Invincible Season 3 is going to have an OLIVER PROBLEM

Invincible is one of my favorite shows on TV, and last year I had a ton of fun analyzing Mark and Nolan’s beautifully written, inversed but parallel arcs through the first 2 seasons. Still very proud of that as my first Invincible video! This year I decided it’s definitely time to start covering the show week by week, and WHAT a start to season 3 with the 3 episode premiere. Honestly there might even be TOO much stuff happening through the first 3 of the season, but there is so so much to talk about so let’s take off.
Edited by Cree- cree.place/ and Mykal Williams: www.instagram....
Music:
Johnny 2 Cellos Theme Music - Norman Marston
Johnny 2 Cellos Theme Remix- ‪@BlackTyeChi‬
Video Used:
Invincible (2021-2025)
The Simpsons (1989-2025)
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted.
"Fair Use" guidelines: www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html

[@Nicholas-bm1xe]

To be fair the multypaul thing I completely agree with mark on, he just came in and fucked up the entire mission and then Kate comes in like he wasn’t about to kill Rex

[@archereye6285]

let whole ass time travellers get away with THE FRIGGIN DECLARATION OF INDEPENDANCE like its 99% justified

[@ChrisYork-i9y]

Ya how does Kate revealing she’s alive at all absolve Paul of his attempted murder… of not even a murderer

[@Ancor_Vantian]

@ wft was all of that btw? Does it tie to anything in particular? Does it get explained later on? I've seen some Invincible videos, and that part doesn't a ring a bell.

[@andalilbitqueer]

@@ChrisYork-i9y that's not the point genius, it's that Mark is acting comparitively callous to how he usually is.

[@Re_V]

​@@Ancor_Vantian don't ask questions about this part before you accidentally get spoiled. Trust me

[@Sam_00112]

Multi-Paul is a criminal btw, so Mark taking him back to prison makes sense. Paul is an assassin

[@andalilbitqueer]

So? The point still stands, Mark's showing less empathy to characters so far, compared to how he's been previously portrayed as

[@Tha-mountain]

​@@andalilbitqueerblame the celicil talks we skip over

[@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord]

​@@andalilbitqueerno the point doesn't stand because he deserves to be in jail.

[@WhyYouMadBoi]

​@@andalilbitqueerYeah but Paul was in jail in season 1 he was in a cell. Then we see him again here out of it and know he was an assassin not just an assassin but to one to a criminal network.

[@andalilbitqueer]

@@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord what? i don't think you even understand the point being made tbh; it's not about whether Paul deserved to be in jail, that really doesn't matter within the point. It's that Mark is reacting to Kate being alive and Paul's fury with callousness unusual for the character he's been shown to be previously, which to be fair, is a fine introduction to what's changed with him in the past 6 months.

[@KunoTheBaku]

Cecil said it best in season 1. "You only see things in black & white. Well, I like to keep things grey"

[@lordzedd343]

I do find it funny he says that to Damian Darkblood when 3x2 is titled "Deal with the Devil."

[@cormac7884]

Everyone seems to ignore that cecil literally ignored donald when he told him about the screaming caves and quakes before this happened.

[@jordanloux3883]

Yeah, sounds like the government stuck seeing things a certain way so long that they develop massive blindspots that an idiot would notice.

[@vaiparaocaralhovai-tefoder5621]

Watching the show it felt painfully obvious that doc seismic was touching the ground and making it happen when they showed the security camera footage.

[@ravenbuff982]

he didnt ignore him, he just didnt know what to do with the info.

[@Tyler_W]

​@@vaiparaocaralhovai-tefoder5621 to be fair, while that assumption would be correct, they had no information to suggest that he was even capable of doing that without his gauntlets. It's why he was able to get away with flagrant practicing in view full view of the security camera and have nobody think twice about what he was doing.

[@rhisands2063]

@@ravenbuff982 The problem with harvesting too much information is that you lose track of what information is important and which is not. A problem intelligence agencies have always grappled with, and, pre-AI and omni present electronic surveillance, they solved by focusing on which types of info they focused on. Yes, this did lead to the occasional miss (usually caused by ideology focusing on the wrong thing, see for example the time British Intelligence missed a German spy ring operating in Portsmouth dockyards in 1914 because they were to focused on spying on Suffragettes), but it meant they could generally focus and sift information received to reveal the patterns easily. These days, because of electronic snooping and AI data harvesting, it has never been easier to slip through the cracks because they are drowning in patterns and false positives, all of which must be followed up with the same scarce on the ground resources.

[@JackVanFleet]

I think my favourite animation was how extra Cecil hitting the button to activate the sonic emitter was. That was anime as heck.

[@jordanloux3883]

I feel like this was also one of those budget cutting tricks they mention back in season 2. Decrease movement in dramatic ways to save time on animation.

[@BakaVHS]

@@jordanloux3883 The comic went out of their way to make that joke and then had some of the most stunning 2-page spreads in American comics and a lot of them will be scenes this season. The last two eps are probably gonna have special attention.

[@RaptorRennarts]

@@BakaVHSThe multi-panel headbutt will be BRUTAL.

[@Tyler_W]

​@BakaVHS if you know what's coming, you can definitely tell that they were pulling out all of the animation tricks in the book in the early season to splurge it in the back half.

[@errorx_x1063]

@@BakaVHS If I know how Amazon shows work. They do save shit to the end

[@heze2819]

I’ve been thinking about this show constantly since Thursday

[@Bittamin]

Seriously ❤

[@elbowedtoast52]

same, ive rewatched the episodes a few times already because they are so good

[@hankhillthememeelder5122]

Im so ready for more bro

[@Reggantal]

I’ve been constantly thinking about this show since season 2 ended

[@almendratlilkouatl]

Funny because I asked the show and it has been thinking about you as well

[@THEAWESOMESHEE]

I work with kids around Oliver’s age irl, and they have done such a good job depicting the attitude kids really have. It is just egocentric black and white thinking. They have the capacity to see a nuanced view but it takes a lot for them to understand it. I don’t think Oliver was lying to his family, but he really is going to be a nuclear bomb with a hairpin trigger which somehow the graysons need to control. I wonder how this will all change when Nolan comes back.

