Review: ‘Invincible’ Season 3 contemplates the weight of heroism
Charlie Cruz
Score: ★★★★½
When I think of "Invincible," I immediately picture Mark Grayson at the emotional center of his universe, much like Spider-Man anchors the Marvel world. Mark is a hero deeply shaped by tragedy, yet driven by a seemingly impossible desire to remain good. Despite pure intentions, his efforts often backfire spectacularly. And ultimately, despite his reluctance, he faces uncomfortable truths about what it genuinely means to be heroic.
"We can either be the good guys or the ones who save the world" encapsulates the ethical dilemma that pulses throughout the third season of "Invincible." Spoilers ahead.
"Invincible," created by Robert Kirkman and streaming on Amazon Prime Video, is an adult animated series following Mark Grayson’s journey into superheroism under increasingly harsh realities. Season three zeroes in on Mark’s conscious refusal to kill and his turbulent relationship with the powerless yet brutal Cecil Stedman. The entire season meticulously explores the ethical tension between moral purity and practical necessity through the ongoing friction between Cecil's pragmatism and Mark's idealism. By the season's end, we're left grappling with the unsettling consequences of wishing for a protagonist too pure to face the harsh realities of heroism.
"Invincible" excels precisely because it uses graphic violence, death and compelling character arcs not simply for shock value (especially Rex Splode) but to underscore profound questions about heroism itself. Season three's latter half, particularly during the harrowing Invincible War, brilliantly reveals that our Mark is the only "good Mark" amid countless alternate realities. Ironically, in a show filled with fantastical powers and extreme gore, Mark's unwavering resolve to remain heroic is the most unrealistic element. However, this resolve holds his universe together realistically and admirably.
The season’s climax features Mark’s battle against Conquest and is unflinchingly brutal, capturing in its sheer violence the essence of Mark’s internal struggle. It demands audiences confront the uncomfortable truth about heroism: victory often carries an unbearable cost, and survival might mean losing the innocence you fought desperately to protect.
When Mark momentarily loses himself after his girlfriend, Atom Eve, appears to have been murdered by Conquest, viewers watch a hero confront a harsh reality: sometimes protecting loved ones means crossing lines he swore never to cross. Steven Yeun delivers an extraordinary vocal performance as Invincible, turning lines that could easily seem melodramatic into raw, devastating battle cries. Paired with Jeffrey Dean Morgan's chilling and haunting delivery of Conquest’s monologue, the series reaches its emotional and narrative pinnacle.
If there’s one critique, it might be that the season reserves most of its intense action for its latter half. However, it’s impossible to genuinely fault it when we’re gifted two extraordinary, near-perfect story arcs back-to-back. Every second kept me captivated, convinced I was witnessing storytelling at its finest. It's more than just great television — it's a powerful meditation on heroism, loss, and resilience that solidifies "Invincible" as one of the greatest superhero stories ever told.
I am convinced that this season of “Invincible” will be studied extensively for the compelling ethical questions it poses to audiences: What does it truly mean to be a hero, and at what point — if ever — is killing justified? Mark Grayson's painful journey this season perfectly frames these moral dilemmas, setting the stage brilliantly for what's to come. With the looming promise of the full-scale Viltrumite War next season, anticipation couldn't be higher. There's no doubt the future will push Mark even closer to his breaking point, demanding sacrifices and forcing choices he never imagined he'd make. But that's simply what it means to be “Invincible.”
More from The Rice Thresher
“You need a therapist, not a keyboard”: Loretta Ross on calling in
Loretta Ross jokes that she can “talk as long as Fidel Castro.” These days, her urgency is reserved for speaking against the 'call out' — the act of public shaming as a corrective measure — which she said has become as "inevitable as gravity” during her lecture at Duncan Hall on April 14.
Review: ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ struggles with identity but shows promise
Following Netflix’s acclaimed third season of "Daredevil," expectations were understandably high for Marvel’s new Disney+ continuation, "Daredevil: Born Again." Unfortunately, the series suffers noticeably from a split personality, caught between excellence and confused mediocrity.
Rob Kimbro returns to Rice, focusing on ‘stories that matter’
When Rob Kimbro graduated from Rice University in 1995, he said he envisioned a career in the United States Foreign Service. Now, nearly three decades later, he returns as a full-time lecturer in the theatre program having established himself in Houston’s theater community and as a mentor to Rice students.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.