I generally don’t intend to review stuff episode by episode or by select episodes, but these first three episodes of the third season of Invincible really resonated with me so I figured why not. I have stuff to say about it and there are no rules here.
Point 1: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Although this has been the theme of the full set of the first three episodes, the second episode particularly made the questions of good vs bad and reform vs punishment its thesis. Invincible has covered a lot of topics in its first two seasons, but I don’t think it has taken such a nuanced look at any point.
Although I don’t want to just lay out the full episode here, I thought the way the writing explored how we deal with those that do bad things and what it means to fight for the greater good was fantastic. It was a great narrative tool to not just make Mark look like the one in the wrong in the conversation, but rather show how Cecil himself had to go through his own journey to come around to this perspective.
It would have been easy to pit ideologies and show one to be right and the other to be wrong, but to portray them both having some merit allows the audience to pick their own side. I have a feeling that many viewers may not agree with others on what the right direction is. And that to me is a sign of great writing.
I loved seeing Cecil’s own path to becoming who he is now and how it informs his own patience with someone like Mark who hasn’t come around to it. It shows that there’s more substance to the stances Cecil has and although there are unconditional aspects to the way Cecil runs things, he has empathy for those under him. It makes you realize the types of compromises that you have to make when the stakes are high and failure is not an option. That’s the context Cecil works in and he has to do what he can to succeed no matter who gets their feelings hurt along the way. Cecil really personifies how you need to deal with the good and the bad side of everything even if it gets ugly, literally and figuratively.
Point 2: My Way or the Highway
On the flip side of that nuanced point of view is Mark who is convinced that the way he wants to handle things is the best way. This to me feels like a pretty strong allegory for the way things are in the world right now. If you’re not with me, you’re against me. He’s unable to make space for people who have made mistakes and want to reform despite himself having made many mistakes along the way. We are often guilty of excusing our own mistakes as just mistakes or having good intentions but not giving that same courtesy to others.
Mark finds himself in that same position where he can’t bring himself to give a chance to those who have wronged him yet when faced with his own incidents of murder or failure, he has an excuse for them. As the other heroes take sides on the issue, it starts to become more clear that taking hardline positions with no nuance will only lead to more issues rather than a concerted effort for the greater good.
On that point, the first three episodes make a great point of differentiating good and the greater good. The writers don’t necessarily prioritize one over the other and recognize that those priorities are not the same for everyone, but it is an important nuance to realize that sometimes you may have to deal with some bad to achieve the greater good. Maybe Oliver being on another end of this spectrum will make Mark realize his own shortcomings in realizing what’s best.
Point 3: Rules for Thee But Not for Me
While Mark takes his stance on his own high horse, he is faced with a dilemma of his own where he has trouble handling Oliver’s point of view on villains. In episode 2, when Mark talks about villains not deserving a second chance because they’re bad, it opens the door for him to be challenged by taking that point of view to the other extreme. Oliver then takes the baton and beats the life out of a couple of villains to throw Mark’s morality back at his face. If villains can’t be reformed, then why keep them alive at all?
Mark and his mom are very clear on killing being bad, but it’s not unfair to think that if doing the wrong things makes you irredeemable then killing them is on the table. If you’re going to advocate for not killing villains, then surely you must give them a chance to make good on that right? That’s the dilemma that Oliver now poses. More importantly, what makes it ok to excuse Nolan for everything he did, which is brought up by Oliver, but Oliver isn’t allowed to do those things?
I think the writing to pit the three ideologies against each other is a perfect canvas to juxtapose great threats that I assume are to come in the rest of the season and make everyone realize where they’re right or wrong the hard way. Although the answer for the audience might seem obvious, the journey for the characters to get there will be interesting and I’m very much looking forward to seeing what happens.
Point 4: No Sauce
As much as the writing is hitting it out of the park, it’s hard to overlook the animation of Invincible in 2025. When the animation field is currently in its heyday with so many different dynamic styles and cool things happening, it does feel like a letdown to show this story in this very milquetoast style. If you’re less familiar with the types of animated styles out there, check out the gallery below to get an idea of what could be done with a story like Invincible’s with the great action sequences.
From first to last, the shows above are: Jentry Chau vs. the Underworld, X-Men ’97, Castlevania: Nocturne, Arcane. All of these shows have had seasons come out in the past year.
The other disappointing part is that there was better animation in season 2 in certain parts and it’s clear that the show getting rid of some animators has resulted in that style being lost. I’m confident the narrative will carry the show enough to not make the animation a real issue in any way, but just feels like the show could really have been elevated with more sauce.
I probably won’t be reviewing every tranche of episodes, but I’ll definitely review the season as a whole once all the episodes are out, so keep your eye out for that. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for other great animated content to discover, check out our favourite animated shows in our favourites of 2024 piece.
