Summary
This is a great opening, birthing a new superhero series primed for Amazon.
This recap of Amazon original Invincible season 1, episode 1, “It’s About Time”, contains spoilers.
After The Boys, you’d think Amazon would have enough alternative superhero stories. Still, they couldn’t help themselves — Invincible tricks the audience into thinking it’s normal superhero fodder at first, but then it brings a shocking ending.
“It’s About Time” opens with two security guards at the White House. Guard Steve talks about his stepson; despite all the hell he has caused, Steve is looking forward to the day his son gets that diploma. Suddenly there’s chaos, and the ground tears up beneath them. Two large blue brutes come from the ground and start shooting at the White House. And then a group of superheroes (The Guardians of the Globe) turn up to fight. While trying to protect the White House, they have to protect civilians as well. The superheroes clear the White House and then successfully deal with the blue brutes.
Mark wants his powers
And then the story quickly switches to Mark Grayson (voiced by Steven Yeun); he’s watching his father Nolan Grayson (Omni-Man – voiced by J.K. Simmons) saving the day at the White House. Nolan returns home and starts snogging his wife Debbie Grayson (voiced by Sandra Oh), and their son Mark gets irritated at how open his parents are in front of him. Mark is looking forward to getting his powers, and his father offers him hope.
And the powers come
Mark seems downbeat about not having powers yet; he’s a character with this strong sense of privilege.
At school, Mark gets annoyed at a boy called Todd for sexually harassing Amber. He tries to confront Todd, but he’s punched in the face while Amber kicks Todd in the balls. Later on, at work, Mark realises he has his powers as he takes out the trash. At family dinner, Mark reveals he has powers; his father offers to give him training. Late into the night, Mark is overwhelmed and realises he’s going to be able to fly. Mark decides to fall off the house roof on purpose to create the reflex of flying, and he hits the night sky. He accidentally nearly hits a plane and ends up deep in the atmosphere. He falls unconscious and falls. As he wakes up, he hits the floor.
A bad training day
Invincible season 1, episode 1, shows how difficult it is for Mark to be a superhero — it isn’t all roses as he thought it was.
The next day, his alarm goes off; it’s training day with his father. The first lesson is flying. Mark loses control of his landing; the second lesson is fighting with the leverage of flying — his father punches Mark square in the chest, and he hurts him. Nolan tells him to be prepared for everything. When they return, Debbie senses that Nolan is already impatient with Mark.
At school the next day, Todd bullies Mark and threatens him. Mark asks Todd to hit him as hard as he can repeatedly. Each punch has no effect, and everyone is shocked.
Mark’s first mission
After school, Mark puts on a makeshift superhero suit to stop a bank robbery with a villain and criminals. A villain that’s made of rocks fights him. Mark hasn’t given himself a name yet. His father finds him and tells him he looks ridiculous and that he’s not ready. Mark asks him to hit him and gets emotionally frustrated — he wants to prove his father wrong and be like him.
Thinking of a suit…and a name
Nolan introduces Mark to a man that creates superhero suits — Art Rosenbaum (voiced by Mark Hamill). He asks him if he has a name yet so that he can strive for iconic in terms of a suit. When he returns home, Debbie asks Mark to get inside, but he refuses. Debbie reminds Mark that she’s still there for him as a mother. She tells Mark to be the “greatest you”. The next day, after speaking to his father, he has a lightbulb moment — he will be called “Invincible”. He gets his new suit and flies around the city.
I’m Invincible
And then the new animation series gives that moment where a new superhero has his limelight. It’s not “I’m Batman” — it’s not “I’m Spider-Man”…
As he enjoys the skies, he sees an explosion in the distance and flies towards it. There’s a villain that the police are trying to stop. Mark punches the villain repeatedly. He announces his name for the first time — “I’m Invincible”.
The ending
But then the ending to Invincible season 1, episode 1 brings shocking circumstances — this is going to be more than a simple superhero animated series.
The next phase of the episode shows The Guardians of the Globe. Each superhero is alerted of an incident. The superheroes group together after thinking Dark Wing (voiced by Lennie James) alerted them, but he didn’t. It’s a trap. Suddenly, Omni-Man is their enemy as he attacks, and they have to fight him. Omni-Man kills Red Rush (voiced by Michael Cudlitz) by squashing his head into a pulp and forcing it to explode. He then kills Dark Wing and Green Ghost (voiced by Sonequa Martin-Green). The rest of the superheroes believe someone is controlling Omni-Man. Eventually, Omni-man kills every last one of them brutally — it’s an absolute blood bath. The episode ends in silence.
This is a great opening, birthing a new superhero series primed for Amazon.
