With the end of the last episode introducing the Viltrumite warrior Conquest (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), it was clear that Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) would have to face him in this finale, entitled "I Thought You Would Never Shut Up." Years ago on The Walking Dead, Morgan's character Negan smashed Yeun's character Glenn to death with a baseball ball. I didn’t have this rematch on my bingo card, but it was exactly what I needed.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for the Invincible season 3 finale.
The new episode picked up straight off the back of the last one. Conquest, voiced by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, has come to Earth to check on Mark's progress taking over the planet. Since Mark has obviously not done what the Viltrumites wanted him to do, Conquest is only to happy to destroy Mark and everyone else on Earth instead. It was a fight Conquest was ready for, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it would turn out similar to Negan taking out Glenn in The Walking Dead.
Of course, in a show like this, the good guy has to succeed, right? Well, while that happens, there are some consequences. We also get to learn a little more about Atom Eve.
Invincible review: season 3, Episode 8, "I Thought You'd Never Shut Up"
Much of the episode was taken up by the fight. We get a chance to see just how much Mark has learned over the years. Sure, buildings are destroyed and the cities where they fight are never going to be the same, but Mark isn’t as clumsy as we’ve seen him in the past.
There were moments that were reminiscent of the season 1 fight against Omni-Man. One scene in particular stood out as Mark pummeled Conquest into the ground, and it reminded me of when Omni-Man did just that to Mark. This just shows how much Mark has practiced his skills, and how he’s learned from the mistakes of the past.
He didn’t fight alone, though. Others from the GDA and friends and family try to help. Debbie can't help but knows that Oliver has to go out and fight. Mark can't do it alone, but that doesn't mean she doesn't worry about her sons.
Oliver is no match against Conquest, but he tries his hardest. Fortunately, he’s going to be okay. Cecil manages to get the GDA to him in time to get him out of the fight and fixed up at the secret superhero hospital. It also helps that seeing Oliver in so much trouble gave Mark a little extra push.
Eve's secrets come out and offer hints of what could be in the future
Eve wakes up from her coma to find out what's going on. She wastes no time in stepping in to help out, showing that she will always put Earth and Mark before herself. Of course, her powers are no match for Conquest's at first. It's only when she's left with a literal hole in her body that she is able to find the ability to fight back.
It turns out that Eve had some mental blocks placed in her when she was in the womb. These blocks stop her from using her abilities to the fullest extent until she is close to death. It’s happened once before, and now it’s happened again. She can become a celestial being of sorts when she’s close to death, and her mental blocks disappear temporarily, giving her the ability to reconstruct sentient matter.
I can’t help but wonder if this is a storyline for Invincible season 4 and beyond. Is there a chance that she and Mark will decide that it could be beneficial for Eve to find if there’s a way to remove the mental blocks? Putting them in place at first would make sense, but not when there are more threats from other planets. Conquest will not be the last Viltrumite to come to Earth, so the superheroes will need all the abilities they can get.
I was glad to see Cecil consider that at the end. After Mark was able to almost kill Conquest (yes, Glenn took down Negan this time), Cecil and the rest of the GDA step in. They have Conquest locked away, and they will use his body to figure out a way to stop the Viltrumites in the future. Cecil knows that Earth is at a huge risk without some sort of experiment.
One thing I will say is that Cecil surprised me this season. I expected him to become a villain against Mark, but Cecil has seen that Mark is on the side of Earth. Will things change in season 4, though?
With the attacks on Earth and the people he loves, Mark realizes that he can’t always save lives. Some threats will need to die. Seeing this evolution keeps the series grounded despite all the technology and super-powered heroes.
Invincible season 3’s finale missed a chance to reunite father and son
At one point in the fight, I expected Omni-Man and Allen the Alien to suddenly show up. We saw them escape the Viltrumite prison, and I assumed that they would make their way back to Earth. It would have been epic to see Omni-Man help Mark and see the two of them fight side by side, even if it meant Omni-Man leaving straight afterward to protect himself.
At the very end of the episode, we see an alien ship come across a frozen Battle Beast in the middle of space. They pull him onto the ship, and it’s clear that Battle Beast is still a potential threat (or friend, depending on which side he’s actually on). So, why not bring Omni-Man and Allen the Alien back into the story?
At least we get official confirmation that Rex is definitely gone. There's a beautiful funeral for him, which is exactly what he deserved after his sacrifice. I can’t help but think his loss is going to mean something bad when it comes to Rae, though. Will she want revenge, or will she honor Rex’s ultimate sacrifice?
The end of Invincible season 3 sets up some growing threats for Mark, Eve, and the GDA to face in the next season. I’m curious about the Martian parasites latching onto people and animals in the sewers, and the creatures that helped Angstrom Levy heal clearly have universe-domination in mind. Of course, now I have to wonder just how long we’ll need to wait for season 4. That wait for season 2 was excruciating enough.
Invincible is available to stream on Prime Video.
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