Invincible S4 Ep. 1-3 Review
More than a year ago, Invincible finished its third season, and I still don’t think we’re fully over everything that happened. Aaron Paul joined the cast as Powerplex. The Invincible War almost destroyed the world and killed off Rexsplode. And then every Walking Dead fan was elated to see Invincible get revenge for Glenn by beating the snot out of Negan…I mean Conquest. But this season has to be the one that I’ve been waiting for the most, as we’re about to get my favorite arc in the entire series. But before that happens, these first three episodes have to re-establish the status quo by hitting us with a lot of things at once. So, strap in. This could take a while.
Everyone Hates Invincible
If you’ll recall, the end of season three saw Earth deal with a double-whammy punch that had its population on its collective knees. First, Angstrom’s misguided vendetta led to the Invincible War that killed millions, including a lot of heroes, like Rex. Then, Conquest showed up and made things worse! And even though they technically won, Mark does not feel like a winner. Eve and his brother almost died. Rex is dead. And his reputation has been hit so hard that most people can’t look at him without remembering what his variants did.
To add further insult to injury, a new foe appears, Dinosaurus. He’s like an evil, ecoterrorist version of the Hulk if Hulk turned into a dinosaur-man. And unlike everyone else, he sees the Invincible War as a good thing! He says that killing all those people means Earth won’t have to struggle to provide for them all; it makes Thanos sound sane! The fact that he’s voiced by Matthew Rhys, the voice of Emperor Belos from The Owl House, is just the icing on the cake for me. But even though his human half has no control over what he does, Mark still considers killing him after he’s stopped.
There are Consequences to One’s Actions
There are a lot of details about these first three episodes that I can’t fit into this review, but a big theme to them is dealing with the consequences of our actions, and if we can live with them. Mark used to think that he shouldn’t kill no matter what, but after what Angstrom and Conquest did, he’s stopped thinking like that. If someone is going to keep being a threat, then he will put them down for good. To demonstrate that point, the Sequids try to conquer Earth once more. And when the other heroes aren’t able to get there in time, Mark decides the only way to stop them is to kill their final host, Rus Livingston. He kills an innocent victim to stop the Sequids for good.
Do I think that Mark went too far? It’s not my place to decide that. He was trapped in a no-win scenario, had no time to find an alternate solution, and so he made a judgment call. I hate that he had to do that, but we can’t fully fault him for it. He now has to live with the consequences of his actions.
As does his father have to live with his own consequences.
The Viltrumites Near-Extinction Was Brutal
I think that Allen managed to sum up what happens in the second episode fairly well with this one line: “Did you just make me feel bad about your planet of genocidal maniacs almost getting wiped out?”
Full disclosure: I knew about what happened the whole time thanks to the comics and Wikipedia. I chose not to say anything to not spoil it for people watching the show, and I’m glad I did. Allen was right; even if the Viltrumites are largely genocidal maniacs, watching them lose almost 99.99% of their population like that was messed up. And considering how COVID-19 is still fresh in everyone’s minds, that entire sequence felt a little too close to comfort. At least when the Saiyans almost got wiped out, it happened in one fell swoop.
With Nolan choosing to at least help Allen and Thadeus find the weapons and allies they need to fight the Viltrumites, we really get into this great moral quandary. Nolan already knows that his people need to be held accountable for their actions, but what he’s doing could lead to their extinction. Especially since he knows that thanks to Mark, Viltrumites can be a force for good. If they can learn to do good, should they be spared, or is it too late? Even Thadeus, the first Viltrumite to rebel against his people’s cruelty, the man who created the virus that almost wiped them out, feels guilty about what they’re doing.
Thaedus Almost Wiped out his Own People
Yes, the episode ends with Thadeus revealing that he was the one who created the virus that nearly killed all Viltrumites. And he has secretly made a deadlier version that could finish the job. He says that it had to be done, but he still feels guilty about it, especially since he now knows that the virus worked as well as it did. And Nolan is understandably furious about how Thadeus did that to his own people. I would be, too! It would be a perfectly understandable reaction, even if they did have it coming!
Big reveals aside, the big highlight of this second episode was getting to see just how many things out there are capable of hurting the Viltrumites as Nolan and Allen travel across the universe. What made it even more entertaining, though, was that they were doing it in a parody of the Enterprise-D, complete with expies of the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Unfortunately, the expy of Picard is nowhere near as competent. It’s funny at first, considering how he makes Nolan have to listen to some…awkward noises. But then it gets dangerous when he almost gets Nolan and Allen killed.
Thragg…
In the end, despite initially saying he wanted no part in the upcoming war, the discovery of the improved virus held for a last resort makes Nolan think twice about things. Now he’s headed to do something that he really didn’t want to do: face the consequences of his actions by going back to Earth.
Speaking of more consequences, remember how Cecil kept Conquest alive in a high-security prison, thinking he could never get out? He got out in five seconds and flew back to his master, someone that, as we see in the second episode, makes even him nervous. The most dangerous Viltrumite alive, their leader, the Grand Regent Thragg. Or Freddy Mercury, as some fans like to call him due to his resemblance to the legendary rock star. He is absolutely terrifying; imagine if Vegeta and Broly fused together, and you would get Thragg. That’s how scary he is!
Third Episode was Mid
Out of the first three episodes of the new season, I can’t help but feel like the third one was the weakest. Not because of bad writing or anything, but because it’s hard to top the emotional aftermath of the first or the galactic scavenger hunt in the second. It’s the episode that focuses closer to home as we see the fallout of Mark’s decision. Or we would, if the other characters didn’t take up so much attention.
In the main plot, Titan once again tries to rope Invincible into one of his schemes that benefits him and his family. It doesn’t work this time, though, as Oliver is the one who ends up helping him and ends up fighting the dragon man that is Mr. Liu. It should also be noted that Oliver has now aged into a teenager, with all the angst that comes with it. He’s stronger now, but is still way in over his head with his brother having to bail him out. And in the end, it doesn’t even matter, because Titan and Mr. Liu both end up bending the knee to Machine Head!
The reason why Mark was too busy to help was because he was dealing with the weight of killing Rus, as well as dealing with the return of the Flaxan. After Omni-Man almost destroyed them back in Season One, the Flaxans return stronger and smarter than ever. This time they make sure to hide the thing that keeps them from prematurely aging on their side of the portal. Thus, in order to stop it, Rex Robot and Monster Girl have to destroy it in the other side. They’re not able to get back in time, leaving them stranded in another dimension for who knows how long! Another unfortunate example of terrible consequences!
Always Use Protection, People
But the biggest example of unintended consequences comes from none other than Eve. Throughout these episodes, her powers have been failing her, and it’s freaking her out. And by the end of the third episode, we soon learn why: she is pregnant.
And that is why if you can’t handle an unexpected pregnancy, use protection. Now Eve has to live with the consequences.
I’m not going to get into the debate of should she keep the child or have an abortion since I don’t want that can of worms. But Eve is going to need to make a decision about this. She and Mark are capable of providing for a child, at least financially. But emotionally and mentally, they are still young adults. They should think this through before deciding. Plus, don’t forget how the dad is half-Viltrumite and the mom can make whatever she wants with her mind. Imagine if their kid had all of that! It would be cool, but also scary!
This was a great start to the fourth season of Invincible. It stumbled a little in the third episode, but that may be because the raised stakes we’re about to face are making me impatient. I wish that the show had made us wait for the next two episodes, though, since it would give us more time to sit with everything. In addition, the hype about this season airing concurrently with the final season of The Boys has given people a lot to be hyped about. Amazon Prime should let that last as long as possible!
