"What will you have, after 500 years?"
— Omni-Man
Tropes
- Abusive Parents: Nolan makes Mark watch as he kills people around the world to make his point, then proceeds to beat him within an inch of his life for still refusing to join him. However, it's clear from the outset that Nolan doesn't enjoy doing so, and the longer it goes on, the more his guilt and conflicted feelings increase until they cause him to suffer a Villainous Breakdown.
- All for Nothing: All of Mark's attempts to save people from collateral damage ends up for nothing. He saves a pilot, only for Nolan to finish him off. When Mark gets punched through a city, he is unable to prevent a building from falling, and even unable to save a mother and her daughter.
- And the Adventure Continues: At the end of the episode, several characters from previous episodes are seen preparing for the future, delivering a Sequel Hook in the event of the next season.
- The Sequids finish off the remaining Martians.
- Cecil and a fully recovered D.A. Sinclair put the finishing touches on a Reanimen Army.
- Having had possibly centuries or even more with their far faster time-stream to do so, the Flaxans have seemingly recovered and are preparing to return to Earth, hinting a grudge against Omni-Man for nearly driving them to extinction.
- The Mauler Twins are clearly plotting their next escape from prison.
- Doc Seismic has apparently conquered a race of lava-men in the center of the Earth.
- Anguished Declaration of Love: Nolan asks Mark that if he would rather fight for the short, insignificant lives on Earth than their immortal empire, then what would he have in 500 years? Mark responds that he would still have his dad.
- Armor-Piercing Response: After Nolan refuses to continue pummeling an already half-dead Mark, he scolds him, asking him why he would fight for people and things that he'll long outlive.Nolan: Why did you make me do this! You're fighting so you can watch everyone around you die! Think, Mark! You'll outlast every fragile, insignificant being on this planet! You'll live to see this world crumble to dust and blow away! Everyone and everything you know will be gone! What will you have after 500 years!?
Mark: (weakly, shedding a single tear) You, Dad...I'll still have you. - Atrocity Montage: After Omni-Man reveals to his son, Mark Grayson, about the true nature of the Viltrumites - this results in a intense, protracted duel between them. The constant pummeling of Mark Grayson by Omni-Man and Mark's attempts to struggle against the sheer strength of his father brings about massive devastation of Chicago and thousands of gory deaths in the process.
- Becoming the Mask: Downplayed; Debbie said in previous episodes that she showed Nolan the ways of Earth, but according to himself he's just been wearing a mask the entire time. However, one such moment is shown in a flashback to one of Mark's little league baseball games. Debbie manages to persuade him to have empathy for Mark's achievements, and Nolan is shown becoming fully invested in Mark making a home run like any proud parent.
- Bittersweet Ending: Mark's love manages to get through to his father Nolan, who decides to leave Earth after nearly killing him, abandoning his global takeover. Mark spends weeks in recovery, and he and his mom are heartbroken in learning about Nolan's true colors. They are able to return home and attempt to move on. Mark's friend, having watched everything, meet up to be at his side, with Amber attempting to rekindle their relationship after dumping him last episode, now fully knowing why he kept his superhero life a secret. Cecil offers Mark an opportunity to become a full-fledged superhero now that Nolan left, and Allen the Alien learns about this news which may be helpful to the Coalition of Planets during their fight against the Viltrumites. Mark himself takes some time to finally finish high school.
- Break-Up/Make-Up Scenario: Amber broke up with Mark last episode after getting fed up of being Locked Out of the Loop of him being a superhero. While they haven't got back together just yet, Amber tries to console him after witnessing him dealing with an even worse secret and a horrific battle with his father.
- Broken Pedestal:
- The world watches in horror at the devastation from the fight between Invincible and Omni-Man. When the smoke clears, they question how Omni-Man, a veteran superhero, became a global threat. They are still unaware that he killed the original Guardians of the Globe.
- Mark is unable to see his father in the same light again. Even if he still cares for him, he rethinks his previous claim that he wants to be just like Omni-Man.
