Does Nolan Die In Invincible? Does Nolan Get Executed?

It’s going to (potentially) be a long wait until the next new episodes of Invincible stream on Prime Video, after that midseason cliffhanger. And with that in mind, if you’ve already seen Invincible Season 2, Episode 4 “It’s Been A While,” you might be wondering: does Nolan die in Invincible?

Obviously, the TV show and comic books are two different things. And we’ll save the spoilers for below. The short answer is that Nolan is in serious trouble at the end of the episode, but things won’t turn out exactly the way you think. With that in mind, let’s do a brief recap of the midseason ending, and then break down what we know about Nolan’s death in the comics. If he, you know, dies.

Invincible Season 2, Episode 4 “It’s Been A While” Ending Explained:

In the final episode of Season 2, Part 1, Invincible aka Mark (Steven Yeun) is on Thraxis, a planet filled with highly intelligent bug people. There, he’s reunited with Omni-Man, aka Nolan (J.K. Simmons), his father. The last time he saw his dad, Nolan was pummeling him into a mountain. Now, he’s claiming redemption, married a bug lady named Andressa (Rhea Seehorn), and they have a son together.

Nolan wants Mark’s help protecting the planet from his race of conquerors, known as the Vultrumites. Unfortunately, it’s too late: three of them arrive and begin to lay waste to the planet. Lucan (Phil Lamarr), Vidor (Chris Diamantopoulos), and Thula (Grey Griffin) all battle Mark and Nolan. Nolan impales Lucan, crushes Vidor’s head, and rips Thula’s jaw off. But unfortunately, Viltrumites are made of sterner stuff. Lucan comes back and breaks Nolan’s back, while Mark falls unconscious thanks to a gut wound from Thula.

Nolan back broken Invincible Season 2 Episode 4

When Mark wakes up, he meets General Kregg (Clancy Brown), who tells him that Nolan will be taken back to Viltrum for execution. Meanwhile, Mark is tasked with taking over Earth in Nolan’s absence. If Mark doesn’t enslave the planet? Kregg will arrive and kill millions of people in the process.

So that’s it for Nolan, right? He gets taken back to his home planet and executed? Well… No.

Does Nolan Die In Invincible? Does Nolan Get Executed? What To Know From The Comics:

Spoilers for the comics past this point. Nolan does die in Invincible… But not yet. A lot of things happen in the intervening time that are far too complicated to explain. Suffice it to say that Nolan does manage to get out of this one, and even ends up in yet another commanding role before the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, and Cory Walker finished its run.

Nolan didn’t actually die until one of the final issues of the series, Invincible #141. For a comparison point, the show is jumping a little all over the place, but what happens in Season 2, Episode 4 is from Invincible #29. The point is, Nolan has several seasons to go before he’s killed off if they go that route.

If you are wondering about how, exactly, Nolan dies in Invincible, here’s the short version. Eventually, we meet Thragg, the Grand Regent and Emperor of the Viltrumite Empire. There are a number of twists and turns, but he’s essentially the Big Bad of the series — not Nolan. And in the final battle, Thragg rips most of Nolan’s body off, in Invincible #138. What follows is a no-holds-barred fight against Thragg inside a sun, which burns most of the skin off Mark’s body, and kills several other major characters.

But more to the point of this article, Nolan is kept alive long enough to say goodbye to Mark. With his final breaths, he names Mark the Emperor of the Viltrumites, and tells him to be strong; thanking he’s son for teaching him compassion. So yeah, massive spoilers if you read this far, but Nolan dies in Invincible… And he dies as a hero.

Invincible Season 2 Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:

Invincible Season 2 officially premiered on Prime Video on Thursday, November 2 at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT. Though Season 2 will be eight episodes long, only one episode will premiere on Thursday, followed by the next three Thursdays. Then there will be a break, and the second half of Invincible Season 2 will premiere sometime in 2024.

Here’s the full list of episodes in Invincible Season 2:

Thursday, November 2, 2023: Invincible, Season 2, Episode 1 – “A Lesson For Your Next Life”
Thursday, November 9, 2023: Invincible, Season 2, Episode 2 – “In About Six Hours, I Lose My Virginity to A Fish”
Thursday, November 16, 2023: Invincible, Season 2, Episode 3 – “This Missive, This Machination!”
Thursday, November 23, 2023: Invincible, Season 2, Episode 4 – “It’s Been A While”
2024, TBA: Invincible, Season 2, Episode 5 – “TBA”
2024, TBA: Invincible, Season 2, Episode 6 – “TBA”
2024, TBA: Invincible, Season 2, Episode 7 – “TBA”
2024, TBA: Invincible, Season 2, Episode 8 – “TBA” *Season Finale*

Listen to Podvincible: An Invincible Podcast:

Looking for a lot more on Invincible? Then check out our podcast, which breaks down episodes of the series, and throws a few comic book Easter eggs in there, too.

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