[@nicholas-dv1mg]

as a comic reader, i don't remember oliver and omni-man really interacting much outside of his birth.

[@Jewel_Screaming_Chango8387]

@@nicholas-dv1mgthey do but when Oliver is in his teens and as an adult not as a child that I remember

[@nicholas-dv1mg]

@@Jewel_Screaming_Chango8387 I guess they do kinda live in the same alien empire

[@Shaylok]

Just wait till that kid has his first destructive, temper-tantrum.

[@Sensum-Auxilium]

kids have better neuroplasticity so it is easier for them to feel empathy and connect with other people

[@minnced]

I think Mark has this attitude of no redemption because he thinks that him wanting to forgive Nolan is wrong, and he is projecting that mindset onto everyone else by removing the possibility of redemption.

[@Zarastro54]

This. I was thinking exactly this.

[@sergeantzack1106]

It is wrong

[@FinalDragoon63]

This is a great take, and pretty adjacent to something I feel no one is acknowledging. Which is that Mark is still a young adult with a developing brain who's coping through serious traumatic events.

[@username-unavailable]

@@FinalDragoon63 oh definetly and especially after Cecil made him kill a shitload of borgs- which is a ptsd trigger after Nolan used marks body as a weapon. Trying to talk about redemption when *all* mark sees is his dads actions on his own hands makes him fucking sick

[@im_nic]

I think there's also an element of overcompensation for allowing himself to kill Angstrom. He's trying to overcome this action by being overly judicious towards other criminals, to a suppress his guilt

[@mentalpopcorn2304]

Paul definitely deserved to go to prison though. His actions did result in the declaration of Independence being stolen and nearly killed someone for no reason. It wasn't reasonable to say rex had a hand in kates "Death". Imagine someone you cared about dying, just for their brother to not only blame you for the death, but actually try to kill you. That person should go to jail, right away. A lot of marks attitudes towards some scenarios are twisted, but defending Paul's scenario is crazy.

[@Johnny2Cellos]

I agree with you entirely my point wasn’t that he didn’t deserve it, it was the way in which Mark handled it and how that differs from what we could have expected from him prior to this season. I didn’t defend what Paul did lol

[@EuphyD]

Rex: "You almost killed me for nothing!" Paul: "I've killed for less" bro, what's less than nothing?! 😅😭

[@frimi8593]

@@EuphyDperhaps killing someone you wanted to spare?

[@EuphyD]

@@frimi8593 he wasn't planning to 😅

[@frimi8593]

@@EuphyD that was an answer to your question

[@hurdco7]

My thing is the villains haven't been reformed but reprogrammed which is extremely disturbing. Its one thing to genuinely reform someone or even direct them to contribute to society as payment for their crimes. But with how Cecil talks they literally messed with their heads.

[@murderman8578]

That's up to speculation

[@freazeezy]

While I totally agree it's possible C brain washed them into obedience. That would be completely in character. There's no evidence that's what he did. The flashback shows Cecil going through his own reform program. So it seems the organization has non brain-washing methods. The doctor making the reanimen (?) also doesn't seem to be brain washed.

[@WhyYouMadBoi]

I mean the guy who was turning college students into cyborgs was fucked. You think in a world with heroes people would kill to be a cyborg hero. We also know it works with corpses so like he could've done that but Sinclair didn't. He might as well be reprogrammed cause his brain wasn't working right. Darkwing is meh, I don't see besides the fact he putting justice into his own hands, but we know most heroes work with the government so eh.

[@PotatoKing86]

Yuh

[@DrGandW]

Reprogramming is definitely a scarier word than rehabilitation. Sounds a bit MKUltra.

[@TheStockportHatter1986]

I loved Cecil when he says to Mark he is a hypocrite and that he's waltzing off to help his mass-murdering father

[@someyoutuber771]

This effects Mark way more deeply than you think. If you haven't read the books yet you're in for a treat!

[@ismaelvillalba2827]

Mark isn't seeing the bigger picture he is the only one who could stand his ground against vultrimites and his kid brother is at a impressionable age with a photographic memory and sees humans as lesser creatures and as pests when he gets older he only cares about Debbie and mark and nolan and didn't connect with anyone till he joined the coalition of planets. He knows he is different but wants to make mark proud but he sees him as a hypocrite who goes back and forth between rehabilitation and killing.

[@acua3]

He helped the thraxans, not his father. The only other choice was letting millions die.

[@RockR277]

The show has always had a power scaling problem, but the Seismic confrontation really made me feel like "shoot, just throw those bugs at the viltrumites"

[@michaelofbuhl1315]

Yes , but also no. As viltrumites get stronger through stress, majority of them are much stronger than mark with the age and experience they’ve accrued

[@katlicks]

If you remember back in Season 2, Nolan had Mark go through his books to look for hints on how to defeat the Viltrumites, and one of the books details an "Extremely dense planet" with extreme gravity, and the creatures on that planet, Rognarrs were so incredibly strong in order to survive and move on the planet, that they posed a very real threat to even Viltrumites. So, it was hinted at that something that would survive such extreme conditions like the mantle of the earth, would be enough to threaten a viltrumite.

[@PaulyPop]

⁠​⁠this, the bugs are under a lot more pressure because and gravity because they are closer to the core of the earth, that’s why they are a lot more tougher. And since they are tougher, they also need offensive properties to hunt the other tough bugs, or dig through the earth (which is also more dense than surface dirt)

[@RockR277]

I hadn't thought of that. Makes sense.

[@nicholasaugello2534]

I mean those creatures were literally in the mantle of the Earth

[@athernandez666]

You cannot tell me you're mad at mark for reacting the way he did with multipaul's bullshit.

[@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord]

He had serval werid takes.

