Momentous events in our lives tend to happen when we least expect them, and in the first season of Invincible, one such event in Mark Grayson’s life was when his father, Nolan Grayson, aka Omni-Man, the strongest superhero on Earth, revealed his true colors as a Viltrumite colonizer. The ensuing conflict between the father and son turned out as brutal and emotionally charged as series fans would have expected, and ended with a distraught, remorseful Nolan leaving the planet for good. Ever since his departure, the Grayson family has tried to pick up the pieces, as shown through the first two episodes of the second season, which is why Omni-Man’s surprising return in the third episode holds immense significance for the series’ future.
Some of the plot points hinted at in the previous season, like the appearance of Allen the Alien, get explored in the third episode in a significant way as well, which builds on a problem of galactic proportions. Debbie seeks assistance to battle her pain and loneliness by taking Olga’s suggestion, but she might be unwittingly signing up for even more agony. Teen Team members deal with their own issues, and finally, in the eventful third episode titled This Missive, This Machination, Mark meets with his father in the most unexpected way possible.
Spoilers Ahead
What Did Debbie Find Out At The Support Group?
Finally, the time has come for Mark to take a new step in life by joining college, and Debbie drives her son to Upstate University. Farewells are tough, especially considering the state Debbie is in right now, but at the same time, she knows that her son has much growing up to do. After customary parental warnings about the ‘dangers’ of college life to Mark, conveying regards and taking her leave, Debbie realizes how truly alone she has become. In the midst of preparing for the first day of college and getting busy hooking up with Amber, Mark forgets about responding to Debbie’s texts. She finally considers checking out the contact information from the card Olga gave her previously to help her deal with heartache.
The number turns out to be for an exclusive support group, especially for the near and dear ones of deceased superheroes. There, Debbie unknowingly befriends the husband of Alana, aka Green Ghost, who mistakenly reveals Alana’s identity to her while mourning the loss of his wife. Debbie starts suffering from pangs of guilt, as it was her husband, Nolan, aka Omni-Man, who killed Alana along with the rest of the Guardians of the Globe in the first place. Unable to hold back her guilt, Debbie reveals the truth to Alana’s husband, who loathes Debbie as a result and states that he will ensure that she doesn’t get to return to the support group meetings ever again. Debbie’s misery continues to grow, and it is truly disheartening how she has to suffer for crimes that she didn’t even commit and were out of her control.
At Teen Team HQ, Rex gets into an argument with Kate regarding her cheating on him with Immortal. It seems like the most annoying character in the series can’t handle a taste of his own medicine, considering the fact that he himself cheated on Eve with Kate in the first season. Elsewhere, Rudy gathers enough courage to ask Monster Girl, aka Amanda, for a movie date, who helps him get a taste of regular people’s affairs in life by taking him to a burger joint.
Did Allen The Alien Die?
In the finale of the first season of Invincible, viewers were introduced to the telepathic, mild-mannered, one-eyed alien Allen, a member of the Coalition of Planets, who initially clashed with Invincible after learning about his Viltrum heritage. However, after learning about Mark’s noble motivation of protecting everyone and the fact that he opposed his Viltrumite father’s attempt at Earth colonization, Allen befriends him and leaves. This episode provides a formal backstory for Allen and designates his position in the larger narrative.
Allen belongs to the planet Unopa, the denizens of which lived in perfect harmony with nature while making advancements in technology. However, a Viltrumite invasion completely ravaged the planet, and an ensuing Unopian rebellion led to even more severe consequences as their planet faced total annihilation. The surviving Unopians set breeding camps on other planets and, through experimentation, created the strongest of their kind, Allen. Allen’s might’ve brought Unopians to the attention of the Coalition of Planets’ leader, Thaedus, who decided to provide them shelter on the planet Talescria. However, even Allen’s strength was no match for average Viltrumites, who easily battered him up in battle. Allen continued to be a representative of the Coalition and visited planets to search for allies in the battle against the Viltrum empire, which is how he came across Invincible while wandering near Earth.
In the present timeline, Allen returns to the Coalition and shares details about his meeting with Invincible, his background, and the idea of including him in the ranks of the Coalition, citing the possibility of a Viltrumite providing them with a much-needed edge against his own kind. While a number of Coalition members oppose the idea, Thaedus encourages Allen’s proposition. In secrecy, Thaedus confides in Allen regarding a mole existing in the ranks of the Coalition.
Later, as Allen is spending time with his girlfriend, Coalition senior officer Telia, and three Viltrumite operatives arrive and apprehend him about his meeting with Invincible and try to learn about Omni-Man’s whereabouts. Allen refuses to share the information, and the trio proceeds to brutally beat the living hell out of him, almost killing him in the process. As a horrified Telia sits by Allen, who is resting on life support, Thaedus pays a visit to share his condolences but also states his realization that the sudden attack of Viltrumites might mean that they are moving in the right direction about recruiting Invincible into their ranks. The Coalition leader proceeds to distract Telia elsewhere and turns off Allen’s life support using the opportunity, presumably killing him in the process, although his fate hasn’t been confirmed. Thaedus’ actions raise several questions regarding his allegiance, especially how he is related to the Viltrumites in The First Place.
How Did Mark Reunite With His Father, Omni-Man?
The scene shifts to Upstate University in the dorm room of Mark and his friend William as they discuss William’s boyfriend, Rick Sheridan’s, fate. In the previous season, it was shown how Rick became a hapless victim of Dr. Sinclair’s evil experiments, which turned him into a mindless cyborg. Mark tries to assure William, stating that Cecil and GDA are taking care of his boyfriend. All of a sudden, the duo receives a visitor in the form of a living incarnation of Mark’s favorite fictional character, Séance Dog. Mark at once gets alarmed by his presence and launches an attack, demanding to know his real identity. After a bit more gaslighting and scuffling, Séance Dog reveals his real identity as an insectoid alien named Nuyoltza, a messenger hailing from a nearby planet called Thraxa. The messenger reveals that his planet is on the verge of destruction due to a meteor shower, and he seeks Mark’s help to stop the cataclysm. As for Mark’s question as to how he recognized him, Nuyoltza reveals that the legends of Mark’s heroics as Invincible have spread through galaxies.
Initially, Mark hesitates to help him, citing personal problems as the reason. Still, William encourages him to aid the messenger, stating that he will cover his studies in the meantime. Eventually, Mark decides to go with the messenger to Thraxa and informs Amber about his decision as he will be leaving for a couple of weeks, further instructing her to inform his mother Debbie on his behalf. As Mark arrives at Thraxa, no sign of the mentioned meteor shower can be seen; instead, the messenger introduces him to their monarch, who turns out to be none other than Mark’s father, Nolan Grayson, aka Omni-Man, who seems to have been expecting Mark’s arrival. The revelation leaves a sign of surprise on Mark’s face as well as on the audience’s, and the episode comes to an end.
The huge reveal at the end of Invincible Episode 3 is shocking, to say the least, and makes us wonder about Mark’s next course of action. The last time his meeting with his father didn’t go so well, to say the least, resulting in thousands of deaths and Mark almost being pummeled to death. Therefore, it will be interesting to see whether the past repeats itself this time around in Thraxa or if a more diplomatic approach is taken by the duo—if it is considered a possibility any longer. How Nolan became monarch of Thraxa is another question that needs answering, as he had abandoned his post as the infiltrator/colonizer of Earth and is already on the target list of the Viltrumite operatives. With each episode, Invincible continues to delve into newer territories and, so far, has struck the perfect balance between its narrative flow and world-building. The ending of the third episode will surely get fans hyped about the fourth one, and hopefully, this season will portray Nolan in a different light than the previous season.
