Summary
- Robot’s betrayal of Invincible and gruesome actions are practically too gruesome to actually show in the animated series.
- The Immortal’s tragic fate in a future timeline showcases the dark and brutal elements of the comics, and what Mark is capable of when pushed.
- Invincible’s lethal actions towards a possessed innocent man highlight the moral complexity of the character, and one of the hero’s darkest, most questionable moments.
Warning: This list includes spoilers for the Invincible series
Prime Video’s adult-animated series Invincible has drawn rave reviews for its subversion of superhero tropes, and its loyalty to the source material. For those unacquainted with the titular comics, Invincible is a coming-of-age superhero story that debuted in 2003 as a part of the Image Comics Universe.
Despite its comedic elements, the comics have their fair share of dark moments. From character deaths to interplanetary wars, Invincible doesn’t shy away from over-the-top violence and gore. However, much like Prime’s other hyperviolent comic-book adaptation The Boys, it’s natural for Invincible’s future seasons to tone down some of these notorious scenes.
14 Robot’s Gruesome Betrayal
Invincible #111 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, John Rauch, and Rus Wooton
After ruling an alien civilization for a thousand years in an alternate reality, Robot aka Rudolph Connors looks at himself as Earth’s rightful savior harboring similar plans to rule the world. Robot’s betrayal was a major plot twist in the comics and will most likely be replicated in the series. At the same time, there’s a particular moment that might be a bit too disturbing to show on the screen.
As Robot plans to get Mark Grayson (Invincible) out of his way, he targets his girlfriend-turned-wife Atom Eve. Eve can’t use her powers due to her pregnancy, and is stopped from escaping by having her leg grappled. Proving the lengths og his betrayal, Robot continues by using the cable to completely remove the leg.
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13 The Immortal Forces Mark To Kill Him
Invincible #54 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, FCO Plascencia, and Rus Wooton
There are tons of superheroes in the Invincible universe, but one of the most tragic is The Immortal who, as his name implies, can not die. Years in the future, after Mark Grayson decides to leave Earth, he leaves it in charge of the Immortal, who eventually goes insane and becomes a brutal dictator.
This version of Immortal is intentionally tyrannical as he tries to force an uprising that’ll end in his death, but every uprising fails. After a Mark Grayson from the past is brought to this future, he’s driven to kill the Immortal when Immortal starts telling Mark about his future, which Mark very much does not want to hear.
12 The Invincible War Was A Catastrophic Event
Invincible #60 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, FCO Plascencia, and Rus Wooton.
The fight between
Invincible and Omni-Man
was one of the most brutal moments in the comic and show, but the Invincible war was this times one hundred.
Armstrong Levy is one of Invincible’s more dangerous enemies as he has the power to open portals across the multiverse. In Invincible #60, he used this power to bring dozens of evil versions of Invincible into the main universe to destroy Mark’s reputation.
The fight between Invincible and Omni-Man was one of the most brutal moments in the comic and show, but the Invincible war was this times one hundred. The destruction was worldwide and Mark ended up blaming himself for it, since these were alternate versions of him, he felt responsible for their actions.
11 The Mauler Twins’ ‘Accidental’ Death
Invincible #52 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, FCO Plascencia, and Rus Wooton.
Ever since the first episode, the Mauler Twins have made their presence felt. Despite having faced off the mightiest of heroes, they interestingly die at the hands of Mark’s half-brother Oliver.
In Invincible #52, a younger Oliver is unable to control the full extent of his powers. Hence, while fighting the Mauler Twins, he punches through one of the brothers. The result is gooey spillage of blood and intestines. As the other twin plans to surrender, Oliver ends up killing him too, adding that it was all ‘an accident’. Given how The Mauler Twins provide comic relief in the show, their demise if executed in such a manner, would be quite dark for fans.
10 Invincible Kills An Innocent Man
Invincible #70 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, FCO Plascencia, and Rus Wooton.
One of the biggest threats that Invincible is currently facing in season 2 is the invasion of the Sequids, small squid-like beings that exist in a hivemind and can possess people’s bodies. Their primary host is Rus Livingston, and through him, the Sequids have begun an invasion on Earth.
While the resolution for this hasn’t been seen in the show yet, it’ll likely be different from the comics. In the comics, after being overwhelmed by tragic event after tragic event, Invincible lets loose and simply kills Rus Livingston. While this ends the threat of the Sequids, Rus was an innocent man. He was taken over by the Sequids and had no control over his body, and Invincible still killed him.
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9 Mark & Anissa’s Disturbing Encounter
Invincible #110 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, John Rauch, and Rus Wooton.
Anissa is a Vlitrumite who, like many of her peers, is tasked with procreating on Earth. When she plans on creating a child with Invincible for this very reason, the hero outrightly rejects her advances, and plans to fly back home to Eve. Initially continuing to pester him, claiming she only wants to have a child with Mark for his half-Viltrumite heritage, the scene doesn’t stop there.
The less said about what follows the better, and fans of the comic are already pleased to see signs that the Invincible TV show will not adapt the Mark/Anissa scene in the same way, and avoid the controversy altogether.
