Invincible (Amazon Series)

What a great adaptation of one of the best fights in the series. Sterling Brown, Steven Yuen, and Sandra Oh all delivered amazing performances. I especially really liked the bit where Debbie calls out how the real reason Angstrom probably hates Mark so much is because unlike all the other universes, this Angstrom is the supervillain and Mark is the hero. Speaking of, I also loved the montage of various Angstroms losing people to Invincibles; seems the implication is that Invincible and Angstrom being archenemies is a multiversal constant.

Kid Thor and Knockout show up as part of the Bad Future Guardians, so it seems we ARE indeed getting some of the other Kirkman-verse characters.

Another surprise appearance is setup for Angstrom's son and his pet fox from the final issue of the comic. Wonder if he's gonna get a bigger role in this version instead of basically just being a theoretical Sequel Hook.

Someone is totally gonna edit the Agent Spider scene to have the actual Spidey and Doc Ock there. The way it's written and shot makes me suspect they actually wrote it gambling they would get to use the actual Spider-Man but also could quickly edit it to have copyright-friendly versions.

I know Sterling Brown as the dad from Kipo. So this… this threw me. Scary.

The Spidey crossover being cut down and copyright-scrubbed... disappointing, but understandable, and what's there is definitely still fun. In a world where DC's crossovers with TMNT and RWBY got animated, it probably wasn't too much to expect that maybe they could've worked it out, though I guess it was more difficult here since they'd have to deal with two separate rights holders in this case.

Comic question about Season 2's final episode. Is that supposed to be actual Rex or Rudy using the name Rex?

It's Rudy using Rex's name. He takes Rex's name to honor him after real Rex dies in the Invincible War.

show spoilers: So if you're future Guardians and you're rescuing Mark and sending him back when he left when from your point of view it's been twenty years... why are you worried about screwing up the time stream? That's literally the point of what you're doing

Also did our Levy rescue all those other Levy's right before their Invincibles killed them? He doesn't get all his AU copies' knowledge just because right? it's the dudes from his machine.

And did his power change so he can create portals through dimensions and space?

comics spoilers: I've not read the comics but from the comics' tvtropes pages I gather the impression he didn't kill Levy there? Or did he and he comes back via healing/an AU version taking on the mantle?

Edited by dcutter2 on Apr 4th 2024 at 6:11:55 PM

You can take it to mean they expect things to be way worse if he just goes back with future knowledge, or leading to militarization for threats that could end up never happening due to the domino effect of Mark traveling back.

Show spoilers: Yes on the Angstroms thing. All those Angstroms survived those incidents, whether they were saved by our Angstrom or something else. Those flashes were the memories of other Angstroms who lost loved ones to their own Invincibles; the Grayson-Levy feud is a multiversal constant.

The future Guardians are basically just kinda trying to minimize the amount of meddling they're doing. Getting Mark back home and putting the timeline on a better path is already enough of a meddle, anything more would just have far too unpredictable results and been a lot of weight on Mark's shoulders.

Comic spoilers: Yes, Angstrom does survive this, though only just barely. He uses the last of his strength to portal to the same super-doctors that he mentions here who enhanced him so he could fight Mark on somewhat equal terms, and they fix him up. He's going to be a recurring threat; he's one of the three big contenders for title of Invincible's archenemy.

Edited by immortaleditor on Apr 4th 2024 at 10:16:10 AM

x4 Considering Robot "Rex" had Jason Mantzoukas's voice, that may have changed in the show. We'll just have to wait and see.

Do the Future Guardians ever get followed up on? Do we find out what the Mark less timeline was like? Obviously it was bad enough they want to send Mark back to derail it but on the other hand they survived twenties years there. So either the Viltrumites started dragging their feet or they survived their invasion and whatever other threats popped up, it's a really interesting scenario

I suspect that's just because the idea is that Rudy in a Rex body has his voice instead of Zachary Quinto's voice. Which if that's that case, it'll be really interesting hearing Mantzoukas' performance in Robot's later stories after hearing him as Rex.