[@raytheperson]

hes basically superman and ripped dudes spine out when he could have just pushed everyone he went overboard

[@PotatoKing86]

​@@hawkeyemihawkgettingmoneylord fr

[@SalikCollins]

​@@raythepersonHe didn't go overboard. He gave the guy a chance to stop and he wouldn't listen.

[@willichtenstein7071]

@@raytheperson The guy with infinite spines. The member of organized crime, who doesn't let constantly dieing, deter him from organized crime. . . . Bruh, stop giving him undeserved sympathy.

[@RadarHawk]

Oliver is 100% lying through his teeth. How many times did he promise to listen to Mark and Debbie in these 3 episodes? A ton. And he didn't listen once. He's telling people what they want to hear to get them off his back.

[@snareplug3872]

They're just humans after all to him .. Oliver is 0% human

[@Zarastro54]

He’s also a 1 year old with the body and mind of a 10 year old and powers of a Demi god.

[@austinharris3139]

He’s growing rapidly and is definitely a viltrimite first. Doesn’t have the same growth experience as mark unfortunately.

[@freazeezy]

Absolutely. I'm surprised more people aren't picking up on it. The way he straight faced claimed he killed the twins by accident. He also hid his powers until Mark promised to train him too. He's turning into a little manipulator.

[@Zarastro54]

@@austinharris3139 I don’t think he has a single human friend in his own “age range.” All he has is family and teachers because they literally haven’t had the time to figure out how to hide that he’s purple. Experiencing more human society and making friends, like Mark (and Superman) did would certainly go a long way in building his empathy and connection with Earth. I think his only knowledge of society comes from TV, KZbin, and the news. Terrible for ANY child’s development, let alone one growing at his rate.

[@cheesydawg371]

I didn't know the budget was decreased. That's crazy. It's like "well we know people are gonna come for it anyways so who cares."

[@Kodeuss]

The end episodes of season 3 will be fire I hope they are saving budget for those episodes

[@walrus5540]

I like how donald kinda seems like hes older than cecil, when he introduces himself he is literally the exact same and its probably cause hes mostly robot by this point, and the “ill be your right hand” seems like hes been working there longer than cecil as well

[@urgae9125]

They’re either the same age, or Donald’s slightly older. Considering they probably worked together, with how the former GDA head had him as a sort of favorite

[@noah9942.]

The pace is honestly how the comics were. Unless you want the show to be 150 episodes, this is kinda the pace it has to go

[@nicholas-dv1mg]

why would we not want it to be 150 episodes? it was so much better that we saw the actual guardian fight instead of just the before and after, something we only got late into the comic.

[@kokloj76]

Brother have u ever heard of the walking dead? That shit been going on for 100 years they already gonna milk the shit outta this cow dont u worry ​@@nicholas-dv1mg

[@RaptorRennarts]

@@nicholas-dv1mgBecause Amazon refuses to let shows have more than 8 episodes, and at 150 episodes we wouldn’t finish the series for something like 20 years. The pacing is a little fast, but 8-10 seasons should work just fine to tell and improve the story.

[@letsgobrandon1906]

@@nicholas-dv1mgas an anime fan who’s grown up watching stories that long, we don’t need it.

[@babc6394]

In comic, the pacing is dragging too much, especially in early seasons. It is perfect the same author is writing the show to fix that pacing issue

[@GunfireFWC]

The way they always lead to the title card with dialogue still gets me every. single. time.

[@DoubleDesire]

Except for season 2 ep 4

[@steviegonzalez4098]

I didn't consider the Guardians split an age thing until you brought it up! Kate staying makes so much more sense. Monster Girl chalked it off as her being engaged to the Immortal, but I think it might be the reverse. Kate said herself that all the lives of her clones combined make her about the same age as him, so her idea of Cecil being right in the long run just shows WHY Kate and Immortal work together. Whew, you just made my fears of Kate's agency and personality disappear, thank you!

[@MrAshHere]

Bruh what personality? She’s a plot device. She’s a terrible character. “I almost died too” Nah you aren’t even a superhero. You’re a superhoe

[@nicholassgobero]

Ngl, i don't think combining the lives of the clones means much, all of them are still the same person and we don't even get a hint that she Just leaves clones around the world to do stuff independently and gain more life experience, not only that, but i don't even know if their memories transfer to her

[@nicholas-dv1mg]

@@nicholassgobero I think they do since it mentions that they have a telepathic connection.

[@nicholas-dv1mg]

I think the person that has died and felt death thousands of times can deal with the age gap.

[@naejimba]

She sure doesn't act like it IMO. Sure, everyone was mad at Rex, but no one gave Kate any crap even though it SHOULD have been more shocking coming from her. Then not even two seconds into meeting the Immortal she is already banging him? She's moving too fast like a teenager with daddy issues, which explains why she has the hots for him. Then my dude Immortal is leveling up his blacksmithing making her a ring trying to turn a ho into a housewife.

[@darryljack6612]

The thing is though Oliver isnt entirely wrong in what he said. As a kid he shouldnt be killing people, but to show mercy to people who are only going to keep harming others with no remourse wont hlep things either. Mark tried to show Mercy to the Viltriumite woman he fought on Thraxan and it got him a knife through the gut. The whole "no killing" rule becones real felixible when it wants to.

[@murderman8578]

I think it's more of the heart less attitude when the mauler stop being an active threat

[@raviolithedesigner3736]

It isn't when he wants to, it's generally when he himself or someone he loves is in immediate danger. There are plenty of justifications or excuses for killing some specific people; Viltrumites express that they want to kill and conquer to make a better safer world for others, or to "save lives." If you justify some preventative murder then automatically you can justify practically any amount of preventative murder. That's why superheroes draw that line of no murder. Why should Invincible get a pass to be judge and executioner and Viltrumites don't?

