Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Invincible season 3, episodes 1-5.
Invinciblemay be one of the best superhero shows on TV, but a recurring trope has overstayed its welcome in season 3, and it’s time to move on. Despite its ups and downs over the years, Prime Video’s hit animated series has continued to shine in its third season, with the story getting darker and more dramatic than ever. AlongsideMark becoming more villainous inInvincibleseason 3,the split between the Guardians of the Globe mixed with the teased return of Angstrom Levy have all contributed to a grittier tone, which has upped the stakes drastically.
While these factors have had a positive impact on the show, season 3 has failed to get rid of a trope that is only becoming more frustrating as the seasons go on. DespiteInvinciblefixing many of its previous mistakes regarding its productionspeed, one consistent narrative decision is beginning to hurt the show - its fake-out deaths. Having a character seemingly return from the dead or survive a life-threatening injury works as a one-off, or at least a very rare occurrence, butInvinciblehas started to rely on the trend, with season 3 showing no signs of slowing down.
Invincible’s Constant Fake-Out Deaths Make Its Brutal Action Scenes Feel Less Important
It’s Becoming Harder To Get Invested In Character Deaths With So Many Fake-Outs
One ofInvincible’s stand-out qualities is its brutality, but the constant fake-out deaths are making it harder to be invested in the show’s violence. While other superhero franchises often hold back on showing just how strong their heroes and villains are, especially compared to the average human,Invinciblehappily leans into it.Omni-Man murdering the Guardians of the Globe in season 1 was one of the most graphic superhero scenes in recent memory, only topped by the Viltrumite using his own son to murder hundreds of civilians in seconds.
The abundance of fake-out deaths has begun to detract from that strength, asInvinciblehas struggled to pull the trigger on keeping characters dead.
Establishing a violent and gory tone has made each fight feel more engaging, as it really feels like almost anyone could die at any moment. Unfortunately, the abundance of fake-out deaths has begun to detract from that strength, asInvinciblehas struggled to pull the trigger on keeping characters dead. Allen the Alien’s return started the trend, as the series appeared to kill him off, only to reveal he is a lot stronger than anyone could’ve expected, including Allen himself. While this started as a nice twist, it quickly became a frequent plot device thatInvinciblehas relied on.
Invincibleseason 2 implied Dupli-Kate and Shrinking Rae diedin their bloody battle with the Lizard League; however, Rae was placed on life support, eventually surviving, while Kate reappeared after revealing she had a clone hidden away. Rex’s death was also teased in the same fight after he was shot in the head, although his return came much more swiftly. Unfortunately, season 3 has continued this trend, as Angstrom Levy’s cameo in episode 3 hinted at the villain returning, while Mister Liu also had a fake-out death in episode 5, highlighting how often the show has depended on this trope.
Invincible Should Take More Risks With Character Deaths
The Series Has So Many Interesting Characters That It Could Afford To Sacrifice A Few Heroes & Villains
Despite how heartbreaking someInvincibledeaths would be, the show has more than enough characters to start taking more risks. The series has admirably followed the source material extremely closely, butthe decision to keep Shrinking Rae alive went against the comics. Ultimately, her arc with Rex looks worth keeping her around, but that doesn’t mean the show couldn’t have taken a gamble elsewhere by potentially killing off Kate instead. Likewise, TheMauler Twins' death inInvincibleseason 3 was a huge shock, but if the comics are anything to go by, they may not stay dead.
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As enjoyable as the villainous duo is, the show already has plenty of other villains that could provide a similar role without hurting the series, proving their return isn’t necessary.Invincible’s roster of characters also trumps many of its competitors, and they all have interesting personalities, but with only eight episodes per season, it’s hard to tell everyone’s story in its entirety. Therefore, opting to kill off more characters and keeping them buried would add more stakes to the show, while the bigger arcs would feel even more daunting based on the caliber of enemies being introduced.
Invincible’s Story Would Have Even More Jeopardy If It Killed Off More Characters
Knowing Some Key Figures Could Die At Any Moment Would Add To How Brutal Invincible Really Is
While it feels far too late forInvincibleto start wildly diverting from the source material, killing off more characters would inject an extra sense of jeopardy into the series. Perhapselevating some of the show’s lesser-used characters to kill them off later would add more emotional depth to their demise, regardless of what side of the law they were on. Even though the Mauler Twins were villains down to their core and even died trying to off the main heroes, their deaths still carried some emotional weight considering fans had spent seasons getting to know them.
Seeing their more light-hearted side makes it hard not to feel a little sad that they could potentially be gone for good, somethingInvinciblecould also do with Magmaniac and Tether Tyrant after they got a short time in the spotlight. In addition, some members of the Guardians of the Globe or Rex’s new team being axed would hit hard, especially if it came at the hands of a seemingly lesser villain, which the fake-out deaths have already proven.
Episode 8: “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up”
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Showing that most characters aren’t safe means the story would feel more unpredictable than ever, makingInvincible’s main threats more menacing. Had a few more heroes been killed off by now, the thought of the Guardians facing the Viltrumites would become so much scarier from an audience perspective. As of now, too many characters feel like they have a potential lifeline to use or a gimmick that could bring them back, but ifInvinciblekilled off some fan favorites for good, the stakes would feel higher than ever.
