Invincible Season 3 has finally ended, and with it, fans are left split on how they feel about the season. There will be spoilers in this review.
Invincible is an animated show on Amazon Prime that dropped its first season on March 25, 2021. The show is based on the Invincible comic by Robert Kirkman, Corey Walker, and Ryan Ottley. Seasons 1 and 2 of Invincible follow Mark Grayson as he develops his powers and grows as the hero, Invincible. Through all this, he must face the shocking truth that his father, Omni-Man, a.k.a. Nolan Grayson, is part of a brutal alien empire known as the Viltrumites. Throughout the series, Mark faces many intense threats and must balance his heroism with the violence he must put forth to save the people he loves. Seasons 1 and 2 had a nice flow to them, but Season 3 felt uneven with how each episode was of varying quality.
Episode 1 focuses on Mark’s growth through a generic villain plot, nothing special at all. Episode 2, on the other hand, is great, exploring Mark’s loss of trust in Cecil after learning he had been using villains for good and had implanted a control device in Mark. The episode offers two important themes; the importance of trust and asking whether or not evil people can be redeemed. These perspectives can be seen through Mark’s thinking that villains should rot in jail, while Cecil believes they can use their skills for good. Episode 3, on the other hand, shifts focus to Oliver, who begins his journey as a hero and goes through the ethics of killing. Through this, we get a pretty neat development in Oliver’s character and relationship with Mark.
Episode 4 is much better compared to the first batch. The story begins with Mark traveling to a future ruled by a tyrannical, broken version of The Immortal. Begging to be killed by Mark, the episode offers a different view, showcasing the curse of immortality and warning Mark of the future. Meanwhile, Nolan faces execution but is freed by Allen, who believes that Nolan can be redeemed. Nolan then reveals that the Viltrum Empire is much smaller than believed. First off, the fight with Battle Beast, Allen, and Nolan versus the Viltrumites is awesome. I had a huge smile on my face when watching it. Additionally, the episode continues playing with the theme that even those who’ve done wrong can be redeemed.
Episodes 5 and 6 feel like useless filler. In the former Mark and Eve start a hero business, and Mark’s mom worries about Oliver. Powerplex, introduced in Episode 6, blames Mark for past deaths, but the guilt arc feels overused. Mark has felt guilt for his actions in numerous episodes. Having it play out again at this point in the story feels pointless and, quite honestly, boring. These storylines could have either been trimmed or integrated into a bigger story.
Episode 7 brings back Angstrom Levy, now enhanced by aliens known as Technicians and brings forth evil alternate Invincibles. Cities are destroyed, and Rex Splode dies. Yeah, that death stung badly. The multiverse storyline is handled well and isn’t used as a cash grab, which Marvel and DC love to do. Levy eventually escapes, setting up future storylines. The episode ends with Conquest confronting Mark.
The finale features one of Invincibles’ best, brutal, and emotional battles: Invincible versus Conquest. The fight feels like a callback to the fight with Omni-Man. I mean, they practically redid the whole train scene without a train. The main difference is that Omni-Man has complex emotions; Conquest is pure bloodlust. Mark nearly loses but ultimately brutally kills Conquest. Afterward, it seems Mark thinks Cecil might try to weaponize Conquest’s corpse but is shown a fake body. Cecil is secretly keeping Conquest’s body alive, as Cecil wants intel. The episode ends with Rex’s funeral, Rudy changing his name to Rex (comic readers know what’s up), and teases the return of the Sequids, Darkblood, and Levy’s new plans. I feel like these extra plot points risk overcomplicating the story. The story should focus on the Viltrumite arc, as it’s the strongest story and by far the best in the series.
A major talking point this season is the animation quality. It’s been made fun of to the point that it’s become a meme of people saying, “Just drag the JPEG, bro.” Even though there are mistakes, keep in mind that it is due to time and budget constraints, especially since it’s been said that seasons two and three were produced in the same year. Before you compare the animation to anime, remember that anime episodes are done by overworked and underpaid teams. Also, Invincible episodes are way longer. If anything, Amazon is the one at fault. Additionally, I feel that hiring expensive celebrity voice actors for minor roles feels like a waste when funds could be used to improve animation.
With all that being said, Invincible Season 3 was very solid. Though it struggled at certain points, it managed to continue the story the other seasons established. I do feel like there were unnecessary plot points and things that could have been altered that would have made the series so much more enjoyable, but in the end, I think where the quality mattered, the show persevered. We got to explore Mark becoming stronger and becoming more independent, truly forming into a true hero. I found myself having a lot of fun with the show, and I can’t wait for Season 4. Overall, I give this season a solid 7/10.
Breakdown:
Story – 7/10
Characters – 8/10
Animation – 6/10
Soundtrack – 8/10