8 Conquest vs Invincible (vs Atom Eve) Gets Gruesome
Invincible #62-64 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, FCO Plascencia, and Rus Wooton.
This is obviously not received well by Mark, who goes on a homicidal rampage and unleashes a death that’s graphic, even for the comic’s standards.
Much like Robot’s betrayal, Conquest’s arrival is inevitable in the Prime series given the Viltrumite antagonist’s impact on the comic storyline. Conquest oversees the world’s destructions at the hands of Invincible’s doppelgangers. He takes the bloodshed a notch higher by disemboweling Atom Eve (even though she survives the attack later).
This is obviously not received well by Mark, who goes on a homicidal rampage and unleashes a death that’s graphic, even for the comic’s standards. The fight ends with Mark biting off Conquest’s trapezius muscle and headbutting him until his brain turned into a pulp.
7 Bulletproof Kills His Own Parents
Invincible #97 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, John Rauch, and Rus Wooton.
Bulletproof aka Zandale Randolph always grew up in the shadow of his identical twin Tyrone who was his parents’ favorite child. The latter was also a geneticist obsessed with superheroes to the point that he even drugged Zandale and conducted experiments on him.
After an experiment gives Zandale superhuman strength, an explosion is triggered that takes Tyrone’s life. However, his parents don’t believe him and allege Zandale to be a murderer. This prompts his girlfriend to strike Mrs. Randolph on the head with a pan, a blow that takes her life in an instant. As Mr. Randolph grows infuriated, Zandale ends up killing him in an act of self-defense.
6 The Death Of Dinosaurus (And Everyone)
Invincible #100 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, John Rauch, and Rus Wooton.
Invincible has tried to save the world in a lot of different ways and sometimes this has led him astray. One of his darkest partners was Dinosaurus, a man who believed that for the world to be saved, the population had to be reduced. Originally, he started just blowing up cities to boost the economy when they had to be repaired.
Eventually, though, he managed to trick Invincible into helping him cause the sea levels to rise, which caused the deaths of 800,000 people. Invincible was eventually able to convince Dinosaurus that he could be wrong, that he’d just killed those people for nothing. Realizing Invincible might be right, Dinosaurus allowed Mark to kill him.
5 Imaginary Deaths
Invincible #52 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, FCO Plascencia, Sheila Saldana, and Rus Wooton
As the merciless Grand Regent Thragg and Viltrumite forces arrive on Earth after the Viltrumite War, Mark sees a dystopian vision that traumatizes him. He witnesses Thragg massacring people and even destroying his house.
If this wasn’t enough, Thragg then grabs Mark’s mother Debbie and tears off her head. While holding her bleeding head in one hand, Thragg mockingly remarks, ‘Pity your son wasn’t here to see this.’
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4 Powerplex Electrocutes His Own Family
Invincible #58 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, FCO Plascencia, and Rus Wooton.
The interesting villain Powerplex wished to teach Invincible a lesson as he was disappointed with the collateral damage that such heroes can cause. This prompts him to execute a revenge plan that proves to be fatal for his own family.
His supportive wife Betty agreed to function as bait along with their son Jack. Eager to save the woman and her child, Invincible arrived at the scene only to get attacked by Powerplex who unleashed a blast of electrical energy at him. The blast however ends up spreading in the vicinity and he witnesses his own family get electrocuted.
3 Oliver’s Death
Invincible #132 by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, Nathan Fairbairn, and Rus Wooton.
Oliver Grayson is Mark’s half-brother who fights crime under the mantle of Kid Omni-Man (and later Young Omni-Man). Even though he supports the Viltrumite cause, he rebels against Thragg after the Grand Regent plans on killing Mark and the entire Grayson family.
After he tries warning Mark’s daughter Terra about the incoming danger, Thragg goes on to break the girl’s leg. In a desperate attempt to fight him off, Oliver charges at Thragg–and is torn in half as a result.
2 Duel On The Sun
Invincible #140 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Mark Morales, Nathan Fairbairn, and Rus Wooton.
Towards the very end of the Invincible‘s 144-issue run, Thragg and Invincible face off in an ultimate showdown that takes place on the sun. With every consequent panel and page, the fight gets more and more unsettling in visuals terms.
This is obviously because both characters’ skin begins to melt in the face of the burning heat. There comes a point where the reader can just see the two Viltrumites as burning masses of muscle and blood.
1 Thragg Vs. Battle Beast
Invincible #115 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, Jean-Francois Beaulieu, and Rus Wooton.
Battle Beast aka Throkk has always been on the quest to find a worthy opponent in combat. When Thragg proves to be one such opponent, Battle Beast fights him for days until he meets his own demise. To engage in a fair contest, Battle Beast even cuts open his own abdomen to match the level of an injured Thragg.
Finally, the Viltrumite gains the upper hand and pulls out his heart. With blood spraying generously, and the internals becoming externals, the Battle Beast uses its last breath to thank Thragg for the fight (before sacrificing its skin to be worn by Thragg as a symbol of his victory).