Invincible is an eight episode animated superhero show that premiered on Amazon Prime Video. It is based on a comic series of the same name. While it’s an animated show, don’t be fooled into thinking it’s just a kid’s show. While the first episode reinforces that fact, just wait until the end and that’s when it shows its true self. You’ll be left reeling at what just happened, wondering about the sudden turn of events and whether the reveal will be satisfactory or if it is just a cheap plot device.
The show is set in a world where aliens exist, as well as people with superpowers. Where there are superheroes, there are also supervillains. These people are on a completely different levels, since normal everyday folk, whether it’s the police or the army or any other conventional taskforce, their weaponry is no match. These superpowered people just shrug off bullets like mosquito bites. The world is currently protected by a band known as Guardians of the Globe. The Guardians work brilliantly as a team, and the first episode showcases that.
There is a particular focus on Omni-Man, this is because we’re soon introduced to Mark Grayson, his son. Mark, who is soon to be in college, hasn’t awakened to his powers yet but is waiting (and losing hope). Nevertheless, he eventually gains the same powers as his father: superstrength, flying and invulnerability, hence his superhero name, Invincible. He dives into the world that his father works in, and it’s tough. Mark learns from his father that no one pulls their punches, and you have to be ready for anything and everything.
It seems the world is populated with superheroes and there are no shortages of superhero teams. It’s like an everyday occurrence but at the same time, it feels as if the population of this world can easily die as collateral during a supervillain strike or an alien invasion. While the powers of several superheroes are nothing new (like super speed, or strength or fire), there are some concepts that’s very interesting, such as the alien aspect or difference dimensions.
The animation is on par with what you’d expect. There are some fluid action scenes which looks great and choregraphed nicely. While there are also certain scenes where the character models are slightly out of proportion and looks weird. Nevertheless, the show is bright and colorful, in contrast to its subject matter at times. It’s not afraid to show blood and internal body parts, in fact, it seems to show them even when it wasn’t completely necessary.
The show loves to put stingers at the end of each episode, so you come to expect it. Even with that expectation, usually it shocks or surprises you, changing how you perceive the plot at that point in time. While most of the show focuses on Mark and how he makes his way in the superhero business, we see it revolve around his father Omni-Man a lot as well, and perhaps he is actually more important and having the more interesting plot arc. Unfortunately, despite the overarching plot arcs, the show can still feel very episodic. You might think that lingering scene or reveal at the end of the episode will have future repercussions, but it then proceeds to never mention it again.
The pacing of the show can be a bit rough. You’ll trudge through a slow boring stretch where the writing is about on par with kids’ cartoons. Then it throws in this crazy twist or revelation that really elevates the mood and shows great potential. The uneven pacing keeps you alternating between thinking it’s a fantastic show and one where it’s flat. The most interesting parts are where the story developments teases concepts such as aliens, other dimensions and supernatural events.
Mark has to contend with juggling around and putting priorities over his superhero life and his personal life. He learns the hard way the struggles behind the glamor of superheroes. Since he’s still so young in age, and new to this superhero business, he can be naïve. It isn’t helped that his father is not the greatest teacher, and gives him tough love, preferring to watch Mark make mistakes rather than intervene. This ends up with Mark sustaining severe life-threatening injuries and other types of trauma as a result.
After chugging through the slower moments, the final two episodes of the season really ramps it up. This was the point where it finally gives us meaningful reveals to the actions of several characters, and things start clicking into place. The penultimate episode’s pacing was so good that you’d wish that the six episodes before it was the same. It had a great balance of story and action.
The revelation of the lingering question from the very first episode was revealed in full in the last episode. After all the teasing and build up, it was a tad bit disappointing at first. However, the way that the show handled the topic, and the effect it had on the characters, how they dealt with it, and the final showdown, turned that around. It had one of the more bloody scenes in the season, and it did that deliberately to show the horribleness that collateral damage from these superheroes could cause. It also made sense to show that while Mark is powerful, he is still young and inexperienced. The ending definitely left plenty more story for future seasons.
Overall, the first season of Invincible is strong. It starts off kind of lowering your guard before it throws something with huge impact. Then for most of the season, it yoyos between slow paced everyday life matters and the crazy stuff that you watch it for. This can lead to a very uneven show, although it culminates into an explosive final two episodes which wraps everything back together in an ultimately satisfying finale. You’ll be left with a strong eagerness for the next season.
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