[@darryljack6612]

@raviolithedesigner3736 I never said Viltrumites entirely shouldn't, or to more exact that their philosophy isn't entirely wrong. The problem with the Viltrumites is the laying waste to the totality of a civilization that doesn't agree with them or bend to their power. But as we saw last season with Mark's conversation with Anissa, she explains that human civilization won't last the next two centuries without preventative measures for the most powerful people that strip resources and cause harm. And she isn't wrong in that belief. Just as Oliver isn't wrong here, the Maulers if captured would have gone on to cause more crime and damage and worst of all directly harm and take the lives of more people. They feel no remorse for their actions nor will they change. They can either be utilized like what Cecil did with Sinclair or they need to go. This is why Cecil's philosophy rings true. We can be the "good guys" or the guys that save the world, but you can't be both. To give you a question should Batman kill the Joker knowing that he is going to never change, break out again, and harm more people?

[@pastorcodymitchell1456]

no hes not like he said it's not precious to everyone

[@hamsters7760]

It's a lot more nuanced than that, since you also create extremism by being overzealous in that pursuit; which is infinite future enemies and violence, especially as you go round and round dealing with it via murder.

[@demolisherman1763]

I would like to point out that one of the lessons Mark is trying to instill into Oliver is that, life is precious and you should not kill anyone. The issue is that he’s also completely against the rehabilitation of the criminals he refuses to kill. I guess his ideal is for them to rot away in prison for the rest of their lives? Which feels problematic on both a moral and economic level.

[@mizu7662]

I am pretty sure Mark's reaction has nothing to do with intellectual ideals and more to do with him just not liking the particular people in question. Sinclair in particular hurt people Mark personally knows. Its an entirely emotional reaction that he is trying to pretend is based on some intellectual ideal that prohibits the idea of rehabilitation or using evil people as a resource for good. Seriously, did any part of how he was acting look like the actions of someone acting on their brain rather then acting on emotion?

[@AnarchistArtificer]

​@@mizu7662 you raise a good point here. When I was watching, I found it interesting how Darkwing and Sinclair were lumped together in Mark's mind because of the circumstances. Maybe I need to rewatch the Darkwing episode(s), but he seems far more reasonable and rehabilitate-able than Sinclair, for example. It doesn't excuse Darkwing's actions, but he was pretty traumatised by losing his mentor, and Midnight city doesn't seem conducive towards healing. But as you say, Mark was so upset about Sinclair because he had clearly not forgiven himself for how he had failed his friend (and seeing the fallout of this would make Sinclair's actions far more present in Marks mind)

[@RockR277]

I love the dynamic between Cecil and Mark. It's a bit weird to see Mark have ths stance after his own actions and his reconciliation with Omniman, but Cecil does point out his hypocrisy. I think Mark's hard line stance against working with criminals is his way of making it up to himself that he took out Angstrom. It's also great having a moral dilemma where neither side feels completely right or completely wrong.

[@AnarchistArtificer]

Something that frustrated me (in a good way!) was seeing how human this conflict was. Like how Mark was so clearly fuelled by his trauma and going about things in such a messy way. But then Cecil is hardly better: I wonder how differently things could have gone if Cecil had shared some of his own backstory to Mark to highlight his perspective. But that's the tragedy of messy people in messy scenarios. Both Cecil and Mark acted in ways that were like a self fulfilling prophecy, and it was understandable and agonising in equal measure

[@claytonrios1]

I just remembered that he's voiced by Gus from Sweet Tooth. That just makes his tranquil fury all the more disturbing.

[@murderman8578]

Who

[@claytonrios1]

​@@murderman8578Oliver aka Kid Omni-Man

[@Qoobon_]

​@@murderman8578Gus from Sweet Tooth

[@claytonrios1]

@murderman8578 Oliver

[@FeaFullKnight]

wdym?

[@xedusk]

I don't think Oliver was lying about loving Debbie and I think he was shocked about what he said, but I still feel like he was lying about everything else. The first thing he said after that was that the Maulers didn't have loved ones as a defense of his actions. I don't think he's learned his lesson at all and is just trying to sweep it under the rug to avoid them being mad at him. I haven't seen a single person say that he's lying about loving Debbie. So, I feel like you're misunderstanding what people are saying about Oliver.

[@mervynlarrier9424]

Strength is relative. He's stronger than he was. We didn't even know these things existed, and kaijus are tough already. Seismic said these ones are extra tough because of the pressures they developed in. Also, WILD argument comparing Mark to two serial killers because he caught a body.

[@Johnny2Cellos]

It’s not about the logic, they of course made a point to justify it. I think structurally story wise it doesn’t really fit to show him fail so spectacularly after making that point to explain his newfound strength

[@HeilRay]

I say its not that wild considering that Invincible apprently always seem to become the objective villain in the other timelines Angstrom has lived. Any death he caused is a foreshadowing. And reading the comics, not much has changed now that we are in the blue suit era.

[@HeilRay]

ill also be that guy and say Invincible killed duplikate's brother several times and she stated that every one of their 'clones' are the original, no constructs or poofed illusions. One thing to smack them around till their in tractions but hes going through them like toilet paper, like Omniman went through civilains beating the breaks off of his son.

[@lucasdolding6924]

@@Johnny2Cellos It also doesn't matter how strong he is, it was him getting distracted when Eve got taken out that lead to him getting poisoned. Shows that he's still learning to balance his personal feelings and focus on a job at the same time, he's only 19 so he's not gonna be perfect.

[@ultra-papasmurf]

@@HeilRay And Duplikates brother is a murdering assassin who was in the middle of trying to murder Rex for no reason other than he was angry and Rex survived when he thought she did not. While yes he was killing the copies and there likely is no original anymore they were in self-defence and as paul said it was kill or be killed, Invincible could not restrain all the Pauls, rescue Rex before Paul killed him and hold back his power from killing Rex in the process all at once. He had to choose what to do and kill the disposable Pauls was the correct one.

[@Imthesoulofthes]

Cecil needs to Invest more in Other Heroes.

