Steven Yeun leads a great season full of humor and superhero action in Prime Video’s comic book extravaganza.
Plot: Based on the award-winning comic book series by Robert Kirkman, co-creator Cory Walker, and contributing creator Ryan Ottley, Invincible follows 17-year-old Mark Grayson, as he inherits his father’s superpowers and sets out to become Earth’s greatest defender, only to discover the job is more challenging than he could have ever imagined. Everything changes as Mark is forced to face his past, and his future, while discovering how much further he’ll need to go to protect the people he loves.
Review: The popular indie comics often get left out of the conversation in a world of Marvel and DC cinematic universes. While Prime Video’s The Boys has cornered the market in live-action comic book adaptations, their animated series Invincible remains one of the best superhero stories on the small screen. Based on the comic book from The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, Invincible has delivered two stellar seasons so far, giving the mainstream a boost of unique villains led by Omni-Man. While the title character has been the series’ focus, the ensemble of great comedic and dramatic actors has lent a quality to this series that few live-action shows can compete with. For the third season, Invincible continues to bring a balance of action, humor, and violence, which is even more nuanced with solid character work from everyone, including some supporting characters you may not expect to become so invested in.
Having seen six of the eight episodes of Invincible‘s third season, fans must temper their expectations regarding the series’ momentum. The first season dropped a massive plot-bomb in the first episode that Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) was a monster and not the hero many thought he was. Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) had to step up with his new powers to go against his father, Omni-Man while balancing his new alter ego. In season two, the fallout of Omni-Man’s actions echoes through the world, in alternate timelines and outer space. Coming into season three, Mark has found a new direction in his life, which includes deciding to pursue a relationship with Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs) while contending with his younger brother Oliver (Christian Convery) and his new abilities and the fate of the world as more villains, new and returning, threaten the safety of Earth. Yes, we get to see Mark, Eve, and Oliver battle epically, but this season hinges on the smaller moments rather than big battle sequences. This is also the funniest season to date, with some of the most memorable laughs coming from characters you least expect.
The first two seasons of Invincible maintained a consistent story structure that found Mark getting his butt handed to him time and again as he grew into his powers. Each season had a clear direction it was headed towards, with the finales of both capitalizing on the episodes that preceded them. It is more challenging this season to see where Invincible is taking us, with the momentum brought down to a much more deliberate pace. Across the first six episodes, we see the biggest rift between Mark and Cecil Stedman (Walton Goggins), the head of the Global Defense Agency. As evident in the poster and trailer for this season, Mark does not take kindly to Cecil using technology developed by some villainous characters like D.A. Sinclair. The lack of a “villain of the week” from each episode means they have a significant impact when bad guys show up. The most surprising character this season debuts in the sixth episode. Voiced by Aaron Paul, Scott Duvall (aka Powerplex) plays a role in one of the most emotionally powerful episodes of this entire series. Still, it feels like a standalone chapter rather than an episode with only two more to follow. If Invincible does anything this season, it is to keep the audience guessing about what is coming next.
While Mark does get to don his new costume this season and Oliver comes into his own as a hero, the series also spends a good amount of time with supporting characters like Jason Mantzoukas’ Rex Splode. In the first two seasons, Rex was played mostly for comedic effect, but he has a strong arc this season that grows him from a recurring joke to one of my favorite characters. Sandra Oh and J.K. Simmons continue to get consistent screen time. Still, the massive voice cast grows with great vocal work for Zachary Quinto, Chris Diamantopolous, Ben Schwartz, Kate Mara, and Simu Liu. The most impressive feat is that, with a limited episode count, this series provides a satisfying narrative for every character. The use of flashbacks and backstories this season is another great touch that builds out characters with motivations that add context to the first two seasons in a way that made me want to go back and revisit earlier episodes.
This season continues to mine the Invincible comic book for storylines and will make fans of the source material very happy. Robert Kirkman’s comic has always played well in science fiction, multiverses, and other genre tropes, but in translating it from page to screen, Invincible does a great job that could not be achieved in live action. I have been critical of this animation style in the past, but where I find fault when used for DC or Marvel projects, it works perfectly for Invincible. The use of music and the recurring gag involving the title card continues to pay off even three seasons in. The series also packs a punch with life-or-death stakes that other shows would not be willing to attempt. Kirkman and his executive producers, including Seth Rogen, David Alpert, Catherine Winder, Simon Racioppa, Margaret M. Dean, and Evan Goldberg, keep giving Invincible the room it needs to tell a story without guardrails, which also helps it feel more genuine.
While I am still not sure where this season of Invincible will end, I already know it ranks as my favorite. There is still enough destruction and action to accommodate the fans who want to see heroes face off against villains, but the focus on humor and character has trumped punching and lasers. Yes, this is still a true comic book story, and the action is great, but I love how much this series has evolved over three seasons to become more than just a work of animation. There is a lot more opportunity to keep this series going since it relies on voice talent, but Kirman and his creative team are not deviating much from the comic, leaving an end date in sight. If you have not given Invincible a shot yet, now is a great time to go back and binge the first two seasons and prepare for the sensational third.
Invincible premieres on February 6th on Prime Video.
