Season 2, episode 1 of Invincible on Amazon Prime changed things from the source material, but were they the right moves for the show?
Comic book shows and movies always change things from the source material. It’s not that the original stories are bad. Sometimes it’s a matter of making the stories work on a new platform. Invincible is no different.
The first season altered a lot. For example, the storylines were accelerated to keep fans interested. Other things were switched because they were out of date or didn’t make sense for the program. Since that happened in season 1, it’s not shocking that it would happen in season 2.
Here are the five most notable moments that changed from the Invincible comic book to the Amazon Prime show.
5. The invincible alternate reality
When Angstrom Levy made his debut in the comics, the altercation between Invincible and Omni-Man was much shorter. The two Viltrumites defeated the resistance a lot quicker than what was seen in the comics. There were three more notable changes. The Immortal was killed before getting to his secret hideout, there were more people in the underground, and Atom Eve was there. These were smart changes.
Having Invincible and Omni-Man slaughter more people and paralyze Eve made the opening shocking opening. This lets the audience know that Mark isn’t a good person in every reality. He’s actually a villain in most universes. That’s something that will come into play before the season ends.
If the scene was shorter, it wouldn’t have had the same effect on viewers. Thankfully, the creative team is top-tier.
4. Olga talks with Debbie
When Debbie Grayson heard what her husband (Omni-Man) said about her, she was a wreck. The first person to go see her after the incident was Art Rosenbaum. He was close to Nolan as well. Art did his best to help Debbie through everything. Unfortunately, it didn’t help.
Amazon Prime switched Art with Red Rush’s wife Olga. In a way, Olga knew what Debbie was going through. Red Rush wasn’t an evil person, but she knew what it was like to lose someone who was a superhero. It’s unclear if it was a good decision or not. We’ll have to wait and see how Debbie’s story plays out.
3. Invincible took out the Giant
The first time The Giant appears, Mark defeats him on his own. The Guardians of the Globe don’t get involved with The Giant until he escapes later. Having them save the day was the right decision. Mark is still dealing with everything with his father. Plus this allows Cecil to add The Immortal and Bulletproof.
In the source material, Mark had already dealt with his father and became a more capable hero when The Giant debuted. During the Amazon Prime show, things haven’t progressed much. This helped add to Mark’s emotional state and his evolution as a hero.
2. Mark offers to work for Cecil
After Omni-Man left Earth in the Invincible comic book, Cecil Stedman went to Mark. He knew that a void needed to be filled and Mark was the right person for the job. The Amazon version was much different.
Cecil doesn’t trust Mark. He believes he’s too inexperienced and emotional. Cecils’s right and Mark knows it. To gain his trust, Mark says he’ll wear an earpiece and be on call. Cecil accepts. Mark’s first mission was to see what was going on at the pier (this is where Angstrom Levy was).
In terms of the story, this makes sense. Since Invincible is still learning the ropes, Cecil wouldn’t go to Mark. Instead, they had Mark go to him. The result was still Mark working for Cecil, so the alteration wasn’t a big deal.
1. The Angstrom Levy incident
This writer wondered how the creative team would handle Angstrom Levy. He’s one of the most important characters in the story. How can his story be told without dragging it out? It’s simple. Don’t drag it out.
Invincible immediately got into things and Levy. Before the main credits roll, Levy was officially a villain and out to get Invincible for what happened to him. The next question will be how they continue the story.
Will Levy’s story continue to be sped up or will this continue for more than one season? How this storyline is handled determines whether or not Invincible becomes one of the greatest comic book shows of all time or a flash in the pan. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow to find out which it is.