Invincible Season 4 Finale, A slow build up to disaster.

Now before I start writing this any further; no this did not actually happen in this episode, the episode did indeed start with the Viltrumites arriving on Earth and carefully constructing their trajectories so that their arrival causes a Tidal Wave, and proceed to hit buildings like Meteors.

All before Thragg descends toward Earth to Lord over the hell that he has created.

And this sequence continues on for an uncomfortable amount of time before revealing itself to be a Trauma dream going on for Mark as he makes him Tech Jacket and Nolan make their way back to Earth.

Now in the comics, this is also how this particular issue starts, but then soon after, right as Nolan and Mark reach Earth in fact, and realize that the Viltrumites have yet left the Earth untouched... The thing that happened at the very end of this episode happens.

But this episode decides to make it much more of a slow burn, and build up to it.

It does so by showing Trauma Dreams like the one shown above, cause remember, one single Viltrumite was able to kill people in the thousands in quite a short period of time, and he wasn't even the strongest one, Imagine what havoc thirty seven of them can cause given as much time as it takes to get from the coalition home base of Talescria to Earth.

Now for both Comic readers and Non Comic readers alike, the journey to Earth is filled in with this one singular question above.

Even as the show tries to inject some levity into the tension by having Tech Jacket constantly spout one Idea after another, even as Nolan and Mark continue to ignore her.

In order to gain their attention, she even at one point mentions that they should just let Earth go to shit because there is nothing that makes that place worth it anyways.

And they really are ignoring her, poor girl really can't catch a break.

However for those who haven't read the comics, the moment they all descend onto Earth and see that the Viltrumites are nowhere to be seen, is basically a silent threat, because if they aren't destroying Earth, then we don't know what they are doing.

And...

Oh yes, did I tell you that I like comparing things to Lucifer? Little known fact.

But Terrifying or not, the Episode must go on, and it takes this short moment of quite solitude from any conflict to possibly resolve any and all left over un addressed plot threads.

I do not believe Nolan ever truly planned to come back to Earth, I mean the man only ever considered it because of the mere possibility that the remaining Viltrumites might go there.

But now that he is there...

Debbie has something to say to him, whether she likes it or not.

And this time it is her who calls him down to talk to her.

And I would like to say, they really do take a very interesting route as to making the Story follow the comics as closely as they can.

In the Comics as well Oliver is hurt badly, but when Nolan returns to Earth, Debbie never even asks about Olie, all that happens is that they talk about Paul and Debbie breaking up, and Nolan and Debbie decide to move to an Alien planet to work on their broken relationship.

I mean... sure that's what you wanted to happen Robert, but like.... He murdered people?

Here though, things are much more believable, for one, even though they are broken up, Paul is the one who suggests Debbie go to Talescria to see Olie, I mean she is a part of this world of Gods and Monsters, whether she likes it or not right?

And along the same lines, When Cecil and Nolan come face to face again in the comics, he just Teleports in to Debbie's house, shoots Nolan due to reflexes, thankfully not making him naked like Telia did some episodes ago, and then he apologizes because he heard From Invincible that the man has reformed and then the next time he shows up Nolan is just walking the halls of the GDA with everyone staring at him and Nolan makes a passing comment about it being a bad idea for him to be there.

HAha.

But this time, Nolan goes to the place where he beat the shit out of Mark and thinks back to everything he said and did, just like Mark, Nolan is going through intense Trauma, the Trauma of Change.

And then Cecil comes in with a simple question.

Nolan And Cecil have had a Decades long Friendship, they have been through a lot, and for the longest time Nolan was the sole Defense for Earth against overwhelming Alien threats.

And then the very same person turned against Earth and became an Alien threat.

Cecil and the GDA have tried for years to develop a Viable defense against Viltrumites but none of it works.

The Fear is real, the Anger is real, but most of all, the Hurt is real.

Nolan being here is not a good feeling for anyone involved.

As I said this scene didn't exist in the comics, the place where Nolan nearly beat his son to death or even the action itself has never been addressed in the comics here, Cecil doesn't let Nolan off the hook even in the slightest, but given his ideology it makes sense that he does eventually see Nolan as a necessary evil.

Nolan Owes a debt, But Earth having to deal with his shit isn't fair, and he can never make it fair.

Or as he puts it.

