‘Invincible’ (2021) Season One Review: Complex Characters Make Up for Poor Animation

After finally getting his powers, Mark Grayson strives to be a hero like his father, but things aren’t always what they seem.

Invincible; Shows; Created by Robert Kirkman; Superhero, Action, Thriller; MA; 45-55m

The first time I had heard of Invincible (2021) was through memes when it first came out, many of which spoiled the ending of the season. The most prominent one was the character of Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) telling his beaten up son, Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun), to think about what he’ll have left once he outlives everyone.

Despite going into the series knowing how it all plays out (once again, thanks to the unavoidable memes), I still thoroughly enjoyed the series. With that being said, it isn’t without its issues.

The show focuses on 17-year-old Mark Grayson (otherwise known as his superhero name, Invincible) finally getting his powers. His usually cheerful and loving father Nolan Grayson (also known as Omni-Man, a member of the Viltrumite race) takes this news very seriously and trains his son to become a hero like him. Mark’s mother, Debbie Grayson (Sandra Oh), encourages Mark to go save people, but she becomes increasingly skeptical of her husband’s sudden change in behavior.

Meanwhile, a secret government organization called the Global Defense Agency looks into the brutal, mysterious deaths of the superhero group the Guardians of the Globe, all of whom were revealed to the audience to have been killed by Omni-Man. The director of the GDA, Cecil Stedman (Walton Goggins), recruits Mark as he investigates the Guardians’ death, believing Omni-Man to be responsible.

The character writing for the show is absolutely phenomenal. Most of the cast has their flaws which creates interesting arcs and twists. Some stand out examples are Debbie and Omni-Man. Debbie’s slow realization as she learns that the man she once thought she knew is the very person who killed his friends (or rather “coworkers” as he puts it) is heartbreaking. This is especially so when she hears what Nolan really thinks of her in the finale.

Omni-Man’s own emotional turmoil is well written as well. From anxieties about Mark not living up to his expectations (that being not wanting to conquer the Earth in the name of Viltrum) to reckoning with his own vulnerabilities when it comes to his family. Seeing how disconnected he is from the rest of humanity when they’re in danger makes the scene where he decides to spare Mark all the more emotionally impactful.

As you would guess from the cast, the voice acting is stellar. Putting aside J.K. Simmons’ iconic performance, the actors really gave their all. The casting was well done as the characters’ voices felt natural rather than off putting. The audio mixing was good and the song choices fit the tone of the scenes.

This brings us to the elephant in the room: the animation. The animation has been a great source of humor for fans of the series, who are currently making overly animated edits of popular characters from the show where they wobble like gelatin. I would have to say the animation is my biggest gripe with the show.

Although the still frames don’t look bad, it’s when the characters are in motion that you see just how little animation this animated series has. Half the time when a character is flying it looks like someone dragging a PNG across the screen.

One very noticeable instance of this poor animation is when Mark is kissing his girlfriend, Amber (Zazie Beetz), and they just… slide down. Like a PowerPoint presentation. It feels like the background was supposed to pan down with them, but instead it stays stagnant, drawing attention to the fact that the still frame of the characters kissing just… slid down the screen.

Now, onto the rhetoric. Invincible has a lot of story beats, but many of them are about family and friendship. More specifically, they’re about being honest with others. Many interpersonal conflicts happen because a character was dishonest or just outright lied about the truth to the people they cared about. In some cases it’s justified, but in others it completely destroys their relationship.

In short, Invincible’s writing was fantastic, but the bare bones animation just couldn’t keep up. However, there are many other redeeming qualities about this show, such as the voice acting and music. I would definitely recommend this series to someone who enjoys shows deconstructing the superhero genre.

Rating: 9/10