Invincible Season 3 Review

Let’s be real: the wait for Season 3 felt incredibly long, but it was about time it arrived. Invincible Season 2 left most fans wanting more, especially due Omni-Man’s eventual, yet shocking, turn to face. Plus, the downtime between Season 2 Parts 1 and 2 somewhat stirred an impatience for the fandom. However, Invincible Season 2 was still emotionally impactful, albeit leaving bigger implications for Mark Grayson and everyone he knows. With Mark facing his father to Atom Eve and Debbie going on their own soul-searching journeys, Season 2 had much to handle. However, Invincible Season 3 is a much needed “refresh” by amplifying the previous seasons’ best elements to higher levels.

The main reason that Season 3 feels different in comparison is because of its newest character, Oliver Grayson (Christian Convery). Since Season 2’s conclusion, Oliver’s grown up into a tween, but he’s a brash, excitable kid like Mark (Steven Yeun) was. As such, Mark finds himself tasked with teaching Oliver the ropes, much like Omni-Man (J. K. Simmons) did with him before. Yet in the midst of all of this, Mark also faces dealing with Cecil Stedman (Walton Goggins), Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs), and much more. As all of these challenges pile up on him, Mark truly learns about the morally gray area of being a superhero.

Invincible Season 3
Oliver Grayson and Debbie Grayson
(L-R): Christian Convery as Oliver Grayson and Sandra Oh as Debbie Grayson in Invincible Season 3. Photo: Pime Video

Since the beginning, showrunners Simon Racioppa and Robert Kirkman have always sought to emphasize the show’s emotional core. For example, Season 2 was more focused on Mark’s journey of grief and soul-searching while the Atom Eve special more so prioritized Eve’s upbringing. However, Season 3 really digs into the complexities of the consequences that come with being a superhero. Not everything is black and white, unlike previous seasons, and Racioppa and Kirkman explore that by integrating these thematic lessons. Of course, with Season 3 adapting Invincible #50-#60, it’s expected that some beats wouldn’t be fully covered here. Yet, each episode’s narrative is able to further flesh out Mark’s development by having that natural pacing.

Oliver Grayson, who’s grown into a tween since Season 2, provides much of that challenge for Mark in Season 3. He’s got that charming and comedic innocence with a pinch of high energy and yearning for adventure. He shows that he wants to do the right thing, but Oliver’s childlike naivete about Earth’s culture and Mark’s past gets him into harrowing situations. Certain scenes really convince you that he wants to take the “Kid Omni-Man” moniker quite literally, which makes you question whether he’ll turn out bad. Yet, as you continue watching, you can’t help but see only the good in Olive. This is especially so with smaller moments as Mark and Debbie try to give him that balance between being a hero and being a normal child.

The second biggest challenge Mark faces is his potential relationship with Atom Eve. Throughout Invincible, Mark and Eve’s relationship was complicated, in part due to his previous relationship with Amber (Zazie Beetz). However, Season 3 doesn’t play with the “will they, won’t they” trope anymore, which shows how mature the show is getting. In fact, the scenes between Mark and Eve adds more gravitas in contextualizing elements of the bigger picture. Eve just wants to help Mark in the best way she can support him and watching these two bond over those problems was very enjoyable.

Invincible Season 3
Atom Eve
Gillian Jacobs as Atom Eve in Invincible Season 3. Photo: Pime Video

Mark’s relationships with Oliver, Eve, Debbie, and everyone else really play into his personal turmoil. At this point, Mark’s been struggling with after Omni-Man finally turned face in addition to everything Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown) threw at him. This internal melancholy that’s been building up within Mark never fully exposes itself, which lets the more poignant scenes have a stronger effect. This change in emotion is heavily impacted by those lessons, with one such result coming in the form of Powerplex (Aaron Paul). Those bigger, impactful narrative points really do the carrying when it comes to rounding out Mark’s personality. Along with those small moments of family bonding, watching Mark deal with all of these things was very intriguing.

The Guardians of the Globe get to continue their story, albeit with some characters having more priority with others. Black Samson (Khary Payton), Bulletproof (Jay Pharoah) and Shapesmith (Ben Schwartz) are sidelined, though they do get comedic moments to shine. Even the Immortal (Ross Marquand) is put on the burner, though he does get an important role in a later episode. Still, having the Guardians having those interactions with Mark and propelling the overarching story happily provides much needed context.

Robot (Zachary Quinto/Marquand and Monster Girl’s (Grey Griffin) arc also seems like it wrapped up nicely from Season 2. It’s good to see that they’re still together and even though they have their issues, it’s nothing too major. Oppositely, Rex Splode (Jason Mantzoukas) and Shrinking Rae (Griffin) get some surprising growth. It was somewhat unexpected for Rex to confide in Rae given what the Guardians have been through. However, watching the two find common ground despite their different circumstances led to some really touching moments fans will love. For those who wanted Rex to finally escape the bonds of Season 2’s “love triangle”, that’s the case with this storyline.


Aaron Paul as Powerplex in Invincible Season 3. Photo: Pime Video

Another surprising thing about Season 3 is the emphasis on Dupli-Kate (Malese Jow) with the introduction of her brother, Multi-Paul (Simu Liu). She has somewhat of a bigger role to play that already kicks off on Episode 1. Though they don’t interact with each other as much, it makes the scenes when they do somewhat sad. Yet, there’s this cautious optimism that remains consistent thanks to the subtle writing and editing that branches out with each episode.

However, everything that happens in Season 3 wouldn’t have been possible without Cecil Stedman. From the trailers, you’d already know that Cecil has a huge role to play. However, for those that haven’t read the comics, Cecil’s arc this season is an incredible one. His shifting relationships, particularly with Mark, and everything about him really comes into focus to make him a compelling power player. His actions have many layers of motivation behind them and watching Cecil do what he does to be the “guy who saves the world” shows how sophisticated he truly is.

Of course, Invincible’s animation seemed to be heavily criticized by its fans in recent years. The teaser trailers, which presented viewers with a much more fluid visual style, led this way of thinking for quite some time. There are some particular moments where this stiltedness comes in as some shots might linger awkwardly for too long or some characters’ expressions might not fully convey the vocal performances given. Yet, Skybound Animation’s flair continues to shine through its gruesome and gory action, something that has always been a staple for Invincible. Particularly, Episodes 3, 4, and 6 have the most bloody sequences that’ll definitely leave fans satiated thanks to the animation team.

Invincible Season 3
Cecil Stedman
Walton Goggins as Cecil Stedman in Invincible Season 3. Photo: Pime Video

Invincible Season 3 is an exciting and rejuvenating return to form for Prime Video‘s animated original series. As the stakes get higher and Mark’s internal problems get harder, this show manages to upstage itself in nearly every way. This season truly shows how Kirkman, Racioppa, and the creative team have mastered that balance between pacing the overarching story and character development. Though a Season 4 has yet to be announced, it might appear that Invincible is indeed invincible.

Rating
★★★★

Invincible Season 3 premieres on Prime Video on Thursday, February 6 with the first 3 episodes.
A new episode will drop every Thursday through the Season 3 finale on March 13.

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Christopher Gallardo is a freelance entertainment writer and critic. While not running The Reel Roller, Chris can be found writing reviews and breakdowns on all things films and TV. Outside of entertainment writing, he’s currently taking classes for a Bachelor’s of Science with a minor in Digital Media & Journalism. Plus, he loves Percy Jackson, animated films and shows, and Fallout! Follow Christopher on Instagram & X.

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