The first season of Amazon Prime’s Invincible, an animated adaptation of Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley’s comic book series of the same name, became a breakout hit for a number of reasons, and the complex father-son relationship and intriguing plotline were major ones among them. The way the series perfectly synced unprecedented brutal spectacle with strong emotional undertones and relatable characterizations, it was no wonder that the series eventually received a massive fan following, with its second season being one of the most anticipated animated ventures in recent years.
With the first part of the second season of Invincible recently coming to an end, expectations are once again at an all-time high thanks to some of the significant teases provided throughout the season. The focus of the makers is clearly expanding upon the world-building, and along with some minor yet solid side character arcs, two of the most important storylines have already been set in motion. Let’s take a closer look at the possible course the second season might move towards and delineate what that means for the future of the series itself. Spoiler warnings for the current storyline and future predictions are hereby issued.
Spoilers Ahead
Invincible Multiverse War Arc
The very first episode of the second season introduced the multiverse concept in the world of Invincible in the most unexpected way. Viewers are taken to a parallel reality where Nolan Grayson, aka Omni-Man, has managed to convince his half-human son, Mark, to join in the grand-scale plan of Viltrumite conquest, and the duo has successfully taken over the world. In this reality, a scientist with interdimensional portal creation powers named Angstrom Levy turns out to be the only surviving member of a resistance group who manages to escape using his powers and learns about the multiverse. Realizing that there are innumerable versions of him existing in different realities that have faced the pangs of Viltrumite conquest, Levy plans to gather the cumulative knowledge through a neural connection with his counterparts in order to create a deterrent against Viltrum invasion. He takes the help of the Mauler twins of different realities but ends up in a horrific accident that disfigures his body and corrupts his mind. For this, he blames Invincible for the prime reality and swears vengeance upon him.
In comics, Angstrom Levy can be considered Mark’s arch-nemesis, as, after his transformation into a corrupted hive mind, he goes to despicable lengths to bring Mark down. Without spoiling much, all we can say is that things get personal, which forces Mark to reconsider his morality as well. Aside from his vengeful villainous stint, Levy also plays a key role in the Invincible War, where he brings multiple evil versions of Invincible from different realities and convinces them to attack prime reality. In comics, this particular arc was concluded within a few issues, but with the animated adaptation, the makers have a chance to expand into previously unexplored territories. We have already gotten a glimpse of alternate versions of characters at the beginning of the second season, and by the finale, a full-scale multiverse war pitting all of the key players and their counterparts against each other will surely be something to look forward to.
Viltrum War Storyline
The second, and overarching narrative plotline, which has been highlighted through the last two episodes of the first part of the second season, is the Viltrumite conquest of Earth. As fans must remember, as a superpowered Viltrumite conqueror, Nolan was assigned to infiltrate Earth, make his way through its defense, and weaken it from within to eventually let Viltrum include the planet in their galactic empire. In order to do so, Nolan raised a family on Earth and won the trust of humans by operating as the planet’s protector. However, as he initiates the mission of planetary takeover, things don’t go as planned, as his son, Mark, clashes with him in an effort to stop his genocidal conquest, and the ensuing battle between them emotionally breaks Nolan, and he abandons his post as Viltrum conqueror.
Later, a seemingly reformed Nolan finds a place among the insectoid denizens of planet Thraxa and raises a family there as well before realizing that his actions of abandoning the duties can entail consequences. Nolan brings his son Mark to Thraxa, and after a temporary reconciliation, he explains his predicament, requesting that he help save his new home. However, he is too late as Viltrum operatives track him down, and after a bloody brawl, they manage to take him back to their home planet to face capital punishment for his betrayal. Before departure, Viltrum General Kregg warns Mark of severe consequences if he doesn’t continue his father’s work of preparing the grounds of Earth for a swift takeover. Previously, the sole resistance against the Viltrum empire, the Coalition of Planets, received a major setback as well, with the apparent death of one of their best representatives, Allen the alien, and the organization leader, Thaedus, turning out to be a mole.
The remaining four episodes of the second season will focus on Nolan’s future, as the slimmest chance of even standing against the Viltrum invasion lies with him. Before being taken away by his captors, Nolan advised Mark to read his books—the ones he wrote while maintaining his secret identity as a bestselling author on Earth—which might hold the key to countering the Viltrumite invasion. With the multiversal plot forming in the background, there is a possibility of the makers merging it with the main plotline, thereby introducing an even more severe threat of a coalition of multiple Viltrum empires hailing from different realities. In that case, a team-up of the so-called good guys, the Resistance, is possible as well, but there is an off chance of the plot getting confusing and convoluted. Anyway, General Kregg is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Viltrum enforcers, and as the plot of Viltrum War moves forward, viewers will be introduced to a number of dangerous heavy hitters from the eugenics-believing race of space dictators. The prime Earth is lacking heavily in defense after the departure of Omni-Man; the Teen Team is not ready enough; GDA is a sham; Mark is unprepared; and the strongest superpowered individual, Atom Eve, is going through an existential crisis as well. In this situation, the impending crisis of the Viltrum invasion is nothing short of a death knell for the planet, and it will be really interesting to see how Mark and co. cope with that.
