*Major spoilers for season one of Invincible*
I know I'm not the only one who has become tired of this continuous fad of superhero memorabilia. Ever since Marvel released the finale to the first 10 years of the MCU with Avengers: Endgame, I’ve been seeing a lot of dissatisfaction with the unoriginality present within the superhero genre. That might've been due to the increasing unoriginality of many films in that lane, or the stunted creation of more properties due to the Coronavirus pandemic, either way there needed to be a change.
At first, many saw that through Amazon Prime’s show The Boys, A gory revision of the tired superhero formula. The show mainly mainly focused on the brutality of being a superhero and how one becomes corrupt with power. This premise was interesting to say the least and when Amazon got the okay to green-light another gory comic, a lot of people were excited to see where it would go. And let me tell you many people had good reason to be hyped, because, Invincible is not only the best superhero show, but one of the best superhero stories ever put onto screen. Let’s discuss why this show rocked the worlds of many people like me.
For starters I want to speak up on Invincible's striking and bold animation. A lot of what is seen is very reminiscent of Saturday morning Warner Brothers cartoons, and it's a style that works very well with the show. If the show looked like anything else, I feel as if the it would’ve lost the majority of its spark. Because from this choice in animation the fight scenes are a lot more impactful and powerful. Everyone probably knows about the end of episode 1 already, but here’s your warning if you haven’t. But, throughout the first episode the violence is very tame, there is a bit of blood at the beginning after a monster gets shot in the eye, which was shown off screen. So, many people naively thought this show would be for a younger audience, until the episode ended with 7 dead bodies on account of the main character’s father, Omni-Man. The mood shifts after he brutally murders all of the Guardians of the Globe. It’s a gory and traumatizing show that shows the side effects of having superpowers, something the industry seldom puts effort into.
Another fantastic element of this show is the impeccable voice acting from the main cast. I can’t get enough of the chemistry between Mark (Steven Yeun) and Will (William Clockwell) and all their escapades along the season, which while dark, those two together just make everything better. Along with all the other characters' dilemmas and dynamics, the incredible Clancy Brown playing Damien Darkblood, and the suit taylor, voiced by the amazing Mark Hamill. But, there is one performance that outweighs them all...
J.K Simmons as Omni-Man is not only perfect casting, but it is by far one of Simmons’ best performances he has ever given. Which, for a lot of people, is a high bar to cross, especially after being J. Jonah Jamison from the Spiderman Series and Fletcher from Whiplash. But, the performance he gives to this menacing and scary character is by far one of the best performances in a superhero property period. Along with the writing they give this character, they set this villain up to be one of the greatest villains put to screen. JK Simmons puts his absolute heart and soul into his performances. All we see is Omni-Man, the crazed, fascinatingly patriotic Viltrimite, who is hell bent to conquer at any cost, even if it means killing his own offspring. At Least that is what we thought, until he becomes overcome with emotion after beating his son to a pulp and flies away, abandoning his post on Earth. Showing that his brush with humanity has gotten down to his cold Viltrimite heart.
What pulls this entire story together though is the amazing screenwriting. From the end of the first episode to the end of the season finale, this show keeps you hooked. From its masterful worldbuilding, to its hilarious dialogue between characters, everything works so well. The way Invincible builds suspense is something to marvel. It is truly a masterpiece in my humble opinion.
Overall, Invincible is the show that reinvigorated my love for the superhero genre. It highlighted things like maturity and sophistication that were all missing from a multitude of superhero projects. In a year like 2021 where we need the genre to come back, a bold take on the genre is a fantastic jumpstart into getting the world back together.
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