[@rayshawnwilliams5673]

why

[@EuphyD]

He does though, most of the Guardians almost died fighting that lion dude, and Rex got absolutely totaled last season. Not to mention Immortal was decapitated straight up season one. Donald was rebuilt and he's not even a hero. G.U.N keeps whoever they think is good period and will invest in keeping them alive even after they die

[@DylanJo123]

​@@rayshawnwilliams5673 Ever heard of that too many eggs in one basket saying?

[@rayshawnwilliams5673]

@@DylanJo123 huh no

[@rayshawnwilliams5673]

@@DylanJo123 what does it mean

[@ericdewell1905]

I think it was a little on the nose when Mark said, “Ezra Miller should be in jail! I mean, SINCLAIR should be in jail!”

[@Johnny2Cellos]

Lolllll

[@BakaVHS]

Invincible has a few passive reflections of modern comics as a whole. The "non-permanent" deaths is one of them - every main character has 11 layers of plot armor but will be ripped to literal pieces often.

[@24Sparja]

About the seismic battle, last season, omni man's books hinted that monsters that live in high gravity and pressure are uniquely strong against viltrumites. With these creatures living deep in the earth, it makes sense that mark, while gaining strength, still hasnt been proven stronger than elite full grown viltrumites and would struggle against the type of creature that has any measure of an advantage against his kind.

[@Johnny2Cellos]

It wasn’t a complaint about the logic about why they were stronger than Mark! It was about the structuring of the episode in touting how much stronger Mark is now but then not really showing it when it counts. Chekov’s strength lol

[@heymemesaucevichaelhere9595]

coming from the perspective of a comic reader, I actually really like where Oliver's character goes in the later part of the story especially

[@reeeraptor8]

4:27 bro he was trying to kill a man for something there was no evidence of him doing, I don't care who he is he's going to prison

[@Johnny2Cellos]

I never said he didn’t deserve to go to prison lol

[@DanteLee88]

No, but the issue is this: you imply that season 1 Mark wouldn't make the same choice that season 3 Mark is making, assuming that "power scaling" has anything to do with character choices...or at least is more important than anything else, without taking into so consideration that they're NOT the same character at this point in the show. You're making a great argument for those that do not understand the difference between "character assassination" and "character growth..."

[@sirmerit6147]

⁠@@Johnny2CellosBUT the way you are explaining this incident is as if it’s wrong for Mark to be thinking/acting this way.

[@Johnny2Cellos]

Y’all, I cannot even with this. Nowhere did I say that it’s a BAD thing that Mark is acting this way from a story perspective. Nowhere did I say anything Mark did was WRONG. I said his demeanor feels OUT OF CHARACTER from the Mark of previous seasons! Because it INTENTIONALLY is written to be! That is his trajectory this year, that’s the point! It’s obviously a huge part of his character journey. I’m analyzing the story and y’all are acting like I’m crucifying the character for his decision making, it’s very weird! I love Mark!

[@DanteLee88]

@ also just wanna say, my disagreement with your breakdown made me stop watching your video when I didn't hear my chamber being echoed. (I had 3-5ish minutes left) But responding and engaging the way you did, ready for criticism while also defending how you feel and what you intended with your scripted words... I'm definitely going back to rewatch the whole vid. You've earned my respect. Which in the day and age of KZbin 2025, means you've earned my watchtime and engagement. KZbin Algorithm Gods be praised regardless 😂😂

[@sanguisuga6825]

Even if rehabilitated criminals aren't used by Cecil, rehabilitation is still preferable to putting them in prison solely for revenge. Revenge isn't a moral goal, improving lives is

[@BassLineProductionsI]

Hes alienating heroes to accommodate hiring villians, its rather messed up

[@Yoda_Saint_Cloud]

I love that people are making these breakdowns as if it’s a fully original IP and not based on a 22 year old comic book.

[@bombkirby]

A lot of people had an issue with everything you said around 5:20 but I do NOT feel the same. 1. Doc Seismic uses sound waves which is Mark's weakness. Of course he's getting his ass whooped. It felt like foreshadowing for the coming scene with the earpiece. Especially when Doc grabs Mark's head and blasts him in melee range with his vibration/sound blast. 2. Everyone REALLY hates that the bugs posed a threat to Mark, BUT the show already told us back in Season 1 that Omni Man nearly lost VS the Kaiju "Hail Mary". Which is why Cecil put it on ice and used it during the finale to stop Omni Man. So it's been established that Kaiju on Earth can rival Omni Man's power, and Mark is no Omni Man, so him losing to an army of Kaiju sized centipedes didn't seem weird to me at all.

[@Johnny2Cellos]

It’s not about the “logic” of Mark struggling within the lore it’s more I have an issue with the structure of the story. Starting the episode focusing on how much more powerful he is and then at the end showing him struggle so immensely felt off to me.

[@hellomynameis5760]

​@@Johnny2Cellos Honestly It could've been fixed if Cecil just said that the bugs are incredibly strong or smth, bc they live in the Earth's core.

[@kuzurame]

"we can be the good guys, or we can be the guys that save the world, we can't be both" Sounds like such a "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" and "the ends justify the means" mix of a sentence. I think Cecil realizes he is going to make mistakes and do things that are morally questionable, and that he will pay for it in time, but that someone has to do it.

[@mailelouie658]

Oliver is my favorite character! Kirkman really wrote him as a complex character with a ton of layers. Oliver always sees things in black and white. He’s very inflexible as he grows.

[@lhfirex]

I don't know how many seasons they're shooting for, but having read all of the comics, they're going through multiple arcs in one season. I like how faithful it is to the comics even though that means I know exactly what's going to happen next. Can't wait to see some of my favorite characters and arcs as the show goes on!

[@tankedwarthog6424]

10 confirmed seasons

[@higharchbishopofteatasting6217]

​@@tankedwarthog6424TEN?! fucking beautiful mate.

[@volandblack666]

@@tankedwarthog6424wasn’t confirmed

[@tankedwarthog6424]

@@volandblack666 i thought it was confirmed

[@drowsy1579]

I agree, the look of genuine tiredness from mark feels so earned and genuine. So by episode 2 of season 3 it really feels earned his realction and it really hurts as a fan and you understand. Really amazing wring, it’s fr amazing.

