Amazon’s Invincible season 1, episode 4 review: Neil Armstrong, Eat your Heart out

Mark Grayson heads to Mars on a secret mission on this week’s episode of Amazon’s Invincible.

Previously, on Amazon’s Invincible, Mark Grayson got his powers, trained with his father, and went to work being a hero. There were some bumps along the way, but he’s still new at this.

While that’s good, things aren’t so great for everyone. Mark’s father Omni-Man killed the world’s premier super team, the Guardians of the Globe. No one knows who killed them except us, the viewers. Lastly, Robot, leader of the Teen Team, helped the Mauler Twins escape from prison. We have no idea why, but he’s definitely up to something. What’s going on in episode four of Amazon’s Invincible? Let’s get right into it.

Amazon’s Invincible starts with a lesson we learned from years of movies and an episode of Courage the Cowardly Dog: Leave ancient tombs alone. Just like those projects, someone woke up an ancient being that they knew nothing about. While it didn’t have much to do with the episode, it needed to be said. Leave tombs alone!

Invincible opening

What really kicks this episode off is Mark’s mother Debbie getting skeptical about her husband (Omni-Man) and his involvement with the Guardian of the Globe’s murder. It started in the previous episode as Damien Darkblood showed up at Graysons’ house asking questions. Then, she was talking to Red Rush’s girlfriend and she became even more suspicious. Add that to Omni-Man’s more aggressive nature and that’s more than enough to make her inquisitive.

You can tell that this is the beginning of the end. The ominous music that plays when Debbie looks into Damien Darkblood online and the fact that Omni-Man went to Darkblood’s house to tell him to back off; it definitely feels symbolic. Plus, at some point, we know Mark finds out as it was featured in the trailers.

People new to Invincible should pay close attention. Things are about to get weird. Well, weirder.

The new Guardians of the Globe

Most of the Teen Team is now part of the Guardians of the Globe. They get into their new command base and try to settle in. As to be expected, Rex is a jerk about things. Monster Girl attempts to apologize for beating him in front of the superhero community. After they talk, Robot tells him to keep his distance. Rex goes on to say that, since he’s on the premier superhero team, he can have any girl he wants. Like this writer said, jerk. As Robot talks to him he extracts some of Rex’s blood without him knowing.

First we have Robot letting the Mauler Twins escape and now he’s taking blood samples from his teammates. All of this craziness seemed to start after Robot became leader of the Guardians of the Globe. What does he have planned and what does it have to do with the Mauler Twins and Rex’s blood? The answer will both be shocking and not all at once.

Invincible in space

Cecil makes an attempt to get Omni-Man off planet and fails. Instead, he accidentally gets Mark on the mission. It’s not ideal, but Cecil is using this to see what Invincible is made of. As to be expected, shenanigans ensue on Mark’s trip to Mars. Not shocking, it starts with Mark falling asleep on the job. In his defense, Mars seems boring when you can’t explore it. However, he ends up having to leave Mars in a rush after the Martians were going to execute the human astronauts for the good of Mars and Earth. Of course, they escape, but not before something weird happens.

Sometimes you have to wonder about Mark. He says and does some very idiotic things. However, he’s young, inexperienced, and hasn’t really seen things without his father with him. Even still, the way he spoke to the Martian ruler was hilarious and really awkward.

This trip to Mars was another big step in Mark’s growth. Without anyone to have his back, Mark saved lives. It’s unfortunate that he left one person behind to get mind-controlled by Sequids. And, the person that replaced him, is a shape-shifting Martian.

Invincible character development

While writing these reviews, this writer has to put his bias aside. As much as he’s geeking out for everything in a TV show that brings one of his favorite comic books to life, this wasn’t a perfect episode. Some of the events that took place were a little predictable even if you don’t know the comic book story. Now, that certainly doesn’t make it a bad episode. The slow pace helped further develop the characters.

Mark and Amber’s relationship was tested as was Nolan (Omni-Man) and Debbie’s. The sad part is what’s going to happen when Debbie finds out she was lied to. Nolan went out of his way to make her feel comfortable. Going as far as to get her to say she trusted him.

There’s also Robot. The end of the episode showed us a strange creature in a tube. Who or what is it and why did Robot put Rex’s blood in there? He’s being more sketchy than normal and that’s saying a lot. Here’s something to keep in mind, things get weirder with Robot as the series continues.

Invincible rumination

• Debbie Grayson is an important character to the story and it’s showing. The creative team is doing a great job making her a focal point.
• The Martians speaking the same language as Mark was explained hilariously. They don’t speak English, they speak Martian.
• Cecil is everything this writer wanted him to be. He’s Nick Fury with a bigger budget and less trusting. If the latter is even possible
• What will the Martian do when he gets to Earth? He doesn’t know anything about the culture or the planet in general.
• Darkblood being exorcised was shocking. However, in the end, we heard his voice in Debbie’s closet. Is he actually in Hell?

You can watch Invincible now on Amazon Prime.

What did you think of this week’s episode of Amazon’s Invincible? Are you looking forward to next week’s #InvincibleFriday? If so, what are you excited about? Let us know in the comments below!