Invincible Season 4 Review
With the recent outlook on superhero shows, there’s a lot that Invincible Season 4 has to live up to. Season 3 guaranteed more excitement with the introduction of Mark’s alien younger brother Oliver, a new roster of villains, and the arrival of the once-indomitable Conquest. Despite its interesting complex storylines of apprenticeship and mending old wounds, it felt like there was some complacency, both stakes-wise and visual-wise. However, Invincible Season 4 promises to bring back the big hits as the Viltrumite War gears up and Mark Grayson gets his dues in. While Season 4 makes good on that, it certainly retreads through some hoops to get to where it wants to be.
Invincible Season 4 picks up sometime after Mark Grayson’s (Steven Yeun) brutal clash with Conquest (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Oliver’s (Christian Convery) all grown up, Mark’s mom, Debbie (Sandra Oh) is at peace from her trauma thanks to her new boyfriend Paul (Cliff Curtis), and Mark and Atom Eve’s (Gillian Jacobs) relationship has blossomed. However, Omni-Man’s (J.K. Simmons) escape from his Viltrumite prison has stirred a new conflict that requires more than just a handful of alien spaceships.
Omni-Man, who’s now entrusted by Allen the Alien (Seth Rogen) to stop his Viltrumie brethren, finds himself in a fetch quest throughout the galaxy. Despite all the resources he can find that are weaknesses to his kin, there’s one thing he’s holding back on: reuniting with Mark. However, the main focus, at least for the first three episodes, is placed on Mark and Oliver expending all of their energy to be heroes. It’s much of a reversal of Season 3’s premise because of all the damage that Mark’s fights with Viltrumite threats have led to. At this point in Invincible, Mark’s still trying to mend his public image by facing dangers like Dinosaurus (Matthew Rhys) and Universa (Danai Gurira), but it’s never enough.
This sentiment carries over in Oliver, whose personality is on the other end of the spectrum. Mostly gone is the optimistic, lighthearted teenager who wanted to be a hero like his father. Now, Oliver just wants to get things done because he knows how powerful he can be. He’s much like Mark from Season 2, only this time his grudges feel a little more accelerated. The angst that he carries, both against Omni-Man and Mark’s bestowing of responsibilities, is confidently emphasized in specific moments.
This particularly shows on Season 4 Episode 3, where Oliver has to carry out a job on his own, but not realizing that it’s for one of Mark’s earthly rivals. While it does provide a satisfying showing of his inner conflict that weaves itself into Season 4 Episode 5, it’s only one of three major character developments to be considered. However, the main development is seen in Mark, who’s still walking that fine line between doing what’s right and doing what’s necessary.
The effects of fighting Conquest still linger considerably on Mark’s mind and the best episode that shows that is Season 4 Episode 4. This episode really does feel like a turning point for Invincible because its story is somewhat isolated from everything else that’s going on. Amidst all the action and fiery chaos of this episode, it provides a nice lesson for Mark to learn about himself and the way that he’s handling the consequences of his actions. Plus, the main overarching story here nicely wraps around the tease that was seen in Season 3 regarding the peculiar Damien Darkblood. It’s also considerable that there’s more focused action here than any other episode in Invincible Season 4, but that’s to be seen with these six episodes so far.
As for Nolan-slash-Omni-Man, the treatment that he gets here builds off from the emotional burden he’s been carrying since Season 3. The second episode is entirely dedicated to Nolan as a character, developing what fans already know while also still connecting the pieces from Robert Kirkman’s original comics. Although this episode does also see the bond between Nolan and Allen develop (both in sincere and comical ways), the other episode fans should look out for is Season 4 Episode 6. The story there is deeply rooted in the family mending that Nolan’s been seeking all this time, lending itself to some heartfelt moments too.
That being said, Invincible Season 4 still has to carry the narrative weight of so many other stories. It tries to balance several, including Atom Eve’s loss of her powers and the new Guardians of the Globe trying to maintain balance. While it feels like there’s a better handling of pacing this season, likely due to the buildup to the Viltrumite War, it doesn’t feel like fans will be seeing a payoff until the last two episodes. Additionally, there are also a few Season 3 teases that are explored a bit more with these episodes, but there’s so much that can be handled in each respective episode.
As for the animation of Season 4, it does feel like Invincible is continuing to maintain its artistic style. While that does mean the fights still pack a punch or two, it also means that some of the conversational scenes can feel stilted. This mostly shows with the Grayson family dinners and the scenes involving Mark and Eve together, which often stick to one shot. Of course, the show’s way of animating fluid movement has been constantly debated since late-Season 3. Although there are improvements in certain areas, as seen within those first three episodes, it does feel like there’s potential to take the animation style further.
Invincible Season 4 still shows it can land big blows thanks to its thematic cohesiveness. The overarching Mark-Oliver-Omni-Man storyline proves to be compelling as the journey to the Viltrumite War accelerates. There still may be some details of Season 4 that need to be buffed out, but it continues to show that Invincible is still a good superhero series to watch.
Rating: ★★★½
Invincible Season 4 premieres on Wednesday, March 18 on Prime Video with the first three episodes. New episodes release weekly through April 22.
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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.