The future Guardians don't show up again; they're mostly a plot device to get Mark back to Earth and, more importantly, foreshadow some very important stuff that's happening later on. The implication seems to be either they're actually from an alternate timeline or they get wiped out of existence when Mark changes things by getting back home.

That being said, Robot's comment about how Mark would've become something very bad if he remained trapped on the sandworld is very significant, we see what he means later by that. Let's just say, the one yellow-suited, cape-wearing alternate of Mark that killed a version of Angstrom's son will become somewhat important later.

This episode really makes me wish they'd make a The Walking Dead series. Animated, based off the comic not the show.

I feel like Telltale's Walking Dead would have an easier time.

You got to feel sorry for survivors of a zombie apocalypse who have to put up with a superhero whinging to them about how hard he has it and then getting to escape their universe entirely.

It's actually possible Mark did help them a bit while he was there.

Anyway... Discount Spider-Man. From what little I saw of the original crossover, that's more or less how it started too.

Man, when you look at how the other Angstroms came to hate Mark, the fact that this version did it himself and can't own up to it due to all the memories crammed into his head kinda makes him look like a dick.

Interesting how they even had Rex Robot deliberately use Rex's hairstyle as well, further muddying which one was which. I know Robot will take Rex's name in homage to him, and even I wondered who it was for a second there.

On the topic of the crossover, we only really see Mark slam into Doc Ock from behind while Spider-Man's hand (or maybe it was his foot) is slightly off-panel with a text bubble from him. Mark apologizes, not knowing what's going on. And then there's a cut to later when Mark returns with some webbing on his back. The actual crossover comic goes into the team-up.

(5) Honestly since Kirkman's alright with Amazon taking the Invincible property, and given the amount of violence we see in this show, I feel like doing a proper comic book adaption would be easier than the Telltale version.

I would want the comic more since I think its the ONLY way that story will be properly animated. Telltale had a good four seasons. And with a little Adaption Expansion and It Was His Sled an animated Kirkman's Walking Dead could be spectacular. Violent, dark, characters that develop, Andrea gets to be the badass she was meant to be, better pacing.

Anyway, the fun this episode had with the multiverse can't be understated.

Edited by FOFD on Apr 4th 2024 at 5:20:07 AM

Also, it's funny hearing Nolan say he misses Debbie, when it seems this version is moving towards her basically telling him to go !@#$% himself if they actually meet again.

I honestly don't see how they could ever get back together in this version. She seems to have moved on.

Comic Spoiler: I'm kinda happy I was spoiled that Angstrom survives this (unless they go a different direction in the future). I think I would've been maaaad otherwise. XD

Edited by GNinja on Apr 4th 2024 at 10:38:01 AM

I totally agree with you. I'd kill for an animated proper adaptation of Walking Dead that does the original comic justice.

I gotta concur. With how Mark's interaction with Nolan on Thraxa was way more hostile and uneasy in this version, reflecting how Nolan himself was significantly more brutal towards Mark, I wouldn't be surprised if instead of getting back together, Nolan and Debbie's development is just moving them into something like Amicable Exes.

Edited by immortaleditor on Apr 4th 2024 at 3:45:14 AM

Its a real testament to JK Simmons voice acting, I think that scene is the first time I've really felt for Nolan. Like that he could redeem himself via the long long path.

I miss my wife, Seth Rogen Alien.

And according to the Variety interview with Kirkman: The gun Mark hits Angstrom with is from Fortnite. Meaning his appearance in that game is canon to the show. https://variety.com/2024/tv/features/invincible-season-2-finale-spider-man-ezra-miller-1235960790/

Edited by BigBadShadow25 on Apr 4th 2024 at 7:35:38 AM

On the topic of the discount Spider-Man, curse you, Disney's Lawbots.

Eh. I'm sure Sony is also involved in that somehow.

Double post.

Kirkman gives his thoughts on Mark's chances against Superman.

He's either screwing with everyone, or he's taking advantage of the fact that, as the character's creator, he can say Invincible is as strong as he wants him to be.