Heartwarming / Invincible (2021)

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

"But our children remind us of the joys in life. It brings us back, shows us what life is all about. This is humanity."

Being a Decon-Recon Switch of the superhero genre, Invincible has many sweet moments to go with it.

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General

• As noted on the main page with the show being a Spiritual Antithesis to Prime Video's other superhero show The Boys and it shows in how it portrays the genre. While The Boys is a massive Deconstructor Fleet written by a man who despises the genre, Invincible is a Reconstructer Fleet created by someone who adores it... while being every bit as awesome, fun, and bloody as the other show.

Season 1

It's About Time

• The episode opens on an extended scene of Steve, a White House security guard, talking to his coworker about his stepson: the stepson had issues with drugs and violently acted out, but he had turned things around and they were going to go on a trip to London together to celebrate his graduation.
  Steve: I never had a kid of my own. I wasn't there when he was born. I didn't teach him how to ride a bike. But in a few months, when he walks across that stage and accepts that diploma... that is my son.
• Darkwing being willing to sacrifice himself to save a civilian from a tank that is about to collapse on top of both of them. The civilian even asks, "What about you?" showing how much the heroes of this universe are beloved by the people they help and protect.
• Even before he has powers, Mark's first reaction to seeing a fellow student being harassed is to defend her. He gets his ass kicked, but its the thought that counts.
  • After getting his powers, The Bully, Todd, tries to pick another fight with him and all Mark does is tell the guy to hit him. After Todd takes off, freaked out, after hitting him repeatedly Mark goes to find a supervillain to fight. Mark could've laid the Jerkass out with no problem with his new Super-Strength, but is too much of a Nice Guy to do so.
• Red Rush explains to his wife that his perception of time is much slower to the point a normal conversation is agony, but then reassures her that every moment with her is lovely, which she clearly appreciates.

Here Goes Nothing

• Steve being touched when his stepson Matt (who previously had both hated each other) pushes his stepdad out of the way to save his life after the Burger Mart trash bag Mark tossed in the previous episode almost landed atop Steve.
  Steve: You called me 'dad'. (Matt smiles as the two of them embrace in a hug)
• Eve Wiltkins, a popular girl at Mark's school, is revealed to be a superhero named Atom Eve and offers to talk to him about his first big fight. Mark's been in a Heroic BSoD after getting his first experience with a huge crisis where he panicked, unsure what to do. Eve assures him that everyone goes through that in the beginning even admitting she used to throw-up before every fight.
  • When he points out he failed to save anyone, Eve immediately points he allowed people to escape which is basically the same thing.
• When Mark tells William his dad was in the hospital (nothing else), William immediately shows concern for his friend's well-being. He tells Mark if he or his mom need anything, to talk or "some great lasagna”, anything all his friend needs to do is ask.

Who You Calling Ugly?

• Amber telling Mark that a lot of guys have tried in the past to "throw punches" in order to impress her, but he's the first to take punches for her.
  • It helps that her interest is genuine and she sought him out and showed interest first, it's implied that Mark not trying to ask her out afterwards what convinced her he was doing because it was right.
• Despite his parents refusing to allow him to tryout for the new Guardians of the Globe, Invincible assures Robot that like his father, he'll be there to help when they want it.
• Despite being brutal supervillains, one of the Mauler Twins is at least nice enough to apologize to the guard he knocks out in the process of his escape. Then again, he was bringing chicken pot pie.
• After breaking up with Rex, Eve flies over to Mark's house to see him, only to find him in the middle of making out with Amber. While she's clearly heartbroken over this, she smiles as she flies away and says, sincerely, "Good for you, Mark."

