Every season of Invincible leaves you shook. Whether it’s a massive character revelation or an even bigger, bloodier battle, when a season of the Robert Kirkman animated show comes to an end, you can expect to be wowed by its finale. That happened again with the recently concluded fourth season, and we can’t get the big, final moment out of our heads.
Much of Invincible season four centered on Nolan and Allen recruiting people to help the Coalition of Planets in their ongoing war against Viltrum. That culminated in Nolan going back to Earth, bringing Mark (aka Invincible) and Oliver with him, and several epic battles taking place. The heroes even flew through the center of Viltrum, completely destroying the planet, as a way to hopefully scare off their powerful enemies.
It didn’t work. The almost 40 remaining Viltrumites disappeared, and in the season finale, the mystery of their whereabouts and inevitability of their revenge weighed heavily on everyone, especially Mark. Then, it all came to a head when Thragg, the leader of Viltrum and probably the most powerful being in the galaxy, arrived on Earth.
In a quiet, terrifying moment, Thragg gave Mark a choice. Continue to wage war on the Viltrumites, which would inevitably mean millions, if not billions, of lives lost on Earth and beyond, including his loved ones. Or, accept an uneasy truce and let the remaining Viltrumites live in secret on Earth, which would allow them to spread their seed and build the species up once again.
That notion of Viltrumites traveling the galaxy to breed and expand their species has been a throughline throughout the series. It’s the reason why Nolan was on Earth in the first place. It’s why Mark and Oliver exist. And it’s the thing the Coalition of Planets has been fighting primarily to prevent.
The hero in Mark wants to say no. To continue to fight. But the realist in him knows continuing the fight doesn’t end well, especially for the people he loves. And so Mark begrudingly agrees to Thragg’s terms. He saves the galaxy now by potentially. dooming it later.
Note: I haven’t read the comics, so while I’m sure much of what happens next is out there, I’ve only seen the show and am going off that.
When the episode ended, I found myself torn, just as Mark surely was. On the one hand, it’s a superhero show, and the hero in him should continue to fight against the evil Viltrumites. It’s what everyone else would almost certainly do. What we’d all like to think we’d do. And yet, Mark is also half human. He knows what a fight on Earth with just one Viltrumite can do. The catastrophic damage and death that fighting Nolan and Conquest brought to his world. Contrast that with a war against almost 40 of them at once. Even if they won, what or who would even be left?
However, in choosing to save the world now, Mark is potentially dooming everyone in the future. Surely, anything is possible; this isn’t the end of the series, and there’s more to the story. But if the living Viltrumites are allowed to procreate with humanity, birthing more and more Viltrumites like Mark, eventually, they’ll be numerous enough to stop living in hiding. They’d go back to their old ways, traveling the galaxy and subjugating species or committing genocide.
Truly, it’s an impossible decision and not one Mark, or anyone, could come to lightly. Put in that position, I have no idea what I’d do. But you have to imagine it’s very difficult to almost certainly kill everyone you know and love right now, in this moment, just for the hypothetical promise you can save even more people in the future. It certainly seems easier to push the issue off to those future people. Let them figure it out. I couldn’t help but think how the choice was a fantastic microcosm of modern politics. Some people say “fuck the future” and live only for themselves and their own. Others prioritize the future over themselves, which is brave and honorable, but also incredibly scary. Neither is right, and neither is wrong, but maybe one is easy, and the other is harder. Mark took the easy way out, which we kind of wish he hadn’t, but we also completely understand.
What would you have done in Mark’s shoes? Do you think he made the right decision?
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