- Title: Invincible – A Lesson For Your Next Life
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Season Two of Invincible kicks off with a confusing opening sequence (making me wonder if I’d forgotten how Season One actually ended) with Invincible (Steven Yeun) and Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) working together to prepare Earth for the arrival of the Viltrumites and grind what limited resistance remains on the planet to dust (which includes the brutal paralyzation of one of Mark’s former friends). The extended opener is revealed to be an alternate reality, one of several where Mark chose to partner with his father rather than stand-up to him, and then we’re thrown back into Mark’s reality where his attempts to get to normal and but his father’s betrayal behind him have had mixed results.
Along with showcasing what might have been had Mark had made different choices, the alternate reality also introduces the character of Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown) who has the power to jump dimensions at will and enlists the help of various versions of the Maulers in order to bring his delusions of grandeur to fruition by learning everything about every version of himself and their home worlds. The untimely arrival of Invincible, finally back in the hero game, however causes some problems for the pacifist who in a single episode will turn bloodthirsty villain instead.
The episode is most notable for the opening sequence in which Mark and his father kill many, many people. Back in the prime dimension (so to speak) the episode is notable for a shakeup among the Guardians of the Globe who get a new leader and a new member as well. Despite his reluctance to put Invincible back in the field, Cecil (Walton Goggins) puts Invincible back in the field although you have to wonder how events might have turned out if he hadn’t (or if he had put the other Guardians into play at the same time as apparently they were too busy to help until the battle was concluded).
