4.5 out of 5.0 stars
Throughout its first two seasons, “Invincible” has proved to be an entertainingly fun, bloody, emotion-packed and subversive take on the superhero genre. Its third season continues that trend while upping the ante tenfold in regards to heart, character development and action.
Created by Robert Kirkman, the creator of the original “Invincible” comics, the show has done an excellent job at keeping the soul of the comic strong through the characters and world-building. This season focuses on the characters Mark Grayson/Invincible (Steven Yeun), Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs), Nolan Grayson/Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) and Cecil Stedman (Walton Goggins).
The performances in this show are phenomenal, and every actor amps up their work this season. Yeun is exceptional as Invincible and gets to have fun playing different personalities through interdimensional versions of Mark, masterfully trying on various distinct, yet familiar voices. He goes the extra mile this season and brings Mark’s struggle to cling to his morals to the forefront of every delivery. His co-lead, Jacobs, also gives a great performance, with some standout moments involving her need to protect the people she loves, namely showcased through her beautiful post-death revival to protect Mark. The entire cast was great overall, but the dynamic duo between Yeun and Jacobs took center stage for the majority of this season.
“Invincible” embraces comic books and their utter ridiculousness at times, while staying grounded through its characters. We see the consequences of inaction, and at the same time, the consequences of standing up for what’s right. This is elevated through Mark’s arc this season. After accidentally murdering the villain Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown) in the season two finale, Mark has completely course-corrected, refusing to budge on the belief that no one deserves to die no matter what. This viewpoint is challenged by Mark’s former boss, Cecil Stedman, who believes that to save the world, you can’t always be the “good guy.” The positives and negatives of both viewpoints are shown throughout this season.
Season three delves much further into the lives of those hurt by the superhero battles around the world. It takes time to build up characters’ relationships and show how people, specifically Aaron Paul’s character, Powerplex, lived their lives before tragedy struck. Mark’s battle in season one with his father, Nolan, destroyed the lives of thousands of people. Powerplex’s family suffered indirectly through Invincible’s choice to stand up against his father, and the show’s willingness to integrate characters that act as consequences for Invincible’s actions help strengthen his character’s complexity.
Nolan’s arc foils well with Mark’s darkening worldview because Nolan has been on a clear path of redemption since the season one finale. Showcasing how Nolan has changed off-world as he fights against his own people for the safety of others, while at the same time acknowledging the unforgivable things he did while on Earth, is incredibly intriguing. Taking the time to explore the repercussions of the fight between Mark and Nolan, along with other fights that occur throughout the series — and how they affected characters like Powerplex, other heroes, the criminal underworld and our protagonists — makes what happens at the end of this season all the more devastating.
This season is tragic because it makes viewers connect with the established world as much as possible before ripping it all away in one of the most bombastic, nail-biting finales on streaming today. The last two episodes of this season have more shocking, horrific jaw-clenching scenes than any other piece of superhero media in recent times. Couple that with some stellar voice acting, a truly shocking ending and a major shift in Mark’s character, and you have a near-perfect finale. It’s no wonder this finale sits at a comfortable 9.9 on IMDB.
There is only one thing that “Invincible” season three doesn’t excel at: the animation. Seeing as this show is a yearly release and the visual quality is revealing of a small team of animators, it is understandable why animation may be stiff. With this in mind, there are some instances in the show that go beyond a simple grievance in shading or character model. Some scenes just have actual PNGs sliding across the screen instead of moving characters. Other scenes will have completely unrendered vegetables sitting in the foreground. While the final two episodes have a considerable step up in animation quality with the final fight of episode eight, the rest of the show is laughably bad when it comes to its animation, looking the same, or even worse than the show did in earlier seasons. This isn’t a Kirkman problem. This is an Amazon problem. Between the yearly release schedule and low budget, something needs to change.
Despite the subpar animation, “Invincible” continues to innovate. At the end of the day, this is a story about real-world struggles and tragedies, combated by the goodness of man and the power of hope. Despite everything these characters go through, we still hold onto the good. Mark’s constant push to save everyone — whether it’s his brother, girlfriend or people he doesn’t even know — is powerful. He fights, even when every single bone in his body is broken, even when the world beats him down, even when faced against an opponent he knows will kill him. That’s why Mark is Invincible. His endless determination, even when beaten to the point of death, cements him and this show’s legacy as truly [TITLE CARD].
