‘Invincible’ Returns With the Biggest Supervillain Ever: Parental Trauma

What happens when you’re a superhero with the opportunity to do… well, pretty much anything? According to Invincible, you cry about how much you miss your dad. You have unlimited existential crises over all the lives you’ve seen lost. You panic about accidentally crushing your girlfriend during sex. Sure, you crush a few skulls and save the day here and there, but the gig comes with a lot more baggage than any of us could ever imagine.

In Prime Video’s animated superhero show, which returns for Season 2 on Nov. 3, the fear for protagonist Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) is never the Big Bads he’ll face. Instead, it’s always the feeling of dread after a battle, returning to the real world where his life has turned into a sob story. The show, which is adapted from creator Robert Kirkman’s (The Walking Dead) comic book, has offered a unique take on the superhero formula from the start. With its sophomore season, Invincible joins the ranks of Prime Video’s similar hit The Boys as a twisted, emotional tale of epic proportions.

When we meet Mark again, he’s understandably frazzled. Last time we saw him, his father, Nolan (J.K. Simmons), aka Omni Man, the biggest superhero-turned-supervillain in the world, had just tried to use him to help eradicate the human race and then attempted to murder him after he refused to participate in genocide. So is his mom, Debbie (Sandra Oh), who never knew her husband was neither a super, nor evil. Debbie and Mark are facing another reckoning on the home front, too: Mark is off to college. Debbie will soon be an empty nester and a widow—maybe, assuming Omni Man is actually dead after shooting himself into the sun following his argument with Mark—creating some real sorrow in her life and some youthful confusion in Mark’s.

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Thus, Mark’s coming-of-age storyline continues into college, where he struggles to find a work-life balance like the rest of us. Should he save millions of innocent aliens from imminent death, or should he enjoy a rager with his pals? Should he fly his girlfriend, Amber (Zazie Beetz), to Paris, or should he work with his league of superhero pals on pressing galactic issues? The half-human, half-Viltrumite life is full of these conundrums, and although Mark is different from the rest of us, his battle with time (or lack thereof) is terrifyingly relatable.

That said, while Mark’s understanding of his powers was the driving force of Season 1, Season 2 welcomes storylines for more members of the cast. Rex (Jason Mantzoukas) wants to DTR with his lady friend Dupli-Kate (Malese Jow), who has been making body doubles to sleep with other people. Eve (Gillian Jacobs) has a handful of harrowing (but gripping!) side quests. All eyes are on Debbie, though, as she copes with waves of grief and confusion. Debbie—who, mind you, has no huge moments in battle or exciting powers—runs away with Season 2.

This is mainly thanks to Oh’s voice acting, a facet of the show that has become its hidden super power. Invincible’s animation, on the other hand, isn’t its strong suit—it’s the writing, rather, that has become the reason to keep watching. Mark and the supporting cast’s emotional perils make Invincible one-of-a-kind, and it takes a team of all-star voice actors to keep up with such heavy topics. You can hear her constant state of worry in Debbie’s weepy monologues; the youthful naivete in Amber’s pleas to spend more time with Mark; and the tragic realization that being a superhero isn’t all that super in Mark’s constant sighs and dejected dialogue.

It’s important to note that the second season of Invincible will be split into two parts; the first half, consisting of four episodes, will be released weekly throughout November. Although there’s no sophomore slump in sight, the first half of this chapter does take a moment to find its footing in the plot department. There’s a bit of dilly-dallying as Invincible attempts to set itself on a coherent storyline in its second season. Mark goes on a handful of quests that are untethered; there are a few villains that never become THE villain; and there’s a short side story about the friendly alien Allen (Seth Rogen). While every storyline is exciting in its own way, none is really strung together.

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Eventually, near the end of this first batch of episodes, the season finds its footing. That said, with no release date announced for the rest of Season 2, it’s a bit disappointing that we have to wait indefinitely to see how the show maintains its momentum. Right when Invincible gets to the really juicy storylines, it fades to black. If I were to place a wager on the series, knowing how great Invincible is with finales (see: Season 1), I’d probably say that the back half of Season 2 is about to outshine this first set of episodes.

Still, when Marvel is releasing a new TV show seemingly every month, the space for superhero TV shows has begun to feel cramped. Invincible’s sophomore season is running at the same time as Loki Season 2 and Prime Video’s own live-action, coming-of-age superhero series, The Boys spinoff Gen V. Invincible does a fantastic job of reinventing the wheel within this overcrowded genre, however, making it an essential series for all superhero fans. While the dialogue is as quippy as a Guardians of the Galaxy movie, the music choices are on par with The Bear—perhaps an odd comparison, but more sensible when you consider the fact that both take place in Chicago, home of a fantastic music scene. In a sea of superhero monotony, Invincible works hard to stand out with diverse points of references like these.

In just two seasons, Invincible has proven that it’s one of the biggest superhero shows to keep an eye on. On shows like this and its Prime Video brethren The Boys, the superhero fatigue is real—but not in the sense that these shows are exhausting for us. Rather, it’s the superheroes who are tired, a more believable take on the usual formula. That’s why they’re the most memorable among the increasingly large crop.

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