Invincible Seasons 1 and 2 Review

Invincible (2021-)
Season 1 - 8 episodes (2021)
Season 2 - 8 episodes (2023-24)

Watch Invincible on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Robert Kirkman
Based on the comic by: Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cory Walker
Starring: Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, Sandra Oh, Gillian Jacobs, Zazie Beetz, Walton Goggins, Zachary Quinto, Jason Mantzoukas, Clancy Brown
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer

Plot
Based on the comic of the same, a teenager's father is the most powerful superhero on the planet.

Verdict
The first season is gory and brutal, but it offers something new in the super hero genre as it takes a well worn story and gives it an edge. I have to emphasize, it is graphic. This explores the physical and emotional toll of being a super hero. Super humans are invincible against humans but not when fighting other super humans. That leads to deadly fights. Then there's still the common family strife and feelings of being an outsider that's only amplified due to super powers. With all of that, this still manages to be humorous and thoroughly entertaining.
Watch It.

Review
Mark's (Steven Yeun) father Nolan is the most powerful super hero on Earth, Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons). Mark's waiting for the day when his powers manifest. It's very much a Spider-Man type story where a teen gains powers and then must balance normal and super life. Part of the twist here is that Mark's dad is a super hero and can help him learn the ropes when Mark ascends to having super human powers. I assumed there had to be a twist as the first episode is generic. While it does a nice job of developing the details around how someone would feel discovering powers, it needed something more. The first episode provides a twist I couldn't have imagined. It gets gory and graphic.

J.K. Simmons, Steven Yeun voice Nolan, Mark Grayson

I love the small details in this show. A character explains the lack of disguises for the super heroes as psychology. No one expects a super hero in a normal setting. The super heroes also use their powers to fly to Italy for authentic pizza. These are super heroes that can be injured with enough force. We see Mark and others brutally beaten many times. It makes you wonder how they don't end up dead. I appreciate a world where heroes can be injured. It just takes an enormous amount of force, usually someone else super-powered. This ever-present danger provides stakes. We can't assume the heroes will win.

The title drop in each episode is also great, occurring whenever a character says the word "invincible." With each episode the title screen has more blood splatter.

The twist in the first episode lingers throughout the season. Many times I wished the plot would provide answers. We don't know why the events in the first episode happened. The show remains intentionally cagey.

Mark is learning how to be the super hero Invincible while also learning how to be a teenager. At one point he's grieving the injuries to his friends, and Omni-Man tells him he can't bring those feelings home. He has to brush it off. Omni-Man sets an example that's nearly impossible for Mark to match. Concurrently Mark is trying to maintain a relationship with Amber (Zazie Beetz). She gives him more chances than you'd think, but he can't admit that his job makes a relationship impossible. He can't be there for her, and she will always come second to saving the world.

As brutal as this show has been, the final episode in season one raises the bar. It's vicious, physically and emotionally. It does finally provide answers to the events of episode one.

Steven Yeun voices Mark Grayson / Invincible

In season two, the fallout from the first season is still fresh. We're also introduced to multiple dimensions. That seems too easy of a plot line and too much like Marvel, but I had confidence this show could do something interesting with that.

Mark balances normal and super hero life while wondering if he's inherited his father's negative personality traits. This season is family drama taken to an extreme with the super aspects. Mark still loves his dad but hates what's happened. Mark's mom Debbie (Sandra Oh) mourns a life lost, trying to reconcile her marriage with the Omni-Man she knew and who he really is. She thought it meant something. Nolan states it didn't. Nolan seemed like a psychopath towards the end of season one, but he stopped short of killing Mark. He's different in this season, but he's also moved on from Mark and Debbie. Mark is forced to team up with Nolan, and as a result Nolan has to confront a new emotion - compassion.

The subtle humor in this show is great. Mark is at a comic con talking to an animator as he describes how long it takes to animate a show and the tricks they used to make animation easier while the exact scenarios described happen on screen. Also in season one, Mark went to Reginald Vel Johnson High School where Principal Winslow looks a lot like the school's name sake. The show never addressed that, but it's a fun detail.

Steven Yeun, Gillian Jacobs voice Mark Grayson / Invincible, Samantha Eve Wilkins / Atom Eve

This show has always dealt with death. Many characters come close after brutal battles, but advanced science manages to put them back together in combination with their abilities. We also see human characters killed and revived as cyborgs. The question the humans face is what's real. When you're ninety-percent cyborg are you still the human you were before? Even the Mauler twins are clones arguing over who is the clone and who is the original. While it's played as a joke with one twin claiming the other is a clone whenever a mistake is made, how do you live when you're not sure you're real? The reality is that humans would die in these scenarios, and this show doesn't hold back.

As brutal as the fights can be, the emotional turmoil is just as harsh. Mark has to confront his new role as a super hero with the realities of his father while still being a teenager. As strong and as fast as he is, it's rarely enough. Similarly with Eve (Gillian Jacobs), her father always treats her poorly, marginalizing her abilities and efforts. Being super rarely makes it easier for these characters, it only adds to the conflict.

I've grown tired of super hero movies due to Marvel's constant release schedule. I wasn't prepare for how violent this would be, but that feels realistic when you have super heroes that can punch through a building. While super heroes are often invincible, and Mark takes that namesake, we see super heroes that are violently beaten. It's graphic, but all of it provides this show a fresh dimension.