 fight with Omni-man, and Conquest, who enjoys carnage but has been ostracized by his fellow Viltrumites.
Powerplex is the best foil the show has to Mark. He wanted to settle his claims against Invincible legally, but turned to crime when no attorney would prosecute him. He is consumed by revenge — a pursuit that takes everyone and everything he loves from him. He also breaks Mark out of his simplistic worldview of stark good and evil — most people inhabit the grey areas between the two.
Rex Splode (Jason Mantzoukas) also undergoes remarkable character development. He almost died last season, and that experience changed him. He stops taking people for granted, learns to listen and comes very close to leaving his superhero job behind.
The Immortal (Ross Marquand) regresses and is one of the most unlikeable characters this season. This is because the toll of his many lifetimes has been catching up to him, but he is so self-centered that it’s not believable that he was once President Abraham Lincoln; he has no leadership qualities.
This is still a fantastic show, though it’s clear Amazon has been cutting some corners. The animation is below average and the show lacks visual flare — it feels like a direct-to-DVD DC animated movie. Some episodes also feel rushed and the show struggles to give its ensemble cast enough to do — most of the secondary heroes might as well have been asleep this season.
But it’s saved by its writing and great cast. Some sequences — like Conquest’s confession to Mark and a heartbreaking montage of two no-name villains failing to make ends meet — elevate this show far beyond anything the genre is offering today.
Image Comics, the publisher of “Invincible,” had to prove itself by publishing stories Marvel and DC wouldn’t. This has paid off in the superhero fatigue era because “Invincible” brings fresh ideas other adaptations have been lacking.
It’s also found a great mix of gravity and humor that the “Big Two” should take notice of.
“Invincible” Season 3 gets an 8/10
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