Invincible Season 3, Episode 4 Review: I'm Convinced Season 3 Could Be The Prime Video Animation's Most Thrilling Yet After Episode 4

Warning! This review contains spoilers for Invincible season 3, episode 4.

Invincible season 3, episode 4 manages to improve on the strong premiere, providing more of what makes the show stand out among the superhero crowd. Thus far, Invincible season 3's story has captured my attention, with the show's three-episode premiere delving deeper into arguments about morality than I had expected. Invincible season 2's ending and the show's debut outing had a great many arguments of this type, but my surprise came from just how quickly season 3 leaned into the Mark vs. Cecil storyline.

In a way, this clash of ideologies takes a back seat in episode 4, yet the arguments at its center remain as prevalent as always. This time around, Invincible's cast of characters deals with the aftermath of the premiere; the Teen Team struggles to live normal lives, as do Mark and Eve, whose "second first date" is interrupted by the thieves of the Declaration of Independence from episode 1. What spawns from this setup is an excellent episode that is essentially two halves, both being equally compelling and displaying the very best aspects of Invincible.

Invincible Season 3, Episode 4 Brilliantly Balances Multiple Storylines Via Mark's Journey

A Standalone Adventure Still Has Intriguing Implications

I admittedly did not expect the return of Dropkick and Fightmaster after their theft in episode 1, but I was happy to be proven wrong thanks to the story that came from it. As Invincible often tends to do, even the smallest, seemingly inconsequential storylines have importance, with the somewhat side errand from the season 3 premiere proving to have a deeper meaning. Dropkick and Fightmaster needed the Declaration of Independence to help them combat a threat from the future, a threat they now need Mark's help to overcome.

The exploration of a desolate future in which Immortal ruled the world with an iron grip was endlessly compelling. Not only was the alternate universe aspect of the story enjoyable on a base level, but it also gave hints to the upcoming Invincible War arc the show will adapt after the teases of Angstrom Levy's return in Invincible season 3, episode 3. The mention that Mark himself is the Emperor of Viltrum in this alternate future sets this up, while the conflict with King Immortal includes a strong fight scene and a link back to Mark's current moral dilemmas.

The fight scene between Immortal and Invincible was exciting, but it was made all the more so by Mark's question of whether crossing a moral line to save people is necessary, thus linking back to Cecil's way of thinking. This is summed up by King Immortal's question to Mark: "What kind of man lets others die because he won't act?" The extremes to which Mark goes here provide a satisfying conclusion to the standalone storyline, all while teasing more to come via the Invincible War and raising the season's central moral arguments.

Invincible Season 3, Episode 4's Second Half Is Somehow Even Better

The Return Of Allen The Alien & His Newfound Allies

I loved the first half of Invincible season 3, episode 4, yet the second half somehow managed to improve is quality. The story returned to the jailbreak teased by Allen the Alien's friendship with Omni-Man in season 2, which finally exploded into life. The development of Allen and Omni-Man's friendship remains heartwarming, but it is in the bloody, well-animated action that episode 4's latter half shines. As someone who has criticized Invincible's animation for not being artistic enough, I cannot deny it has never faltered in depicting enthralling, fast-paced fight sequences.

This is on full display during the prison break sequence, complete with teases for another incredibly powerful Invincible character in Battle Beast. Then there are the equally intriguing moral aspects of Allen and Omni-Man's storyline, from whether the latter should be punished for his crimes in the past or redeem himself to, in turn, scrub away his transgressions. By the end of Invincible season 3, episode 4, this answer is given, promising a latter half of the season that — if it can continue the strengths of its predecessors — could quite possibly be the show's best.