The first episode of the fourth season of *Invincible* kicks off with the world plunged into chaos, attempting to recover from the horrors inflicted by Conquest, as well as by all the versions of Mark hailing from the multiverse. Meanwhile, the Guardians of the Globe and Invincible Inc. face off against new threats, alongside recurring ones. Mark is not in a particularly good mood; wherever he goes, he is the target of public hatred.
His superhero identity constantly reminds people of what his multiversal counterparts did to their loved ones. Mark cannot even look at himself in the mirror without being assailed by memories of those moments when other versions of himself murdered his friends, his colleagues, and innocent bystanders. Perhaps worst of all, neither he nor any of the other heroes gets a single moment of respite; it is a ceaseless whirlwind.
Stars: Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, Sandra Oh
In most cases, such frenetic activity can be useful for keeping one's mind occupied and avoiding being overwhelmed by one's own thoughts. However, in this instance, it seems evident that Mark needs a break. Unlike Mark, Oliver maintains a much healthier balance between his professional and personal lives: when his workday is over, it is truly over, and no one can force him to go fight another villain. But, of course, that doesn't stop Mark from suiting up and continuing to battle monsters and supervillains until he manages to clear his name in the eyes of the public.
Cecil, Black Samson, and Brit manage to convince Rudy—look, I’m not going to call him Rex again after that pathetic eulogy—along with Amanda, Shapesmith, and Bulletproof, to rejoin the Guardians of the Globe, arguing that the current situation demands it. Understandably, the group remains skeptical following the incident involving Cecil, who nearly killed Mark by implanting a device designed to incapacitate him directly into his head.
Nevertheless, Samson and Brit come to Cecil's defense, assuring the others that if he even thinks about stepping out of line again, they will personally take it upon themselves to put him back in his place. As soon as Rudy, Amanda, Shapesmith, and Bulletproof agree to rejoin the team, Cecil announces that Brit will continue to serve as the leader of the Guardians. Rudy is not amused by this idea and argues that the leadership should fall to him; however, Cecil puts an end to the discussion by stating that they will have plenty of time to debate that matter later—once Rudy has earned back his trust.
Meanwhile, Mark crosses paths with Dinosaurus. Much like Bruce Banner transforms into the Hulk, David Anders transforms into Dinosaurus whenever he loses control of his mind. Anders is a mild-mannered individual, whereas Dinosaurus harbors a deep contempt for human beings, viewing them as creatures that ceaselessly procreate and are turning the planet into a living hell. Dinosaurus appreciates the fact that his clashes with his enemies have served to "decimate the herd"; however, given that Mark is attempting to atone for his sins rather than engaging in rounds of genocide, Dinosaurus resolves to kill him.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that Dinosaurus is no match for Mark—indeed, he actually manages to wound the half-Viltrumite hero. However, when Dinosaurus realizes he cannot defeat Mark in a direct confrontation, he transforms back into Anders—likely hoping to outmaneuver him in some other way in the future. It takes Mark a few seconds to grasp the dynamic between Anders and Dinosaurus. I am certain that Dinosaurus was banking on the fact that Mark would not kill Anders—despite Anders being, in reality, Dinosaurus himself—simply because Anders is just an ordinary human being.
Yet, Mark nearly upends Dinosaurus's expectations by strangling Anders for a significant period, weighing whether it would be better to simply kill the guy—thereby eliminating Dinosaurus as well—rather than letting him live and sending him to therapy or something similar. I don't know if Mark would have actually killed the dinosaur had the Guardians not arrived on the scene; but, given that they did, we never got to see Mark give in to his worst impulses. The Guardians take Anders into custody, while Mark takes flight. Dinosaurus does not appear again in this episode, but, according to Robert Kirkman, he will become a highly significant antagonist in Mark's life from this point forward.
