by Ricardy Herard
Invincible has been some of the best superhero media in recent memory, and I’m so glad to be able to watch more of it. To be clear, Invincible has been around for a while; the original comic was released back in 2003, but the animated series streaming on Amazon has brought the story to a wider audience, which I think is a great thing. Invincible has been great so far, and with the release of the fourth season just this week, it’s time to gauge if the anticipation was worth it. Will Mark Grayson finally be invincible?
First, I want to get some small nitpicks out of the way. The art style and animation haven’t improved much since last season, but we can guess that they’re probably saving all the budget for the major scenes. Some people still have a problem with the animation and believe it could be much better, but animation is a different medium from comics, so I can forgive that. I don’t think the show needs to be as detailed. It would be great if it was, but the team behind Invincible has been doing a great job so far. I suppose people have a point when they say that Amazon could easily give Invincible a much bigger budget, but that’s a whole different discussion, separate from what the makers of Invincible have been doing. Other than that, I don’t have too many problems with the initial presentation. I didn’t like Oliver’s voice too much this season, but consistency is hard to get when a character ages, now appearing to be in their teens.
Now to get to the good stuff. The story is starting off strong, and we’re already seeing the familiar characters we love and love to hate. No spoilers, but since the devastation that happened last season after the Invincible war and the coming of Conquest, the new season is starting off with a somber tone. Accompanied with the current theme are songs that really set the mood like “If I Get High” by Nothing but Thieves and “Ugly and Vengeful” by Anna von Hausswolff. The first three episodes were a good reintroduction to the show, but what can you expect from them?
For the first episode, an old plot point is brought back and loose ends are tied up. We see everyone’s lives as they are now, but what we really want to focus on is Mark. Ever since last season and the trauma from all that’s happened, he’s struggling to make a decision on what kind of hero he wants to be. Can he make the hard choices, and is that really what he wants to do? In this episode, Mark makes a drastic decision that does an excellent job at setting the tone for the rest of the episodes.
It only gets worse from here, because the second episode really horrified me, but in a good way. Here, we learn more about the history of the Viltrumites and their weaknesses. The beginning of this episode was shocking, but the following is a nicer adventure where we get to see Nolan and Allen travel through space to gather weaknesses that could help in a fight againt what remains of the Viltrum Empire. Once again, I see a common theme in this episode. This arc is definitely trending to a big war against the Viltrumites, leading us to ask how far we have to go to do what’s right.
The third episode is a slower pace, but the characters do need time to breathe. Eve is struggling with personal issues while Mark and the Guardians face off against some old enemies that have come to Earth yet again. Not a lot happens here, and the focus remains on Robot and Monster Girl for longer than I would’ve liked, but it still connects well to the season’s overarching theme. Do we do whatever it takes to win? It’s a plot point that I think most will pick up on, and I’m so excited to see how it challenges our heroes and what they ultimately decide to do.
Overall, Invincible season 4 is off to a great start, and I’ll be on the edge of my seat when the rest of the episodes are released. Will Mark and Eve be all right? Will Debbie find peace? Will they be able to stop the Viltrumites? And most of all, will Mark finally show us what truly makes him invincible? These are the questions I’m excited to have answered in the coming weeks. This might shape up to be the best season of Invincible yet.
