Invincible Season 1 is tear-jerkingly good. The first season of his new kind of animated superhero show builds to an extremely emotional climax, more so than any other superhero content that came before. It also featured a devastatingly heartbreaking finale to a show that was building to these moments from episode 1. However, the Invincible season 1 ending sets up all the adventures that the hero will embark on in season 2.
Please note that the following will feature a lot of spoilers for the Invincible season 1 ending.
Invincible Season 1 Recap
Invincible is a comic book series from Image Comics by Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead), illustrated by Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley. The series is bright and colourful but explores some very dark concepts. While not satirizing directly, the world very much parallels the comic book stories and the world of big brands like Marvel and DC Comics. The story is set in this larger world of superheroes but tells the more personal of Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) a first-generation superhero whose father is the greatest hero in the world, an alien from Viltrum called Omni-Man (J. K. Simmons).
As Mark tries to juggle the usual teenage tropes of high school, relationships, responsibilities and obligations with learning to be a superhero, there is a darker plot at work. Unbeknownst to Mark for the entire first season, his father is actually on Earth to conquer it and make it part of his homeworld’s Empire. While season 1 explores Mark becoming his own hero as Invincible, it culminates in a final showdown with his father. The revelation of Omni-Man’s plan to oppress Earth, revealing how little he thinks of his mother and even Mark himself, is heartbreaking. And in Mark’s case, breaking everything else as well, seeing how Omni-Man beats Mark to a bloody pulp in the finale.
Why Invincible Is A Must Watch!
The entire first season of Invincible is genuinely a must-watch. Not just for superhero fans, or comic book audiences, but audiences of all kinds. Its mature content and gory violence are not at all suitable for younger viewers. But for everyone else, it’s a great show that utilizes and enhances the usual superhero tropes into something great. And despite its maturity, while most superhero content these days is all about making things serious and gloomy, Invincible walks a tightrope.
The deeper story is absolutely dark, and brutally so. But the titular character is still just a teenager trying to do the usual teenage things while trying to fight crime. Those aspects of Invincible are great because it’s the return to the more classic superhero storytelling that’s been missing from this landscape for a while. Most comic book storylines will take years, if not decades to get to the level of complex subject matter that the Invincible season 1 finale leads up to within 8 episodes. And executed, so perfectly. Despite its comic book premiere 20 years ago, Kirkman is able to adapt his original scripts into a breathtaking new series that’s unlike anything since, or anything else on the air today.
How The Invincible Season 1 Ending Sets Up What To Expect From Season 2
The best part about the Invincible season 1 ending, is how despite giving us a dark and brutal climax, the finale episode takes time to set up season 2. After abruptly leaving Earth, Omni-Man’s return will obviously be the larger threat of season 2. But there is seemingly more than that. Mark recovers from his beatdown, and goes to meet a new threat, revealed to be the meek and gentle alien Allan the Alien (Seth Rogen). From Allen, Mark (and the audience) learns that Earth was earmarked for Viltrumite conquest for a while. Allen also implies the Viltrumite army may be coming to Earth to take over. But there is also a coalition at work to resist the Viltrumite empire. So there is some hope. But when Allen asks Mark what he’s going to do next, that’s when we really see how Invincible Season 1 ending sets up Season 2.
All The Teases For Season 2
A montage shows off a bunch of sequences that tease what Mark has to deal with in season 2. The Mauler Twins (Kevin Michael Richardson) return to prison, guaranteeing we will see them again. We see that Cecil (Walton Goggins) is still up to his old tricks at the GDA, weaponizing some of the threats Mark dealt throughout season 1, like the rabid cyborgs, resurrecting Immortal from the Guardians Of The Globe.
Then there is the mind-controlling threat from Mars. Those aliens who age faster on Earth that Omni-Man seemingly destroyed in season 1. The story of Titan (Mahershala Ali) is also not over, as he is now the new kingpin of crime. Battle Beast (Michael Dorn) who destroyed Mark in their last appearance is also around for a rematch. Doc Seismic is building rock monsters underground. Not to mention the promise of many new unknown villains we didn’t see in season 1.
Despite its breezy blend of action, violence, and light-hearted comic book moments, Invincible really does something new with the season 1 ending. It’s a near-perfect ending, from a show that subverts the superhero genre, while enhancing it with a truly innovative story.
Invincible season 2 premieres on Amazon Prime Video on November 3, 2023.
What did you think of Invincible Season 1? Let me know in the comments below or reach out to me on X (Twitter) at @theshahshahid for more season 2 coverage.