[@evandugas7888]

I would say Mark never took a life in a none self defense situation. His family was kidnapped and damage was done. With that being said I think darkwing could be redeemed. (The other guy was crazy)

[@MM-me9vb]

I mean the whole entirety of invincible is being told in 8 seasons. And were barely a little over 1/4. So thats why it seems paced really quickly

[@Johnny2Cellos]

Yeah that’s why I said they should do longer seasons!

[@mizu7662]

It sure is amazing how fast Mark flipped his tune on murderers needing to be sent to jail instead of being offered a slap on the wrist and rehabilitation if they help Cecil save lives when it is his brother that murdered a person who had surrendered in cold blood.

[@kittenwizard4703]

I think you need to consider that Oliver is still a child lol, I get where you're coming from about the hypocrisy of Mark but it is different when a child does it who doesn't clearly have a good grasp on morality yet compared to someone with intention

[@ripperonipepperoni7841]

It is not the same tho,oliver is a very young boy who has a more power than someone his age should have,but Sinclair is a fucking freak and darkwing is an adult that chose to kill people

[@lckaboom6810]

Pretty sure there’s a big difference between a child killing a mass-murderer, and grown men kidnapping and murdering dozens of innocent people. Edit: WARNING: COMIC SPOILERS IN THE COMMENT BELOW THIS ONE

[@somebodyintheinternet5478]

@@kittenwizard4703"oopsie, just killed people who surrendered and wanted to release a virus that would eradicated humanity later on in the saga, my bad, i'm still a child bro i dont know whats right or wrong so yall should forgive me" (even though oliver grows faster than humans do and is already able to comprehend his mother's words because they depart from earth, what an insane comment to defend murderers)

[@freazeezy]

​@@kittenwizard4703 I mean, I knew murder was bad when I was a kid.

[@vixwashere7811]

As someone who read the comics, and knew the thing with the Maulers was coming, I'm excited to see how you'll react to later developments with Oliver and how the show runners will change things up.

[@Willowposting]

Rex has been one of my favorite characters for the last season and a half. He’s really gone from being annoying to entertaining in a way that I feel is very believable for a cocky teenage guy who is probably stronger than like 90% of the population, and while he’s still very immature I feel like it’s less in a dickhead way and more in an overly excitable way.

[@Shiftshapercat]

Rex is an asshole that is or has been tempered by his own realized limitations. It literally took him getting shot in the head to appreciate what he already has in life and what he is capable of.

[@jcmahrt5100]

Granted the Seismic fight does more or less show that Mark isn't the only one who is improving with even the villains upping their game.

[@shreyvarad]

See, I get your point about the end of episode one. But I see it this way. The reason why Mark and Eve were struggling wasn't because of physical strength but rather a strength in numbers. Both had to contend with Seismic and all the underground creatures alone. Additionally, Mark was trying to do too much at once. Looking after Eve, fighting the monsters, trying to go after Seismic and trying to free the other heroes. It was never meant to be smth he won.

[@Alex-the-Cicada]

I think Mark telling Rick about Sinclair, was totally selfish. Like wanting to hear what he wants to hear from someone who "would get it". Rick was tortured by Sinclair and maybe he would have been better off not knowing that his monster is set free. Like he needs to have a clean conscious, even if it burdens others. Like Mark telling Eve about future Eve, and wanting to get together. It was about Mark feeling better. I do love this season so far, and Mark has been through alot and that stuff with Oliver not feeling empathy for murdering the Maullers is a lot to deal with. It's almost like Mark shutting down and trying to take control of things is having an impact on his brother.

[@mizu7662]

Yeah, I really don't get how so many people are siding with Mark here when the show is throwing up so many flags about him actually being kind of an asshole who (despite his love of humanity) really doesn't understand some things like just how damned terrifying he is from a non-powered human's perspective and why someone like Cecil would jump straight to security measures the moment Mark showed the slightest sign of aggression (even if it was only on the level of 'walking towards a person who clearly doesn't feel comfortable having you in their physical space' that would just be obnoxious and rude if Mark was a regular human). Because if Mark wanted to Cecil could be killed in a damn instant and there would be nothing he could do about it without preparations that have to be deployed before Mark actually throws hands to be helpful and he is literally gambling his life if he decides not to set them up in the hopes Mark will cool down rather then continue to escalate. And yeah, going and telling them that was a dick move. He wanted to find someone else who hated Sinclair that would validate his stance on the matter and didn't care that getting that validation is probably going to give his friends nightmares of that guy coming back for them to do more experiments on them now that they think he is just walking around free rather then the more likely reality of being locked up somewhere that happens to have a lab for him to do work for Cecil in.

[@maxinea.sakaki4151]

Nope, Oliver is just like that.

[@ijionclifton9148]

It wasn't selfish he told him that because he deserved to know

[@ijionclifton9148]

​@mizu7662 he didn't mark was calm and Cecil escalated the situation and telling Rick was the right thing to do he deserved to know the man who did that to him was free a dick move would be lying to him knowing Sinclair isn't in prison

[@zynergx6973]

Both Mark and Cecil have good points but there were TWO essential things they both lacked for each other; Trust and Compromise. Mark was right to call out Cecil's actions but didn't assure him that he would be calm, reasonable, and non-threatening for Cecil to properly explain himself. Not to mention he's still emotionally volatile after the whole angstorm incident which made him double down on his uncompromising morality despite the situation with Nolan. Cecil was right about having questionable but necessary measures and using villains for the greater good but wasn't upfront about his plans to his allies nor bother easing their concerns thus resulting in Mark crashing out and the fracture within the Guardians.

[@MrNocturnalEmission]

Regarding the crime duo who couldn't afford rent, bruh they have super powers how are they not able to monetize that. Especially heat powers. I refuse, refuse the goofiness.

