Invincible season 2’s third episode featured some changes from the source material, but were they the right moves for the show?
Invincible on Amazon Prime Video continues to make changes from the source material. Considering there are 144 Invincible issues, it makes sense. Things have to be altered to adapt a project for TV. Thankfully, the adjustments haven’t taken away from the story. For example, Rudy (Robot) cloned Rex’s body before Omni-Man left Earth. In the comics, it happened long after Mark and Nolan fought.
Coming up are five major changes Invincible season 2 has made when adapting the comic book storyline for its third episode.
*** WARNING! Possible spoilers for the rest of the series are coming up. ***
5. Robot learning to conquer his fears
Rudy has been learning about emotions in the animated series. Among them is fear. Once upon a time, he didn’t have to worry about being killed. All of Rudy’s robots were controlled remotely. Now, he’s inside the suits. That means he can die on a mission. In the comics, Rudy wasn’t scared of anything.
Fear is a good thing. It prevents people from being reckless. If you’ve read the comic books, you know why Rudy conquering his fear is a bad thing. This could lead to his eventual heel turn towards the end of the season. If that’s the case, this was a brilliant move. It will help viewers understand how it happened.
4. Debbie goes to a support group
Debbie became an alcoholic after Nolan told the world how he felt about her. So far, she hasn’t gone down that road in the show. There have been signs, but nothing concrete. Episode 3 showed how this could happen by adding a superhero support group to Debbie’s story.
Debbie is a strong character. Nevertheless, everyone has a breaking point. Being shunned by Green Ghost’s widower gives her more of a reason to go down a dark path. Even as a viewer, it was tough to watch Debbie be told off. Maybe this changes what happens when Nolan returns to Earth. It’s easy to see why she wouldn’t accept Nolan’s apology like she did in the comics.
3. Telia is a general
Telia didn’t have a lot going on in the Invincible comic book. She was Allen the Alien’s secret partner and that’s where her story stopped. Telia’s more important in the show and she’s only appeared once.
She’s a high-ranking member of the Coalition of Planets here. Giving her a position in the C.O.P. means the creative team likely has plans for her going forward. Considering what happened to Allen, it’s not shocking. Maybe she becomes everything that Allen was supposed to be.
2. Dupli-Kate talks about the Immortal
In the source material, Dupli-Kate and the Immortal intimate in the shower and later get into a relationship. That was the extent of their dating origin. Throughout the comics, there were times when she didn’t even seem to love him. In one episode, the Invincible show writers changed their dynamic in a big way.
Dupli-Kate tells Rex that she and the Immortal bonded over death. When her duplicates are killed, Dupli-Kate experiences their deaths. She says Immortal is the only person who understands what it means to die as much as she has. This gives them a reason to get close
Initially, their relationship was kind of creepy. The TV series’ version takes that away with a quick and deep explanation.
1. Thaedus kills Allen
Allen the Alien is one of the five most important characters in the Invincible comic book. He goes through more personality changes than anyone in the series. Some of them weren’t positive. No one could have expected that someone so crucial to the story would be killed so early in the series.
Thaedus turned down the power of Allen’s healing machine, but that doesn’t mean he’s dead. Throughout the comics, Allen should have died after a fight but didn’t. He could survive this as well. If he doesn’t, viewers should expect Telia to be what Allen was supposed to be. At the very least, she’ll begin to investigate what Thaedus is up to.
This changes everything going forward. Allen being killed means anything could happen in this series. As a fan of the source material, it makes the show more exciting. You’ll never know which characters will survive and who will change. Who knows, maybe this is a universe where Mark becomes a tyrant.
What other changes were made in Invincible season 2? Have you been enjoying the second season?