- Cannot Kill Their Loved Ones: Played for Drama and Deconstructed. Despite murdering the Guardians of the Globe and countless civilians, as well as inflict a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on Mark for refusing to join him in conquering Earth for the Viltrum Empire and opposing him, Nolan cannot bring himself to kill his own son, especially when Mark tells him that he would still have him as his father even after outliving everyone else on Earth. This leads him to leave Earth and abandon his mission to prepare it for Vitrumite takeover out of shame for hurting his own family. While this act, along with sparing Debbie and Art instead of killing them when they discover his murder of the Guardians, proves that he actually cares about his loved ones more than he would like to admit, it doesn't change the fact that he still hurt them horribly through his actions and words. Because of this, Mark, Debbie, and Art are not happy at all about being spared. Debbie and Art are last seen in the episode drowning their sorrows, questioning everything they knew about Nolan and wondering why he even spared them in the first place. Mark is left with conflicted feelings about his father, as while he still loves him, he can no longer see him in the same light again.
- Cerebus Callback: Allen accidentally going to Earth instead of "Urath" for the second time on behalf of The Alliance in the second episode was treated as a joke about him initially seeming to be an invading alien, except it turns out Earth was already flagged for possible Viltrumite activity and to be avoided. Had Allen realized his mistake last time, he says he would have warned Mark, having returned this episode to do so—potentially kicking off things even sooner than they ultimately did.
- Chekhov's Gunman: One of the alien species being subjugated by the Viltrumites in Nolan's exposition is the same species as Allen's. Allen ends up showing up at the end and mentions that the Viltrumites destroyed his people when they rebelled against them.
- Clark Kenting: After revealing that she's a superhero to Amber and William, Eve is initially mistaken for Dupli-Kate, even though neither of them wear masks and Kate's a different race than Eve.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot:
- A dark one; before Omni-Man starts pummeling Mark to near-death, he darkly muses that raising Mark as a human was a mistake. Raising him in the Viltrumite ways would have convinced him more easily. Mark visibly doesn't have a response to that.
- At the end, Allen rushes back to Earth to warn Invincible about the threat of the Viltrumite Empire and that there's already a Viltrumite on Earth. Turns out the Coalition of Planets knew that the Viltrumites had an interest in Earth for a while and if Allen had realized sooner, he would have warned the planet. He apologizes to Mark, who points out that the warning would have motivated Omni-Man to act sooner.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The first half of the episode has Mark struggle with his father's supposed truth about his people before fighting him for Earth's safety. Unfortunately, despite landing a few hits now and then, Mark is no match against Nolan, who mercilessly beats his son throughout to near-death. The only thing that drives Nolan off of the planet is Mark's Anguished Declaration of Love.
- Death Faked for You: To protect Mark and Debbie, Cecil makes up a story that Nolan died from a gas leak explosion at the house across from theirs, keeping his superhero identity confidential. This would also allow a book Nolan wrote some time ago to sell well enough to financially support them even after Debbie eventually returns to her job.
- Defiant to the End: Even when his father beats him bloody and kills people in front of him to prove that he shouldn't get attached to humans, Mark still keeps fighting Nolan to protect Earth no matter what. This frustrates Nolan until he finally undergoes a Villainous Breakdown and inflicts a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on Mark, only stopping when he can't bring himself to finish off his own son.
- Didn't Think This Through: The way that Nolan describes how the Viltrumites really are and that Mark is one of them, he seems to think that Mark will just drop his Earth upbringing and help him conquer the planet. Instead, the opposite reaction happens: Mark at first is convinced his dad is brainwashed and tries saving him. Then when he realizes that Omni-Man is telling the truth, Mark calls out his dad for lying to him, killing the Guardians, and expecting his son to be a remorseless conqueror. Nolan certainly doesn't help his case by using Mark's body as a battering ram to kill thousands of people, trying to show Mark that human lives are short and pointless. Instead, Mark fights back every step of the way even when he's close to death.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Three certain Viltrumites from later in the comic appear in Nolan's exposition.note
- Everyone Has Standards:
- Cecil is horrified when Debbie hears Nolan saying he didn't actually love her, that she was just a pet to him. He apologizes to her that she had to hear that.