Neil Armstrong, Eat Your Heart Out

• A minor moment with Rex, but when the new Guardians are about to enter their new headquarters, he actually takes a moment to makes sure Robot was paying attention to the big moment, if for no other reason than to make sure he wouldn't miss taking it in.
• While touring the Guardians headquarters, Monster Girl asks Rex if they're cool after their fight in the last episode. After Rex asks if she means when she kicked his ass in front of the whole superhero community...he chuckles and call those other heroes assholes anyway leading to a a moment of them bantering.
  • After he witnesses this, Robot goes to Rex and tells him to not let his professional and personal lives screw things up, alienating another (female) teammate. Not only he is concerned about MG getting hurt, but its clear from his tone Robot is pissed about Rex cheating on Eve.
• Speaking of Eve, the fact that while she may be subtly annoyed that Mark is talking to her about Amber, the heroine is patient and tries to give him good advice on dating a civilian.
  • When Mark makes a comment about Rex and dating heroes is a bad idea, he quickly changes the subject upon realizing what he said upset her. When Eve makes it clear its not just Rex that has her stressed out also her home life and school, Mark makes it clear he'll be there to listen if she ever needs someone to talk to.
• Mark and Amber's relationship is going strong as ever with their first date being this episode which Mark describes as the best night of his life. This would include the first night he flew after waiting all his life to get his powers.

That Actually Hurt

• Titan's actions in the opening. Sure he might be a murderer and criminal who can kill you in graphic ways, but he also shows he has a heart. He lets a little kid working for a rival gang live so he can deliver a message, even after the kid blasts him with a shotgun, he gives some cash to some civilians to find a new place to live after he burns down their apartment, and he lets a guy he was ordered to kill another 48 hours to payback the money he owes after he finds out he has a family.
• When Amber complains to Eve about Mark being late and lying about it, Eve says that boys are dicks, but assures her that Mark is "one of the good ones", telling her she is all Mark ever talks about. At the end of the episode, when Eve is informed of Mark's injuries, the most she can say to Amber, practically resisting the urge to cry, is to tell her Mark loves her and he would be there right now if he was able to.
• In itself, Eve and Amber bonding as they work at the Community Centre counts as this. Sharing their personal perspectives and feelings with each other.
• The Guardians' reactions, Rex Splode in particular, to the beaten Invincible, Samson, and Monster Girl. They don't care that the strongest heroes there were taken down by just one of the villains. They were determined to make them pay for it.
  Rex Splode: You guys just messed up.
  Robot: Indeed.
  Shrinking Rae: Big time.
• Black Samson rushing to Mark's aid, without his powers or his battlesuit. It might have been a futile gesture (and cost him his hand), but it shows he's a hero to the core.
• Damien Darkblood trusted Debbie to hide his notebook in her closet. He believed her when she said that she had no idea about her husband doing any evil, or if he's even capable of being evil.
• In his own way, Titan apologizing to Mark. Despite everything, Titan does need to look out for his family and genuinely did want Mark's help.

You Look Kinda Dead

• Robot displays a lot of protectiveness toward Monster Girl this episode. While it has an unsettling edge thanks to his Ambiguously Evil nature, he goes to great lengths to save her life and stays with her the entire time she's in the hospital.
• Eve spends her screentime in the episode using her Transmutation powers to perform various humanitarian acts, which clearly makes her feel fulfilled.
• When they realize that Nolan has killed the Guardians and the evidence is enough to implicate him to the GFA, Debbie warns Art that they can't tell anyone. Nolan can fight dragons and kaiju; there's no telling what he will do to an elderly costume designer. Art agrees with the sentiment, in Self-Deprecation mode.
• The fact that Nolan doesn't kill Art, having heard that he's promised not to tell anyone about the evidence. Instead he treats him to beer before threatening him to stick to that oath.

