Oh no, a Superman analog who’s evil? Where have we not seen that? Now, wait a moment, Invincible is different. It introduces another dimension to the ‘evil Superman’ trope by giving him a son that he doesn’t love (shocking). Invicible marinates its audience in that trope, effectively making it one of the most expansive evil Superman tropes in fiction. Those who have been left frothing at the mouth for more after that rather climactic ending in Season 1 needn’t wait any longer. We’ll be answering when does Invicible Season 2 come out.
On top of that, we’ll also introduce you to a bit of a refresher since Amazon Prime’s exclusive ‘evil Superman’ animated series took a year off after its 2021 premiere.
When does Invincible Season 2 come out? | Where to watch?
Invincible Season 2 will be available on Prime Video starting November 3, 2023.
Prime Video is a streaming service included in Amazon Prime and it’s a direct competitor for Netflix, Disney+, etc. In case you’ve been living under a rock.
Prime Video’s monthly subscription rate varies per region but the US standard is around $8.99 for the lone streaming service. You can also avail of the more expensive Amazon Prime for $14.99 which comes with a slew of benefits such as Amazon Music and free shipping for Amazon-bought products.
Like Netflix and other streaming services, Prime Video or Amazon Prime’s duration lasts for 30 days though new members can try out Prime Video for free for a month.
What is Invincible?
For those looking to jump into a new animated series and are likely tired of the MCU and its stereotypical depiction of superheroes, Invincible can be a transgressive palate cleanser.
As we stated earlier, it’s an ‘evil Superman’ fiction though it doesn’t exactly feature DC’s Superman. The series is primarily about Mark, a hybrid Viltrumite whose father, Omni-Man, is the ‘evil Superman.’ Mark’s mother is a regular human from Earth.
Viltrumites are a space-faring race of metahumans (or is it meta-aliens?) blessed with the full suite of Superman’s powers (minus the heat/laser vision and freeze breath).
They’re blatantly derived from Kryptonians. The big difference is that Viltrumites are warmongering, racial supremacists who are out to conquer all the planets they can see just because they can. Omni-Man, Mark’s father, is no exception. He infiltrated Earth under the pretense of a ‘superhero’ but is actually just looking for weakspots to make planetary assimilation easier.
Mark, meanwhile, is oblivious to his father’s true nature. Therein lies the fresh and more relatable dimension of the evil Superman trope in Invincible. It’s a coming-of-age superhero story where Mark has to come to terms with how his father was a false role-model all along while struggling in balancing out his altruist human side and his father’s Viltrumite influence.
It’s not so much an evil Superman story as it is Mark’s chronicles about how he managed overcome one of the most fearsome and cruel evil Superman analogs in fiction.
The story so far (spoilers for new fans)
Seeing as Invincible took more than a year off the air, a plot refresher is in order.
Invincible Season 1 ended with a tragic reveal when Omni-Man finally unveiled himself as an alien conqueror instead of Earth’s most powerful superhero. The only person who could stop him was his own son, Mark.
Season 1 thus culminated in an intense father-son battle with Mark losing the physical fight but winning the emotional one after convincing his father that conquering Earth and wiping out or enslaving the human race doesn’t give off Earth-daddy vibes and would break Mark’s heart. Omni-Man hastily left Earth and spared both his son and everyone on the planet.
Invincible Season 2 takes off from that low note with Mark dealing with all external and internal threats on Earth while healing from the emotional and psychological wounds that his father inflicted on him and his mother.
Compared to the comic books
Unsurprisingly, Invincible is based on a graphic novel series or comic book of the same name written by Robert Kirkman.
For the most part, the Amazon adaptation stays true and faithful to the source material though there were some notable and surprising additions for Season 1. Some argue that the show even made the already transgressive and subversive evil Superman story into a more heart-wrenching show.
The show is also more diverse in its depiction of the characters and some were even gender-swapped or race-swapped to be more inclusive. Additionally, Mark’s romantic interest(s) has also been considerably altered.
While you won’t exactly miss a lot by ignoring the Invincible comic books, it’s worth watching the show and reading the source material to see the changes and additions. If anything, you can resort to the comic books if you’re a little too impatient from the wait.
Invincible’s showrunners, after all, admitted that animating the show takes a long time since most of the visuals were hand-drawn in 2D– something that’s becoming increasingly rare these days.
Invincible cast
If big Hollywood names entice you more than the saturated concept of the evil Superman trope, then worry not. There are plenty of recognizable stars as voice actors in Invincible and Invincible Season 2 by extension.
Here’s the full list:
- Steven Yeun as Mark Grayson/Invincible
- J.K. Simmons as Nolan Grayson/Omni-Man
- Sandra Oh as Debbie
- Gillian Jacobs as Atom Eve
- Zazie Beetz as Amber Bennett
- Walton Goggins as Cecil
- Jason Mantzoukas as Rex Splode
- Khary Payton as Black Samson
- Seth Rogen as Allen the Alien
- Ross Marquand as the Immortal
Get your eyes and ears ready for these stars once Invincible Season 2 premieres on Friday, November 3, 2023, on Prime Video. While you’re waiting, you can check out Invincible Season 1 or even the special Atom Eve spinoff, both of which are also available on Prime Video.