Invincible S01E08 is the finale of the first season of an animated superhero action-adventure TV drama streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The series is based on the Image Comic of the same name, created by writer Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) and artist Cory Walker.
S P O I L E R S
Entitled “Where I Really Come From”, Invincible S01E08 is the expected payoff from that moment in episode 1 when Omni-Man is revealed to be a villain as he massacres the Guardians of the Globe. This finale is effectively a horror story as Mark begins a nightmare journey as he becomes Earth’s last hope against an unstoppable force, who just happens to be his father.
READ OUR REVIEWS OF INVINCIBLE SEASON 1
For us, this episode was a callback to previous depictions of superhero ultra-violence and the realistic consequences of a battle between two literal gods. Remember how folks griped about the Superman vs Zod fight in Man of Steel? Well, this amps it up to the nth level.
Obviously inspired by the Miracleman vs Kid Miracleman slugfest in Miracleman #15 (by Alan Moore and John Totleben), the episode contains probably the most brutal and visceral superhero carnage ever seen in Western media. Anime fans might point out that such ultra-violence is old hat but the very concept of superheroes causing such death and mayhem is rare.
READ OUR ANALYSIS OF THE SUPERHERO MOVIE GENRE
Which is why we absolutely loved the first season of Invincible. Superhero comic books have long explored darker adult themes (since the 1980s with Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns), so hopefully the saturated superhero media landscape will allow for a bigger focus on to this untapped sub-genre. Thus, it is good news indeed, that plans for two more season of Invincible have been announced.
Without a doubt, Invincible S01E08 is one of the best superhero TV episodes so far, which makes this series, essential for superhero fans everywhere.
Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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