We Need To Talk

• The fact that Nolan tries to talk things through with Debbie instead of just murdering her, and actually leaves when she asks, albeit while threatening to come back, definitely speaks to how much he cares about her if you recall that this is a man who, without hesitation, coldly murdered every last one of the Guardians, who he claimed to have seen as friends. Admittedly, jury's out on whether he would kill her if he thought it necessary, but he's still clearly working hard to avoid that scenario.
  • Similarly, Nolan shows incredible restraint when questioning William about Mark's whereabouts, clearly not wanting to hurt Mark's closest friend despite the latter sounding like he's lying and slowly cottoning on to Nolan's true nature the whole time. Juxtaposed against his brutal slaughter of Cecil's agents, it's a bit touching to see he's not out to kill everyone.
• Debbie is willing to entertain the possibility that someone blackmailed Nolan. She asks with concern if anyone threatened her or Mark. It's only when Nolan tells her no that she gets angry.
• Donald is apologetic about taking Debbie into protective custody, and it's obvious that he wants to keep her safe. Given the amount of armed men there, they were prepared to fire if Nolan even lifted a fist to harm his wife.
• Donald using his last actions to make sure to save as many of his fellow agents' lives by telling them to run away, knowing full well he's a dead man.
• The new Guardians raise a welcome back party for Monster Girl after her recovery. Shrinking Rae even gives her a hug and Rex surprises her with milk cartons of beer.
  • After a spending a whole season butting heads, Rex and Samson are now getting along. And Samson's the one making jokes this time.
• Robot gets a new, teenage body, and his old body thanks the clone, telling him to live on. He genuinely wants to be with Monster Girl as well, being entirely willing to trap his adult mind in a child's body just because she's in that scenario. While she needs to take her time, she grasps his hand when they're watching the events dealing with Omni-Man.
• When Nolan dismissively refers to the old Guardians as 'weak', Cecil seems genuinely offended by the remark. Whatever else one might say about the man, he cared about the heroes.
• Mark tags along with Eve to a disaster despite his misgivings, solely to ensure she's safe. While Eve is obviously unappreciative due to the fact he's not being altruistic, it is a sign of how he cares about her.
• Mark and Nolan exchanging a smile while fighting a giant monster together. Sure, Nolan's a murderous asshole, but he does seem to love his son and it's sweet to see them work together, especially since it's likely to be the last time we ever see the two working together.
  • Similarly, despite Nolan's true nature and the fact that any goodwill he has with the audience is viciously undone by the next episode, it's touching that even while the secret he's been desperate to hide the entire season is fully unraveling as publicly as possible that Nolan repeatedly tries to save Mark from the Kaiju only to continuously get intercepted by the newly revived and enraged Immortal.

