The Quarantine Stream: ‘Invincible’ is the Latest Brutal Reimagining of Superheroes That Avoids Shock for Edginess’ Sake – /FILM

(Welcome toThe Quarantine Stream, a series where the /Film team shares what theyve been watching while social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.)

The Series:Invincible

Where You Can Stream It:Amazon Prime Video

ThePitch:Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) is just like any 17-year-old kid: he deals with school bullies and school crushes, and he worships superheroes. Except that his father is actually one: the strongest superhero on Earth, Omni-Man(J.K. Simmons). After years of waiting, Mark finally gets the powers he was supposed to inherit super strength, power of flight, and super speed and can begin his training to be a superhero with his dad. But afterOmni-Man is found near-death alongside the bodies of the Guardians of the Globe, Mark has to step up to become a superhero outside of his fathers shadow.

Why Its Essential Viewing: Lets face it: brutal, hyperviolent superhero re-imaginings are a dime a dozen. Comics have been doing it since the 80s, movies have been doing it since adapting those self-same comics from the 80s, and its all the rage on TV now with notoriously bloody shows likeThe Boys andPreacher. NowInvincible, based on Robert Kirkmans comic book series of the same name, is here to fill the gap on the animation side.

Ill admit being a little skeptical ofInvinciblegoing into it. Despite receiving plenty of critical praise when it first premiered, Ive been wary of any hyper-violent shows or movies that seem too edgelord to me: falling prey to being shocking for shocks sake. And while the gore comes as a surprise inInvincible tacked on after the credits of the first episode its no more gruesome than what youll find in many an adult animated show, or even an anime. Rather, its more interesting how it lays the groundwork for howInvincible grapples with the current superhero landscape.

Set in a world where superheroes are increasingly common and privacy is a thing of the past,Invincible is balancing precariously on the edge of a totalitarian dystopia that many past subversive superhero titles have tackled before (think Watchmen, The Boys,even the Crime Syndicate of theCrisis on Infinite Earths). But theres a thread of optimism running through the show, embodied by our titular hero. Awkward, insecure, and just the right amount of reckless, Mark Grayson is almost frustratingly naive when it comes to the horrors that we know are waiting for him around the corner.Its like a cheery Peter Parker-type got thrown into the world ofWatchmen.

Thatsoptimistic, every character says when he tells them his code name. Mark knows, but hes just likable enough that you hope that his idealistic vision of the world of superheroes stays as shiny and clean as it is at the beginning. It explains thesimple animation style, which feels inspired by the beloved superhero animated shows of the 2000s. Coupled withthe obvious riffs on familiar DC and Marvel heroes,Invincible is enjoyable as a surprisingly straightforward superhero coming-of-age story until the shocks of blood and gore arrive. From then on, the show starts to have an intriguing dialogue with itself, between the optimistic roots of the superhero genre and the creeping nihilism of todays comic book flicks.

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The Quarantine Stream: 'Invincible' is the Latest Brutal Reimagining of Superheroes That Avoids Shock for Edginess' Sake - /FILM