- Allen spends a long time apologizing to Mark for not warning him about the Viltrumites. He says he flew back to Earth as soon as he could since he likes the kid and respects him.
- Even Evil Can Be Loved: Despite witnessing and hearing everything from Nolan before he leaves Earth, Debbie admits that a part of her still misses him and wants him to come back. Art admits the same while talking with her.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: At the end of the day, Nolan can't bring himself to kill his own son. The realization of how close he came to doing so - and Mark still calling out to him despite everything - makes him collapse emotionally.
- Evil All Along: The Viltrumites, who Nolan described as a race of peacekeepers who help developing worlds are actually more akin to Space Nazi Germany. They're The Empire who believe their race is the strongest and should be masters of the galaxy, initially sending armadas to conquer worlds (and wiping out any who resisted) before switching to more subversive and subtler tactics.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Nolan's confession drips of inhuman reasoning. He refused to tell Mark of his true purpose and plan until Mark developed powers, at which point Nolan could be sure Mark was "a Viltrumite". Afterwards, he simply expected Mark to immediately side with him and the Viltrum Empire, telling him the truth was "good" and they could finally be their "true selves" — despite having lied about the nature of Viltrum, having raised Mark as a human and protector of Earth for his entire life, and the fact that Mark had never even been to Viltrum, much less felt any loyalty or "responsibility" to the version he'd just learned of. Nolan expected Mark to rip off the same mask he himself had been wearing for the past two decades, when for Mark, it was his life.
- Eye Scream: Downplayed. The Immortal presses his fingers in Omni-Man's eyes in an attempt to gouge them out. Due to Viltrumite Super-Toughness, it only results in them looking bloodshot.
- Fantastic Racism: Nolan reveals that he views humans as worthless for being weak, short-lived and that their only value is in breeding more Viltrumites because his blood is capable of overwriting the DNA of other species. Mark questions why Nolan would hold humans in such contempt if he had spent his entire life protecting them.
- Foreshadowing: What appears to be Allen’s species is seen in the montage of Viltrumite conquering. At the end of the episode, Allen confirms his planet was outright destroyed by their Empire.
- Game Changer: In-universe, Allen realizes that Mark is this. He's a Viltrumite by blood but not with the Empire, and managed to convince a would-be conqueror to leave. As Allen tells Mark, a Viltrumite never leaves his post, and the Coalition of Planets would be interested in having Mark's powers and kind heart on their side. He offers a formal invitation for Earth to join the Coalition and receive reinforcements. Mark accepts.
- Good Eyes, Evil Eyes: Nolan spends much of his rampage with bloodshot eyes, because the recently-revived Immortal tried his darnedest to gouge his eyes out. They make him look even more like the evil conqueror he is, rather than the benevolent global protector (with clear, normal eyes) he has pretended to be for the last seven episodes.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Viltrumites, Nolan and Mark's species, are galactic conquerors who have either taken over or destroyed every world they've encountered. They're the ones who sent Nolan to Earth to learn and weaken their defenses while the Coalition of Planets, initially believed to be something like the U.N., is actually The Alliance trying to rally forces against them.
- Grievous Harm with a Body:
- Nolan deliberately hits or throws Mark into populated areas so the devastation of their battle will harm countless civilians. It's Nolan's way of saying that Mark's stubbornness is causing hundreds of them to die on his watch.
- When the two crash into a subway, Nolan grabs Mark and holds him in front of an oncoming train. Two near-indestructible and immovable objects in front of the very destructible train and its occupants results in a shower of metal and gore as the latter crash into the former and are reduced to giblets by the impact.
