Amazon’s animated adaptation of the comic series “Invincible” was one of its top shows when its first season came out in 2021. It was highly lauded upon release, with a near perfect 99% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was a surprise hit that came out in the height of the anti-superhero movement that was developing in the media with shows like “The Boys” and the “Suicide Squad” movies.
“Invincible” season one focused on Mark Grayson, a high school senior whose father happens to be the most powerful superhero on Earth. Mark finally gains his powers and his father, Omni-Man, begins to train him to be a hero. What Mark doesn’t know is that his father is part of an alien race called Viltrumites, who are bent on conquering the universe. Omni-Man tries to recruit Mark to the Viltrumite cause, but he refuses to betray Earth and fights his father. Mark is beaten but Omni-Man leaves Earth anyways. The second season has been devoted to dealing with the ramifications of this revelation and battle.
The production of the second season was long, with season two coming out almost two and a half years after the conclusion of the first. Despite the long turn around between seasons, fans were still excited for the second season and the continuation of the story. The second season is also highly praised by critics, with it receiving a perfect 100% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, this was in contrast to the audience score, which was slightly lower at 90%. Only part one of season two is out thus far, but students at Loyola already have strong opinions when it comes to the series.
“The wait between part one and two of season two is a little ridiculous in my opinion. The experience of watching season one felt a little more interesting than season two,” Costa Marmaras ‘27 said.
This echoes the opinion of many fans who were disappointed in the long wait. Season two has been hurt by its slow trickle of releases, with episodes coming out once a week and half of the season not even out yet. The last episode that has been released was on Nov. 24 of last year, with the second half scheduled to come out March 14, with weekly installments of new episodes.
“I felt there was not much direction, but that’s probably because they split the season up, I guess. I think they should have just released it all at once so it would flow better.” Genevieve Hayes ‘27 said when asked for her thoughts on the series.
“It was pretty on par with the first season, but it’s hard to reach the same level as the finale of season one,” Hayes said.
Most of the audience’s gripes seem to lie in the troubled production of the show, but the content itself is generally liked by audiences.
“Season two’s story is way better than season one’s so far,” Marmaras said.
The season is not free of fault however, as the production itself has seemingly bled into how the story is presented on screen.
“It felt a little confusing for me because I felt like there was not much direction to some of it, and felt unnecessary. Season one had lots of things like that, but they were always answered in later episodes,” Hayes said.
As of yet these episodes have not been released, causing a detrimental viewing experience.
In terms of how the story has progressed this season, it seems many viewers are pleased with the character development. Season one was a slow burn, building anticipation on when or if Mark, the titular character, would discover his father’s dark secret. This resulted in a devastating final battle, which the ramifications of are dealt with in season two. Mark eventually runs into his father again, who has taken up residence on a new planet and now has a new family. They then had to fight some Viltrumite soldiers together, who were after Omni-Man for abandoning his post.
“I really like how Mark wasn’t quick to forgive after everything that happened in the first season, I was really worried that after Omniman asked for his help on his new planet that Mark would fold and forget everything… I think the way they teamed up without any act of real forgiveness was very satisfying,” Reilly Lockwood ‘25 said.
“If they were actually trying to make us feel bad for Ominman they failed,” Hayes said.
Despite the issues surrounding the production and release of the second season, director Robert Kirkman has managed to put out a satisfying product for most viewers. It speaks to the show’s quality when viewers are able to stick around through long wait periods for content, and still support the show and its creators. Season two is yet to be finished, but judging from the reception of the first half, it is a sure thing it will be finished and even possibly be green lit for a third season. “Invincible” is available to watch exclusively on Amazon Prime.
