Invincible season 2 episode 8: 7 key differences between the comic and the TV show

Season 2 of Invincible has changed moments from the comic book. There’s no way the trend would stop at the season finale. For example, one thing everyone wanted to see was Spider-Man. Mark Grayson (Invincible) was transported to the Marvel Comics universe in Marvel Team-Up No. 14. Fans of Image Comic’s Invincible hoped this would happen on the show. It did but in a special way. One that won’t get them sued. 

Coming up are the final alterations Amazon made from Invincible in the comics. For the first time in a few episodes, the changes made sense. 

WARNING! POSSIBLE SPOILER FOR INVINCBLE AHEAD!

Angstrom’s flashbacks

When Angstrom Levy went after Mark during the comics nothing was going to stop him. This time, Debbie’s comments gave him second thoughts. Unfortunately, his failed experiment (Season 2, Episode 1) jumbled his memories.

At first, Angstrom remembered what happened to him. Then, memories from his variants came flooding in. Those were the horrible realities where Mark was a tyrant. In one of them, Mark kills Angstrom’s son in front of him. This put Angstrom back into his stage of fury.

This was an amazing change because the creative team allowed Sterling K. Brown to shine. The pain in Angstrom’s voice helped allow some sympathy for him. Then, when he started attacking Mark, the anger seemed justified. I can’t think of a better person to pull this off. The good news is he'll be back and better than ever.

Debbie fights back

Debbie Grayson wasn’t weak in the comics, but she’s proven stronger on the show. For example, Debbie fought Angstrom harder on Prime Video. She made Angstrom bleed and rethink what he was doing. She attacked during the Image comic book, but not like this. In the end, she still lost the fight. Nevertheless, this was a great reminder that Debbie will always stand up against her family.

Invincible Unleashed

Mark assumes he killed Angstrom Levy in the comics and the TV show. However, his brutality was enhanced on Prime Video. He didn’t just ground and pound Levy to death. Invincible beat him while in the sky and slammed him to the ground. As Mark unleashes pain on Angstrom, Mark says he’ll never let Levy hurt anyone again.

Almost everything about this scene was different but better. The speech and attacks from Mark added to the emotions he was feeling. They were justified, but there was still a lot of anger behind each strike. There will be more of this as the show continues.

Processing

Watching Invincible go through real emotions is important to his character’s growth. When you see him saving Earth with the Guardians of the Globe or helping his father protect Thraxa, it’s hard to remember he’s only been a hero for a year.

Mark’s never killed someone (he still hasn’t, but he isn’t aware of that). Taking a life isn’t something a person does lightly. Especially when you lose control. Mark felt like he was his father. Watching Mark fly to let off steam and cry is understandable. The comics seemed to move past this quickly. Thankfully, the show didn’t.

Invincible variant

While Mark was on the desolate planet, Robot mentioned that this was an Earth where Mark disappeared for twenty years. Mark thanks Robot for saving him because doesn’t think he would have survived. Robot says he (Mark) does, but won’t like what he’s become.

This was short but incredible. This doesn’t happen in Image Comics’ Invincible. It leads me to believe that the cannibal Mark Grayson isn’t the variant Angstrom Levy gets to ruin Mark’s name. He’s one from a different timeline. We’ll have to wait and see if that’s the case or if he’s something worse.

A shared moment

Not everything needs to be about punching and drama to be worth it. In this case, we have Rudy (Robot) and Amanda (Monster Girl). Rudy tells Amanda that he's sorry for being unaware of her feelings. Amanda accepts his apology and says they should go on a date.

Prime Video’s Invincible continues to make Rudy more than a cold and calculated person. This will help break hearts when he betrays everyone. It's a brilliant move.

Will they, won't they

You didn’t have to read the comics to know that Eve and Mark loved each other. In the comics, Eve asks Mark if they’re dating soon after he and Amber break up. Instead, the creative team went in a different direction. They avoided making Eve look heartless by having her be a concerned friend. It was a much better move than the comics. However, this writer does hope she drops the, “Are we dating or not” line.

Did you enjoy season 2 of Invincible? What do you think of the changes to the story? Let us know on Bam Smack Pow’s Twitter and Instagram.