- Happy Flashback: Right before Nolan is about to deliver a likely fatal punch to Mark, he has one of these showing a younger Mark playing in a Little League game. When he comes out of it, he can't bring himself to deliver the punch.
- Immediate Sequel: "We Need To Talk" ends with Nolan killing Immortal once more. This episode takes place seconds after, with Immortal's body hitting the ground, before Nolan reveals his true goal to Mark.
- Innocently Insensitive: Cecil tells Debbie that his team will do everything they can to make her and Mark's lives return to some level of normalcy. The reaction on her face tells him that's not possible. He apologizes, and she thanks him because she knows that he's trying his best.
- After getting out of the hospital, Mark goes out with Amber, Eve, and William. Mark says he wants to talk about anything else than what happened, William comments how that'll be impossible considering it's all anyone's talking about. Both Amber and Eve respond by giving him a dirty look, causing William to shrink in on himself and apologize.
- Irony:
- At the end, Nolan, frustrated that Mark still wants to protect Earth from the Viltrumites, asks him what would he have after 500 years, if not an empire. Mark answers that he would still have his father. Nolan, realizing that he could've chosen his family over the empire, promptly leaves, barely holding back tears.
- A double-dose is that Nolan has (attempted) to kill The Immortal twice now, a perfect example of a heroic figure who would and has outlived everyone he loves yet still continues to protect humanity.
- Kick the Dog: Nolan commits a few of these with his family throughout the episode.
- Even if there is some potential doubt in his delivery, Nolans still calls his own wife nothing more than a pet to Mark, knowing fully well she's listening in on their conversation and could hear him. And when Mark demands to know if he sees her as worthless, Nolan gives a Blunt "Yes", reducing her to tears. Mark is rightly appalled by this.
- Killing countless civilians in an attempt to convince Mark that human lives are insignificant is already cruel enough, but personally killing a pilot that Mark just saved to prove a point was extremely petty.
- Inflicting a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on Mark while they're on the mountains when he still refuses to join him in conquering Earth. By that point, Mark is already on the verge of death from his injuries and can no longer stand up, much less fight back, and yet Nolan still continues to rail on him. To twist the knife further, Nolan states that he could always make another kid as if to say that Mark is ultimately expendable in the grand scheme of things.
- Manly Tears:
- At the beginning, Mark cries when he realizes his father lied to him about everything.
- At the end, a pummeled Mark sheds a single tear as he tells Nolan that he doesn't need an empire; he just wants his dad. Mark's response then causes Nolan to fly off, also in tears.
- Masquerade: Cecil reveals to Mark that the GDA added a chemical in the tap water which blinds people to certain frequencies of light. Mark was included because he wasn't on board with them yet.
- My God, What Have I Done?:
- Omni-Man goes through a silent version of this after Mark's Armor-Piercing Response, staring at the blood on his hands and visibly struggling not to weep. It's so severe it results in him abandoning Earth.
- William spends weeks walking around with this expression. He had told Mark that it was his fault that Rick had become a Reanimen, and had given Omni-Man directions on where to find Invincible. William shuffles through classes, organizes the family's mail, and straightens their welcome mat, in the hopes that they will return.
- Amber has this reaction when she returns to Mark's doorstep, the minute she gets word that he and his mother moved back. On seeing him fully recovered, she gives him a big hug and a little peck.
- No-Sell: None of Mark's blows make a scratch on Nolan. Meanwhile...
- Not Brainwashed: When he sees his father's true colors, Mark initially assumes that his father must be under some sort of evil control, resulting in him smacking Nolan and yelling at him to snap out of it. Nolan just calmly replies that it is, indeed, only him.
- Not Hyperbole: Allen says that he can't even imagine what Mark went through regarding his dad. He immediately clarifies that he isn't just being poetic, he literally has no frame of reference to imagine how bad it was because he doesn't have a normal father relationship to contextualize Mark's terrible one — he was born in a breeding camp and never knew his own father.
