I Thought You Were Stronger

This season finale was definitely less grandiose than what we got in the first season. No planet-crushing threats, the stakes are much more grounded but still just as personal. Just like season 2 itself, the final episode is dedicated to developing Mark's character, setting up future events and enriching the story. And it does so in a really well-written and memorable way. The protagonist of this show has substantially grown during this season and I love how they developed all other characters as well, especially Rex, Omni-Man and Amber.

However, after such a long wait, most people expected something that would surely overcome the first season in terms of scope. But instead they received a very well-made buildup storyline, with most payoffs being delayed until the next season (which, as a comic reader, I guarantee will be HUGE).

I'm pretty sure that if this season came out much sooner (and without the annoying mid-season break), it would've been received much better by the overwhelming majority of people who disliked it. Many great shows have slower second seasons, mostly dedicated to character building and the setup of future events (like in Game of Thrones, Better Call Saul, Mr. Robot and many more). Invincible is one of those shows. It does so really well, but it's a shame that most long-awaited payoffs are still not here... However, I'm sure that this season will be seen in a much more favorable light in the long run. But right now all I can say is that I have genuinely enjoyed this season, although due to a very underwhelming release schedule, I can see why many people were upset with it.

Wow !!! The last 10 minutes are very nice and entertaining it doesn't all have to end with the biggest action spectacle of all times... nolan is so GOATED.

The first sequences of this episode are also convincing at the highest level. Just as I love it, my expectations were fulfilled in this episode - I can't get enough!

I am so looking forward to season 3 I can't wait for it.

Eve is also getting more and more interesting and if we are honest amber has always been a bit of a waste of time in this series let's see what the future holds let the games begin Mark be who you are for sure !!!

Brutality and violence are the solution for an extraordinary series and I hope they keep it that way.

I get the feeling they tried to do a lot of build up, not only with the season, but especially this episode.

I am still quite torn between a bit underwhelmed of the impact, yet satisfied with what they included andhowit was executed.

There are times it maybe got a bit too meta, but it never got to the pointwhere it felt like exeggarated fanservice or something.

All this let me hope that season 3 will pickup more steam right from the beginning, after giving a resolution to a lot of side character stories this season.

IMO it was really a pity how they handled the release with a mid season break.

Talk about making an incredibly memorable, brutal, and complex villain!

At first, at the beginning of the season, I was iffy about introducing the multiverse in yet another fictional universe, but what they did with the villain and his powers here is amazing. I was also complaining about how little we saw of Angstrom Levy throughout the season, but I think with this resolution, it might've been enough.

Basically, the first half of this episode does the heavy lifting for Angstrom Levy's characterization and turns him into an unforgettable and powerful villain. I wish they did the same for that lion dude in the first season. I don't know why he wasn't a bigger part and hasn't come back yet.

But anyway, the multiverse stuff are handled pretty well here, and apart from some (literally) Marvel-level references and nods to other media, that were few and funny enough to not have a problem with them, they did a great job with the whole thing.

Angstrom Levy is what a well-written and impactful villain should be. He's not necessarily evil nor are his intentions inherently evil, he's the evil that our hero directly or indirectly and inadvertently created, and now he does evil things to do what's necessary for his good intentions (at least in his own mind).

He's a villain who will challenge the hero physically and mentally. He's a villain who'll have a long-lasting impact on the hero and will change him forever.

This episode and what Angstrom Levy does to Mark Grayson is a character-defining moment for Invincible, and I think it's just one of many that will come. Angstrol's actions and their consequences send Mark into an existential crisis and an introspection journey.

So even though Angstrom Levy's screen time in this season was short and I usually hate it when movies or shows (especially comic books) only show the villain in the beginning and we don't see them until the final conflict and basically don't get to really know them, I love what they did with Levy here and I can turn a blind eye to how little we see of him here. It was worth it honestly.

Angstrom is a villain we can totally see where he's coming from and sympathize with him a little, but also can see he is obviously evil and revenge has blinded him. They create such a deep and complex character in a short amount of time and it's really great. I wouldn't even consider him a villain villain, to be honest, he's more like an anti-villain to me.

So this a lesson in writing, especially for comic book writers and especially the comic book movies we've been getting these past couple of years. Make your villains matter. If your antagonist doesn't change your hero and doesn't change his worldview and your hero still feels the same after encountering them, what's the point? Watch this episode and see how to do a good villain who'll leave his mark and is impactful as hell.

And they don't even have your typical Batman vs Joker interrogation or Daredevil vs The Punisher rooftop dialogue scenes where they challenge each other's methods and worldview. This is a more punchy punchy and less talky version of that, but it's still as impactful.

So overall this is a really great finale and the definitely best episode of the season. In this review focused purely on the first half of the episode and how good the villain was, I usually talk about all the stuff that happened, but the first half was so good that I don't even want to talk about anything else. The second half is about the aftermath and although it was also pretty good, as a whole, the finale wasn't really a 10/10 at least for me. I don't think I gave any episode of this season a full 10/10 rating unlike multiple 10s I gave to season 1. But that doesn't mean it wasn't good, just not as back to back surprises and brutality as the first season.

This final episode was generally satisfying and nearly earned itself a 9 out of 10 from me, but its placement as the season finale held it back. We witnessed some much-needed character development for Mark, especially after his continual blunders as a kid since the show's beginning. However, it felt like this episode would have been better suited mid-season, perhaps around episode 5 or 6. Throughout season 2, the pacing has been uneven-certain episodes rushed to cover key plot points, while others lingered too long on side stories involving secondary characters. Additionally, the multitude of villains without a clear primary antagonist made the narrative seem scattered. The slow pacing was further exacerbated by the mid-season break, which was a tough pill to swallow after a three-year wait.