Invincible is an animated superhero show helmed by Robert Kirkman and Simon Racioppa and it is based on the comic book series by the same name. It stars names like Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons and Sandra Oh along with Mahershala Ali, Seth Rogen, Gillian Jacobs, Zazie Beetz, Mark Hamill and many more.
Invincible Season 1 Plot
Invincible revolves around Mark Grayson aka Invincible who struggles with his powers and his relationships, and coping with both of them simultaneously. Meanwhile his Dad, Nolan aka Omni-Man gets involved in some shady events.
Invincible Season 1 Cast
- Steven Yeun as Mark Grayson / Invincible
- J.K. Simmons as Nolan Grayson / Omni-Man
- Sandra Oh as Debbie Grayson
Invincible Season 1 Review
Invincibles is one heck of a TV show. The amount of character development and progression it displays through the run of 8 episodes made me feel so brutally attached to each and every person on the show. If I were to describe it in a sentence, it would be, “How do superheroes co-exist in reality?”. Because so much of this show feels so real. The fights have impact because for a change, there are actual contingencies involved in each and every failure and victory. The people are crushed, slashed, decapitated, pushed through a wall, or a wall is pushed through them. Its every bit gory and intense as it can be, but somehow it is for all the right reasons. The humor has depth to it and protagonists can be really douchey. Amidst all of this we have a grueling mystery which takes its time, introduces characters, builds the world and most importantly, abides by the source.
Invincible follows Mark Grayson (Voiced by Steven Yeun), who finally gets his powers, thanks to his dad who happens to be the most powerful being, Omni-Man (Voiced by J.K. Simmons). Yet Mark’s struggle with becoming a superhero is painstaking and filled with bad decisions and even worse consequences. At the same time Omni-man has a shady venture of his going on, which becomes prominent by the end of the first episode. Mark Grayson becomes the invincible, yet now his biggest struggle isn’t his powers but the proper superhero life balance that he holds so dearly. At the core he is just a teenager who wants to hangout with his girlfriend while simultaneously saving the world, and through the course of events he learns that achieving such a thing is more difficult than he thought. Numerous heroes coexist in this world such as the matter bender, Atom Eve, the highly intelligent, Robot, the borderline Douchey, Rex, the girl who keeps getting younger every time she becomes a monster and many more.
Invincible Season 1: The relatability of Invincible
Invincible is hardcore and unabashed, and its lore never feels uninspired. With characters like Damien Darkblood who is mix of Rorschach and Dracula, bringing vampiric lore into the mix and Omni-man bringing the story of Viltrum which ultimately plays the most important role in the story, there are so many elements which aren’t already done in this exhausted genre, which is saying a lot.
The relatability plays an important part in inducing engagement as apart from a few exceptions, the superheroes are shown to have have very real family issues, relationship problems and existential problems which seem to drive the story more than the actual “Villain” antagonists. Heroes get hurt, Invincible gets beaten more times than I can think of, yet it hardly takes away from the prestige and the magnificence of the scenes.
Invincible Season 1: The Various Ironies
The humour of Invincible comes from very specific characters like Rex or The Mauler Twins (Who have some of the best banter I have ever seen by the way). There are times when the Twins would fail in basic unity, often cribbing and fighting over whose the original, yet while in action, there coordination becomes their greatest strength as their minds work simultaneously. Ironies like these are prominent and create a lot of the essence of the show. The only thing I sort of didn’t understand was the decision to push the main reveal of the story to the very end. The first episode rapidly tips the dominoes and then the next 6 episodes keep the issue going in a secondary way, without much substantial development in the case to go forward with. I would have preferred if the reveals were more spread out rather than being clustered in the beginning and the ending of season 1.
My biggest takeaway from Invincible is seeing how heroes crave co-existing in the world more than normal beings. Just because they have abilities doesn’t mean that they want to fall out of the very world they were grown and bred in. The superheroes hide their identity not because of their moral code but because it will make them become outcasts in their own society. Obviously this is just one of the many themes present in the show, I can’t possibly elaborate on each of them, but do yourself a favour and watch this on Amazon Prime as soon as possible. Its truly a one of a kind show.
Invincible Season 1 Critical Reception
Invincible season 1 stands at 98% on Rotten Tomatoes with the consensus being, “With bold animation, bloody action, and an all-star cast led by the charming Steven Yeun, Invincible smartly adapts its source material without sacrificing its nuanced perspective on the price of superpowers.” It has a Metascore of 73.
The Movie Culture Synopsis
Invincible is Brutal, Funny, Hard Hitting and Impactful. It raises the bar for what an Animated show can become, provided it has dedicated writers working to create a world which separates itself from others. With a plethora of nuanced characters and arcs, Invincible is rich and vibrant in every possible way. Invincible Season 1 is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
