This review was made possible by Popped receiving advanced screeners of the first 6 episodes of Invincible
One of the crown jewels of the Prime Originals crown is set to fly back onto the streaming platform this week. This premiere marks the series’s quickest return, and it couldn’t be at a better point in the story, as the Season 3 ending left many fans clamoring for what comes next in this story of cosmic proportions. So just how does the fourth season of Invincible stack up to its predecessor?
Edge of War
When we land back in the world of Invincible, we find tensions high and limits tested. Mark himself is particularly plagued by the events of the Invincible war and the choices he made that led to that, primarily blaming himself for not killing Angstrom Levy. These events are what truly begin to test Mark and send him hurtling to the edge more than anything before it. Steven Yeun has so much energy and emotion in his performance as Invincible that you have to hope that this isn’t the furthest he will take his talents in the ever-expanding world of animation and voiceover work.
On the other side of the galaxy, we’ve got a good cop/bad cop situation as Allen and Nolan traverse the universe looking for assets and allies to come to their aid in the upcoming war. The Coalition of Planets and the Viltrumite Empire inch closer to conflict, with the outcome hinging on the success of the pair. Their friendship has been something of a delight since Season 2, kept in small doses until the two eventually fight their way out of captivity. Seeing them interact and work together in a more open environment was refreshing, and really allows us to see this fleshed out and new side of Nolan that had been locked away by his own guilt.
Seth Rogen is just great as Allen, it’s cool that we don’t have to see him in quick bursts here and there, now feeling like a main member of the cast. The entire cast expands yet again, recruiting talents like Lee Pace, Danai Gurira, Matthew Rhys, and even Bruce Campbell (who technically appeared at the tail end of Season 3 but who cares.)
What You’ve Been Waiting For
Invincible has covered a lot of ground since Season 1, the ending of which set up quite the outcome events that led us to the present. You may remember in those last moments, as Mark speaks to Allen, we’re shown a brief montage of friends, foes and what’s to come. We do get to see some of those moments rather quickly, while others fade into the background as the show works to lay the groundwork for these storylines and works to fully flesh them out. The season works fast to really get things moving; it ties up a few loose ends and loosens others.
When the series takes itself into the stars, it really turns into a cosmic kick-ass adventure that we’ve been waiting for. There’s still so much happening on earth, but they take the story elsewhere at just the right time to leave you clamoring for more of what’s happening at home while your eyes remain glued to the happenings in the cosmos. Also, Battle Beast is back, and he’s awesome. What a cool character.
One of the shows biggest issues that burdened it from the get-go was its pacing. It wasn’t that the show had a hard time sitting still, it was that the show would very quickly move through things that felt as if they should’ve been more thoroughly explored and possibly fleshed out a bit better. Many complained that the show did not allow its viewers to really soak in and process it’s biggest moments but fortunately Season 4 makes up for that. The show really feels like its allowing itself to really explore its environments and the characters within it and its made the worldbuilding more interesting.
Omni-Man Universe Wide Apology Tour
After two seasons, we finally have reached the point where Nolan must truly face the music witness the affects of what he did to those he loves. Before this, he’d only really spent a day with Mark on Thraxan and that in itself was a can of worms Mark had to digest that ended quicker than he’d thought. It’s Nolan’s return to earth and his attempt to reconnect with the planet that he called home for 20 years that hits the hardest, the severed connections that require the
J.K. Simmons work as Nolan Grayson/Omni-Man is still one of the best aspects of the show, his dedication to the role and the way he has become so iconic for it continues to be incredibly deserved. To see this already iconic actor slip right into this voice role and just flawlessly make it his continues to be impressive. Simmons is of course no stranger to voice over work but Omni-Man may be the best of the roles he’s voiced so far (Sorry Tenzin, Stanford Pines, General Kai, and the Yellow M&M.)
Final Thoughts
Invincible Season 4 is an incredibly exciting return for the series that manages to improve on its predecessors and manages to up the stakes even higher than previously thought possible. Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, and Seth Rogen stand out amongst the cast and rising conflict continues to up the stakes and send the anticipation through the roof. To see the show be able to make such a quick return and raise its quality is really refreshing, especially in this era of entertainment.
Invincible Season 4 releases on Prime Video on March 18 with its first 3 episodes. Check out the trailer below.
The Review
'Invincible' Season 4
Invincible Season 4 is an incredibly exciting return for the series that manages to improve on its predecessors and manages to up the stakes even higher than previously thought possible. Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, and Seth Rogen stand out amongst the cast and rising conflict continues to up the stakes and send the anticipation through the roof. To see the show be able to make such a quick return and raise its quality is really refreshing, especially in this era of entertainment.
