In the most recent episode of Invincible Season 2, Episode 5 “This Must Come As A Shock,” several characters are dead… And one character is near death: Rex-Splode (Jason Mantzoukas), who is about to be executed by Lizard King (Scoot McNairy). And with everyone’s favorite love-to-hate-him character’s life on the line, you might be wondering whether Rex-Splode dies in Invincible.
Good news! We may not know the full answer of how things will pan out on the TV show until the sixth episode airs next week. But we do know whether Rex-Splode dies in the comics… And yes Rex-Splode does die, but in a different way — and there are more twists to come.
Is Rex-Splode Killed By King Lizard And The Lizard League?
First off, as we’ve already covered here, the events of this past week’s episode are very similar to the events of Invincible #40… With a few differences here and there. Rex-Splode does indeed lead a team including Dupli-Kate (Malese Jow), who dies in pretty much the same way as seen on screen, splooshed together with her last dupes by Komodo Dragon (Jay Pharoah)… Though she may not quite be as dead as she seems.
In the issue, Shrinking Rae (Grey Griffin) is actually a male version of the character named Shrinking Ray, and he also dies in pretty much the same way, swallowed by Komodo Dragon. Shrinking Ray is dead for the rest of the run of Invincible. As for whether Shrinking Rae is dead, that is TBD.
So, how about Rex-Splode? Again, just like in the book, Rex has his hand bitten off by Komodo Dragon, blowing up the villain’s head in the process. And just like in the comic, Rex is about to be executed by being shot in the back of the head by King Lizard. So, what happens next? Is Rex about to die in the next episode?
In fact, Invincible #40 ends with the same dual cliffhangers as “This Must Come As A Shock.” Rex is about to be killed. And the Guardians of the Globe in space about to be consumed by the Sequid invasion. When things pick up in Invincible #41, it gets worse! Rex is, indeed, shot in the head by King Lizard… But through adrenaline or whatever else, he somehow survives, beats the bad guy, and collapses.
We catch up with him later much worse for the wear, but he’s very much alive. So, great news! Rex-Splode will never die, right? Um, wrong. Sort of.
How Does Rex-Splode Die In Invincible?
If you’re a fan of Rex-Splode, the great news is that you’ve still got a little while to hang out with him. The bad news is that he’s going to die soon-ish. Whether that’s in Season 3, or Season 4 is TBD, but big spoilers past this point for the future of Invincible.
You remember Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown), the multiverse-traveling villain who is lurking in the background, ready to bring some very bad things for Invincible (Steven Yeun)? Well, Invincible seemingly kills Levy in a fit of rage after the bad guy threatens his family. Levy isn’t dead, though, he gets his body rebuilt and unleashes a horde of evil invincibles from throughout the multiverse to attack our Invincible’s Earth.
This is all part of an epic Image Comics crossover called “The Invincible War” that included not just the characters from the Invincible comic book by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottely, and Cory Walker, but plenty of others, as well. In the book, many characters die trying to stop the bad Invincibles — including Rex-Splode.
While fighting one of the evil Marks, Rex is taken up in the air, and taunted: what can Rex possibly charge up to explode up here? Turns out… His skeleton. He blows himself up, taking the Evil Mark with him.
You’re not going to believe this, though… Rex-Splode isn’t quite dead yet. Or rather, he is dead, but this isn’t the last time we see him in the comic books. After the Invincible War is over, our main character gets a chance to reboot the universe in classic comic book fashion. In the Reboot Universe, Rex-Splode is very much alive and survives until the end of the comic book series.
So short version: yes, Rex-Splode dies in Invincible. But not in next week’s episode of the TV show, if things follow the comics closely as they have been doing. And even when he does die, we won’t have to say goodbye to Rex forever.
Invincible Season 2 Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
Invincible Season 2 Part 2 officially premiered on Prime Video on Thursday, March 14 at 3 am ET / 12 am PT. Though Season 2 is eight episodes long, only one episode will premiere on Thursday, followed by the next three Thursdays.
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”
- Thursday, March 14, 2024: Invincible, Season 2, Episode 5 – “This Must Come As A Shock”
- Thursday, March 21, 2024: Invincible, Season 2, Episode 6 – “It’s Not That Simple”
- Thursday, March 28, 2024: Invincible, Season 2, Episode 7 – “I’m Not Going Anywhere”
- Thursday, April 4, 2024: Invincible, Season 2, Episode 8 – “I Thought You Were Stronger” *Season Finale*
