“Invincible” Season 2 has finally wrapped up and it’s a madhouse in here!
With the second half of this chapter ramping up the elements week after week, there was no doubt that the finale would be a blockbuster. Mark Grayson’s (Steven Yeun) story has been spectacular thus far as he’s constantly swept up to space and back to face his foes. In a case study akin to Marvel Comics Spider-Man (more on that later), he’s constantly having to perform his duties as a powerful entity while having to maintain his ground with his friends and family.
As we can see in “Invincible’s” constantly shifting title cards, the cracks in the glass get bigger and bigger week after week, signifying the cracks in Mark’s double life. At this point, there is no way out and Mark must make the toughest choices yet.
However, the question lies within. Is it all too much to handle for…
So, with the various threads tying up in the finale, we dive into what it means for our favourite characters and what new revelations might have popped up along the way.
LEVYING TAXES
Right off the bat, we are thrust back into where we left off in episode 7. The ultimate threat this time is Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown), who has been a constant presence throughout the show.
So, a quick recap. Mr Levy was the unique intellectual personality in the first episode who could open portals to other dimensions. With this power, he hatched a plan to pool the knowledge that his alternate versions had so that he could build a utopia. As such, he and the Mauler Twins built a machine that was capable of transferring information in the manner that he required.
Nevertheless, the plan goes south when Invincible shows up and attempts to stop the machine that he plugged himself in, thus forcing him to call in more reinforcements in the form of alternate Mauler Twins. This backfired when his reinforcements gained the upper hand. Due to his conviction of not building his utopia on blood, he disconnected himself from the device which then caused the machine to explode.
While Angstrom isn’t featured as much throughout Season 2 later on, he is shown to have survived albeit with a cracked and enlarged skull. He also contains shredded memories of his alternate selves which then leads him to infer that Mark Grayson needs to be eliminated.
Eventually, he catches up to Mark at his home, using Mark’s mom and half-brother as leverage. Mark pleads with him, but after the request falls on deaf ears, he attacks Angstrom. However, a portal opens and Mark is sent into a dimension where sentient dinosaurs exist… and yeah, we’ll leave it at that.
MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
Now, this is where part of the fun begins. As Angstrom peels back the layers of his motives, he pushes Mark back and forth between alternate dimensions. The second dimension where Mark is sent features Agent Spider. This arachnid hero is seen battling Prof Ock, who uses his mechanical arms to do battle. Hmm. How familiar…
Now, the character of Agent Spider does not exist in Invincible’s comic history and neither has Prof Ock. Obviously, these characters were created for television as a nod to Spider-Man and his famous foe, Doc Ock. And who better to voice the role than Spectacular Spider-Man himself, Josh Keaton?
It’s a fun little moment that references one of Marvel Comic’s most famous superheroes of all time.
Now, the distinguished competition is not left out. At one point, Invincible is thrown into a dimension where a gothic cityscape is rising. Mark is speaking to a man with a flowing black cape and criticizes the nomenclature behind the alter ego.
Of course, this is a reference to none other than DC’s Batman. While the Dark Knight doesn’t actually show his face or speak, it’s just a fun little nod to the Caped Crusader.
Both of these moments were actually in the comics and they were less vague than what was portrayed in the animated show. Understandably, the word ‘intellectual property’ exists, so, they had to work around this.
Besides, while Mark is bouncing around, fans can catch a glimpse of Omnipotus (Ross Marquand) who appeared earlier in the season. There’s also a “Walking Dead” universe, of which Robert Kirkman, creator of “Invincible” worked on. One of the last universes that Mark is sent to is a Mad Max-style dimension, where he beats up some War Boys.
THE POINT OF NO RETURN
Now, fun and games aside, the threat of Angstrom Levy is still real. Even though Debbie (Sandra Oh) valiantly attempts to protect Oliver and fight back, Angstrom is only briefly fazed. He eventually breaks her arm like a pencil and brings Mark back to the main dimension.
As Mark sees his wounded mother, he becomes enraged and comes to blows with Angstrom. It is here that the villain reveals that his modified body can withstand powerful punches. He merely wanted to tire Mark out so that he could kill Invincible with his own hands.
