Look, I get it. You’re tired of the standard aspects of the superhero genre. You’re bored of all the Caped Crusaders and friendly neighborhood menaces, right? If so, then I have a solution. Look no further because one of Amazon’s most popular series has returned triumphantly for its third season. Guys, gals, and gender-neutral pals, I’m talking about Invincible.
If you don’t know what this series is, it’s a pretty straightforward concept with a rather interesting twist. Developed by Robert Kirkman of The Walking Dead, the show is an adaptation of the comic written by Kirkman years prior. It follows 17-year-old Mark Grayson (played by Steven Yeun), an average high schooler apart from one key detail – his father, Nolan, is Omni-Man, the planet’s greatest superhero, and an alien from the planet Viltrum.
Once his powers develop, Mark takes up the mantle of Invincible, using his newfound abilities to protect the innocent, navigating a whirlwind of battling villains, joining super-teams, leaping across dimensions, and still facing the everyday struggles of high school, college decisions, and first love.
Then, it all goes to Hell. The Guardians of the Globe, Earth’s premier defenders, are slaughtered, and Omni-Man reveals all. He killed them to make way for his alien race to assimilate Earth into their empire, and Mark’s entire role in the grand scheme of things is to help his dad take over effectively. Suddenly, life becomes marginally harder.
This show cranks things up to eleven way faster than it has any right to. It’s an irreverent deconstruction of superheroes by someone who loves the genre, playing into several tropes in a pretty neat manner.
The most obvious take is the ultra-violence that stems from beings that can punch each other’s heads off and the collateral damage it causes – it can elicit a sense of violence that might not be for the faint of heart.
The cast all play their roles wonderfully, Omni-Man being an obvious highlight (J.K. Simmons is an amazing actor, ‘nuff said), as well as Sandra Oh as Debbie, Mark’s mom, or Gillian Jacobs as Atom Eve, a molecule-bending superheroine who starts to develop an attraction to Mark. I was personally looking forward to Jonathan Banks playing a character I’ve waited to see for years, though I can’t disseminate for want of spoilers.
Season three raises the stakes, with betrayals rife for the picking, a distinct costume change, and splashes of humor and quippy dialogue mixing dramatic twists with jovial antics. Invincible uses a straightforward pitch as a launchpad for violence and character-centric world-building, focusing on grey morality in a Marvel-like universe. It has a charm that feels vulnerable and human – Mark and his journey with his powers don’t feel as ridiculously perfect as Superman’s, nor as nihilistically unstable as Homelander’s. He’s a realistic example of your average Joe happening upon godlike power.
For fans of comic book adaptations, this series delivers a faithful and compelling take on its source material. With well-developed characters and thrilling adventures, it’s a steadfast and exhilarating ride that any superhero enthusiast will appreciate, offering a fresh twist on the genre. It’s worth giving it a shot if you’re a newcomer, and if you liked the first two seasons, you’ll like this new one!