Where I Really Come From

• Mark starts the episode by punching his dad out...because he believes that someone is possessing Nolan. He screams, "Let go of my dad!"
• While it devolves into Nightmare Fuel, Cecil sends out fighter jets to distract Omni-Man when he sees that Mark rejects the Viltrumite heritage and declares he won't let his father conquer the Earth. They actually do buy some time for Invincible to think of something, and Omni-Man has to smash up their planes to get breathing room. Mark then dives for one trapped in his ejector seat, who explains while shouting in panic that his parachute is stuck; Invincible reassures the man he will be okay, grabs him, and lowers him safely to the ground. The pilot sincerely thanks Invincible, saying that he thought he was a goner... then Omni-Man grabs him and crushes his head, to Mark's shock. 
• Cecil assures Debbie that he will do everything to make sure she and Mark are safe. Having put several measures into place to ensure not only that, but that they are as comfortable as he can manage. He claims he couldn't live with himself otherwise. In a moment that is Character Development for them both, she thanks him for everything, including restoring their house.
• While the new Guardians of the Globe watch the battle between Mark and Nolan, Eve enters the base. Rex sees her and immediately runs over and hugs her while saying "Jesus Christ, you're OK." Eve responds by returning the hug and reassuring him she's fine.
  • Even more heartwarming when you remember that Eve is still mad at Rex for cheating on her but despite that they still care about each other.
• The Guardians make a decision; they can't stand idly by while Omni-Man commits senseless murder. Cecil ordered them to stay put and not engage, but he didn't tell them to avoid evacuating civilians. Rex in a moment of Character Development says they can protect innocent people at least. Robot protests that this isn't a loophole, but Monster Girl reassures him he's free to make his own decisions now. After some hesitation, he joins the Guardians.
• The Flashback to happier times when Nolan and Debbie watch a young Mark play softball. Nolan starts out distant, but Debbie patiently explains to him how children help remind parents of what's important in life. Seeing Mark's excitement as the boy hits the ball and starts rounding the bases, Nolan's expression softens. By the time Mark rounding the bases and heading for home, Nolan is cheering like a proud papa with a genuine look of happiness on his face. And when Mark slides home, Nolan gives his wife a big ole hug before catching the excited Mark in his arms and lifting him into the air. It's a clear sign of the happy life the family had before things went so wrong.
  • When Nolan and Debbie are both cheering Mark on, Debbie pauses from watching Mark to watch Nolan, a happy smile on her face. The moment was just as much about making her husband happy and helping bring out the good she saw in him as it was enjoying her son's game. Just a reminder of what a great wife and mom Debbie is.
• In the aftermath of the Curbstomp Battle, Nolan asks Mark what'll still exist for him after everyone he knew and loved has died. Mark responds with "...y-you, dad... I’d still have you."
  • It's hard to overstate just how heartwrenching this response is, and what a testament it is to Mark's character. At this point, he's on the brink of death, having learned his dad was a mass-murdering soldier of a colonizing empire and then been used by him to kill thousands of innocent people, all while his dad viciously demeans humanity, his own wife, and Mark himself as worthless, replaceable insects. When Nolan poses the question of And Then What?, Mark has every right to respond with a defiant jab at his monster of a father or even a dignified "Facing the Bullets" One-Liner...but instead, he proves that all he's thinking about is how much his dad means to him, and how he would've easily averted Who Wants to Live Forever? even with all his friends and family dead from old age just by having his dad around. It's no wonder Nolan finally, finally pauses, realizes how abominable he's been to the one person who still loves him, and leaves Earth crying Manly Tears. Allen later notes that this was the first time in history a Viltrumite has outright abandoned their mission - The Power of Love indeed.
• Rex begins to clean the bloodstain of the fight with the original Guardians of the Globe that Cecil left them. He's stopped by Black Samson, who acts hostile towards him and says they haven't earned it. The rest of the team immediately get ready to defend Rex, at which point Black Samson releases him, pats his biceps, dusts off his shoulders, and says "Now we look like a team." and giving Rex a small smile. One which Rex returns, before the rest of the team walks over and they begin cleaning the bloodstain together.
• Cecil tells Mark So Proud of You, after the latter is sufficiently recovered. He says that Mark stuck to his guns and kept trying to save people, even while losing badly, and convinced Nolan to leave the Earth. When Cecil asks Mark to take Omni-Man's place as planet protector, Mark admits he's not ready. Cecil understands, telling him to think it over before the next big disaster hits.
• William has been sorting the family's mail and straightening their welcome mat while waiting for Mark to return. He and Eve talk, where Eve admits that she's as worried as he is, and she knows about Mark and Omni-Man. Doubles as a Tear Jerker since Wiliam has a Thousand-Yard Stare over the fact that he pointed Nolan in Mark's direction and nearly got his best friend killed.
• While she doesn't resume her relationship with Mark yet, Amber does try to console him after witnessing him dealing with an even worse secret, which was relating to his father's true intentions. In fact, her first reaction is to hug him, because she says she was scared he was dead.
• William, Eve, Amber, and Mark get some burgers as Comfort Food. William and Amber reassure him he doesn't have to talk about it if he's not ready. Mark says they should change the topic, since he doesn't know what he's going to do now.
• Some Character Development: there are no more secrets between her and Mark. While Amber is annoyed that duty calls, he's honest about it this time. Eve also softens the blow by revealing her secret identity.
• As soon as Mark is home, Amber, Eve and William all end up arriving in succession to check in on him. Worried after having seen what happened on the news - and the four sharing some time together getting some food after.
• Allen showing up in a major hurry, having found out that Earth is flagged for Viltrumite activity and attempting to warn them. As far as he knows, putting himself at risk against a species that wiped out his own planet, seemingly without any hesitation.
  • In their previous interaction, Allen teased Mark for his superhero name, calling him ‘quite vincible.’ But here, he calls Mark Invincible without any sense of sarcasm. His respect for Mark has clearly grown.
• When Allen comes twenty years too late to warn about Nolan, Mark sits him down on the moon and explains everything. One cut later, Allen is apologizing for not arriving in time. He also expresses sympathy for Mark, asking if he's okay considering everything that happened was traumatizing. Mark reassures him that while he's not okay, he's still better than he was two weeks ago.
• Mark says that Allen's knowledge is actually a relief for several reasons: one is that Earth isn't alone in the fight that's to come. Second is that he got a Viltrumite to back off, despite losing the physical fight. Third is that he has a new friend, and hope that round two will go better.
• While it does come as a result of a Tear Jerker moment, when Nolan states that Debbie's life does not matter in the grand scheme of things, she momentarily breaks down at what her husband is saying and Cecil, with obvious concern, immediately does what he can to support and console her, showcasing how much he truly cares for her wellbeing.

