Rating 9.5/10
Following the shocking ending of its first season, Amazon Prime’s adaptation of “Invincible” finally returned after almost three years of waiting.
The show adapts the comic book series of the same name originally released in 2003 by Image Comics. This second season picks up soon after the ending of the first, which saw Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) leave the planet and his son Mark, also known as Invincible (Steven Yeun), after not being able to conquer Earth for the empire of his home planet, Viltrum.
Season two of “Invincible” finds Mark dealing with what his father has done while balancing his life as a superhero and his grounded relationships with his girlfriend, family and college.
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What stands out with this season’s storyline is how it manages to be grounded in some bases of reality while still showing a plethora of universes and dimensions full of life.
Although it’s highly unlikely that any student could relate to Mark’s superhero struggles, they might see themselves in the same situation that Mark is in with college and his girlfriend and how occasionally he simply cannot dedicate enough time to either factor, thus making him feel bad for not being able to be there enough.
This relatability to the characters allows “Invincible” to stand out among a sea of other superhero content.
However, one of the biggest highlights of the show is, without a doubt, how visceral it can be with its content. Not only does this help keep the story engaging, but it keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, all while maintaining the consistency of great storytelling.
For anyone unfamiliar with “Invincible,” the series is known for its occasionally gruesome moments, regardless if it’s toward the most random background characters or the more mainline characters such as Invincible and his allies or adversaries.
Multiverses are also a huge aspect of this season of “Invincible,” creating not only variety in the characters we meet but also setting up the story beats of the possible third season.
The voice acting in “Invincible” not only reinforces the show’s strong repertoire but gives the show an immediate status of incredible craftsmanship due to the truly remarkable performances from the show’s actors.
Without a doubt, Yeun shines the brightest amongst the show’s stars as he plays the role of Mark in the most realistic way possible — despite the show being animated.
When the scene requires Mark to be sad, Yeun pulls at the viewer’s heartstrings, and if Mark needs to be angry, Yeun will erupt in a blaze of fury.
As impressive as much of the work that went into “Invincible” is, slight controversy plagued the show surrounding its release schedule.
Whereas all of the episodes in season one were released across the span of eight weeks back in 2021, half of season two’s episodes were released over four weeks in November of 2023.
In an interview with Collider, series creator Robert Kirkman said, “It was something that was somewhat of a practical thing because it was taking so long to get the show done” regarding the series’ schedule.
Not only did this decision leave fans perplexed about why there was a long break from the show, but it ultimately caused a rift between fans and general audiences that seemingly lowered the hype for the return of the series.
By the time the series ended, there seemed to be a severe lack of buzz around the show and its finale, despite it adapting one of the most memorable panels from the comic book series.
With season two of “Invincible” now over, fans are speculating that season three, which is greenlit, will hopefully be released sometime next year.
However, in the meantime, “Invincible” fans will be more than entertained and pleased with what Amazon Prime’s series has pulled off and achieved thus far.
