Warning! This article contains spoilers for Invincible season 3, episode 7.
Invincibleseason 3, episode 7 finally overcame a problematic trend of late, but it may have broken my heart in doing so. Thus far,Invincibleseason 3’s storyhas spent a lot of time building up supporting characters, their relationships with one another, and their connections to Mark. Although some have dubbed season 3 a somewhat filler story thus far as a result, others have thoroughly enjoyed what developments the show has made withInvincible’s cast of characters.
Regardless of opinions on the season thus far, many will agree thatInvincibleseason 3, episode 7is one of the show’s best yet. The source material’s iconic Invincible War storyline came to pass, resulting inevil Mark Grayson/Invincible variantsattacking Earth on the orders of Angstrom Levy. As Earth’s heroes united to face this almost insurmountable threat, several met a dark fate, as did many of the Mark variants. One of these deaths was suitably heartbreaking, but I still thinkInvincibleneeded it to happen to overcome a worrying trend the show has problematically repeated in the past.
Invincible Needed A Major Death After Too Many Shock Character Survivals
Characters Kept Escaping Seemingly Fatal Situations
The tragic death in question was Rex Splode’s, with the character imbuing his own skeleton with his explosive powers in a big to kill one of Mark’s evil variants. The death was upsetting, given Rex’s strong character development inInvincibleseasons 2 and 3, but I admit that the show needed it to happen due to the fake-out deaths that have become somewhat commonplace. Be it Allen’s apparent death in season 2 before being reborn as a Viltrumite killing machine or the many times Immortal has been “killed” and revived,Invinciblehas long had an issue with sticking to impactful deaths.
Invinciblebecame a show where characters were simply expected to survive…
While I understand a lot of these plot points are following the comics, it does not take away from howInvinciblebecame a show where characters were simply expected to survive. This was the same inInvincibleseason 2, with Rex, Shrinking Rae, and Dupli-Kate surviving the Lizard League attack despite suffering massive injuries. InInvincibleseason 3, episode 7, characters like Shapesmith and Immortal survive even more grievous injuries, further proving the point. As a result, in some ways, I was thankful for Rex’s death being made permanent.
Rex Splode’s Death Hurts, But That’s The Point
Characters Are Not Supposed To Live Forever
Of course, in other ways, Rex’s death hurt a lot. The character has undergone a significant character arc acrossInvincible’s three seasons thus far, going from an insufferable, arrogant character to a thoughtful, selfless superhero.Invincibleseason 3, episode 7 dangled happiness in front of Rex and Rae before having the former die in battle, providing an incredibly effective death scene. As will be the case with many, I was upset by Rex’s death, but I believe that is the point.
Characters in the best stories do not work because they live forever. All of the best stories are as enticing as they are because they have real narrative stakes.Invinciblesomewhat lacked these stakes due to how often characters were shown to survive life-altering events. That said, Rex’s death being permanent becomes even sadder as a result, which was the point. Now,Invincibleseason 3, episode 7 will go down as an impactful, consequential turning point in the series, driven by the loss of a major character.
