“Invincible” might be a charismatic name for a hero and a TV series. But after an action-packed third season that just got better and better, the show might just be impervious to flaws.
Streaming on Amazon Prime, “Invincible” is an animated superhero drama based on the comic series of the same name. Created by Robert Kirkman, “Invincible” follows 17-year-old Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun,) who is the son of one of the most powerful superheroes on Earth, Omni-Man (J.K Simmons.) When Mark finally inherits his powers from his father, he starts crime-fighting and takes on the identity of Invincible as he dons an iconic black-and-yellow super suit.
Mark must then face the difficulties of becoming a superhero, all while still being barely out of high school. To guide Mark in his hero’s journey is his mother Debbie (Sandra Oh.) Although powerless in a dangerous superpowered world, she is one of the most resilient and compassionate characters in the series. She can reconcile with almost everything life throws at her, while still being there to support his son in this tricky period of his life.
Additionally in the cast, Mark’s love interest is Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs,) who can reconstruct any item at an atomic level. Then there is Cecil Steadman (Walton Goggins,) the emotionally detached director of the Global Defense Agency.
After having finished this season, I am honestly exhausted. In this season, we saw Invincible really power up, but it didn’t mean that the threats to him got any weaker. In just eight episodes, there were four separate occasions where Invincible had to quite literally save the world.
Usually superhero series depict an idealized world where good versus bad is clear as day. A world where ultimately good triumphs, with the problem disappearing by the next episode. For “Invincible,” that is not the case. Every episode felt high-stakes this season, turning entertaining action sequences into suspenseful plights for these characters trying to protect what is dear to them. Eventually, someone important did die this season. And it was heartbreaking.
Many characters this season were just flat-out incompetent with their decision-making. Although these people may be able to suplex an 8-food-lizard man, they’re terribly inept at handling multifaceted emotional situations with the slightest of care. This is to be expected of course, when a majority of the cast is under the drinking age.
A lot of problems this season started simply because of misinterpretations and miscommunication between the cast. The character flaws that caused the insane decisions that fueled this season’s plot aren’t an example of lazy writing, but instead an intense understanding of these characters by these writers. They didn’t learn to save the planet by talking about their feelings, which makes most problems that require anything but violence a conundrum for most of our cast. For Mark and Cecil, one scene had me screaming because of how their shared abrasiveness with each other just made everything blow up in the end. Literally.
This season, “Invincible” questioned the moralities of being a superhero. No situation was completely black-and-white ethically. During Mark’s most heroic moments, we ended up seeing how it can have the most villainous of consequences.
There is no glamour to being a superhero in the series. Although this is a world full of superpowers and magical curses, at the end of the day the cast is still human, kind of. As Mark learns to become the superhero needs to be to save the planet, he has to learn to reconcile with the metaphorical and literal blood on his hands that comes with the job. This of course is a tough pill to swallow, one that the series showcases Mark isn’t figuring out with ease since we are constantly reminded of his inner turmoil time and time again.
Overall, “Invincible” season three just hit hard and hit right. It is a one-of-a-kind superhero series that will have you on the edge of your seat. Besides that, “Invincible” is an amazing drama filled with entrancing characters that make for great and entertaining television. If you’re looking for three seasons of great action and an even greater drama, then “Invincible” might be the show that you need.
