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Prime Video‘s proven masterpiece of adult animation, Invincible, concluded its fourth season recently. Certain episodes in particular sent shockwaves through the audience. Following the devastating confrontations between Mark and Conquest near the end of the third season, we could predict that the new season would strike a psychologically darker tone. However, Robert Kirkman and his team have not merely escalated the level of violence in this season — they have also focused far more intently on the inner worlds of the characters.
In my previous season reviews, I discussed how Mark was being crushed under the weight of being a hero and how he wrestled with the dilemma of whether or not to cross that fine moral line. Season four was precisely the season in which that line was crossed beyond recovery, in which paths of no return were taken, and in which a war of universal scale (the Viltrumite War) broke out with full brutality. Let us now take a detailed look at this magnificent season, overflowing with action, blood, and tears.
This article contains spoilers for Invincible Season 4.
Mark Grayson and Beyond the Line
The biggest question asked across Invincible‘s previous seasons was this: Could Mark protect this universe without becoming a killer like his father Omni-Man? At the start of the season we see that Mark has still not recovered from the traumas of his battle with Conquest. The cheerful, hopeful Invincible of old is decidedly gone. In his place is a hero whose eyes have glazed over and who has made up his mind to permanently eliminate threats.
The confrontation with the character Dinosaurus in the first episode — and immediately after, the killing of Russian agent Livingston by Mark — was one of the clearest indicators that the series had now entered a new turning point. As you might expect, Mark’s radical decisions shake not only his own inner world but also those around him. I think Cecil and Donald’s questioning of Mark’s ruthless methods beautifully reflects the “Will we be good guys, or guys who save the world?” theme that has run throughout the series from the beginning. Interestingly, Rex’s siding with Mark’s brutal method shows that even the superheroes have now set aside their old ideals.
The Bloody Past of Viltrum Culture
One of my favorite aspects of the series is how it constantly expands its universe and prevents its villains from being one-dimensional evildoers. The Viltrum flashbacks we see in the second episode beautifully convey why this race is so brutal and fascistic. It was great to see Nolan’s youth and the brutal fight scenes he had with his teachers. But the most important scene in the flashback was seeing the Scourge Virus created by Thaedus wipe out nearly the entire Viltrum population. Billions of Viltrumites fell victim to the virus. Their corpses were then arranged in an orbit around the planet, as if to serve as a lesson. Seeing Viltrum reduced to this state was important for our understanding of the series’ power dynamics and the events that have transpired.
Of course, the character of Grand Regent Thragg deserves a separate mention here. Thragg is unlike any Viltrumite we have seen so far in the series. The character, brought to life through Lee Pace‘s excellent voice acting, is not your typical villain suffering from anger episodes and possessing an empty motivation. He is an extremely cool-headed, strategic thinker and a true leader who will do anything for the future of his people. In the seventh episode, which in my opinion is the series’ best, the bloody massacre he initiates to purge weaknesses within his own race conveys to the viewer just how terrifying and audacious an enemy Thragg is. Although this scene doesn’t appear in the comic book, Kirkman has added tremendous depth to the character through this flashback he introduced into the series.
Nolan’s Search for Atonement
Invincible season four is not just about massive battles in space. It is also the setting for very deep personal confrontations. Nolan’s return to Earth with Allen and his coming face-to-face with the wreckage he left behind was one of the season’s most powerful moments. Nolan must have been carrying that weight for a long time, because in the final episode he revisits the crater from one of the series’ most striking scenes — his fight with Mark. The remorseful tone in J.K. Simmons‘s voice conveys that Nolan is genuinely trying to change. But what sets Invincible apart from other works comes into play precisely here. An apology doesn’t heal the wounds that have been opened.
The scene in which Nolan goes to Debbie’s door and begs for forgiveness was a beautiful and emotional sequence. The deep pain and fury Sandra Oh brings to Debbie, combined with Nolan making things worse by saying he doesn’t love his wife on Thraxa while trying to patch things up, and Debbie’s outburst of “Am I still just your pet?”… If Debbie had the strength to hit Nolan, the blow probably wouldn’t hurt him nearly as much. Because this confrontation was heavier than any physical strike. Watching the character’s sense of being cast out demonstrates how clearly the devastation Nolan left behind cannot be so easily erased, and it greatly deepens the story’s dramatic weight. Sandra Oh and J.K. Simmons truly put on a masterclass.
Nolan certainly did things that cannot be forgiven, but he is trying. He tries to understand the reactions, yet there are still certain things he doesn’t grasp. He thought telling Cecil he was close to death would affect him. But Omni-Man took the lives of thousands of people. His having come close to death doesn’t restore anything to its former state. Cecil’s line — “Come close to death 2,341 more times” — captures the weight of the situation beautifully. The time Nolan spends alone with Oliver, and Oliver’s process of forgiving him, was a fine example of the character’s slow effort to rebuild himself as a father figure. Far bigger events concerning Oliver lie ahead.
The Viltrumite War: The Series at Its Peak
Invincible has always been a production debated in terms of animation quality. And in my opinion it deserves to be debated. But here is what I want to address: after seeing the sequences that took place in particular in the fifth and seventh episodes, we can see that these people are capable of doing animation well. However, the lack of such care applied to the other episodes can be grating. After all, we are watching a long-running production backed by Amazon. Whether it is a budget shortfall or carelessness remains unclear, but it is certain that there is an issue. Nevertheless, despite everything, the battle aboard the Venture ship in the fifth episode and the destruction of the planet Viltrum in the seventh episode gave us some truly outstanding moments.
