History Recap / Invincible2021S02E08ImNotGoingAnywhere

* KillMeNowOrForeverStayYourHand: When Mark once again refuses to carry out the mission to conquer Earth for Viltrum, he instead goads Anissa into either killing him now if he's not useful or just leave. Anissa chooses the latter, but she does promise Mark that the next Viltrumite that comes will not be so merciful.

* SonicScream: Much like [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/Invincible2021S02E03InAboutSixHoursILoseMyVirginityToAFish the Depth-Dweller from episode 2]], the Cruise Liner Kaiju has the ability to scream at a frequency that hinders Mark's efforts to do battle with it. [[{{Foreshadowing}} Curiously, this prompts Anissa to immediately step in and end the threat.]]

** Allen is slugged in the jaw by Anissa and is surprised that it barely hurts, compared to the beating he got from the last Viltrumites he encountered.

* WhamShot: When Allen crosses paths with a Viltrumite ship, he is immediately attacked by Anissa. To his surprise, he feels little pain from her punches. To Anissa's surprise, Allen punches her hard enough to make her ''bleed'', meaning Thadeus' gambit paid off.

* WhamShot: When Allen crosses paths with a Viltrumite ship, he is immediately attacked by Anissa. To his surprise, he feels little pain from her punches. To Anissa's surprise, Allen punches her hard enough to make her ''bleed'', meaning Thaedus' gambit paid off.

Meanwhile, The Immortal attempts to resign from the Guardians Of The Globe and is put on sabbatical with Rudy becoming leader once more. Donald also attempts to resign from the GDA and finds out he has been a cyborg for far longer than he knew, having actually died repeatedly and having his memory wiped each time at his own volition. Donald uses this knowledge to talk down William's boyfriend Rick from committing suicide.

After a date with Mark, Amber is threatened by a newly arrived Viltrumite, Anissa. They talk ,with Anissa telling Mark of the advantages Earth would have under Viltrumite rule and helps him rescue a cruise ship from a kaiju. However, when Mark refuses to take on his assigned role a fight breaks out. Mark is outclassed and easily beaten by Anissa, with even Cecil instructing Mark to just tell Anissa what she wants to hear. Mark refuses and insists Anissa either kill him or leave, since they need him. She leaves with a warning that the next Viltrumite to come check on Mark will be much harsher.

* CurbStompCushion: Despite Anissa not taking Mark seriously as noted above, she also doesn't hold back when she finally ''does'' get her hands dirty, arguably coming closer to killing Mark than his father did in the previous season. However, unlike that fight (which left Mark bedridden in a military hospital for weeks), Mark is able to shakily stand up once Anissa takes her leave.

* BeginWithAFinisher: Referenced by Rex in his first supervillain fight after getting out of the hospital with his new prosthetic hand. His usual combat tactics don't do anything but annoy his enemy, so he finally tries out the ArmCannon in his prosthetic, only for it to take out his enemy in one shot. Stunned, he says that he'll lead with that next time.

* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Defied. Donald estimates that he's 98% machine now, but even though he's a brain in a robot body, he insists to Rick that what makes them human isn't what they're made of, but the people they care about and those that care about them.
* CurbStompBattle: Anissa completely overpowers Mark in their brief fight and is clearly not taking him seriously during it. She spends most of the fight in a relaxed pose with her arms at her sides, not bothering to guard or defend herself because she's simply too fast for Mark to touch her, and the single punch he does land has no effect. At one point she simply holds him helpless at arm's length by the neck while thrashing him with her other arm. By her own words she doesn't seem to really even consider it a fight, so much as a disciplinary lesson.

* TheWorfEffect: Mark, who previously fought a Viltrumite on equal terms, is absolutely dominated by Anissa to show that she is powerful even by Viltrumite standards. Anissa, in turn, finds herself completely outmatched by Allen to demonstrate just how much stronger he's become after nearly dying, only "losing" to her as part of his gambit to find Nolan.

* WorfHadTheFlu: At the same time, the only reason why Mark was able to hold his ground back on Thraxa was because he tapped into his Viltrumite instincts at his father's urging. Here, it doesn't seem to be the case since Nolan is not around to guide him and he's more focused on preventing civilian casualties. While it might not have changed the outcome of his fight with Anissa, it might not have been completely one-sided.

* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: Mark correctly guesses that Anissa isn't willing to kill him, and uses that to goad her into either finishing him off or leaving. She chooses the latter, but warns that the next Viltrumite won't be so merciful.

** Allen is slugged in the jaw and is surprised that it barely hurts, compared to the beating he got from the last Viltrumites he encountered.

* WhamShot:
** When Allen crosses paths with a Viltrumite ship, he is immediately attacked by Anissa. To his surprise, he feels little pain from her punches. To Anissa's surprise, Allen punches her hard enough to make her ''bleed'', meaning Thaedus' gambit paid off.
** After his break-up with Amber, Mark receives a phone call from Debbie. When he answers, it's not actually his mom; she and Oliver are being held hostage by Angstrom Levy.

* TakeThatUs: The discussion between Mark and Schaff at Comic-Con lampshades the long breaks between seasons of an animated show and the tricks used to save money during animation, all while conspicuously using those very same tricks throughout the scene to poke fun at the practice.

** Allen is surprised at feeling ''far'' less from Anissa striking him compared to the last Viltrumites he encountered.

* PragmaticVillainy: Anissa saves the passengers of the cruise ship to convince Mark that she's not a threat.

* TemptingFate: During their date, Amber tells Mark that there are some situations that he just can't punch his way out of. Cue Anissa the Viltrumite showing up and threatening Mark to come with her or take his chances stopping her from tearing Amber's head off, and she's too strong for him to overpower with his fists.

* DeathMontage: Cecil allows Donald to learn that Omni-Man's rampage was not the first time he died. He died in the line of work ''thirty-nine times'', and each time he asked Cecil to erase his memories so that the trauma doesn't slow him down. After learning this, Donald once again asks to have his memories wiped. Donald himself looks at several files of him being routinely killed saving people.