Amazon Prime Video’s Invincible has aired 17 episodes over two seasons (and specials) since 2021. And while some fans of the series, which is adapted from the Skybound/Image Comics book by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, and Cory Walker, might grouse that it’s been taking too long to get new episodes, thankfully, for the third season the creative team takes that in stride. After four years (in real time) as a superhero, Invincible the series and the character are starting to grow up… With all the growing pains that may imply.
Picking up pretty much where things left off last year in Season 2, Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) aka Invincible is getting stronger with the help of Cecil Stedman (Walton Goggins), ready to face down the impending invasion of the Viltrumite Empire. Complicating things is his rapidly growing younger brother Oliver (Christian Convery), who is purple, also has powers, and wants to live up the legacy of his older brother — and evil father, Nolan (J.K. Simmons), aka Omni-Man. Oh, and speaking of which, the latter is off-planet, about to be executed for betraying the Viltrumites, while the chipper Allen the Alien (Seth Rogen) tries to turn Nolan to the side of the resistance.
That’s far from the only plotline going on in Season 3, given the expansive cast of characters including Mark’s newly realized romantic interest Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs), the various relationships and lives of the super-team Guardians of the Globe, and even the dating life of Mark’s mom Debbie (Sandra Oh). It’s a lot to balance, particularly as the cast keeps expanding both in numbers and branching out in terms of locations, making the third season feel more like a soap opera than ever before.
That feeling also comes through in a tried and true superhero TV trope: should superheroes kill? It’s something the show has dealt with before in a unique way in Season 2, as Mark grappled with the idea that he was being raised to take over the world by his dad. The debate continues in Season 3 with Mark and other characters constantly forced into Trolley Problem-esque scenarios, and having to choose whether to kill, be killed, or merely let someone(s) die.

Look, this is an adult cartoon for adults, and there’s plenty of death and destruction that’s par for the course on Invincible. But this trope was tired out by the end of Arrow‘s first season back in 2012. And without the “is this my destiny” nature of the debate, which infused the second season, the discussion ends up feeling occasionally repetitive in the third season.
It’s also, based on the six episodes screened for critics, not immediately apparent what the plot of Season 3 is supposed to be about. Season 1 had the strong hook of Omni-Man killing the Guardians bubbling in the background from the premiere, while Season 2 introduced antagonist Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown). Season 3 starts strong with a not-so-cold war between Invincible and Cecil, before wandering off in multiple other directions. Perhaps it’ll tie that up with a bow by season’s end, perhaps not. But a good chunk of Season 3 feels like a wander.
It’s not all bad, though — and even with the negative connotation of what I mentioned above, I’d still rather spend time with the characters on Invincible than the characters on most other TV shows. The action (though sparser than usual) is intense, the characters loose and funny, and it’s a nice world to hang out it. But after the breakneck pace of the first two seasons, Season 3 feels the most like a middle season, one that takes the time to set up characters and plot for Season 4 (or possibly the final two episodes not screened for critics), where the dominos start to tumble.

It’s clear growing pains for the series, but the laudable part of this is that the team is really taking the time to let these characters grow, both emotionally and physically. There’s a montage midway through the season comparing Mark and Eve now with various scenes throughout the earlier seasons, and even with the characters only aging up three or four years, there’s a marked, shocking difference in how they look. It’s hard to think of another animated series that actually let the characters grow up to the point of changing their designs so gradually; and when that montage hits, it’s a bit of a jaw-dropper.
Of the supporting cast, Jason Mantzoukas’s Rex Splode continues to be a stand-out — and like Eve and Mark gets plenty of opportunity to age up not just his actions, but the way Mantzoukas approaches his vocal work. Rogen’s Allen is also a delight, as usual; earnest and funny and a nice counterpoint to the otherwise serious nature of a lot of the material. Convery, so good as Gus over on Sweet Tooth, is a great addition as the voice of Oliver, and gets a lot of play as his alien morality challenges Mark’s half-human ethics. And while most of them are under spoiler embargo, just note that a lot of the villains this season don’t necessarily seem like a match to Invincible physically, but they provide a fun counterpoint to the weird, wild world that Kirkman, Ottley, and Walker have created.
Overall, it’s good to have Invincible back on Prime Video… And even better that there’s no lengthy break this time around (a la the gap between Season 1 and 2, and in the middle of Season 2). While it might not cause the constant, high-pitched speculation and provide the non-stop shocks per episodes of the previous seasons, it’s more quietly innovating the way you can approach characters in animation; allowing them to change, and learn. After all, growing pains lead to growth. And that’s, if not invincible, at least undeniable.
Where To Watch Invincible:
Invincible Season 3 Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
Season 3 of Invincible will premiere on Prime Video on Thursday, February 6 at 3 am ET / 12 am PT with three new episodes. New episodes will then roll out one a week until the season finale on March 13, 2025.
Here’s the full list of episodes in Invincible Season 3:
- Thursday, February 6, 2025: Invincible, Season 3, Episode 1, “You’re Not Laughing Now”
- Thursday, February 6, 2025: Invincible, Season 3, Episode 2
- Thursday, February 6, 2025: Invincible, Season 3, Episode 3
- Thursday, February 13, 2025: Invincible, Season 3, Episode 4
- Thursday, February 20, 2025: Invincible, Season 3, Episode 5
- Thursday, February 27, 2025: Invincible, Season 3, Episode 6
- Thursday, March 6, 2025: Invincible, Season 3, Episode 7
- Thursday, March 13, 2025: Invincible, Season 3, Episode 8 *Season Finale*
Listen to Podvincible: An Invincible Podcast:
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