Editor’s Note: The following contains full spoilers for Invincible Season 2, Episode 6.

The Big Picture

Rex and Rae surprisingly survive grim situations, leading to intense character growth.
Emotional arcs for The Immortal and Rex provide depth and a shift in character dynamics.
Mark and Allen’s reunion introduces comedic relief and an intriguing storyline twist with Thaedus.

After last week’s episode ended on a grim cliffhanger with King Lizard (Scoot McNairy) pointing a gun at the head of a gravely injured Rex Splode (Jason Mantzoukas), the deaths of Shrinking Rae (Grey Griffin) and Dupli-Kate (Malese Jow), and the Guardians of the Globe becoming surrounded by a horde of Sequids, it seemed that Invincible Season 2 had doubled down on the stakes, even without the presence of Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) and Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown). Season 2, Episode 6, which is titled “It’s Not That Simple,” deals with the aftermath of those devastating events and also brings in some familiar faces that we haven’t seen in a while.

Invincible Release Date March 25, 2021 Creator Robert Kirkman Seasons 2 Developer Simon Racioppa Number of Episodes 9 Network amazon prime video Streaming Service(s) Prime Video

Rex and Rae Survive (Barely) in ‘Invincible’ Season 2

The latest episode opens with the Lizard King shooting Rex in the head, point-blank, which supposedly kills him. Or does it? We are then sent back up into space as the Guardians of the Globe continue their battle against an army of Sequids, led by the possessed Rus Livingston. Shapesmith (Ben Schwartz) uses his body to shield Rudy (Ross Marquand), who is attempting to build a device that can stop the Sequids, and an unconscious Eve (Gillian Jacobs). Rudy hands Mark (Steven Yeun) the device, but soon after, Shapesmith’s human shield bursts, causing Rudy and Eve to briefly become possessed by the Sequids. After two attempts at activating Rudy’s device, Mark and The Immortal (Marquand) are able to subdue the Sequids and save not only Eve and Rudy, but Rus as well. The Guardians begin to evacuate from the space station as the Sequids recover. The superhero team is blocked by a group of Martians, who demand that they turn in Shapesmith, who they now dub “The Great Betrayer.” After realizing that Shapesmith will be put to death by his own kind, Mark dismantles the Martian’s ships, allowing the Guardians of the Globe to have a safe voyage back home.

Back on Earth, Rex somehow survives the Lizard King’s bullet to the head, gets a second wind, and brutally beats the reptilian villain to death in an act of sheer rage. It’s a shocking moment and one where we begin to truly sympathize with Rex. After serving as the douchey comic relief in Season 1, the young adult hero has come a long way, quickly becoming one of the biggest highlights of Season 2 thus far. Rex falls unconscious, and GDA security guards rush to aid him. Moments later, it’s revealed that Shrinking Rae actually survived being eaten alive after emerging from Komodo Dragon’s bloodied corpse.

Mark’s Brother Finally Gets a Name in ‘Invincible’ Season 2
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Cecil (Walton Goggins) pays Debbie (Sandra Oh) a visit under the guise of giving her an update on Mark’s latest mission. Debbie, being the whip-smart woman that she is, can see through the facade, knowing that Cecil wants to bring Mark’s half-Thraxan brother to the GDA headquarters. Cecil tries to persuade Debbie by informing her that the GDA has an entire department devoted to raising superhero children, but Debbie swiftly turns him down. Despite not being her biological child, Debbie still believes that the half-Thraxan boy is family to her because of his connection to Mark, reminding Cecil that she also raised Mark. The Guardians soon learn that Shrinking Rae was murdered while they were away, and find The Immortal sulking over the Dupli-Kate and her clones’ corpses. Mark seeks solace in Debbie, who reveals that she has named his half-Thraxan brother Oliver, after her father.

In the most devastating moment of the season, the Guardians attend Dupli-Kate’s funeral. The Immortal delivers a tear-filled eulogy, telling the story of how Kate believed her powers were a gift, despite being from a family curse. He goes on to say that Kate’s real power was her optimism and desire to help others, instilled by a belief that the world is a good place. After the funeral, he is consoled by Black Samson (Khary Payton) and professes that, despite having grieved over all of his past lovers, Kate’s death hits differently. Despite the meaning behind The Immortal’s name, this scene is willing to show the character in a moment of vulnerability. It’s arguably what the series has always done best, taking larger-than-life characters with extraordinary abilities and having them deal with very human emotions. The Immortal could have easily just been some two-dimensional jock, but this series has never been about adhering to stereotypes of the genre.

Meanwhile, Mark gets coffee with Amber (Zazie Beetz) on an awkward date where he expresses his regret over constantly leaving to go on heroic missions as Invincible. Amber assures him that she wouldn’t be dating him if he wasn’t using his powers to save the world.