[@DylanJo123]

Maybe their criminal records stopped them from good high paying jobs.

[@AqibA.C.]

I quite literally _just_ finished watching the third of the first available three. [Invinci]Boy, is this gonna' be good.

[@storymaster21]

The point of the Seizmic fight was to subtly point out key weaknesses of Mark that they will come back to later on (heat weakens Viltrumites and stalls their healing factor, and the seismic vibrational soundwaves mess with Viltrumites ability to fight and fly)

[@PhinTheOx]

I’m just so glad they show how his healing process is super accelerating with the hole in his chest

[@TheNamesFathom]

I absolutely adore how Invincible leans into the grey nature of morality. It poses insanely tough questions and rarely gives simple answers, if any answers at all. The show’s far more realistic for it and I love that.

[@urfav_cyberstalker6702]

11:45-12:09 ,, the exact reason why he SEEMS to be getting beaten in many situations,, HE IS HOLDING BACK. We see on multiple occasions how truly dangerous is and/or can be if unchecked.

[@colevakamusic]

The crazy thing about the pacing is that the comic rushed through this stuff even faster. This show is one of the best direct adaptations I've ever seen because it fleshes these stories out a ton and brings in stuff from side stories flawlessly.

[@bub9909]

Fake out deaths? Quick pacing? Okay-ish animation quality? This is the Invincible I know 🙏

[@lamborghinimercy5737]

Yeah strong start to the season so far

[@mazingg2367]

Episode 2 had pretty good animation with mark vs Cecil and the future twins fighting mark and Rex. Seems they save the animation for the fights

[@misterelom]

This season started off with a bang! The episode with Cecil's backstory is my favorite of the season so far. And that opening sequence with the criminal couple and the trials and tribulations that led them to becoming villains was a work of art. Incredible storytelling without one word and makes you actually feel for the "bad guys".

[@DrogonTheDread]

I also think with Oliver's rapid aging he is also less acclimatised to life to acts worse He just learnt to walk then he can fly and all sorts He's not even 1yr old yet

[@LiterallyCanada666]

i’ve been looking for weekly coverage and one of my favorite channels covering it is perfect

[@JCShadow0202]

This episode's introduction is perfect given the moral conflict from the first two episodes. The "bad" guys are capable of change but still committing crimes; Cecil would see potential to reform or control them, but Mark just sees bad guys that need to be stopped.

[@DrGandW]

Mark “killed” someone and decided to cling to being a hardliner with his morals because he’s afraid of himself and who he would become without them. It’s grasping for a feeling of control that he already lost.

[@JCShadow0202]

@ So true

[@L-6014]

I LOVE this because it's analyzing and theoryzing without the comics so I can just listen without having to worry about actual spoilers

[@sycho-tech5104]

seriously, dude its 'Traumatized hero kid 101', hes mainlining the rule book because he doesn't trust himself or his instincts to make the right call anymore, and he growing exponentially stronger but still losing to an old man and his pet bugs because his subconscious is is throttling his power. eventually someone will figure out that hes unconsciously pulling his punches. things will happen, he will fail to resolve or just ignore the problem until the epic big battle wear hell get his ass kicked, reach some kind of inner peace, and than kick the absolute shit out of the bad guy. like every super hero has this exact arc at some point. also 7:35 - "one often meets their destiny on the road they took to avoid it." - Jean de la Fontaine / Master Oogway

[@RaptorRennarts]

Pretty much. No spoilers, but he’ll get that moment at the end of the season. He’s already as strong as Anissa or his dad, they said as much at the very beginning of the season.

[@MegaMan87]

Kill or be Killed. The way Heroes are doing is so Contradictory.

[@alexhero64]

Is that a No More Heroes reference?

[@MegaMan87]

@alexhero64 Never played it. But it seems to be right.

[@StanLovesHams]

Why they didn’t rob the bank at night is beyond me.

[@ericwilliams5343]

In the comic he doesn't get bitten by that creature when saving everybody, he kills it and then faints from exhaustion. I wish they would implemented that in the show imo.

[@saerenlawliet2756]

I felt like Mark was mostly justified until he went and spoke to Cecil, like he's more angry about the rehabilitation and not the "severe physical reprogramming" used to do it, which sounds like torture, Mark doesn't even bring it up he just keeps whinging about the only sliver lining in what Cecil is doing, Mark should have been more interested in *how" Cecil is turning bad guys into good guys so easily

[@AhmadAli-uk3sh]

The discourse around these 3 episodes have been interesting to witness

[@paulmuntean1459]

I totally understand Cecil having contingency plans for every superhero. But, activating those said plans over a disagreement is not only bad, but very stupid. That's not how you win the loyalty of an OP being. Besides, with that move, he even ruined his entire contingency plan for Mark. C'mon, Cecil, what are you doing? You calling people arrogant and stupid but you were the biggest arrogant in that episode for thinking you could humble Mark by almost killing him for no real reason. You activate a contingency plan when the target actually becomes a real threat to the globe

[@dawidjanik545]

Oh man get ready for the rest. Episode 6 and forward is going to be crazy

[@mooredaxon]

19:36 I don't know if I'd call this a "straight up lie." Yes, he is lying, but it reminds me of when i was a child and i got caught doing something bad. The first thing i thought of was "i didn't mean to..." Honestly Oliver is written as so excellently. He really comes off as a little kid.

[@kuzurame]

so excited to see you cover these week to week

[@DrPhill-uv3gv]

It's so nice seeing a non spoiled invincible fan who hasn't read the comics. Genuinely can't wait to go through your videos week to week. And honestly, I think the animation thing is that the name an effort will be put into the massive last two episodes. I'm hoping I'm right about this, and I'm not spoiling anything, but genuinely it will get freaking crazy

[@Valkoriona7]

I like how mark is actually struggling fighting lower level threats due to how carefully he manages his strength holds after both killing angstrum and becoming so much more powerful.

[@skyrogue1977]

The Viltramite mentality squashed the bug side.