The main thing emphasized in this conversation however is that they didn't win shit, all that happened is now they have nothing to loose.

And the fact that this episode is a much slower steady paced one actually plays to emphasize that much better.

How so?

Well for one, after the quick paced action of all the season, like I said there were a lot of unaddressed things as there would have been if this was real life as there simply is no time, but in between all of this as they are trying to calm mark down and try to return to some semblance of normal by hanging out and what not, and then all of a sudden we see one of the people we love in a horrible situation.

The only person who even Remotely understands him is William's boyfriend, who Ironically is alive only because of Invincible, and now his assailant is working for the guy who fixed him up and trying to open a gate way to another dimension to get back Monster Girl and Rex.

Speaking of that Failed attempt, that also didn't happen in the comics, a lot of this episode didn't, the Mark and eve stuff did, but much of it was made up/inspired and extended upon from the comics.

But it is the Final nail in the coffin for letting those two be in the other Dimension.

Also is it just me, or does this feel inspired from the Captian Carter v/s Hydra Stomper scene from What If...?

And I guess Invincible somehow feels responsible for that as well.

Add to that the fact that Invincible feels responsible for quote: "Giving them nothing to loose" even when disappearing during this very period was the exact worst thing to happen to her.

And while yes she chose not to tell Mark in order to keep his focus on the upcoming battle, now that Mark knows of her pregnancy and subsequent abortion, he cannot help but blame himself.

Even as Eve reassures him that this is her choice and there's nothing more to it.

As he finally decides to take a flight in order to get away from it all.

His worst fear comes true.

The thing about Viltrumites is that they are too proud, their belief in their empire of strength borders on fanaticism, but the worst thing you can do to a Fanatic is expose him to ideas other than his, in a situation where he cannot destroy or manipulate his way out of.

That is what changed Nolan, and though Thragg doesn't see it that is what will be the Final downfall of the Viltrumites, and that isn't even a spoiler, that's the only way this can go, for some, not for everyone.

Revealing that would be a spoiler.

It would be strange if no one changed while on Earth, and even stranger if everybody did.

Wars end in strange ways, and people end up in strange situations.

But like Thragg says,

Invincible makes the choice for the entirety of the planet, to be the Breeding grounds for the Viltrumites.

Will breeding grounds, as they will settle here, start families, either that or they take the planet by force, and as Mark struggles we are reminded of what the alternative is.

In the Comics, this happened much earlier like right after their initial sweep of the planet, and while it may initially make sense for Thragg to want to get this out of the way first, I think if we think about it, he gave Mark space on purpose, to help him calm down and talk to him rationally, Nolan is long gone by now and that also seems on purpose, Nolan carries guilt, and he will do anything to right it.

Really only and only Invincible could make that choice and Thragg wanted him alone, a lot of changes like this from the comics to the show that make this story so much better, Like Nolan and Debbie being off world for Oliver's sake and not to fix their relationship like the comics.

And truly this was the only way to take this forwards, the Viltrumites are too interesting to let die like any other Threat, but they are so interesting precisely because they will all either kill or be killed.

The only way to neutralize them and them not die, is if they were forced into that decision.

But did mark save two races, or did he doom them both, because as we zoom out to Talescria, we learn that Thaedus left behind a message for Allen.

The hints were always there, even as he saw the Flaw in the Viltrumite rule of strength, Thaedus still thought like a Viltrumite, kill things to solve the problem, at first Argall, and then the Scourge Virus.

Even as he fights those on Viltrum, he calls Kregg weak, he still believes in the rule of Strength, he is not Buff socrates like he is portrayed, he is a snake who hates all he has done and will see the termination of his race as his personal atonement.

Thragg was right, just like doing what he is doing now is the right Decision for the Survival of the people of Viltrum.

Asgard isn't a place its a people type shit.

If they won that day, Nolan and Mark were next, so Thragg did everyone a favor by killing him.

But not good enough as the perfected scourge Virus now lays in the hands of Allen who is being forced to prove his strength by hunting down the remaining Viltrumites, and while in the Comics this was revealed much later, here Thaedus knows.

The show usually ends it's seasons with a Montage of the many minor threats that will come back to cause havoc next season, this time, there is no such teaser, this line from Thaedus alone is enough to make us think what is coming next.