Invincible, published by Image Comics in 2003, is one of the most beloved comic series of all time. This might come as a surprise to some since it isn't connected to the MCU at all. But, it's just a very well-done experimental series that plays around with tropes from other comics, makes some great commentary on the comic medium, and talks about some of the complicated real-world issues having superheroes would create.
And, Amazon has done a pretty fantastic job with the animated adaptation so far, but there’s still a lot of the source material left to adapt. So, let’s talk about some of the most soul-crushing moments coming up that fans are excited to see in an animated format (though live-action would be neat too).
Disclaimer: This spoils a ton of future events, for those wanting to avoid spoilers of any kind, be careful.
10 The Fourth-Wall Shattering Science Dog Moment
There are a lot of moments from Invincible that have influenced other series going forward, but there’s one particular joke early on that will always be relevant. The joke in question relates to the time Mark Grayson actually gets to meet the author of his favorite comic Science Dog (Seance Dog in the adaptation) and calls him cheap for re-using old art to save time for new comic issues. Then, the very same Invincible comic itself uses that same trick after calling it "cheap." This meta-commentary joke on comic book production is a perfect encapsulation of the tone of the show, and it’s such a timeless gag.
9 Angstrom Levy's Story
Angstrom Levy is quite an interesting character, at first. This man has the ability to travel between dimensions, but, he has no idea what's going on in each dimension before he goes, which can be deceptively dangerous. So, through a long series of events, the guy tries to coalesce all the knowledge from all the different versions of himself in different timelines using a machine built by the Mauler Twins, only Invincible happens to interrupt this process.
Angstrom, being a decent guy, doesn't want blood on his hands and takes off the machine helmet to stop the Twins from killing Mark. But the process of doing this causes an explosion, mutating Angstrom's appearance forever, warping his memory, and leading him down the path to becoming a cold, calculating, and honestly pretty boring villain.
8 The Invincible War
Speaking of Angstrom, another event that he contributes to is something called the Invincible War. To enact this, Levy gathers the evil versions of Mark Grayson from different universes, promises them whatever they want in exchange for helping him, and then he lets them loose in the "main" reality the Invincible comic takes place in. While trying to fight all of them off, Invincible is literally forced to watch as alternate versions of himself are killing random bystanders, murdering friends of his, and leveling entire cities. And, if the rumors of a video game are true, this would likely be a fantastic event for the game to cover.
7 Emperor Thragg Vs Battle Beast
Viewers who only saw the Amazon Prime adaptation got to see a lot more of Battle Beast than comic readers initially did. They really set out to show in his first fight with Mark just how powerful this creature was, even if the design in the adaptation tones down his...intimidating silhouette a bit. But, that happens from time to time, as adaptations can't be perfect 1-to-1 remakes, after all. That said, that’s only the beginning of Battle Beasts' characterization, one that culminates in his battle versus a certain Viltrumite.
Of course, this was in reference to his battle against the Viltrumite Emperor, known as Thragg. It’s one of the most bloody battles in this already incredibly violent comic, and BB’s commitment to the “thrill of the fight” by hurting himself to match Thragg is both honorable and insanely stupid. But, at the end of the day, it makes the fight that much more intense and memorable.
6 The Tragedy Of Powerplex
Powerplex, also known as Scott Duval, is both a very one-dimensional character and also a very complex one. Scott lost his sister during the battle between Omni-Man and Invincible. As such, he places an irresponsible amount of blame on Mark for his actions and makes it his mission to get back at the kid. Sadly, his wife and child end up playing along with this scheme and pose as hostages so Powerplex can get Invincible alone. A battle ensues, with Scott using his powers to turn the kinetic energy from Invincible's punches right back onto him. But, this power reversal was a bit more than expected, and the outburst of energy tragically ends up incinerating his nearby wife & child. On one hand, readers can understand a bit of Scott's reasoning, but the guy is obviously way off the deep end.
5 A Certain Character's Betrayal
Robot/Rex’s betrayal is perhaps the biggest twist of the series, kicks off quickly, and isn't truly resolved until almost the very last issue of Invincible. Basically, after running the Flaxxian empire for hundreds of years, Rex realizes that his hyper-intelligent and logical mind is meant to lead/control the world, and enacts his big plan to do so. But, this plan involves killing an insane amount of heroes and civilians to take over the entire world. And, the most terrifying part is that this takeover happens so fast and is so immediately brutal. It's the most "Red Wedding" type of event that Invincible has, and it will probably generate a similar amount of surprise and outrage from the viewers.
4 The Extensive Deathmatch With Conquest
Those who made it all the way through the first season of Invincible are likely feeling a little nihilistic. Omni-Man’s one-sided battle against Mark was so brutal and the loss of human life during it was astronomical. But, when compared to what Conquest does and had planned to do, it might not seem as bad. Conquest, for those unaware, is another Viltrumite, one of the best in fact. He appears ever-so-briefly in the adaptation during Nolan’s description of the real Viltrumite history. His battle and with Mark (and the fallout after it's over) leads to a lot of sad characterization for Invincible, Atom Eve almost dying, and a big rift between Mark and Cecil.
3 The Event Between Mark & Anissa
The conflict between Mark and Anissa, one of the surviving female Viltrumites, is especially rough. Anissa is a true Viltrumite and has a lot of trouble adjusting to Thragg’s plan of using humans to rebuild the Viltrumite empire. She doesn't like humans, and won't subject herself to procreating with an Earth male. Therefore, she decides to pursue one of the best surviving Viltrumites out there with human DNA, Mark Grayson. But Mark is already married to Eve at this point and obviously wants nothing to do with Anissa.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t matter to her, and she forces herself on him multiple times, ultimately culminating in an intensely disturbing scene. It’s uncomfortable, does a great job showing how heartless Viltrumites can be, and adds just one more mind-breaking trauma to Invincible’s ever-growing list.
2 Thragg’s Final Fight In The Sun
Emperor Thragg, the head of the old Viltrumite empire, is one of the most terrifying villains in almost any form of media. Yet, the end of his war and his final battle against Mark is sort of sad, in a way. There's a lot of background to it, but, eventually, Invincible and Thragg end up bare-knuckle brawling in the core of a sun. And, the fight in here isn’t short, they fight for minutes, their flesh being burned away every second by the 27 million-plus degree temperature. It’s the climactic final battle of the entire series, so it would only make sense that it is over-the-top, but this battle feels like it redefines what the phrase even means.
1 The Dinosaurus Arc
Dinosaurus is one of the most interesting characters in the series, and also the wackiest. He’s the penultimate example of a Saturday morning cartoon villain with plans of global destruction. To put it simply, Dinosaurus is an insanely powerful bioterrorist with admirable ideals but horrible morals. There’s an entire arc where Mark ends up working with Dinosaurus to make his plans work without ruining lives, then Dinosaurus cures Mark of the Scourge Virus, then Dinosaurus betrays Mark once again, and finally learns the error of his ways just before Mark has to kill him for the sake of humanity. The moral compass for this chunk of the comic is all over the place, and it’s such a unique and interesting arc to cover.