(Disclaimer: This review was written with access to 6 out of the 10 total episodes of this season)

The first season of Invincible was amongst my favourite TV released in 2021. As a fan of the superhero subgenre, I enjoyed seeing another deconstruction of it in the vein of Super or The Boys. However, there was a painful wait for season 2 to release, exacerbated by the fact that it was then split in two. Whether or not the split was necessary, it certainly dampened the hype and excitement the show had at the end of season 1. In fact, I didn’t find myself as invested in keeping up with the show week to week in the way that I felt with the first season.

Thankfully, season 3 brought the show back up to the level of its riveting first season. It plays with the formula of the show, whether shifting how the Invincible title card is dropped or adding voice-overs in the vein of classic superhero TV shows, creating a season that is far more interesting as a result. One of the most interesting elements this season is the character arc of Mark (Steven Yeun), as it gives him a unique edge he previously lacked. I have always liked stories where a character deals with their morality and goes to severe lengths to discover if they are truly good or not. Though he was overshadowed by most of the cast in the first two seasons, Mark dealing with whether he is a hero or not this season has made him become one of my favourite characters in this show. 

Mark’s intrigue is enhanced with how much material he has with Eve (Gillian Jacobs), especially since their relationship continues to deepen after the ending of season 2. While I didn’t vehemently hate Amber like a vocal section of the Invincible fanbase, I was also never interested in her. I was always waiting for the moment that the show would focus on Mark and Eve’s relationship. That moment has come, and their dynamic is one of the best elements of this season. Mark and Eve have lovely chemistry, so seeing them try and figure out their relationship is a joy to behold. 

This season as a whole is full of excellent characterization, from Cecil (Walton Goggins) who gets a deeper look at his backstory to Rex Splode (Jason Mantzoukas) who desperately attempts to change. However, my favourite storyline of not only the season but the entire show to date was that of Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) and Allen the Alien (Seth Rogen). Seth Rogen is a solid actor, but he can be distracting sometimes because in most of his performances, you never quite shake the feeling that you’re just watching Seth Rogen. Thankfully, this is not the case here whatsoever. In fact, this might be the best work I’ve seen from Seth Rogen across his whole career. His voice works so well for this character — who also happens to be designed perfectly — that you almost forget that it’s Seth Rogen. J.K. Simmons is obviously a fantastic talent, with Omni-Man joining Terence Fletcher and J. Jonah Jameson as the roles Simmons was born to play. Omni-Man was somewhat underutilized in season 2, which was disappointing after the note the season 1 finale left off of. He gets far more material this season and works so well off of Allen. The character arc we get of Omni-Man this season takes a bit to get going, but once we really get into it, it feels completely earned and in-character. 

While the Omni-Man and Allen arc was my favourite part of this season, the best individual episode is actually one that doesn’t include either character. Episode 6 focuses on Aaron Paul’s new character, Scott Duvall (Powerplex), who seeks revenge on Mark In the aftermath of the Invincible/Omni-Man fight in the season 1 finale. The concept of how regular people would react to superhero fights is a well-trodden one, but on the whole, this concept has often been wasted and written thinly. This is certainly not the case here. The sharp writing paired with Aaron Paul’s excellent vocal performance makes for a tragic and at times heartbreaking episode. The final few minutes of that episode in particular is amongst the best material the show has ever produced to date, ending on such a tantalizing moment. 

These first 6 episodes of this season bring the show back to the standard I had wanted from season 2. The characters are all great, the new elements the show introduces are fantastic, and the emotional beats have never been so poignant. If the final episodes land, this could be amongst the best TV of this entire year. 

8/10