Invincible review, Episode 208: "I Thought You Were Stronger"

It's finale time, folks! After weeks of waiting, Invincible has saved its biggest battle yet for the season 2 finale. It features the face-off between Mark Grayson and Angstrom Levy that's been cooking up since Levy was first introduced in the season premiere. As always, be warned: this review contains SPOILERS.

Last week's episode ended on the mother of all cliffhangers: After being beaten within an inch of his life by the Viltrumite Anissa, Mark picks up the phone to hear the voice of Angstrom Levy, who is in his home, holding his mother Debbie and half-brother Oliver hostage.

For a recap, Angstrom Levy was introduced in the first episode of season 2. Gifted with the ability to travel through the multiverse, he had the philanthropic idea of harnessing the best parts of every universe to create a utopian society. However, this didn't really work out, and after Mark Grayson (aka Invincible) got caught up in his experiment, he became horribly disfigured. Now Levy blames Invincible for his deformity and vows to take out revenge.

We get glimpses of many variants of Invincible from across the multiverse, and all of them seem evil and sadistic. Different versions of Invincible murdering Levy time and time again. It's pretty brutal.

When Mark arrives home to see Levy standing over his family, the tension is palpable. Invincible creator Robert Kirkman is great at this kind of storytelling; his work on The Walking Dead is a perfect example of that. Despite all his powers, Mark is left utterly stumped. By far my favorite part of the finale is when Levy throws Mark across the multiverse using his portals.

I know multiverse storylines are way overused nowadays — I'm looking at you, Marvel and DC — but Invincible manages to explore the topic in a way that feels fresh and creative. Perhaps this is because traversing the multiverse is treated as a single superpower harnessed by one person, and it's not overused outside this episode. Even so, the show gives us some fun cameos, including not-so-subtle stand-ins for Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus as well as an off-camera visit from Batman himself, all of them depicted in a way designed not to get Prime Video sued. I also enjoyed zombie universe Mark falls into, which is undoubtedly inspired by The Walking Dead.

Fun cameos aside, what occurs in Mark's home is utterly horrifying. Levy is such an unhinged and unpredictable villain, and the voice acting by Sterling K. Brown is extremely terrifying and ominous. He's not just all words and no action either. I was totally taken by shock when he snaps Debbie's arm in two!

Then, when Invincible takes action, Levy takes him on a tour of the multiverse, beating him up while he's at it. Eventually Mark manages to pin Levy down and throws dozens of punches. There's so much blood; this episode is not for the faint-hearted, that's for sure. Mark is coated in blood; his entire body is red. As for Levy, he's left dead...and Mark is stranded in an alternate universe.

I loved seeing Mark's mental state collapse as he ponders the consequences of killing Angstrom Levy. You get the feeling that he wasn't just doing it to save the planet, or even the universe; he merely wanted to keep his family safe. Things just got a little too personal.

Naturally, Mark is saved from being forever trapped in an alternate universe by the arrival of the Guardians of the Globe (albeit aged up, as they came from the future to save Mark in the past.) The timeline stuff is confusing. It's nice to see the team back together. Although I can't help but think the fight came and passed a little too quickly. Perhaps I was just having too much fun.

Omni-Man and Allen the Alien

The vast majority of this episode focuses on Mark, his battle against Angstrom Levy, and the aftermath. But there's also some outer-space antics, too. We follow Allen the Alien as he infiltrates a Viltrumite prison in an attempt to free Omni-Man (aka Nolan), who's set for execution.

As to not attract attention, the two communicate through Allen's telepathy. We further learn about Nolan's regrets about abandoning Earth. He certainly sounds sincere. I really like his character progression, from heartless, brutal Viltrumite to caring father. The biggest gut-punch is when he mentions that he misses his wife Debbie. This is it's perhaps the most telling signal that he will do anything to revert back to his former life.

Clearly, Nolan's redemption arc is only just beginning. He still has a long way to go, and some scars will never disappear, but he's made a good start. I can't wait to see how the show develops his story in season 3 and beyond!

Other notable events

Another few things of note include Mark's relationship with Atom Eve. When he meets her future self, Eve tells him to tell her younger self how he feels about her. She confesses her love for him, but when the time comes for him to tell the younger Eve where he stands, he remains silent. In the comics, Mark and Atom Eve have a relationship much earlier. In the show, it's Amber who takes center stage in Mark's love life.

Speaking of love, there's a really heartwarming scene where the Immortal is still very much in mourning following the death of Dupli-Kate. Turns out that she's still alive. While all her duplicates were killed in the fight against the Lizard League, she kept one copy of herself hidden away in case such a scenario arose. The look on the Immortal's face when she reveals herself is so wholesome. It's a much-needed beautiful moment in an otherwise dark episode.

Verdict

In the comics, this multiversal fight is one of my favorite superhero fights of all time. And I'm happy to say the TV show does it justice, and then some. It's epic, with some fun (though not intrusive) cameos and more blood than the show has ever poured out before. I thoroughly enjoyed it. After the constant teasers, it was well worth the wait.

The events that have happened in Mark's formative years have taken their toll on him mentally, and the finale does an excellent job at portraying this. He may be invincible physically, but he vulnerable. He's human, he makes mistakes, and we're reminded of this frequently.

I felt like the final act of the episode felt a little anticlimactic, but I also appreciate how the show digs into emotional character moments rather than only focusing on action and spectacle. And while tying up loose ends, it also sets up the conflicts to come in season 3.

Episode Grade: B+

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