- Now What?: Debbie realizes she never considered where to go after learning that her husband killed his superhero allies.
- Offing the Offspring: Nolan's anger and frustration at Mark's continuing defiance results in him delivering a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown, declaring he can just "make another kid." Despite his brutality, he ultimately can't bring himself to go through with it.
- Once More, with Clarity: The episode begins with Nolan telling Mark the truth about the Viltrumites, referring back to when he lied to him about them in the first episode. We learn that the Viltrumites are not peacekeepers as he claimed, but a warrior race that wiped out half its population to cull the weak and became an empire capable of conquering planets. Those who surrender are said to prosper at the cost of subjugation. Those who resist are wiped out. When they set their eyes on Earth as a way to repopulate in order to continue expanding their empire, they entrust the infiltration to Nolan.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Allen has never heard of a Viltrumite, a member of a supposedly ruthless race, abandoning their plan to conquer a world. He believes this news could be a big deal for the Coalition, though he warns Mark that Nolan may be punished for his failure, and there may be others like him who will arrive one day to finish the job.
- Parting-Words Regret: This applies to pretty much all of Mark's friends, who he last spoke to in the previous episode. None of their conversations ended that well.
- The last thing William said to Mark before the latter's altercation with his father is that he was a terrible boyfriend to Amber, but he has a good life with loving, understanding parents and shouldn't quit heroics because of a bad few months. William finds out that Omni-Man was not the loving, understanding kind and is Forced to Watch his friend nearly beaten to death.
- Amber told Mark to "Fly away, flyboy" rather than attempt to reconcile with her. Well, he did fly away, and nearly got killed. She's horrified and guilty, especially when watching the fight on television.
- The last thing Eve said to Mark before the events of this episode was that he was just like her abusive father, only to watch in horror as he got beaten to within a millimeter of his life by his own even more abusive father.
- "Ray of Hope" Ending: Nolan is outed, beats Mark and massacres hundreds of people, and ruins his relationships with Mark and Debbie, but leaves Earth out of frustration that Mark won't join him and guilt over his actions. However, the Coalition of Planets is here to help Earth and the fight against the Viltrum Empire, though more Viltrumites will likely be coming to Earth to finish Nolan's job... and Mark will be waiting. Allen promises to do everything he can to help so that another planet won't suffer as his home did. The Guardians are finally acting like a team and will be ready in turn to defend the planet.
- Really 700 Years Old: Nolan reveals to Mark that Viltrumites can live for thousands of years; the older they get, the slower their bodies physically age, and the way Viltrumite DNA works means Mark is almost full-blooded. This is part of why Nolan tries so hard to get Mark to join him; as he himself puts it, everyone Mark cares about will be dead before he even looks like he's 30.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Nolan spends the entire episode with bloodshot eyes as a result of Immortal's attempt at an Eye Scream in the previous one. It does a good job selling how cruel and callous towards human life he really is beneath the facade.
- Refusal of the Call: Cecil offers Mark an opportunity to become a full-fledged hero now that Omni-Man left Earth, but he refuses. While Cecil respects the decision, he lightly warns Mark he may not have a choice after the episode's events, because there may be a job too big for the new Guardians of the Globe to handle.
- Rule of Symbolism: In Nolan's exposition flashback, he's shown wearing a white uniform like the other Viltrumites. When he flashes back to Mark's baseball game, he's wearing a white shirt while Mark and Debbie are wearing red shirts. His Omni-Man suit is white with red accents — the white representing his belief that the Viltrumites are a superior species and the red representing both the blood he must spill for his people (his gloves, representing the blood on his hands) and the love from his family that made him soft (the logo on his chest, otherwise his heart, is red).
