Everyone is talking about the new series Invincible, starring Steven Yuen. Here are five reasons you should check out the superhero hit!
Invincible on Amazon Prime is a certified hit! The animated superhero series stars Steven Yuen as Mark Grayson, a normal teenager, except for the fact that his father, Nolan, played by J.K. Simmons, is the most powerful superhero on the planet. When Mark feels his own powers begin to manifest he is pulled into the complicated and morally grey world of being a superhero. The series is already beloved by critics earning a 96% approval rating with an average rating of 7.79/10, based on 54 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. With a second and third season already on the way from Amazon here are five reasons why it definitely isn’t too late to start watching Invincible.
The Cast
Invincible boasts an incredible cast from the starring roles all the way down to side characters. Steven Yuen who previously worked with Robert Kirkman on AMC’s The Walking Dead leads the cast along with an Academy-Award winner J.K. Simmons. Also in the cast are Killing Eve’s Sandra Oh as Mark’s mother, Debbie and Community’s Gillian Jacobs as Samantha Eve Wilkins/Atom Eve, a matter and energy manipulating superheroine who is also Invincible’s first superhero friend. Jacobs isn’t the only comedian who has found a home on Invincible. Andrew Rannells and Jason Mantzoukas who you will definitely recognize from Netflix are also in the cast. Rannells portrays Mark’s best friend while Mantzoukas plays his superhero rival Rex Splode. Invincible doesn’t only have comedy experts and awards darlings in the cast it also has a fair amount of superheroes off the clock. Mahershala Ali who will be making his debut as Blade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a particularly memorable role as the side character and anti-hero Titan. Meanwhile, Zazie Beetz who did superhero double duty as Domino in Deadpool 2 and Sophie in Joker plays Amber Bennett Mark’s classmate and girlfriend. These huge names are only scratching the surface of what Invincible has to offer cast-wise.
A Different Kind of Superhero Story
Despite the bright colors and fun animation style Invincible isn’t your average superhero tale. Unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Invincible is an incredibly violent and adult-oriented take on the genre. If you are of the faint of heart or made squeamish by blood and gore then Invincible might not be the show for you. However, if you aren’t put off by those things then prepare for some of the most intense fight scenes on television. While these scenes are often exciting and stimulating there are also massive consequences to each and every fight on the show. The violence on Invincible isn’t just for the shock value alone. It is used to establish the harsh and dangerous nature of being a superhero that is often sugar-coated with other properties. Every choice that Mark Grayson makes can have a major impact on his friends, team, and family in both positive and negative ways.
Robert Kirkman
Anyone who was a fan of AMC’s The Walking Dead will know the name, Robert Kirkman. The American comic book writer created the series in 2003 and let it run for Beginning 193 issues before unexpectedly ending the series in 2019. The series was so popular that it spawned multiple additional media properties, including video games, two companion television series, four webisode series, and various additional publications, including novels. However, before The Walking Dead was a twinkle in Kirkman’s eye he created Invincible. Running from 2003 to 2018 with 144 issues, it was published concurrently with The Walking Dead. Both properties share a violent and fresh take on the genres they spawned from (zombie and superhero) and created an iconic hero at the center of it all. With how well Invincible is being received it is safe to say it might be on the same track to popularity as its younger brother The Walking Dead.
Behind the Scenes
Invincible doesn’t just have incredible talent in front of the microphone to voice the characters, there’s also a force behind the scenes. Series director Jeff Allen has been making a steady career in Hollywood as a storyboard artist and animation director. He is also very experienced in superhero properties. He worked on 2012’s Ultimate Spider-Man series and Avengers Assemble as supervising director on more than one hundred episodes from 2013 to 2019. Another director for Invincible, Robert Valley who helped on the first episode, also has a long career in art and animation for entertainment. Valley leant his skills to the Netflix show Love, Death & Robots and a Wonder Woman mini-series in 2013.
There’s More!
Many Invincible fans breathed a huge sigh of relief when Amazon announced the series had been renewed for a second and third season. Since there are more than one hundred and forty four issues of the comic series, there is a lot more story for Invincible to tell. The series also ended its run in 2018 making it so there is a satisfying conclusion to the story. In a video announcing the renewal Robert Kirkman even teased Steven Yuen that they could make “one hundred more” seasons if they were allowed to.
Also if you’re a fan of the other Amazon superhero hit The Boys, in 2017 series creators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg were picked to write and direct a film adaptation of Invincible. In January 2021, Kirkman reaffirmed that the film is still in development despite the release of a streaming television adaptation and that Rogen and Goldberg are still involved with the project. Whether this is a direct adaptation of the comics or something new is yet to be seen but there is plenty more coming to the Invincible universe.