Mark meets up with Eve (who is busy managing clients for Invincible Inc.) at her parents' house, so that Adam and Betsy can get a little more acquainted with her boyfriend. As expected, Betsy welcomes Mark with great warmth, but Adam proves irredeemably detestable due to his hatred of superheroes. Well, after observing him for four seasons, I think I’ve started to realize that it’s not exactly that he hates superheroes.
In the second season, we saw that a Sequid had arrived on Earth via Rus Livingston. The third season revealed that Livingston—controlled by the Sequid—had spawned thousands of Sequids, which were gradually taking control of Chicago's population. Now, in the fourth season, we see Livingston flooding the entire city with millions—probably billions—of Sequids, assimilating every human being into the hive mind. While all this is unfolding, we learn that the relationship between Paul and Debbie is still going strong and that, despite having learned of the negative connotations associated with the "O" symbol on his suit, Oliver refuses to change it because, in his view, he has imbued that symbol with a non-genocidal meaning.
Anyway, returning to the Sequid infestation: while GDA soldiers erect an apparently impenetrable dome to restrict the creatures' movement, the Guardians utilize a pair of devices—one to stun the Sequids and another to teleport the infected individual to GDA headquarters—to tackle the situation. Cecil realizes that the Guardians alone won't be enough to handle the Sequids, so he decides to bring Mark into the fold as well. Eve would have loved to lend a hand, but—as previously mentioned—given that her powers aren't functioning correctly, she decides to sit this one out.
While Mark and the others handle the situation on the surface of the dome, Rudy decides to descend underground to find out what is happening. Rudy is knocked out by one of the humans controlled by the Sequids, and although he manages to regain his bearings and teleport back to GDA headquarters, I believe he has become infected. We know that Sequids possess the ability to remain dormant within their host's stomach; Consequently, there is a distinct possibility that Rudy harbors one inside himself—one that will rear its sinister head at the most opportune moment. But we’ll deal with that when the time comes.
For now, the Sequid infestation appears to have been contained, as—towards the end of the first episode—Mark ends Rus’s life. Everyone is going to judge Mark for killing Rus; however, had he not done so, the Sequids would have destroyed the dome and spread throughout the city, then the state, then the country, and, finally, the entire world. Just as with Anders, Mark weighed that decision with great care, and perhaps he wouldn't have killed Rus if Bulletproof had handed him the stun gun in time. But he didn't, and what’s done is done.
During the mid-credits scene of Episode 1, Conquest awakens from his slumber and leaves Earth. Cecil and Donald learn of this event but are powerless to do anything about it. They simply watch as Conquest departs, mentally bracing themselves for what is to come. I don't know what Cecil was thinking when he imprisoned Conquest instead of incinerating him or doing something of the sort. Hadn't he seen what the Viltrumite had done to that planet? And yet he still decided to keep him alive? Why? Oh, right: to extract more information about the Viltrumite Empire? In that case, shouldn't he have ensured that the cell holding Conquest was a little more secure? The guy broke out of it as if it were a walk in the park. Cecil boasted so much about that prison, yet Conquest simply destroyed it faster than Tai Lung escaped from the jail where *he* was confined.
Even if, for a moment, I entertain the theory that—once recovered from his wounds—Conquest might have revealed all the secrets of the Viltrumite Empire to Cecil, do you really believe that was ever a possibility? I mean, why would Conquest do something like that under any circumstances? No amount of physical or mental torture could have ever forced Conquest to betray his own people. So, yes, I have no idea what was going through Cecil's head. Just minutes earlier, Cecil had managed to regain Mark's trust. If Mark finds out about Conquest's escape, he will turn against Cecil once again. And who will have to face the consequences of Cecil's stupid actions? Well, just as happens in the comics: it will be Mark. After that—if Mark decides never to join forces with Cecil, the GDA, the Guardians, or the rest of this planet—I really won't blame him. It is one thing to be a superhero; it is quite another to be the planet's punching bag, despite having the best of intentions.
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