Invincible Season 2 Episode 4 has left fans reeling as we head into the mid-season hiatus. But in the midst of all the brutal violence and game-changing twists, there was also the introduction of a pivotal new character in the Invincible Universe!
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(SPOILERS) In Invincible Season 2 Episode 4, “IT’S BEEN AWHILE”, Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) stands reunited with his dad Nolan/Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons), who is now the emperor of the planet Thraxa. However, during the obviously awkward and angry exchange with his dad about what happened on Earth, and why he’s on Thraxa, Mark gets a different kind of blow when his father reveals that he has an entirely new life – and family – on Thraxa. That includes a half-Thraxan newborn son, who is now Mark’s half-brother!
Initially, Mark can’t wrap his head around the fact that Nolan has a new wife and son, for obvious emotional reasons. However, Mark is also highly suspicious of Nolan’s reveal because his nameless son (Thraxans let their children eventually choose their own names) because he’s clearly of toddler age, and not an infant.
When Viltrumite soldiers come crashing into Thraxa looking to detain Nolan, Mark is forced to make a choice: protect his brother or let him get wiped out by the Viltrumite Empire for being an unsanctioned birth. Mark can’t help but sympathize with Nolan’s new Thraxan wife Andressa, and views his brother as innocent – so when the life-or-death battle is on, Mark ends up protecting his own and flies Andressa and his brother to some caves beneath Thraxa for safety. Mark also fights the biggest Viltrumite, Lucan, when breaks into the caves and tries to kill his brother.
In the end, both Mark and Nolan are gravely injured in the fight with the Lucan and his Viltrumite warriors. Nolan is arrested by the Viltrumite Empire, while Mark is left on Thraxa with orders to replace his father as Viltrum’s representative in preparing Earth for conquest. Andressa and Mark’s brother are not seen again; Lucan survived the fight in the caves and returned to take down Nolan, but didn’t make mention of having harmed Andressa or the baby – so we can probably assume they escaped.
As is made clear in the episode: Mark’s Thraxan half-brother is aging at a rapid pace. Thraxan lifespans are said to be the length of one Earth year, but Nolan’s Viltrumite genes are slowing that process to a degree. Still, Mark presumably has months before his brother is every bit his peer, age-wise – and that’s not to mention what kind of power he may manifest, when his Viltrumite side kicks in. He could be Mark’s most powerful ally – or his worst opposition.
Invincible Season 4 Part 2 will begin sometime in 2024.