[@coldfusionbeam]

I'm a fan of the pacing so far. Narratively, but also from a production standpoint. There is a lot of content in the 144 issues of the comics, and I'm kind of worried the show will be canceled before it gets to finish the whole story.

[@zachnoland155]

Oliver isn't telling the truth but he also isn't lying. A lot of kids act impulsively in destructive ways but still genuinely want to please the expectations of their parents. Usually that kid doesn't have lethal superpowers though. I think Oliver is genuinely guilty bc he wants Debbie's approval it's just whether he gives in to his impulsive tendencies which he probably will before maturing Debbie is such a good mom though she played that situation perfectly

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

GREAT SHOW! Thanks For this! Can't wait For more

[@Deadman_4679]

I heavily disagree with the multi-paul thing. Mark was trying to reason but Had to get violent when he noticed Rex was getting beaten to death. This is ultimately why he brought him to jail because he nearly killed Rex for literally nothing. I believe it would be a bit contradictory to marks current moral standing to go "yeah we will give him some slack since he was just mad at rex for no real good reason"

[@jacobschulman1306]

im been dying for this season to come with the invincible and atom eve romance

[@srgzachattack1594]

Also the whole reason oliver killed the mauler teins originally was to help mark from danger showing he loves his family

[@chug_juggernaut]

Bro this season is actually so peak it’s crazy

[@codemanthe2nd343]

I'm glad you agree. The implanted ear piece was really the only overstep, and even that can be justified even if it wasn't very moral. I've seen too many reactions that are agreeing with Mark

[@ultravisione9311]

the relationship between mark and eve is only one episode, in the next episodes I believe it will be explored further

[@capt.obvious0060]

I get what you mean about how fast things are moving but this is the pace of the comics and it should be known that this series will be like 10 years long. Also if you like the moral dilemma seen in these episodes well it’s going to last like 7 more seasons

[@sanjayganeshkumar]

I have been enjoying Season 3 so far. Can't wait to see what the show does next.

[@thedaringdarson2659]

something that i think makes the conversation abour rehabilitation more complex is that darkwing, the freeing fists, and presumably da sinclair do not feel like theyve been voluntarily and naturally reintroduced into society based on the language that cecil uses (saying they've been "reprogrammed") and rather that they have been reconditioned to follow orders from the gda which does not make them good again. its more like their murderous tendencies and such have been changed in order for them to benefit the gda.

[@nyblller]

But if they are helping society and stopped murdering innocent people, does it matter of they are "good" or not?

[@coolboy9979]

Didn't even know that it's out. Thanks for the notice

[@mrmusickhimself]

Rex Splode has become the most reasonable character on the show, and as immature as The Immortal is, I'm shocked he was ever Lincoln.

[@hellatubbies882yt]

I wonder if he defaults to angry old guy every time he comes back from dying, or if he is always that and he on occasion locks tf in gets real fancy and frees the slaves?

[@zacharymccoy7091]

I like Immortal's reaction to the Declaration being stolen since he was Lincoln.

[@bizzierechinstardom]

Great narration and breakdown for the first 3 episodes for season 3. As you know comic books and TV are two separate mediums. I like that this is fast paced because when it’s not, it’s like Attack on Titan I’ll let you discover that for yourself if you don’t know.

[@Kingshit69]

I wonder what would have happened if Cecil told Mark his backstory instead of it being a meta thing for us

[@bearberserker]

There are so many parts, but I think that this can develop where Mark and Oliver can be foils where they can both grow. It is also good for Eve and her parents where she can can a better understanding of architecture, which could be useful with her powers.

[@0744401]

In the comics, it's explained here that Oliver has a completely attachment-based morality. Those he loves are good and precious, the rest he doesn't care. This is in part attributed to his mixed alien heritage - the Thraxan are too short lived for grudges, and forgive instantly, though they never forget (too short lived to need forget anything), but his exposure to human culture has fostered into him an extremely human capacity for love. And so, he makes excuses for the people he loves, and he models his behaviour after what they do - and not what they say. Because he's a child. This is already implicit in the choice of arguments Debbie is using, but might be explored further in subsequent episodes, as the cartoon shuffles some events around for pacing purposes.

[@gooseteeth5455]

Honestly had no idea they were LOWERING the budget. That seems like an ass backwards move, Invincible is probably the biggest show they have, why would they try to actively kill it like that?

[@petermj1098]

Everyone is gonna shut up after the Conquest fight lol

[@assadi89]

If you didn't read the comics, which the show pretty closely follows, then I can only say "let the story play out", trust me bro, it's going to get better and better. The Comic is a rare case of running for 144 issues, without reboots or flashpoints or any other interruptions of that sort. The show is at around issue 30-40ish, so most of the character arcs have only started, except for some minor characters, who are reaching the climax of theirs, like Rex. Even Eve's parents get some character development in the last third of the comic.

[@zarafex-0923]

In the case of Oliver I think everyone forgets he isn't human. Like his mother's race think exactly like him. They focus on logical answers for the good of everyone rather than individuals. By default he won't think the same way humans do.

[@BlueB33dle]

My only complaint with this season is that they dropped three out of the eight episodes in the first week! I wish the weekly discussion around this season could last longer 😭

[@MAGReload]

My favorite detail so far is when Oliver reveals he has powers he is wearing Omni-man’s colors

[@themaskedraff]

Episode 2 and 3 are arguably some of my favorite episodes of television ever. The daunting task that is Oliver, the insane strife and parallels drawn to Omni-Man and Invincible in season 1's pilot episode like ending, and seeing mark do the same shit albeit with dead people. Im so truly curious how this can go, i think the fundamental principle that Oliver doesnt understand the gravity of killing is really interesting

[@michaelmacalpine4095]

something to keep in mind with Oliver, He is full alien half viltrumite half bug alien. apart from Debbie he has no real connection to humanity. Add to that his super fast aging and Oliver hasn't really had time to build any sort of morality besides people he cares for (Debbie and Mark) VS people he does not (basically everyone else)