Special

Atom Eve Special

• Eve's babysitter Zak praising her intelligence and thanking her for helping him study for his chemistry test.
• While the ending of the episode is depressing as hell with a young Samantha discovering and losing her real family all in the course of a day, the final scene before The Stinger with Betsy comforting her daughter assuring her it's all gonna be okay reminds us that for better or for worse she still has people who love her even if they are highly dysfunctional a lot of the times.
• While it's still tragic and sad, as Phase Two is disintegrating he is caught by Eve who holds him in her arms, even yelling at Brandsworth to try and save him (which the doctor unfortunately cannot do). In his last moments with his "sister", he tells her he wishes things could have been different.
  • Note that the Phases had been trying to kill Eve the entire fight, putting numerous innocent people at risk. However, at the end of the day, Eve still ends up showing him compassion in his final moments.
• In one scene of Samantha's growing up montage, she's watching TV with her dad and starts laughing at it, so he laughs with her.

Season 2

A Lesson For Your Next Life

• Despite how utterly cruel and evil Mark is in the alternate dimension, he still has a great and close relationship with his father Nolan showing that he never lost his relationship with his father compared to the main timeline. They casually have surprising wholesome conversations with each other even as they mercilessly slaughter the human resistance as a form of bonding. Nolan even expresses his sympathies to Mark after he thought he killed Atom Eve, when actually he just paralyzed her.
• While clearly still devastated from fighting Nolan, Mark still continues heroing as best he can in and in a montage of his work he doesn't just fight bad guys, he also puts out a fire and in one case carries an ambulance to the hospital just to get it there quicker: anything he can do to help.
  • For bonus points, Mark is doing the above hero work in Chicago, possibly to make up for what happened the last time he was there.
• Todd actually hugs Mark and, in his own way, expresses his sympathies for Mark losing his father.
• Rex tries to comfort Invincible about the outcome of the fight with the Maulers, saying he did good. Cecil agrees with him. There's also the fact that the Guardians have every reason to be suspicious about Mark due to being raised by Omni-Man who murdered their predecessors. Yet they, mainly the former Teen Team members, seem to stick with their initial impression of Mark and see him as a friend and ally.
  • Immortal confronting Mark and telling him that he's not 100% sold that the young man is on their side due to the hero's understandable resent towards Omni-Man which makes this a Tear Jerker. Except that's all he does; in the comic, The Immortal outright attacked Mark first and fought him due to his suspicions. While Mark is left depressed over their encounter, considering how it could've gone, Immortal was actually be pretty decent.

In About Six Hours, I Lose My Virginity to A Fish

• Shapesmith watches a television slot honoring the Guardians of the Globe. He pays particular attention to the dedication to Martian Man, where it shows him helping first responders and comforting children. This encourages him to be a hero and makes him think he can make Earth his home as well.
• Invincible saves the fish-people from the rampaging crab/anglerfish Kaiju despite the fact they were cheering the kaiju beating him up. Mark sympathizes with them, saying that they wanted justice for his father killing their king and shows he's not like his father by saving them.
• It's a small touch, but Invincible briefly mentioning how Darkwing - and assumedly, some or all of the other Guardians - were at his 12th birthday party indicates how, even if only ever a 'reservist', Nolan treated the Guardians closely enough to welcome them into his family's life.
• Also, when Invincible sees that Night Boy really is showing signs of being crazy when he mistakes him talking to Cecil as "The voices", he immediately grows concern and intends to bring him in for his own safety. He also made sure to knock him out as tame as possible and only threatens him to comply.

