"Invincible" season 3 just dropped its three-episode premiere on Prime Video and it's safe to say it's a significant improvement from the animated superhero show's underwhelming season 2. Even better, we know there won't be a midseason hiatus killing the show's momentum this time.
But season 3 is an improvement over the previous season for reasons beyond better pacing. Having watched the first three episodes myself, I can tell you that this season is far deeper than the previous seasons. The show has always been — like its comic book source material — about subverting expectations and commentating on the traditional superhero narrative. But while previous seasons have largely leaned into shocking moments of gory violence to make an impact, season 3 has focused on character development and emotional depth, and it's paying dividends already.
That's not to say the show's gone completely soft on us. There are plenty of (literally) earthshaking battles between heroes and villains and these three episodes have set the stage for an epic showdown at some point before the season's eight-episode run wraps up. But it's a noticeably more mature and subtle show compared to seasons past even while maintaining some of its hyperviolence.
'Invincible' season 3 is laying the groundwork for an epic showdown
Spoilers for "Invincible" season 3 to follow
Through three episodes, it's clear that the show is building to a battle between Mark (Steven Yeun) and Cecil (Walton Goggins). We knew this from the trailers, but now we get to see actual battle lines be drawn. By the end of the three episodes, Mark is doing his own thing and has told Cecil he'll kill him if he sees Cecil come near him or his family again. Their fight has also caused the Guardians of the Globe to take sides, and Rex Splode, Shrinking Rae, Monster Girl, Bulletproof and Robot all have decided to leave the Guardians and form their own team rather than continue working with Cecil.
It seems almost certain that somehow Oliver's storyline will end in disaster, whether he ultimately lands on the right side of morality or not.
It's not just a matter of people who are setting these battle lines, though. Playing into this season's emphasis on deeper character development, these battle lines are also being drawn on ideological lines. Mark sees the world in black-and-white and Cecil sees things in shades of grey. Interestingly, it turns out this wasn't always the case. Episode 2 is largely a flashback episode that has a younger Cecil acting and talking just like Mark, while his boss Radcliffe acts and talks the way Cecil does now. But as we see Cecil develop over the course of the episode, we see him shift to his current belief system in a way that indicates potential foreshadowing that Mark may undergo a similar arc before season 3 is over.
There are two wild cards that could through a wrench in all this though. While Allen the Alien (Seth Rogen) and Nolan/Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) are largely relegated to the sidelines through these three episodes, Nolan's half-Viltrumite/half-Thraxan kid Oliver (Christian Convery) is wreaking havoc on Earth. He's now adopted the moniker "Kid Omni-Man" and is adopting Nolan's views on human life prior to the events of season 2 ... which is to say he doesn't value it much. Mark is now having to juggle training Oliver so he uses his powers for good, not being distracted by Oliver in fights so they don't get accidentally killed and coming to terms with his half-brother potentially turning into their xenophobic, heartless father. It seems almost certain that somehow Oliver's storyline will end in disaster, whether he ultimately lands on the right side of morality or not.
The second wild card though? That was a shocking moment for anyone who hasn't read the comics. At the end of episode 3, it's revealed that at least some version of Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown) is still alive and spying on Mark. If he makes his move during season 3, it could throw everything into chaos.
'Invincible' season 3 is 100% on Rotten Tomatoes — stream it now
So if you haven't watched the three-episode premiere of "Invincible" season 3 on Prime Video, stop what you're doing and go check it out now. Don't just take my word for it either — with already 14 critic reviews in, season 3 has a perfect 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Granted, season 2 also had a perfect 100% and it was a bit of a disappointment for most fans. But trust me when I say season 3 so far has been the show at its best. There's still the brutal violence you know and love, but now with significantly more attention spent on deep character building and better pacing.
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