One of the best onscreen superhero tales returns with Invincible – new eps coming this Thursday 14th March, only on Prime Video. The hyper-violent cape opera continues to be the gold standard for superhero stories on screen, writes Travis Johnson.
Well, we wouldn’t want to name names, but we can all agree that recent cinematic superhero offerings have not exactly set the world on fire, have they? The bloom is off the four colour rose, and while we certainly hope for the best from DC and Marvel, their latest efforts do not fill us with rising anticipation.
The truth is that the best superhero adaptations are happening on smaller screens, with Prime Video in particular positioning itself as the go-to destination for those with a taste for darker heroic fare. There’s the sharply satirical The Boys, which smashes together superhero shenanigans and celebrity culture to excellent effect. And there’s the animated epic Invincible, whose fourth salvo of episodes is about to smash into us like a rocket sent from a dying planet once hit rural Kansas.
That’s a Superman reference, of course, and there’s a lot of Kryptonian DNA in Invincible (of the “evil Superman” variety—see also Brightburn and, oh yeah, The Boys), along with a liberal dash of Spider-Man, plus the high-flying, cosmic scale that the best comic book crossover events do so well.
Based on the comics by writer Robert Kirkman (of The Walking Dead fame) and artists Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, Invincible follows the adventures of the titular nascent superhero—Mark Grayson to his friends and family, and voiced by Minari’s Steven Yeun—as he grapples with the onset of both puberty and powers (strength, speed, flight and, as you may have guessed, invincibility) in a big ol’ superhero-filled world. He’s got a lot to live up to, because his father is Omni-Man (the perennially great JK Simmons), the world’s greatest and most powerful hero.
But things get complicated when he and we discover that the seemingly benevolent Omni-Man is actually an advanced scout for the alien Viltrum Empire, sent to lay the groundwork for eventual conquest. For his part, Omni-Man notes that he’s very fond of Earth, and Mark’s mother, Debbie (Sandra Oh), although he thinks of her as more of a pet. And so, while Invincible is packed to the gills with all the superhero action you could ask for, its central conflict is one of identity, legacy, and selfhood. Will Mark be the hero his father pretended to be, or the villain the old man actually is?
When we last left Mark and the gang, Omni-Man was facing execution by Viltrumites for failing in his mission, and Mark ordered to pick up where his dad left off with the whole invasion thing. He also discovers he has a half brother in the form of Oliver, the child of Omni-Man and an insectile Thraxan woman, who he takes home for his mother Debbie to raise (that woman puts up with a lot).
Meanwhile, as Mark tries to balance superheroing with trying to live some semblance of a normal life, villainous dimension-jumper Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown—the voice cast here is ridiculously stacked) is plotting in the background, having vowed revenge on Invincible in particular and the world in general.
Yes, we’re once again dealing with a multiverse story, but Invincible smartly uses the trope to explore its deeper themes, with the various alternate worlds we’re presented with informing Mark’s anxiety over his identity and legacy. Poorly handled, this kind of story can absolutely kill the narrative stakes—death has no meaning when an alternate version of a character can be slotted into the story with nary a ripple. Here, however, every choice has meaning.
That’s also why the incredible violence in Invincible rarely feels gratuitous, and this is a stunningly gory show. Heads are crushed, limbs are lopped, bodies are atomised, and blood flows freely—it’s amazing what you can do in animation (and, as an aside, the animation style captures the original comic book art perfectly—top marks there). Here, Invincible’s four-colour grand guignol approach to action is a subversion, but it also reminds us that this is a world with consequences—violence hurts, even when you’re a stupendously powerful super teen.
Being an animated series also frees Invincible from the budgetary constraints that often hamper live action superhero TV fare. Sure, the prevalence of CGI has worked wonders for live action in that regard, but Invincible captures the fantastical, sweeping grandeur and goofy chuck-it-all-in joy of a big, shared superhero universe better than anything on the small screen since WB/DC’s superb Justice League series. The giddy thrills found on the page are replicated perfectly.
Pound for pound, Invincible is one of the best cape capers currently going. A lot of ink has been spilled about so-called “superhero fatigue” lately, but if you’ve been feeling that drag, this show might be just the remedy you need.
