Invincible season three starts out in an ‘epic’ way

After the ending of season two of “Invincible,” fans were pleasantly surprised to hear that season three would be coming shortly after. Considering that season two was split into two parts and took a long time to be released, it was nice to see that fans didn’t have to wait too long for the new season to come out. Not only were we treated to an epic premiere, we got a three-episode premiere. The excitement was palpable. 

Three months have passed since the events of the previous season, as Mark (played by Steven Yeun) is attempting to adapt to the new changes in his life. He deals with new members of the family, juggling his superhero and personal life, and his burgeoning feelings for Eve (played by Gillian Jacobs.) If “Invincible” could be compared to anyone, he would be like Spider-Man, if he had Superman’s powers. Even though he has these amazing powers, he’s still a regular person who deals with the same problems that we all deal with in our daily lives. 

While the animation leaves something to be desired, the voice acting, plotting and pacing more than makes up for it. “Invincible” spent a lot of money getting top tier voice acting talent and it shows. Steven Yeun once again kills it as Invincible. Also to be praised so far is Walton Goggins as the ever shady, if well intentioned Cecil Steadman. Goggins brings a relatability and world-weariness to Cecil, while not shying away from the fact that he’s far from a good person. Gillian Jacobs and Sandra Oh also prove to still have the chops to pull off their characters. 

The third season doesn’t start out playing things safe, it puts its foot on the gas and never lets up. New twists and turns are introduced from episode one and even when things calm down, even more twists pop up. Much of what makes “Invincible” so good is that it smashes many of the cliches and tropes of the superhero genre, but it’s clear that there is a deep love for the superhero genre here. 

Also interesting is the show’s shift from a superhero show into a genuine sci-fantasy epic. While there was plenty of development in season two, season three takes the ball and runs with it. We see more worldbuilding into the Viltrum Empire and the brewing conflict between them and the Federation of Planets. We see this with the interactions between Allen the Alien (played by Seth Rogen) and Nolan, aka Omni-Man (played by JK Simmons), hinting at an even bigger story that will be told. 

Season three is off to a great start and here’s to hoping it only goes up from here.