Rick Sheridan Returns to Upstate University in ‘Invincible’ Season 2

When Mark returns to his dorm room, William (Andrew Rannells) excitedly reintroduces him to his old flame Rick Sheridan (Luke Macfarlane), who has been in recovery at the GDA after he was transformed into a Reaniman in Season 1. Donald (Chris Diamantopoulos) is also present and hints to Mark that the same technology used to resurrect him was used to revive Rick. Mark goes to see Rex at the GDA hospital, and we learn that the former will be receiving a new right hand, after losing his old one in his fight against the Komodo Dragon. Rex professes that as cliché as he thinks it sounds, he saw his life flash before his eyes when he got shot by the Lizard King, vowing that he wants to be a better friend to all those he believes he wronged in the past, including Eve. Much like The Immortal, Rex is a character that continues to defy our expectations, and his storyline has become one of the strongest of Season 2.

Debbie interviews several nannies for Oliver who were sent by the GDA and is caught off guard by April (Calista Flockhart), whose transparency and honesty impress her. Debbie is ready to turn April down until she says that she’ll report to her and not the GDA. Cecil arrives at Eve’s treehouse, attempting to persuade her to rejoin the Guardians of the Globe, but she rejects his invitation, believing that she wouldn’t fit in with the team anymore. Once Cecil leaves, Eve is shocked to find Amber, who wants to talk to her about her relationship with Mark.

At the same time, Mark talks to his costume designer, Art (Mark Hamill), wanting advice about Amber. Despite Eve and Art’s best attempts, Mark and Amber believe that they are failing one another. Eve and Art question the couple about why they’re talking to them about their troubles and not each other. While Amber and Mark’s relationship drama has been handled far better than it was in the first season, the will-they-or-won’t-they dynamic of this season is starting to feel repetitive. The conversations always seem to resort to a simple reunion, and then Mark has to leave once more while Amber sulks around the college campus. In the first four episodes, their romance was genuinely sweet; it was easy to root for them, but now, it just feels tacked on. The problems in their relationship were already addressed wonderfully in the previous episode, but here it feels redundant.

As Mark is about to leave, Art tells him Debbie told him about what happened to Nolan on Thraxa. Mark laments his father’s seemingly final words about reading his “old books,” which Art has kept in storage. Art reveals that Nolan used to write sci-fi names under a pen-name when Mark was much younger, but gave up because of poor sales. The books are titled “Lost Inside the Chasm to Oblivion,” “Hate Tribes on the Planet Wreck,” “Savage Planet, Savage Beasts,” and most importantly “The Man with the Invincible Gun.” Art gives Mark the books, confessing that he never even read them. While out walking across campus, Rick opens up to William about his recovery and struggle with PTSD after he was made into a Renaniman.

Allen and Mark Reunite in ‘Invincible’ Season 2
Image via Prime Video

Mark begins reading Nolan’s books, realizing that the stories they tell are true and that they may hold the key to rescuing his father from execution. Cecil fails to coax The Immortal into taking a break, but as their argument escalates, they get reports of an alien heading towards Earth, which, unbeknownst to them, just so happens to be Mark’s pal, Allen the Alien (Seth Rogen). The Immortal begins to attack Allen and is interrupted by Mark.

Mark leads Allen back to his dorm room, where they try to catch each other up to speed. Allen informs Mark that he has been ordered by the rebel Viltrimite Thaedus (Peter Cullen) to recruit him for a war against the Viltrim empire. Mark expresses that he isn’t ready to leave Earth once more, after having gone on two back-to-back missions that nearly cost him his life. He proceeds to show Allen his father’s books, where Allen reveals that “The Man with the Invincible Gun,” is based on a legendary figure known as Space Racer, whose existence is unknown to everyone. Allen scans the books and sends them to Thaedus. As he’s ready to leave, Mark lets him know to tell Thaedus he’ll be ready to join him in battle, when the time is right.

While Allen’s appearance in Season 1 was brief, his back-and-forth with Mark was a major highlight, and his expanded presence in Season 2 has been more than welcome. While Rogen’s voice work does bring some much-needed comic relief to the show, the character serves a purpose to the story. His appearance in this episode seems to hint that his role will only continue to grow from here.

The episode concludes with Nolan being held captive in a Viltrimite prison, where he refuses his last chance at redemption for the Viltrime empire. The episode then cuts to Russ adjusting to his life back on Earth, but he becomes repossessed after vomiting up a Sequid. A post-credits scene has Angstrom Levy trying on a suit in another dimension, before opening up a series of portals that will lead him back home to exact his revenge on Mark. In the Season 2 premiere, Angstrom Levy was hyped up as the season’s new big-bad, but his presence was starting to feel lost among all the other plotlines. However, his brief appearance here does more than enough to reignite interest in an already fascinating villain, who feels far different from any of the other baddies Mark has encountered.

Invincible REVIEWThe sixth episode of Invincible Season 2 proves to be one of the series’ most emotionally charged stories yet.ProsThe Immortal and Rex are given two emotionally charged arcs that expand their characters to new levels.Mark and Allen’s reunion provides some fun and much-needed comic relief.We finally get the return of Angstrom Levy, after his absence in Episode 5. ConsMark and Amber’s relationship drama is starting to feel repetitive again.

Invincible is available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.

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