[Note: This review will discuss elements of Invincible Season 2 that were revealed in promotional material, such as trailers. It will also contain spoilers for Invincible Season 1. If you’re someone who enjoys going into recent TV shows knowing as little as possible, you may want to skip reading this review.]
Invincible revitalized my love for the superhero genre.
Watching Season 1 was a breath of fresh air, mixing a genuine love for superhero stories conjured by past years of Marvel and DC properties with the cynicism and humor of parodies like The Boys. Although that last bit may be an unfair comparison, with that show being much more a parody of the genre and this simply taking the idea of comic heroes in a different direction. Season 1 was an excellent showcase of what an animated superhero show could be when unshackled from the constraining assumptions about animation needing to be aimed at a younger demographic. Not only was it realistically violent with highly-creative characters, but it also had an emotional depth to it that hasn’t been prevalent in superhero movies and TV for some time. It was a matured take on the genre that made me feel like I was back in the old days of the MCU, or watching Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy as a kid. And Season 2, for the most part, was a great addition to these initial feelings.
Picking up a few months after the end of Season 1, the story follows Mark about to enter his years as a college student. Following Omni-Man’s retreat from Earth and the brutal beating his father gave him, Mark has to juggle being there for his now-single mother, his girlfriend Amber, and his studies—all while maintaining his job protecting the world as Invincible. However, new threats continually begin to emerge, many of which he’s unable to deal with on his own. These are compounded by a barrage of new responsibilities in his life, making him question if the path he’s on is worth walking down. This is made all the more chaotic by the appearance of Angstrom Levy, a dimension-hopping villain he inadvertently created that now seeks vengeance. All while dealing with the looming threat of the Viltrumites knowing about Earth and the faraway Coalition of Planets trying to decide if he’s a good fit for their war against the galactic conquerors.
But, as Season 1 demonstrated as more episodes came out, the story isn’t just about Mark. There’s a whole swath of characters who get the spotlight in Season 2, some of whom didn’t even have as much development in Season 1. All the Guardians of the Globe have some level of importance to the story, with Rex Splode, Dupli-Kate, and Immortal having the most development. However, Robot and Monster Girl have their own story as well, with Eve showing up occasionally as an unrelated wild card. Mark’s mother is also a larger focus this season than ever before, as her grief and guilt over what Nolan was doing on Earth—preparing the planet for a Viltrumite invasion—weighs heavily on her. Another character, whose appearance this season is a spoiler, also gets a major focus, tying surprisingly into another side character’s story. So, in case this paragraph of character after character didn’t give it away: Season 2 of Invincible has a lot going on. And, depending on where the focus is, it both works and doesn’t work at the same time.
I think the most commendable element of Season 2 is the fact that it’s able to juggle its many growing subplots quite well. Due to reorganizing some comic stories for Season 1, its follow-up ended up getting hammered with important plots and major reveals all the way throughout. I find it endearing that the series is willing to adapt the comics so faithfully, even if the order they do so causes many of the storylines to stack high atop one another. While it can be overwhelming at times, the first half of the season never slows down on building the tension and turmoil of these ever-increasing threats to Earth. It’s always presented with just enough development to get invested in what’s going on while also being able to digest it properly. It can sometimes be a whirlwind, and if you’re not paying attention—especially during Episode 2—you’re bound to miss some of the finer details. But I think it works for this season, as much of what happens is clearly meant to give the viewer the same feeling of being overwhelmed that Mark experiences. While it can occasionally be too much, causing some of the smaller side plots to feel more sporadic than the story was trying to make them, it’s an effort that I understood the purpose of despite sometimes feeling like way too much was happening all at once.
However, this was assisted by the masterful character development and story decisions made in the season. Every core character, from Mark to Immortal, felt even more fleshed-out here than even in Season 1. It made me care about their personal struggles and goals, their experiences of loss and hardship. Everything from the mundane changes in one’s life to the responsibilities of a superhero felt grounded, oftentimes more than most superhero films. It takes a lot of skill to make one care for animated characters, but Invincible managed to pull this off spectacularly. The story decisions were also very well done. It was clear from how much was going on that this was a setup season, something I was fine with given creator Robert Kirkman’s extensive eight-season plan for the show (and knowing one really big thing that’s probably happening in Season 3). But sometimes, it can be difficult to fully engage the audience is what amounts to stacking dominos. Luckily, Invincible is great at making something so mundane seem so incredible. A number of memorable characters are introduced this season, all setting the stage for something greater waiting around the corner. And while many of the stories felt like they stalled in the middle by the end, it’s clear this was done to ensure the flow of Season 3. It’s not something everyone will like, but as a storyteller, I understood the purpose behind doing so.
However, that doesn’t mean this season was perfect, as I did feel it was a step down from Season 1 in a few areas. One of said areas is, surprisingly, the story. Specifically where the focus went during the second half. Episodes 5 through 7 have plenty of exciting moments, but there seemed to be a very heavy focus on relationships between characters that had been previously explored in other episodes. Many scenes felt like retreads instead of offering new information or character development to the audience. This would have been fine if these scenes were engaging, but many of them didn’t grab me the way they did in Season 1—or even in the first half of Season 2. It felt like it dragged the story down needlessly, leading to eventualities that anyone could have predicted even during the first season. I understand the importance of these scenes, of course, but I would have liked to see more done with them than standard drama. Especially for something that’s both animated and in the superhero genre.
My other issue was with the animation quality itself. I think it’s commendable that the studio behind the show saves a lot of their energy for the battle scenes. They’re clearly where the animation effort goes, with almost all of them being just as high-quality as Season 1, with one in particular surpassing that debut season. However, I did feel like Part 2 of the season didn’t have the same quality as the previous episodes, with a lot of scenes that happened even during major battles feeling like slideshows. Maybe that’s because they went all in on the finale, which features a masterfully-crafted fight that’s the most creative in the show so far. But the quality of the important fight scenes does leave a lot to be desired elsewhere, especially when shows from 20 years ago like Avatar: The Last Airbender were creating more visually-stunning scenes than Invincible at a higher pace of release. That might be an unfair comparison, but when the writing of a show is as stellar as Invincible’s it makes me wish the animation had the same heightened quality. Of course, the action scenes are fantastic! But I do wish there was a more steady level of quality throughout.
Despite how big those paragraphs are, though, they’re nothing compared to the positives I feel for this series. Invincible Season 2 was a great continuation of this wild, breath-of-fresh-air superhero story, with all the tact and grace as Season 1 in the writing. While it had a lot more to juggle, it managed to do so without dropping a single ball. Even though I have my misgivings with the second half’s story and some of the animation quality, it didn’t detract enough from the experience for it to matter too much. The story is strong and the setup it offers for Season 3 makes me incredibly excited to see where the show is going to go next. With a stellar presentation and a phenomenal world that seems to just be growing bigger with every episode, I have no doubt that Invincible will stay engaging enough for Kirkman’s plan of adapting the whole comic to become a reality. Who knows? With Seasons 4 and 5 possibly accidentally confirmed during a fundraiser for an Invincible video game, he might be getting his wish after all.
This was a great stepping stone to a much larger story, and I can’t wait to see where it leads.
***
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