This Missive, This Machination!

• Allen the alien reunites with his girlfriend whom he has very nice interactions with especially compared to everyone else at coalition headquarters.
• Amber takes the lead in her and Mark losing their virginities and even when Mark has to leave to go superheroing, understands and says she knew that was the deal and she's okay with it.

It's Been A While

• The fact that despite being lost, aimless, and even contemplating suicide, Nolan rescued the Thraxans once noticing them in danger for no other reason then that he should. Goes to show that to some level, twenty years of heroism did have an effect on him.
  • In return the Thraxans made Nolan their emperor and from what we see, the Thraxa planet is a thriving community with Nolan being nothing but a benevolent ruler.
• Whats the first thing Mark does upon seeing his father? Hug him. Despite everything Nolan did to Mark, he still loves his father even if he very much still despises him for all the death and destruction he caused.
• Mark is understandably ready to fly all the way back to earth (despite Nolan pointing out he's very far away and doesn't know the way back to begin with) what stops him is his father telling him that despite bringing him here under false pretenses the Thraxans do need his help and he knows his son is to good of a person to abandon them. Mark proves him right and decides to hear him out.
• Andressa and by extension baby Oliver are nothing but kind and cordial to Mark despite him initially being standoffish due to believing Nolan replaced him and Debbie the minute he could. Andressa is the one to reassure him that Nolan constantly misses and loves them and that she was already in love with Nolan before she even knew about his past.
  • Despite the understandable awkwardness Mark is feeling over meeting his new baby sibling, he does kneel down to interact with Oliver when the baby reaches out towards him. There is a ghost of a smile on his face, and it’s the only time Mark shows some contentment in the episode. Too bad Lucan had to interrupt the moment.
• Nolan going full Papa Wolf and making it clear to Lucan he is to stay away from both of his children.
• What causes Mark to drop his restrains and start fighting all out? Seeing all the dead Thraxans and knowing that more will be killed unless they defeat the Viltrumites. In the end its not anger motivating him like Nolan but his compassionate heroism to protect those weaker then him. It serves as a giant middle finger to the Viltrumites Social Darwanist philosphy.
• Nolan spends almost the whole fight helping Mark out. In the end his love for his first born son has not faded at all.
• Debbie has been struggling with Nolan's betrayal throughout the season, and being kicked out of the therapy group didn't help. Art later comes by and reminds Debbie that although Nolan may have been the superhero during the early years of their relationship, it was she who raised Mark and instilled in him the values that make him the person he is today. She didn't need Nolan's help then, and his departure confirms she doesn't need him now. This realization allows Debbie to finally pull herself together.
  • Art isn't wrong either. Sure, Nolan taught Mark how to use his powers, but he spent the time encouraging Mark to focus more on “the big things”, it was Debbie who constantly reminded him that a hero helps others, whether it be matters big or small.

This Must Be A Shock

• The surviving Thraxans saving Mark, and treating his wounds.
• Andressa assuring Mark that neither she nor any of the Thraxans blame him or Nolan for the the Viltrumites' slaughter of their people, since it was thanks to Mark and Nolan's interventions that at least a few of them were able to survive.
• Her giving Oliver to Mark to take care of. Not because she doesn't want to watch him grow up and raise him herself but because she realizes her species' natural short life span is catching up to her and she wants her son to grow up with and around people he will know will love him. A mother's love travels even across alien species it seems.
  • Before giving him to Mark she tells her son that she will always love him and hopes, if anything, he remembers that.
• Debbie, while at first shocked and upset, has no problem assuring Mark she can take care of Oliver while he goes back to college.
• The affection Mark and Oliver show each other. It looks like the siblings have bonded to each other very quickly.
• Rex being able to get Eve out of her 10-Minute Retirement by reminding her that at the end of the day she is a good person and a hero and her mistakes do not take that away from her.
  • Also while one could argue Rex is saying this just to get her on the team to stop the alien invasion from Mars it's notable that he led with that first instead of the invasion (which probably would have worked just as well.) Rex really has Taken A Level In Kindness.
• Mark greets Eve with a big hug.

