INVINCIBLE (S1) - Series Review (5/10)

When it first came out, I became quite fond of Invincible (2020) but further reflection has soured it a bit. I had heard of the comic before, so the show’s turn to the serious wasn’t too surprising but the first episode’s after-credit scene was definitely a wake-up call. Set in a world full of super-powers, the story follows Mark Grayson, half-human half-viltrumite, as he attempts to define his role as the titular Invincible and struggles to balance his life in a world after the in-universe “avengers”-type-team are murdered. Standard superhero stuff. But it's unique in its role as one of the few comic adaptations that goes the extra mile at every step and does not shy away from the gore and violence (some bring up The Boys, though I find them to different at a critical point – one is a satirical deconstruction while the other is filled with love for the genre).

I enjoyed most of the overarching narrative. The murder mystery kept me at the edge wondering when the truth will be discovered, and provided a neat story for Debbie that didn’t feel shoed in. Her reality slowly crumbling in front of her as she questions everything she’s ever known was an engaging conflict. Mark’s constant mistakes and beatdowns were a nice reality check for his super-hero fantasies, but it got quite repetitive for my taste. His relationship with Amber was also fine, but her character as a whole was quite unenjoyable for me. I understand she’s supposed to represent the love interest that’s always left behind speaking up but her blatant disregard to Mark’s struggles and his attempts rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t know whether the series wants me to like her or whether she’s another mistake Mark must overcome (time will tell). The robot storyline was also fine - it was nice seeing him relate to Monster Girl, but it was extended far longer than it needed to be and became annoying towards the end. The filler stories ranged from bad to okay – episode 6 was Invincible at its worst and really showcases the show’s weakness with short term storytelling and forced/weak conflicts. I never want to see Ezra Miller’s character ever again. His attempt at the “evil scientist” role was so cartoonish and cringeworthy that it detracted severely from the episode’s emotional core (which wasn’t that strong to begin with). And the above-mentioned Amber became annoying for me at this point so that’s also a negative.

Other than Ezra though, the voices were mostly great. JK Simmons and Steven Yeun both knock it out the park as Omni Man and Mark, with Sandra Oh also delivering a powerful performance and capturing Debbie’s internal conflict. Walter Goggins captures Cecil’s “I’ve been doing this too long” tone but I hope to see him develop the character further. The animation struggles at many points in the show, coming out strong periodically but nothing too impressive as a whole (hopefully this will improve due to the popularity of the show).

Overall, season one serves as a fine beginning to a story that still has much left to say. We have gotten hints towards the greater world building, and I hope to see more of it going forward. It really needs to tighten up its episodic storytelling to be more engaging and relevant to the overall plot and give Mark more to do than talk and end up in the hospital.