After Angstrom gains the upper hand, he threatens to annihilate Mark and his family. This does not bode well as Mark becomes livid, this time not pulling his punches. Soon enough, Angstrom Levy is pulp as Invincible pummels his brains out.
Now, this is the first time that Mark has ever killed a sentient being willingly and this causes him to enter a state of extreme shock and guilt. His innocence had been shed. In a way, he had become the very person that he swore he would never become. He had killed… just as his father did.
GUARDIANS OF THE GLOBE 2043
A bloodied Mark walks in a desolate wasteland. As Mark berates himself for his actions, he attempts to rationalise them, and this drives him into a state of madness. He believed that Angstrom was stronger and could withstand the punches. How is he going to live with his new conscience now? What does his job of saving lives mean?
However, another question arises when he realises that he is stranded in another dimension with no means of getting back home. He appreciates the solitude at first, wallowing in the silence and allowing it to calm him.
Fortunately enough, help comes in the form of the Guardians of The Globe, or rather a future version of the team. They explain that they know what happened to Mark and are intent on getting him home as his absence might cause problems. However, this is never elaborated on, and we can only assume the worst.
Before leaving, however, Mark is approached by Atom Eve of the future, who declares her love for him and pleads with him to communicate properly with the past version about this.
WITH GREAT POWER
Back on Earth, Mark reunites with Debbie and Cecil. He’s definitely shaken and Cecil recognises this, even advising Mark to find solitude elsewhere. In a throwback to the first episode of Season 2, we see Invincible flying through the clouds in a lost state. However, this time, it was not a family member that he had lost. It was himself.
He reminisces about the time he spent with his father, stating that he wished to be just like him, only to end up fighting him in the end. He’s still traumatised, having visions of his bloodied palms as he stares at them.
However, he no longer can confide in someone he holds dear throughout this entire season. He observes his ex, Amber from a distance, almost attempting to ask her how she’s doing, but willingly pulls back, understanding that he cannot interfere any longer.
His inner workings are further pushed as he informs Debbie of his desire to drop out of college. At first, Debbie is taken aback, insisting that Mark needs this certificate as it will open doors for him. However, Mark recognises that with his abilities, he cannot keep committing to such any longer. He must instead focus on improving his skills as a hero and becoming stronger.
In a way, being Invincible is his curse. It is his responsibility.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR…?
Now, the question is… will there be a follow-up? Fortunately for us, Season 3 had been greenlit back in 2021. In an interview with Collider last year, star Steven Yeun stated that the wait for the third season would not be as long as what fans had to experience for the sophomore project.
“For us, we know that this big break was not fun. We’ve been working hard to get a lot of backlog done. We wanna time this animation thing appropriately. So, yeah, we’ve been working. We’re banking episodes, we know what’s going on.”
Now, the character of Invincible is still growing and will continue to face more challenges along the way. As a matter of fact, Season 2 still has not tied up a lot of threads and they introduced even more for fans.
It’s quite obvious where they’re going to go with Eve and Mark now. They’re still in the beginning stage of their relationship and this will soon blossom. Amber is now a past participant and will live a separate life in that universe (possibly).
Now, as for where the show is going to go, we can definitely look to the source material. Character resurrections. Hooray! For one, we have Kate Cha, who quite conveniently reveals that she’s been far away and duplicating herself. So, we have one Teen member back.
However, the shocker here should be… Angstrom Levy… Dun Dun DUNN… Well, surprise, he’s not dead, mates. We do not see Angstrom’s full body in the scene and as far as comic books go… well, you know the drill. So yes, Angstrom Levy survived Mark’s brutality in the comics and we do not see why he shouldn’t continue to be a major antagonist in this series.
As for the Omni-Man’s redemption arc, we can expect it to be ramped up even more as Allen and Nolan spend time in prison together. This duo will end up becoming important players in the Coalition of Planets and Viltrum War. This is an epic event in the comics and we’re certainly excited for what is to come.
What did you think of “Invincible’s” finale this week? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
“Invincible” Season 2 is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
