Invincible’s Season 2 Opener Is A Masterclass In Superhero Storytelling

Invincible Season 2 episode 1 screenshot

Invincible just started airing its second season on Amazon Prime Video, after the first season of the animated superhero show blew fans’ socks off. Unlike Netflix’s streaming model, Amazon typically releases episodes for its shows weekly, and Invincible is no exception. As such, we’ve only been able to watch the first episode so far, and folks, it’s very good.

For a brief recap of the last season, Invincible tells the story of 17-year-old Mark Grayson, the son of legendary superhero Omni-Man, also known as Nolan. Mark spent his whole life looking up to his dad, believing him to be a paragon of good, the Superman of this universe. After developing powers shortly after he turned 17, Mark started learning from his dad… and then things went south, to say the least.

Mark learned that Omni-Man was not a good guy at all, but an alien called a Viltrumite whose sole existence was to conquer planets by force. Through a series of horrific, bloody events, Mark saw his dad commit some of the worst atrocities ever seen on Earth. There’s one scene at the end of the first season that sees Nolan using Mark’s body to murder dozens of people — it’s a brutal, visceral scene, and one that sticks with you for long after the credits roll.

After that, Nolan left Earth, and Mark was left trying to piece together the rest of his life. That’s where season 2 picks up, with Mark unsure of his role in the universe, afraid of his heritage and his powers, and unable to really process what’s happening to him. In the space of a few days, his entire world was flipped upside down, he was forced to endure traumatic experiences, and he has nobody, really, to turn to. Who else could understand that kind of pain?

Usually, in superhero media, when something like this happens the hero spends a frustrating amount of time moping about, doing nothing in particular. Invincible takes another route, with Mark refusing to let himself sit about and wallow. He tries to find a way to do good, join a team, follow orders. You can see the cogs turning in his mind — he’s terrified he’s going to turn into his dad, and if somebody else is in charge of his superhero actions, he can’t go haywire like that.

It’s absolutely fascinating to watch, and it sets up a season that’s bound to be a rollercoaster. There’s plenty more superhero fare, for those who aren’t satisfied with the light touch — big fight scenes with robots, bad guys doing evil science experiments, an explosion that turns a well-meaning pacifist into a revenge-seeking supervillain. It’s just also got careful, considered storytelling, compassionate character work, and plenty of space to breathe.

That last point is important. Invincible’s 45-60-minute episode runtime means that nothing ever feels rushed. Every moment, every line, every impact, it all has the time and space to breathe, to let things really set in.

After a brief aside, the episode opens properly with a scene of Mark doing good deeds throughout the city, set to Radiohead’s Karma Police. I expected, as with most shows, that the song would play for 30 seconds, maybe a minute, then fade out, but it plays out in full, and it’s a remarkably powerful scene. You’re taken on a tour of the city, to see the destruction wrought, to see Mark’s disinterested, cautious approach to his superhero duties. There’s next to no dialogue, just a few minutes for you to sit, watch, and feel.

There’s also an amazing bit that made me laugh a few times, where characters would pause just before saying the word “Invincible,” normally a signal that the title card was about to be displayed. These clever inserts were a blast in season 1, and they do return here, but seeing the show able to poke fun at itself and at the same time subvert expectations is satisfying as heck.

We know there’s plenty still to come for Mark in season 2 of Invincible. The voice cast is massive, with some huge names set to be introduced, and we know that Omni-Man will return at some point. How that happens is anyone’s guess at this point – we’ll have to wait and see – but if the rest of the season can match the effortless charm and quality of the first episode, it should be an absolutely cracking season of television.

Invincible is available to watch now on Amazon Prime Video. New episodes will be released every Thursday.