This review contains minor spoilers for “Invincible.”
“Invincible,” released March 25, 2021, is an adult animated superhero television series created by Robert Kirkman for Amazon Prime Video. Based on the Image Comics series of the same name by Kirkman, Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, the show follows 17-year-old Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) and his transformation into a superhero under the guidance of his father Omni-Man (J. K. Simmons), the most powerful superhero on the planet. During his transformation, Mark finds himself struggling between his personal life and superhero duties, where he will be forced to prove he can be the hero his father is.
“Invincible” has conquered the internet over the past few years. Very few shows have had the cultural impact this show has, and with the recent conclusion of season two, it has only grown in popularity, and for good reason.
By far, the most infamous aspect of this show is its violence. This is one of, if not the most violent and gruesome animated television shows I have ever seen. The level of gore and brutality makes certain scenes in this show incredibly hard to watch, yet makes the show much more engaging.
An issue a lot of superhero media runs into is the sense of danger or urgency for a lot of the fights. Because of the lack of visible injury or even death from any of the characters, a lot of these fights are really never engaging.
“Invincible” never has this problem, as there is always this fear a citizen or a main character may get injured or even killed. There is always this level of anxiety during a fight scene where something horrible may happen to someone, and the show rarely holds back with its horrible brutality. It’s shocking every time it shows up, yet there is a genius to it that goes hand in hand with this show’s setting.
At the forefront, “Invincible” is a satire of the superhero genre, yet it never feels spiteful or annoyed by it. This show is a celebration of the superhero genre. It takes the tropes found in other superhero media and uses them in hilarious and shocking ways.
One of my favorite comedic scenes in this show is the intro to the penultimate episode of season two, “I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE,” where it directly comments on the animation process of making a superhero show. It comments on some of the quirks in the animation industry, and it works so well as a comedic scene.
On the flip side, the action in this show highlights the overwhelming power of some of the superheroes and villains and what would happen to people if some of these aspects were realistic. This show doesn’t shy away from the death and destruction caused by these battles, and it grounds itself as a much deeper and more mature show than it originally lets on.
By far my favorite aspect of this show is its characters. Every single character has so much depth that the show makes the viewer care about nearly every one of them.
Mark’s optimism and eagerness to prove himself lead to a lot of interesting and compelling moments in the show. This is especially well-portrayed by Yeun’s excellent voice acting, as he brings so much life and personality to this character. I’ve loved Yeun since his time on “The Walking Dead,” and he continues to stand out in everything he’s in.
His performance isn’t the only one that stands out. J. K. Simmons as Omni-Man is my favorite performance in the entire show. Every scene Omni-Man is in is killer, which is one of the major reasons I started watching this show. You never know what this character is going to do next, and it always puts me on edge.
There is no bad performance in this show. The characters are what really make “Invincible” special, as every character brings so much life to the show. There is never a dull moment with the characters, and I am always excited to see what scenarios they are going to be in next.
Conclusion:
Within the past five years, the superhero genre has fallen far from grace.
Marvel and DC Studios continue to release new media based off of their iconic comics, but they have lost the magic that made them so appealing in the first place due to how quickly each adaptation is being churned out. More superhero media is being made than ever before, yet the quality of the media only seems to be getting worse and worse as they are seen as products and not works of art by these studios.
“Invincible” is a superhero show that continues to break the mold of what made the superhero genre so bland in recent years with wonderful animation, over-the-top action and, most importantly, fantastic writing.
This show is not only one of the best comic book adaptations ever made, but it also tells one of the most engaging and thrilling stories in the superhero genre. Even though I wish the rollout of the show weren’t so drawn out, I am perfectly fine waiting as long as possible to ensure each new episode is made with the utmost care and quality, as “Invincible” is a show worth waiting for and I cannot wait for the next season.
