Like any other beloved hero, Invincible is back! Whether or not that is a good thing for the people of Earth remains to be seen. The explosive revelation of Nolan Grayson’s/Omni-Man’s affairs (J.K. Simmons) in the part 1 finale, “It’s Been A While”, left everyone waiting for what would happen next. Now that Invincible season 2 part 2 will hit Prime Video next week, let’s dive back into this crazy superhero world.
[Warning: Spoilers for Invincible season 1 and season 2 part one are below!]
What happened with Mark Grayson in Invincible season 2?
We last left off with Mark Grayson/Invincible (Steven Yeun) and his father fighting a trio of Viltrumites who discovered that Omni-Man had abandoned his post on Earth. Now that Omni-Man is in the custody of Viltrumites, they’ve shifted the responsibilities onto Mark instead. As we know, Mark isn’t one for killing, doing his best to not turn out like his father. This exact sentiment is echoed again throughout season 2 and is something Mark tries to deny within himself.
As I mentioned in my review of the first half of Invincible season 2, it’s an internal struggle for Mark to not repeat his father’s sins against humanity. Omni-Man murdered the Guardians of the Globe, and this guilt is planet-sized and all-consuming for Mark. As before, Mark jumps at any chance to help out, and each of his interactions with Cecil Stedman (Walton Goggins) are rather tense throughout this season.
Cecil quickly reminds Mark that his responses to Cecil’s authority are eerily similar to Omni-Man’s. This continues to instill doubt in Mark, who aims to prove that he is nothing like his father. You’ll have to watch through the end to determine for yourself how much of that becomes true.
The return of Sterling K. Brown’s Angstrom Levy and Seth Rogen’s Allen the Alien
Although late in screen time, two of my favorite characters have returned for this second part of Invincible season 2. Sterling K. Brown returns as the multiversal villain, Angstrom Levy, after Mark left him heavily deformed in “A Lesson for Your Next Life.” Angstrom vowed revenge against Mark, and in part 2 he’s given a chance to enact it against him.
I reckon that the face-off they have will be talked about in communities for a while for a variety of reasons. Brown is again, a perfect casting for a villain of this treachery. Angstrom’s monologues and intentions carry significant damage for Mark that he will have to deal with whenever a third season happens.
Seth Rogen’s Allen the Alien makes a rather surprising return, considering the state he was left in when the Viltrumites used him as a punching bad. Allen is still important to the cause of fighting back the Viltrum Empire, and Invincible season 2 part 2 finally digs into what the Coalition of Planets is planning. Where Allen ends up by the finale was a bit of a surprise that could make for a wild opening in Invincible season 3.
How is Atom Eve faring after season 2 part 1?
While the show may be titled, Invincible, Samantha Wilkins/Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs) is still integral to the story and Mark. I was left surprised last season whenever she decided to return to her parent’s home and paused on using her powers. In the official trailer, there’s a moment where you notice that the Sequids from season 1 have made a return. Atom Eve and Rex Splode (Jason Mantzoukas) are under the control of the Sequids in this scene, and I can’t say more beyond that. Eve hasn’t joined the Guardians of the Globe. Instead, her services have been requested by the GDA.
Atom Eve is a wonderfully tragic character due to circumstances beyond her control, which is crazy to say as she can bend reality itself. Jacobs convincingly channels the frustrations and disappointments of Atom Eve within herself and others. I do hope in between seasons we get another special of Atom Eve as I always enjoy all her scenes in Invincible. The final episode opens up a thread that I’ve been eagerly awaiting in her story, and perhaps a special will shed a little more light on it.
Overall satisfaction with Invincible season 2 part 2
There’s a wealth of meta jokes and outside references you would find within the comic book, and the series devotes a chunk of scenes to them. I found myself going back to find these moments in the Invincible comics themselves, and they perfectly capture the spirit set by creator Robert Kirkman. Again, the animation continues to improve, and I may have just developed enough patience to wait a while for the next season if this trend carries upward.
Even though the second half of season 2 is just 4 episodes, they have decent lengths that will make for a comfortable and fun weekend binge. All the build-ups are gearing towards a really exciting continuation of the series. Based on the current trajectory of the story paralleling the comics (albeit with very welcome changes), Invincible easily has another 3-5 seasons of content they could pull from.
Already some seeds are being planted for a truly exciting reinterpretation of some cool storylines such as “Invincible War” or what could happen with Mark’s Thraxan half-brother. There is still so much to tell within this universe and I wouldn’t write off the possibility of spin-offs in the future.
Invincible may take a while to bring out new content but it’s quite refreshing to see the care given to the series after the insane popularity gained. The entire crew put in an incredible amount of work to polish every detail of the latter half of season 2. Hopefully, fans can be satiated with the pauses as I think they’re worth it for this incredible series.
Are you all caught up for Invincible season 2 part 2 and the Atom Eve special? Will you be watching all 4 episodes whenever they are released on Prime Video on March 14th? Let us know on social media @mycosmiccircus or join The Cosmic Circus discord server to discuss Invincible and much more!
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