Invincible Season 2 Review: The Bloody, Gripping Superhero Drama Returns Better Than Ever
What if Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's Spider-Man was serialized, and had very bloody consequences that aren't reset at the start of each issue? That's "Invincible," not only one of the best superhero shows around, but one of the best shows of the year, period. The show embraces every trope and every weird element of comic books earnestly while adding a ton of violence and gore. In season 2, "Invincible" goes bigger, bolder, and with vastly better animation.
"Invincible" follows Mark Grayson, a teenager starting out his superhero career while navigating high school. The first season ended with a big climactic fight between Mark and his superhero dad, who turned out to be a psychotic murderer and alien from a fascist civilization. Season 2 dives right back into the aftermath of the fight, and the huge emotional and psychological toll it's taken on Mark, his loved ones, and the entire planet — and beyond.
The season focuses on Mark's identity crisis in wanting to prove himself different from his dad and establish his own legacy while battling his fear of turning just like him. In a way, this is the "Invincible" version of Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 2," the darkest chapter in its titular hero's journey, the moment where he must decide what kind of hero he will be if he'll be one at all.
It is this character drama that is the strongest suit of "Invincible." What makes this show special is its focus on consequences. This is no Marvel story where each new earth-shattering reveal is immediately forgotten by the franchise at large, nor "The Boys," which more or less hits the reset button each season. Mark's actions heavily impact himself and those around him, and every episode introduces something that drastically changes the world of the characters.
A bright and colorful punch-out
The biggest improvement in the second season of "Invincible" is the animation. While fantastically written, season one suffered from limited animation and poorly executed 3D models. Thankfully, that's no longer the case. While not the best-looking animated show on TV, "Invincible" season 2 looks vastly better. It has a sharper and more consistent art style, and fluid and clearly storyboarded fight scenes that complement the show's color palette.
Unlike most modern superhero movies and shows, "Invincible" is not a muted world devoid of color. Quite the opposite, in fact. This is one of the brightest and most colorful superhero stories around, animated or otherwise. It is one of the ways "Invincible" captures the feeling of classic superhero comics, by reminding us that superheroes can be fun and cheerful — while also covered in blood and guts.
This season expands the scope of the story by going into outer space. Omni-Man's attack on Earth and his fight with Invincible created a shockwave that spread throughout the galaxy. There's a bigger focus on the threat of the fascistic Viltrumites and the resistance organized by the Coalition of Planets. The season is clearly setting up the entire Viltrumite Empire as the big villain, expanding its scope to enter a cosmic era — which is thrilling to watch.
Because the villains are vastly stronger than the ones we'd seen before, the action scenes step it up, too. There are two fights against Viltrumites, which are spectacular and capture the sheer power of these super-beings. The animation is not only fluid, but there's great attention to capturing the weight of the fights, the cracks on the ground, the sound barrier breaking, and well, all the blood.
Worth the wait
In expanding the world, the show also spends more time with its ensemble cast, particularly Mark's mom, Debbie. This is a standout subplot of the season, as she struggles not only with the knowledge that her marriage was a lie but also being unable to really talk to Mark about it. There's also Samantha Eve, who painfully discovers that just because your powers allow you to skip bureaucracy and help people, doesn't mean there won't be a cost to it. "Invincible" is all about consequence, and the idea that superpowers come at a cost. Through Samantha, the season presents some of its most emotionally devastating moments, and they hit hard.
The best of the four episodes in this first half of the season — the rest will be released at some point next year — involves Allen the Alien and the bigger galactic response to Mark's existence. This episode shows the consequences of season one in a way that makes the story feel larger and more important.
There's a problem with the big ensemble, however. Due to the show's hour-long runtime (which is very rare in animation), the episodes end up jumping around from character to character a lot, often at the wrong time. This can kill the momentum of the big emotional moments because we immediately cut to an entirely different storyline.
This season of "Invincible" also adds — you guessed it — the multiverse. Yes, the concept has become tiring of late, but "Invincible" is using the multiverse to further Mark's development and to deepen his identity in interesting ways. We'll likely see more of this in the second part of the season, but for now, it is an interesting approach.
/Film Rating: 8 out of 10
"Invincible" season 2 premieres November 3, 2023 on Prime Video.