Episode 4 - It’s Been a While!
Mark answers the call to save an alien species, but the mission has unexpected personal consequences.
Full cast, crew and characters
Join the r/Invincible Discord server!
Please act appropriately and follow our rules. We ask you to report any comments that are uncivil/malicious or don’t belong in the non-comic spoiler thread.
DO NOT post comic book spoilers in this thread - use [the comic spoiler discussion thread](LINK HERE) for discussion using comic book context
Please report comments discussing comic book spoilers in this thread.
What a episode. Holy crap. How does a single episode manage to redeem Nolan? It was powerful when he cried for the Thraxan massacre, and him protecting Mark was touching. Mark embracing his Viltrum side by fighting to kill was badass. The animation also looks better here.
10/10 yet again.
I’m curious to see where his arc takes him
But that cnt better not ever get redemption
There’s still bits of bad animation here and there and a bit of choppiness, but for then most part it’s solid.
The opening scene did a lot of heavy lifting. Excellent song choice, art, and pacing.
I especially loved how he drifted past all of these absolutely beautiful places in space that anyone would be awed by, but he’s so depressed that none of it even registers for him. He’s just a zombie floating through space waiting to die.
Not to mention all the parallels between the scene with him and the scene with Debbie, which anchored his story in his misdeeds.
I also really appreciate that he’s still Nolan. He’s still short-tempered and violent. He’s just learned to understand his own feelings a little better.
I don’t see him as redeemed, but absolutely on his way.
His inability to admit what he did was wrong, his lashing out at Mark for his own emotional disruption, shows he isn’t redeemed. He’s still figuring out what the hell he is and wants to be vs what he’s always been.
But the fact he is struggling is significant
i think the scale of what he has done means that the only real redemption here would be in sacrifice/dying to do the right thing. any less than that is like saying hitler is redeemable. yes i invoked godwin’s law but pretty sure it works in this situation lol.
Hitler wasn’t brainwashed growing up as far as I’m aware
Nolan is literally fighting his programming
Hitler wasn’t brainwashed specifically, but the social & economic conditions in Germany post WW1 pretty much ensured that some form of a “Hitler” was going to come to power there regardless. Germany lost a portion of their land which was significant to their economic production in the Treaty of Versailles as well as having to pay the equivalent today of 33 Billion in reparations. This combined with the effects of the Great Depression a decade later caused Germany’s economy to tank and many people blamed their loss in the War on the left-wing and Jewish leaders. It was similar to the current social climate of the US today except much more inflated. This gave rise to several right wing, conservative parties and Hitler took advantage of the moment. He was definitely a particular evil, but he was also a product of the socioeconomic & political environment post WW1
Exactly this. He needs to be able to recognize that the Viltrum mindset was wrong on it’s own merits, and fight against it because it’s wrong, not out of his own benefit. So far, he’s resisted due to his loved ones and people he feels responsible for.
It’s a good step, but not enough for me to say it’s redemption.
I think in some way Nolan also got sucked in by sunk cost
He seemed annoyed that it was time to take down the Guardians and almost seemed content with Mark not having powers
But obviously once he’d done it he couldn’t back down or then he’d killed his “friends” for nothing.
I think he’s a really interesting character, and especially fun because he doesn’t hold back when it counts.
I think he’s going to realise that he wants to be Omni-Man. Protecting the innocent.
In some sense Mark inspires him, but he also needs Mark to learn to be the best of himself and his Viltrumite strength
It’s not even just sunk cost by what happened on earth.
He is a Viltrumite warrior who is likely thousands of years old already. He probably has killed countless people and helped the Viltrumite empire conquer many worlds before. He was put into his current position as a position of honor, something I doubt they would do for someone who hasn’t already proven themselves many times. This is why it was so unthinkable that he would betray his people - this is someone who they already had every reason to trust.
Someone like him who not only has killed thousands of people on earth, but maybe millions of people or more elsewhere, isn’t going to easily be swayed in their beliefs. Even if they are able to be swayed, the difficulty would be immense because they would have to admit that they committed unspeakably evil acts for no real reason at all.
This is where I hope it’s going as well. He decides he wants to be a hero, just like his son.
ooh if they do a mirror of the first episode where mark says “i want to be just like you” to omniman that would be a great moment
yes but i think we’re beyond that. too many innocent people had to die for him to be de-programmed. this is still the journey he’s on, sure, but i don’t know if “redemption” is the right word.
I don’t think he’s redeemed from all the innocents he has massacred (can anyone be?), but he feels more like a rounded character than a one-dimensional villain at this point.
We’re seeing the empathy and conflicted feelings underneath all the Viltrumite indoctrination, which makes him much more interesting.
I buy his redemption because Viltrum is like a big terrible abusive family where kids get whipped by every relative all the time, so it took a lot for him to understand he was in the wrong
it doesn’t
The episode was insane! Loved it as well. Tho I wouldn’t really say ‘redeem’ yet. People on Earth are still grieving the losses and afraid of his return and he said and did some really evil monster type shit just a few years ago.
Mark definitely surprised himself with how strong he is or can be when he goes for the kill. The whole fight was incredibly well animated. Loved the shot of the viltrimite dude pushing mark into the ground with a single finger.
you mean just a few months ago.