It's Not That Simple

• Mark and the team chose to not only save Rus Livingston from the Sequids, but also chose to save Shapesmith and take him with them when the Martians plan to execute him. Whether it be him proving his worth and companionship or it being the right thing to do, the team doing this really proves their heroic nature.
  • Also, after ending the Martians' pursuit towards them in a peaceful yet forceful manner, after Eve's hug, Immortal gives Mark a handshake. It's a small, but respectful moment where Mark has Immortal's trust once again, if him calming him down against Allen is to be believed.
• After Kate's funeral, Immortal and Black Sampson have a heart-to-heart over Immortal lamenting Kate's death. Immortal even sheds a single tear wondering why he feels this way, and Sampson responds by saying it's because Immortal truly loved Kate. Immortal said he has lived through many relationships and watched each of his past flames die but it was Kate in particular that hits him the hardest. Sampson then puts his hand over Immortal's shoulder to confront him.
• Mark visits Rex in the hospital to see how they are doing and they have a heart-to-heart. Rex confesses he's realised what an asshole he's been to everyone he dated and is also aware enough to ask Mark why he's down rather than making it all about himself.
  • Before that, the first thing Rex asks Mark (after making some initial small talk) is how Rae is doing.
• Eve also visits Rex and brings him Home Decorating magazines of all things to keep him entertained.
• Debbie giving Oliver her father's name. Despite being the son of her former husband, she has proven to see him as her son as well. Oliver already sees her as his mother, despite Debbie trying to say otherwise, but is clearly touched.
• Allen visits Earth again and is attacked by an irrational Immortal. Allen does his best to defuse the situation via communication and minimum force rather than fisticuffs. When he finds out Immortal is simply grieving over Duplikate's death, he immediately sympathizes his loss and feels sorry for fighting him.
  • Earlier, when Allen mentions Invincible, Immortal immediately thinks that Allen was sent by Omni-Man to attack Mark, and fights harder. While clearly irrational, it shows that Immortal has truly let go of his suspicions towards Mark, and was genuinely worried that he was in danger.
• Despite Allen's mission to bring Mark into the Coalition, when he says he simply can't, at least for the moment, Allen graciously backs down and doesn't force him to do so. He's more than happy to take Mark's books.
  • Also while Mark is firm that he won’t go simply just to have talks with Thaddeus about what to do he lets Allen know when the real fight does come he will be there for them. No questions asked.

I'm Not Going Anywhere

• When Invincible turns up to help out in a fight, Rex is surprisingly friendly and non hostile about it. Mark follows his lead in mopping up the grunts while Rex fights Octoboss. Afterwards they have a friendly chat and Rex enquires about Amber, offering to get the Guardians to cover for Mark so he can have a night off. An offer he later takes Rex up on.
• In the deaths we do see from Donald's Death Montage, he loses his life trying to rescue other people. Though the revelation is undeniably traumatizing to him, it shows that he has the heart of a hero.
• Donald convinces Rick to not jump off a building by showing the he too has been turned into a cyborg and how he managed to go through it.
  Donald: Each time I died, each time I was put back together it was because I helped make this world a little better. You did the same when you fought back against Sinclair, when you saved Invincible and William's lives. We're not our bodies. We're the decisions we make, the lives we change, the people we love. Or who love us. I don't need to forget that. And neither do you.
• Oliver calling Debbie "mama".
• By abjectly refusing to give into Anissa's demands for him to join the Viltrumites, even on pain of death, Mark finally earns Cecil's trust and respect, having inadvertently convinced the latter that he is indeed not going to turn out like his father.

