'Invincible's Explosive Season 4 Quietly Reaches the Show's Best Ending Yet | Review

1 hour ago 6

Steven Yeun's Mark Grayson looking nervous.

Published Apr 22, 2026, 3:00 AM EDT

Nate Richard is a Resource Editor for Collider, a film and television critic, and a part-time amateur filmmaker. He graduated from Ball State University in December 2020 with a Bachelor's degree in Telecommunications.

Nate has been with Collider since August 2021 and became a Resource Editor in March 2022. With Collider, Nate has interviewed some of the biggest names in Hollywood including Robert De Niro, Michael Fassbender, Steven Yeun, and J.K. Simmons.

Nate has also covered several film festivals, both in-person and digitally, including the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the Heartland International Film Festival (HIFF), and South by Southwest (SXSW).

He's also an avid runner and is very proud of his dogs Hazel, Rex, and Turbo. He currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Editor's note: The below recap contains spoilers for Invincible Season 4 Episode 8.

Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) has gone through a lot over the course of Invincible Season 4. He's nearly died two different times during the Viltrumite War, gone to Hell, killed Rus Livingston (Ben Schwartz) and Conquest (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and reunited with his father Nolan (J.K. Simmons) — just to name a few. In the Season 4 finale, "Don't Leave Me Hanging Here," Mark returns to Earth with more emotional baggage than ever before, but as a potential threat rises, his paranoia worsens. While previous Invincible finales have been jam-packed with action and spectacle, Season 4's conclusion takes a more somber approach.

Mark Returns to Earth in the 'Invincible' Season 4 Finale

Season 4's finale opens with Thragg's (Lee Pace) Viltrumite ship hovering above Earth, with the Grand Regent sending the remaining Viltrumites down to attack a city by creating tidal waves and destroying buildings. It turns out this was all just Mark's nightmare, and he's frozen in fear while Nolan attempts to talk to him about Thragg, admitting, "We don't even know if he's there." Zoe/Tech Jacket (Zoey Deutch) asks about a potential plan for their return to Earth, but Mark and Nolan ignore her. Back on Talescria, Allen (Seth Rogen) is adjusting to his new role as leader of the Coalition of Planets. Telia (Tatiana Maslany) attempts to ease his nerves, telling him that Thaedus (Peter Cullen) believed in him and so does she. She then walks Allen out for his inauguration, asking if his speech is ready. (It isn't.)

At the dining room table, Zoe once more tries talking to Mark and Nolan, but they don't listen; even a sarcastic comment about letting the Viltrumites win doesn't move the needle. The silence breaks when the captain announces that they are approaching Earth, much to Zoe's annoyance. As Nolan attempts to come up with a strategy, Mark flies off to surveil his hometown, only to find that everything seems normal. When Mark returns home, Debbie (Sandra Oh) tearfully greets him. As he tells her about Oliver (Christian Convery), he has a hallucination of Thragg ripping her head off. Mark leaves to check on Eve and tells Debbie that Nolan is outside. Debbie finds Nolan floating several feet above the ground and berates him for letting Oliver go to space with him and Mark. Nolan attempts to calm Debbie by telling her how proud he is of Mark and Oliver, but she doesn't relent. "Stop treating me like you don't know me. You have always believed in rehabilitation and second chances. You knew. Please let me show you who I am now," Debbie responds by saying, "I don't know where you're sleeping tonight, but it's not here."

Zoe returns to her space station, where she finds her father, Ed (Bobby Moynihan), asleep at the computer. When she wakes him up, she notices that he was so worried about her, he didn't shower or change his clothes. Mark visits Eve (Gillian Jacobs), who tearfully greets him. She begins to tell him that her powers have returned, but she's been so busy helping her parents and with school that she hasn't been taking care of herself. She's also put Invinicible Inc. on pause.

At GDA headquarters, Cecil (Walton Goggins) and Donald (Chris Diamantopoulos) are having D.A. Sinclair (Eric Bauza) test a portal that could bring Robot (Ross Marquand/Zachary Quinto) and Monster Girl (Grey Griffin/Kevin Michael Richardson) home. The portal proves to be unsuccessful, unleashing a tentacled monster into the laboratory that grabs Sinclair. Cecil then reveals that this was the second attempt at bringing Robot and Monster Girl back that has failed, and they can't do tests anymore. They're going to have to find their own way home.

Eve Reveals the Truth to Mark in the 'Invincible' Season 4 Finale

Allen is overwhelmed in his efforts to talk with the other members of the Coalition of Planets. He tries to tell them that finding the surviving Viltrumites will take time, leading them to respond with, "We don't appreciate your flippantness." The Coalition claims that Thaedus was a "Viltrumite in name only" and asks whether Allan truly trusted Mark and Nolan or was simply using them, but Allen doesn't want to partake in a genocide that could lead to more deaths.