- Saying Too Much: Downplayed; when William talks with Samantha about Mark, William says he hasn't heard from Mark since the incident with him and his dad on the news, before realizing what he just said. Luckily though, Samantha already knows Mark is Invincible and all William did was confirm he knows too. William is relived he didn't actually blow Mark's Secret Identity.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After failing to convince Mark to help him and the Viltrumites conquer Earth, combined with having done everything that could make Mark hate him, Nolan flies offworld to destinations unknown. However, Allen notes that he'll probably get in trouble with the empire for not finishing the job.
- Secret-Keeper: By the end of the episode, Amber and William are now fully aware that Omni-Man is Mark's father and Mark himself is Invinclble. They also learn that Eve/Samantha is Atom Eve, though they initially confuse her for Dupli-Kate.
- Secret Test of Character: Rex decides to finally clean up the original Guardians' blood off the wall of their HQ. When Black Samson, the last of his old team, tells him they still haven't earn the privilege of being called Guardians, Rex ignores him. After seeing Rex's allies defend him and prevent an altercation, Samson decides that they have finally become a team and thus earned it.
- So Proud of You: Cecil thanks Mark for putting his life on the line to stop Nolan. He says that the kid proved himself a true hero even in the face of overwhelming odds. Mark appreciates the sentiment, even if he's not ready to return to the fray. Cecil says he understands and will give him space though the world won't stay safe for long.
- Teeth Flying: At the climax of Nolan's merciless beatdown he delivers to Mark, he punches him so hard he knocks out almost all of his front teeth.
- Trainstopping: Played for Horror. Omni-Man picks up a battered Mark and holds him in front of an oncoming subway train, causing Mark's invulnerable body to tear through the train—and its hundreds of passengers—like a bullet through Styrofoam. By the time it ends, Mark is covered in blood and thoroughly traumatized.
- Unreliable Expositor: Nolan claims he doesn't love Debbie, though it's possible he was talking trash just to hurt Mark and convince himself that he doesn't, considering his actions throughout the show suggest he does.
- Villainous Breakdown: The longer Omni-Man continues to pummel Mark, the more agitated he becomes as his guilt and frustration build up. As noted in Armor-Piercing Response, by the end he's practically screaming his dialogue. Then comes Mark's answer...Omni-Man: Why did you make me do this?! You're fighting so you can watch everyone around you die! Think, Mark! You'll outlast every fragile, insignificant being on this planet! You'll live to see this world crumble to dust and blow away! Everyone and everything' you know will be gone! What will you have after five hundred years?!
- Was It All a Lie?: Mark and Debbie independently struggle with the fact that Nolan wasn't the man they thought he was, and he claims he saw their lives as expendable.
- We Are as Mayflies:
- The case Nolan tries to make for why Mark shouldn't put any value in human lives. In 500 years, everyone Mark will have ever known will be dead, so why bother caring?
- After Nolan kills the pilot Mark saved, he brushes it off that he would have died in 50 years anyway. The way he says it suggests he considers that about 50 minutes.
- We Can Rule Together: After revealing his true goal, Nolan invites Mark to prepare for the Viltrum Empire. Mark refuses.
- "What Now?" Ending: Despite everything that happened, it ends on a somewhat positive note for Mark. His father has abandoned his takeover, and things are slowly going back to normal. Allen asks what he will do next. Mark's response: Finish high school.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Mark is unable to accept that his father has spent years as a hero for Earth just to prepare his otherworldly people to take it over, or that he is even willing to murder hundreds of people just to prove a point.
- White Void Room: Cecil takes Mark into a room that appears to be a featureless white void. Then he orders the special lights shut off to reveal the actual room, explaining that the drinking water is laced with a chemical that makes it impossible to see certain frequencies of light.
- Why Did You Make Me Hit You?: Nolan blames Mark for making him beat him and kill a bunch of other people just because he wouldn't listen.
- You Are Not Alone: This is why Mark says he's reassured about Allen's intel. He says that it's a relief to know that Earth won't be solely fighting the Viltrumites.
- Your Head Asplode: Omni-Man kills the pilot that Invincible just saved with a light squeeze that obliterates everything above the poor man’s jawline.
