It has been over a year since the third season of Invincible was released. The third season, which received widespread critical acclaim, ended with a bang. This ending left fans of the show hungry for more, and left the bar for a future fourth season very high. Well, the time for that fourth season, which premiered Mar. 18 exclusively on Amazon Prime, has come. With it, I can confidently state that I believe it has successfully lived up to the hype.
The TV series “Invincible” first premiered in 2021, on Amazon Prime. It is a TV adaptation of the superhero comic book series by the same name, which was released in 2003. Both the original comic and TV series were written and produced by Robert Kirkman, among others. The series gained popularity and fame from its interesting twists and the way it tackles the superhero genre. Many see it as taking a far more reasonable or realistic approach to what it would actually be like to be a superhero, not the Marvel/DC goody two-shoes approach that is so often portrayed in superhero works.
Our main character has to actually think about the potential consequences of his heroic work, and how it will emotionally affect both him and those he loves around him. Another refreshing aspect is that our main character doesn’t always have a set moral code. Sometimes he’ll be willing to do something that he would never have done before because of a small event he experienced in the last episode. This leads to what I consider to be a much more realistic approach to how people adapt to the consequences of their choices, which makes it far superior to traditional superhero series that treat the main character as if they are some sort of immovable object with unyielding morals.
Besides the uniqueness of how the characters act within the series, another aspect that makes the show so beloved is its complete lack of censoring. Let me tell you, the series is BLOODY, and the new season certainly keeps up with the way the show has constantly portrayed violence. The series takes complete advantage of the fact that it’s animated to show extraordinary feats but it also uses this fact to show things that would have been way too violent to show on TV some odd years ago. Although the way I portray it makes it sound bad, this is not a negative. Rather, it’s a positive for many of the fans. A series like “Invincible” shows you what it would actually look like to get punched by a superhuman, what it would actually look like to get flung into a wall. It doesn’t have to hold itself back, which allows its writers to write much more interesting things than you’d traditionally be able to get away with due to self-censorship.
Another aspect that this lack of censoring benefits is the extreme action, and let me tell you, this new season is as action-packed as the last, if not more so. The fights throughout the fourth season, but especially near the latter half, were intense but awesome to watch. The new characters this season were also great additions, who will most definitely be fun to see again in the next seasons.
Of course, this new season isn’t without its faults. Like many of the seasons before it, one of the biggest complaints about “Invincible,” the TV series, is its animation quality. Many people believe that the show often cheaps out on its animation in order to compensate for the A-list team of voice actors the show uses.You can’t go a single episode of Invincible without the feeling that people online are doing a deep dive into every single frame of the episode. Although, to be fair, you do have to give them some credit. Sometimes a scene in “Invincible” can feel pretty choppy and still. Another complaint I can definitely feel this season is that of plot armour. It sometimes feels like the show will prevent a character who really should have died from dying just for the sake of the plot, and that can make the stakes for any given moment feel a lot lower.
Regardless of all that, I still feel that season four of Invincible was phenomenal. The story was exciting and well-thought-out. The season also ended on an amazing note, which, like the last season, leaves you wishing for more. I can not recommend the series Invincible enough to people. If you enjoyed the last three seasons, you’ll definitely enjoy this one.
“Invincible” season four: ★★★★☆