Mark and Eve visit William (Brandon Scott James) and Rick (Luke Macfarlane) at the Upstate University campus. Mark has another panic attack, where he hallucinates Anissa (Shantel VanSanten) murdering students. The episode then cuts to Debbie venting to Paul (Cliff Curtis) at her office, revealing that they broke up some months ago. Debbie is upset about not being able to see Oliver, telling Paul that she was always there for Mark whenever he was injured. In bed, Eve finally tells Mark that she knows why her powers stopped working. Before she can reveal the reason, Mark has another hallucination, this time of Thragg killing Eve. After calming Mark down, Eve finally admits that she learned she was pregnant shortly before he left Earth. Knowing she would not be able to care for a child on her own, she had an abortion. Mark cries, apologizes for leaving Eve, and insists that he should have been there for her.

Nolan visits the crater where he attacked Mark during the climax of the Season 1 finale. Cecil arrives, but keeps his distance from Nolan, adding, "I'll never not be afraid of you." Nolan apologizes to Cecil and tries to reassure him by telling him that they won the war against the Viltrumites. Upon learning that 40 Viltrumites are still in hiding, Cecil is frustrated, telling Nolan that they didn't win at all. Nolan tells Cecil that he has a crew setting up a warning system for incoming Viltrumites that will be ready in two weeks. Cecil says that the wait will be too long, telling Nolan to "Get the fuck off my planet." Back on Earth, Eve wakes up to see that Mark is still awake and wracked with guilt. He tells her that they didn't truly beat the Viltrumites; all they did was give them nothing to lose after the destruction of their planet. Mark stresses that even if the Viltrumites don't come to Earth, he will inevitably have to leave again. Eve's aware of the risk and promises Mark that they'll get through this together.

Thragg Makes a Proposal to Mark in the 'Invincible' Season 4 Finale

Thragg, voiced by Lee Pace, flying through space in Invincible Season 4.

The following morning, as Nolan prepares to leave Earth to be with Oliver, Debbie announces that she is going with him: "What kind of parent would I be if I didn't go?" She also reluctantly permits Nolan to carry her up to the ship. Immediately after their departure, Donald visits the Grayson home, telling Mark that Cecil wants to talk. As their ship departs, Nolan offers to show Debbie the view of Earth, which she reacts to in awe; Nolan considers putting a hand on her shoulder, but stops himself. At Cecil's office, Mark is debriefed about the status of the Viltrumites and has another panic attack, envisioning Thragg killing Cecil, before breaking down, asking if they have somebody that he can talk to about his PTSD. He returns to an empty home, where Eve shows up and encourages him to go on a flight — not to scope for crime or stop supervillains, but simply to clear his head.

As Mark flies through the sky, he begins envisioning Thragg — except this time, it isn't a hallucination. Thragg isn't here to fight; instead, he offers a proposal to Mark: allow the Viltrumites to live on Earth, posing as regular humans, so they can begin to rebuild their race. In return, they will not interfere, influence, affect, or aid in any human affairs. Any intervention will lead to the destruction of every living thing on the planet. An angry Mark hesitates, ready to say no, but ultimately accepts the terms of Thragg's proposal. Thragg leaves by telling Mark, "The universe is strange. You've become our savior, willing or not. You have saved the lives of every being on your planet. You will not hear from me again." Episode 8 concludes with an exasperated Mark muttering, "What have I done?"

A post-credits scene sees Telia handing Allen one last message from Thaedus, which was recorded for his eye only. Thaedus begins his message by telling Allen that he has earned his place as the leader of the Coalition. He then instructs Allen to go to his labs, revealing an upgraded version of the Skurge Virus that Thadeus says must be unleashed on all remaining Viltrumites, even if it kills Mark and Oliver.

The Invincible Season 4 finale is obviously a change of pace from what fans have come to expect. While Season 1 ended with Mark and Nolan's fatal fight, Season 2 revolved around Mark seemingly killing Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown) in a multiverse-hopping battle, and Season 3 saw the arrival of Conquest. By contrast, Season 4's big battle is simply a conversation — an intense one, with no blood drawn outside of Mark's hallucinations. Debbie and Eve's arcs are excellent; although the former's breakup with Paul feels abrupt, Eve's storyline tackles abortion with more maturity than most TV series are capable of. Invincible Season 4 has delivered a lot of action and movement, so it makes sense that the finale slows things down. It may not be explosive, but "Don't Leave Me Hanging Here" cements this season as the show's best installment yet.

Release Date March 26, 2021

Network Amazon Prime Video

Franchise(s) Invincible

Mark Grayson / Invincible (voice)

Pros & Cons

Episode 8 focuses on the aftermath, instead of just jumping into another big battle.
Eve and Debbie's storylines are excellent, especially with where they end up.
Thragg's arrival is a great cliffhanger that doesn't feel cheap.