I Thought You Were Stronger

• Agent Spider being completely understanding of Mark's sudden appearance and assumption of him being the bad guy. Being an expert of Multi-universal travels, he completely takes the whole thing in stride.
  • Also take note that when Mark returns from that universe a web is attached to him, probably from Agent Spider, meaning that, like his more famous namesake he's derived from in the comics, he was fully willing to leave his universe to possibly help Mark out.
• After Mark reveals he can talk to the three talking dinosaurs, one of them gets in the way of its fellows when it attempts to try and eat him again, demanding that they cannot eat sentient life.
• One of the universes we briefly see Mark in has him sitting around a campfire with a small group. We don't know how long Mark has been in this universe, but he trusts them enough to explain his situation to them and how he is worried about his mom and brother and what Angstrom may have done to them while he's gone. It definitely shows that this group cares about him enough to listen to his troubles and let him vent.
• A dark example when you think about it: Angstrom reveals that in many universes where Omni-Man and Invincible team up to subjugate Earth, Debbie remains by their side. Though we can’t be sure just how willing these versions of her were, we can interpret this as Omni-Man and Evil Invincible still loving Debbie in their own twisted ways.
• Before the fight escalates further, and despite the previous threats Angstrom made to him and his family, Mark tries to deescalate the situation. Mark sincerely apologizes to Angstrom. He remembers that Angstrom was once a good person who tried to save him from the Mauler Twins, which catches Angstrom by surprise and causes him to lash out and send Mark through another portal. Doubling as a Tear Jerker, Angstrom briefly remembers the events of "A Lesson For Your Next Life," before the traumatic experiences of his past selves makes him double down on his revenge plot.
  Mark: You're not gonna hurt them, and you're not gonna hurt me. I don't know what game you're playing, but you're not a killer. I'm sorry I didn't remember you, but I remember that night. You were trying to save me. Maybe the accident changed you, but you were a good person trying to do a good thing.
• Cecil comforting Mark when he feels like he crossed the line and is becoming like his father, telling him he was protecting Debbie and Oliver. No hard lessons or cynical words, Cecil tells Mark he did the right thing and tells him to get some rest.
  Cecil: You're not him.
• Despite the brutal pain Angstrom inflicted on her, Debbie's actions in doing her best to keep Oliver safe confirms that he's her son, end of story. When she regains consciousness, her first concern is over Oliver and she lefts out a sigh of relief when he's right by her side. The poor boy never left her side.
• The Future Guardians of the Globe manage to find Mark in the desolate wasteland Angstrom stranded them both in and send him back to his original home. Future Atom Eve even cleans Mark's bloody mess and makes him some of his original clothing. She confides to Mark that she loved him and asks that Mark give her past self an answer, whether it be acceptance or rejection, just so Eve can move on with her life.
• Mark visits Eve, and she immediately rushes to give him a hug. She also heard about the Levy incident from Cecil, and tells Mark she’ll always be his shoulder to lean on when things get tough.
  Eve: I'm sorry Mark. It's not fair. You don't deserve this... you don't deserve this.
• Immortal returns to the cabin he's staying at to find Kate waiting for him- the original Kate, as her main body stays secluded in a safe space while duplicates go out and live her life. She confesses that she was hoping to fake her death and retire, never having to die again, but she's there to apologize for what she put him through. Immortal quickly shuts her up by rushing to and embracing Kate, telling her how grateful he is to see her still alive.
• Nolan and Allen talking telepathically. Nolan expresses remorse for his past actions, but after hearing that Mark is fine and that Allen tried to recruit him into the Coalition, he tells him to leave Mark out of the fight and let him have some peace for a while. Nolan full on admits that death is a fitting punishment for him for the destruction he caused on Earth, to Mark. Nolan has truly accepted responsibility for his actions. And in the end, he admits something much to his own shock:
  Nolan: I think...I miss my wife.
  • The fact Allen is treating meeting Nolan again as him meeting up with an old friend and is willing to trust him to work with the Coalition, stating that while Nolan should feel bad for what he did, the Viltrumites have done, and will continue to do, exactly what he did to thousands of other planets and that by working together they may have a chance of stopping them. He's going off of Mark's words here, more or less, which is enough to convince Allen that Nolan is worth saving.

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