Invincible Season 4 TV Review: The animated series goes to intergalactic war and it was worth the wait

Plot: While the world recovers from catastrophe, a changed Mark fights to protect his home and the people he loves, setting him on a collision course with a threat that could alter the fate of humanity forever.

Review: It should come as no surprise that the new season of Invincible is as good as the three that came before it. A rarity in any format, Invincible is a mature, hour-long drama that is also hilarious, brutal, sexy, profane, and brilliant, and it showcases excellent animation and some of the best voice acting today. Based on the long-running comic book by Robert Kirkman, Invincible‘s fourth season finally reaches the long-awaited showdown between Earth’s heroes and the intergalactic empire that opposes them in the most epic run of story the series has had to date. Led by Steven Yeun, Gillian Jacobs, and J.K. Simmons, who are all as good as ever, the fourth season of Invincible adds a bunch of new talent to the ensemble for a season that proves this is the series that can change any of the holdouts not wanting to take a cartoon seriously and give them a reason to tune in.

The core story of Invincible has centered on Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) coming to terms with the superpowers he inherited from his alien father, Nolan Grayson, aka Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons). When the world’s most powerful superhero was revealed to be an alien sent to conquer Earth, it led to massive battles in which Mark, known as the hero Invincible, fought his father and saved the world. As the first three seasons progressed, Mark came to terms with the weight of being a hero in a series of high-stakes story arcs that eventually led to a showdown with Conquest (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) at the end of the third season, with Mark deciding he would kill, but only for the right reasons. This set up what fans of the comics have been waiting for and the central element of this season: The Viltrumite War. Viltrum, Omni-Man’s homeworld, has been a looming threat since the series began, and now fans get to see what this series has been heading towards for years.

While the third season of Invincible was excellent, it was more introspective, with Mark rebuilding his life after coming to terms with his father’s true identity. At the same time, Nolan’s understanding of what he loved about his wife, Debbie (Sandra Oh), and his son served as the start of a redemption arc for a seemingly unredeemable character. This season finally pairs Mark and his father against the Viltrumites while also tackling other villainous threats, while juggling the interpersonal drama between the main characters and the overall ensemble. This does mean that the first several episodes of this season are spent treading water a bit as subplots are tied up, leading towards the large-scale action coming to the planet. We get to see various relationships, including those between Debbie and Paul (Cliff Curtis) and Mark and Eve (Gillian Jacobs). Eve, who lost her powers at the end of the previous season, is dealing with her own set of challenges, which causes a rift with Mark, and the pair tries to navigate it, but it is one of the least interesting parts of the series. In fact, some of the strongest moments this season involve supporting players like Mark’s half-Thraxan brother, Oliver (Christian Convery), who has aged up to a teenager.

Robert Kirkman’s series has long benefited from a massive cast of veteran voice performers, including John DiMaggio, Mark Hamill, Fred Tatasciore, and Kevin Michael Richardson, alongside recognizable screen talents such as Andrew Rannells, Walton Goggins, Zachary Quinto, Clancy Brown, Sterling K. Brown, and Seth Rogen. This season adds a bunch of new guest actors, including Lee Pace as Thragg, Djimon Hounsou as Space Racer, Danai Gurira as Universa, and Matthew Rhys as Dinosaurus. Rhys is probably the most anticipated new addition, with fans awaiting the dinosaur warrior whose interactions with Mark are highlights of the season. The blend of comic book action with behind-the-mask drama has long been one of Invincible‘s defining characteristics, showcasing the prestige drama quality the series offers more than you might expect from an animated series. But the massive cast also leads to a challenge in giving the narrative the proper balance across the eight-episode seasons.

Having only seen the first six episodes of the fourth season, I noticed the continuing trend from prior seasons that finds Mark a bit whinier than he needs to be, with his moody nature sometimes detracting from the story’s momentum. There is also the challenge that series creator Robert Kirkman is adapting his own comic book and is trying to fit a lot of story into a small number of episodes. Each of the four seasons of Invincible has been eight episodes long, and it sometimes feels like the story could use a couple more chapters each year to give the story room to breathe. The concern is that Kirkman and his writing staff don’t always use the time to their advantage, with the balance between subplots and the core narrative often at odds. Still, Invincible looks far better than many animated series, with the writing of a higher caliber than some live-action series, including other superhero series airing. Overall, there is far more to enjoy in this series than there is to complain about.

The fourth season of Invincible continues to deliver some of the highest-quality storytelling out there, live-action or otherwise. Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, and Gillian Jacobs, along with the massive returning ensemble, and newcomers that keep this series feeling on par with the best shows on any platform. The battle-heavy focus this season and the focus on the long-developing war with intergalactic bad guys take this series to a new level, with the already confirmed fifth season poised to have one hell of a new bar to reach. Invincible is a series that continues to redefine how superhero and comic book tales can be adapted while preserving the tone, feel, and style of the page. This is one of the smartest and funniest shows out there, and this may be the best season yet.

Invincible premieres with three episodes on March 18th on Prime Video.