The rematch fight between Mark and Conquest was a genuinely boundary-pushing scene. The detail of Mark telling Conquest he would give him his last breath in their hands — and his spending the entire fight trying to strangle him — was a wonderful touch. This scene was practically one of the reasons why Invincible is such a unique work. I was completely glued to the screen while watching it and grew incredibly tense. The absence of music and the far greater emphasis on sound effects amplified the scene’s tension enormously. I knew this scene from the comics; but seeing this brutality in animated form makes the scene far more striking.
Of course, the truly defining moment came in the seventh episode. The Coalition of Planets’ plan to attack Viltrum directly and catch Thragg off guard fell apart. Destroying Thragg was never going to be that easy. Because Thragg had also foreseen the future and made his preparations. They conveyed how powerful a character Thragg is beautifully in this episode — not a hair on his head was ruffled. Space Racer, Omni-Man, Invincible, and Thaedus joining forces to blow up the planet Viltrum was an extraordinary moment. Thragg’s rage at this destruction — and his tearing apart both Nolan and Mark in seconds without even exerting himself — demonstrated the magnitude of the power gap. Thragg doesn’t hold the title of “Grand Regent” for nothing, of course. Even though they blew up his planet, he lets Nolan and Mark live because the Viltrumite population is small — which demonstrates that he is also a leader capable of pragmatic thinking. Things will not proceed as simply as this going forward, naturally.
A Subplot That Disrupts the Pacing
Even though I watched this season of the series with absolute joy, there are some points I cannot let pass without criticism. In my previous season reviews, I mentioned that the supporting characters occasionally ended up in the shadow of major events, and that the pacing of certain episodes dragged. The fourth episode of this season was also one of those pace-killing episodes. Mark suddenly finding himself in Hell, fighting Damien Darkblood and demons, is a scene added to the series that doesn’t exist in the comics. But this was an incredibly out-of-place scene. Yes, they laid the groundwork for it in the previous season’s after-credits scene; but even so, there was no need for the tempo to drop so sharply when it was this high. Damien’s return to the world will probably be addressed in future events.
Supporting character storylines were not much explored this season. One might also fairly say there wasn’t much opportunity due to the magnitude of the events. The most significant development was Robot and Monster Girl becoming trapped in the Flaxans’ dimension during the battle triggered by the Flaxans’ return. This event will already open the door to a very important story for the future. For most readers, the Robot arc is one of the comic book’s best character stories. Since the next season will likely again be spent largely on a build-up ahead of the major events in season six, we have a slightly greater chance of seeing more supporting storylines.
A Quiet but Devastating Season Finale
Let us come to the season finale episode — one that failed to meet many viewers’ expectations but which I found quite good. Most series choose to conclude a season of such large scope with a massive action sequence. However, Invincible takes the viewer on an unexpected path in episode eight, delivering an episode of greater psychological weight. Mark, returning to Earth 10 months after the great battle in space, realizes that nothing has remained as he left it. Debbie has separated from Paul and is struggling with loneliness. But the truly devastating part is on Eve’s front. Eve had thought Mark was dead in space, had fallen into a deep depression, and — most painfully — had an abortion out of fear that she could not raise Mark’s child alone. The series lifts the superhero drama out of fantastical alien wars and reduces it to its most human and authentic form: the loneliness and helplessness experienced by a woman. Mark being crushed under the weight of events, blaming himself, and his dialogues with Eve were deeply dramatic.
Mark’s intense PTSD and his panic attacks are conveyed through a visually stunning editing style. It was even better than the comic book. The hallucinations in which everyone he cares about is killed by the Viltrumites show how shattered Mark’s mind has become. And right in the middle of this psychological devastation, Thragg appears. At first everyone probably thought this was just another panic attack. But Thragg is standing there in the flesh. Even though Mark hates Thragg with everything he has, he is forced to accept the blood-chilling offer Thragg makes. The entire weight of a whole planet is loaded onto Mark’s shoulders. In the comics, Nolan was also with Mark when this conversation took place. But here all the burden falls on Mark alone. The remaining 37 Viltrumites will now settle on Earth and rebuild their empire by reproducing. Of course, things will not proceed this simply going forward.
Conclusion
Invincible season four was an almost flawless season in which action, brutality, and most importantly character psychology reached their peak. Except for the unnecessary Hell adventure in episode four, the season progressed from start to finish at a breathtaking pace. The excellent action sequences, the superb voice performances, and Robert Kirkman‘s successful adaptation of the comic’s weighty plot to television render the series without rival in the contemporary animation world.
Mark’s moral collapse, Eve’s tragedy, Nolan’s struggle for forgiveness, and the infiltration of Earth by the Viltrumites under Thragg’s leadership… When we consider all of this, we can already predict that great things await us ahead. Personally, I think that season five will function somewhat as a build-up season for the major events that will unfold in season six. This shouldn’t be taken to mean we’re going to watch a bad season, of course. I just think it will be hard for it to be as good as this one. With the comfort of knowing a new season will come every year, we can look forward to season five with great eagerness. Let’s see how Mark and Earth will extricate themselves from this web of threats they have fallen into.
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