Created by Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, another comic-book-to-TV hit), and based on the comic book series of the same name by Kirkman, Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, Invincible chronicles the adventures of Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun), a teenage superhero with a collection of unimaginable powers.
While the Prime Video series pays homage to classic hero archetypes (self-discovery, secret identity, dangerous missions, and stellar villains), it has always managed to stand out in a world flooded with Marvel and DC projects.
In season three, the titular hero and his allies face predatory threats and the imminent arrival of the Viltrumites. Over the course of eight episodes, the series explores how far Mark is willing to go to protect Earth without transgressing his own values or straying from the right side of morality.
Beyond the action and violent spectacle, one of the great strengths of this instalment is the exceptional maturity of its storyline, not least because it shows the crushing weight of Mark’s responsibilities as a young adult and budding superhero.
It’s fair to say that the latest instalment surpasses everything that made the first and second great, expanding its own universe and delivering some impressive creative work.
If you haven’t seen Invincible yet, here are a few reasons why you should give the marathon a play:
It’s an incredibly faithful and intelligent adaptation
As you probably already know, it’s unusual for a TV adaptation of a comic book to do justice to the original material. And it’s even less common for it to improve on the pre-existing material. But Prime Video’s adult animated series Invincible has managed this feat with skill and ease.
Despite playing with the timeline a bit, Invincible’s third season remains a faithful adaptation of the acclaimed comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and illustrated by Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley. If you’ve read all 144 issues of the original work, you’ll know that the latest season of the series clings to the spirit and brilliance of the graphic novels that began in 2003.
Now, like any intelligent adaptation, this season builds on the strengths of the comic and improves on the weaknesses. It is fair to say that the result has pleasantly surprised even the most sceptical.
It raises compelling moral questions about heroism and villainy
What stands out most about this show is the central theme it tackles: the distinction between heroism and villainy.
If the first season of Invincible is about Mark discovering himself as a superhero, and the second season is about him struggling to balance his various personal and professional responsibilities, the third season forces Mark to confront deep moral questions about what it means to be a hero and how far a hero should be willing to go to protect human life and dignity.
In this sense, after the end of season two and the “annihilation” of Angstrom Levy, Mark repeatedly faces the weight of his decisions.
Wracked by guilt and the enormous destruction wrought by his enemies, the young adult ponders the impact of his actions and the impossible-to-erase consequences.
With this in mind, the final season of Invincible continues to raise compelling moral questions about heroism and villainy, and the price of life and the cost of taking it. This latter idea is not only reflected in Mark’s story, but also permeates Oliver’s actions as an aspiring hero, Powerplex’s motivations, and Cecil’s decisions.
Fascinating villains
Since Mark Grayson received his superpowers a few years ago, the young adult has had to battle all manner of threats, from aliens to insane scientists to close friends and even his own father.
In keeping with this tradition, in season three Mark faces several fascinating, complex and brutal villains, such as Powerplex, Angstrom and his army of evil variables, and the fearsome Conquest. While some foes are more powerful than others, they all test him in different ways, and play an essential role in transforming Mark Grayson into the hero he is meant to become.
As in the comic, Conquest’s arrival on Earth is a momentous milestone in the story. Shortly after the events of the Invincible War, Mark is confronted by this battle-hardened Viltrumite, who represents his greatest threat to date.
In the eighth and final episode of the season, we discover that Conquest has never failed to conquer a planet. Unlike other Viltrumites, Conquest doesn’t care about expanding his people’s empire, he just wants to satisfy his thirst for violence. As you can imagine, what follows in the series is the most devastating and bloody combat since the battle between Invincible and Omni-Man at the end of the first installment.
The animation is up to the task
Since its inception, Invincible’s animation has been one of the most debated aspects of the series. While there are many who disapprove of Kirkman and his team’s art style, there are also hundreds who love the unique look, even if it’s not as polished as other similar shows.
The new instalment has not been without some controversy in this regard. To tell the truth, in the eyes of many fans and critics, the first few episodes of the third season seem somewhat stiff and lacking in fluidity.
However, the series has proven with the subsequent episodes that it is up to the task and was simply reserving its full potential for the big denouement. Anyone who has seen the entire season of Invincible will agree that it has some of the most brutal and epic action sequences of any current superhero show. The conclusion will blow your mind.
Our verdict
The third season of Invincible stands out for its confidence, depth and complexity, as well as breaking new and surprising ground for the entire cast. It is undoubtedly one of the best seasons of superhero television ever created, with an intense mix of action, emotion and character development.
The final episode of the series has achieved a score of 9.9 out of 10 on IMDb, placing it among the highest rated episodes of all time. This impressive score puts it on par with iconic episodes in television history, such as The Battle of the Bastards from Game of Thrones, Connor’s wedding from Succession, and the series finale of The Clone Wars.
If you haven’t yet seen the third season of Invincible, now is the perfect time to join the conversation and find out why it’s considered one of the best in history.
All eight episodes of Invincible season three are available on Prime Video.