Invincible Season 3 Episode 6 Shocks Fans with Unthinkable Tragedy

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Invincible Season 3 Episode 6 kills a baby. Onscreen. And you see the charred remains. 

In usual circumstances, when you open an article concerning the most recent episode of your preferred superhero television series, the common approach is to engage you with a brief introduction before the main content (often referred to as building anticipation for the click). However, it seems inappropriate to follow that practice for a piece such as this.

Man, I can’t believe it. Invincible, or Mark Grayson as we know him, didn’t do it, but his father, Powerplex, sure did something unforgivable. During a fake kidnapping incident, Powerplex’s rage led to a terrible confrontation between him and Mark. In the chaos, Powerplex accidentally unleashed an overwhelming amount of electricity that inadvertently took the lives of his wife and their child. Truly heartbreaking.

Among all the superhero movies or shows I’ve watched, this one might be the most distressing. It’s not just that it’s grim – the deaths occur swiftly, which is something Invincible isn’t afraid to depict graphically – but rather, it’s the stark ordinariness of their demise and the senselessness of it all that makes it so troubling.

Wait… what?

In a bid for retribution over Mark’s role in the death of his sister and niece, Powerplex found himself in a tragic irony – losing still more in the very location where other family members perished. Despite having the chance to step back, he opted not to. His decision was a testament to them.

Pondering the illogical nature of retribution set aside for a moment, it sparked my contemplation regarding violence in other comic book series adaptations. Could such themes find their way into a Marvel film or a DC Extended Universe production?

To put it simply, it’s unlikely we’d adapt Invincible into a live-action film due to its graphic content. This is because animated series can depict more intense violence and gore than live-action without receiving an NC-17 rating, which would limit its audience. Studios like Disney and Warner Bros. tend to aim for PG-13 ratings to maximize ticket sales.

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Moreover, aside from typical commercial motives, I believe another factor hinders other superhero series from delving into the same depths of darkness as Invincible, and that’s due to it being somewhat of a critical turning point or boundary for the show.

It probably goes without saying but…

The taking of an infant’s life is a profound matter; it stands apart from the act of killing countless numbers in a massive conflict – as the saying goes, a million lives lost is a statistic, but one life lost is a source of immense sorrow and tragedy. On a deeply instinctual level, we are biologically programmed to care for and nurture children, an impulse that has been shaped over millions of years of evolution and thousands of years of cultural upbringing. The death of a child stirs feelings of unthinkable horror within us.

There’s no turning back for Invincible now. It will forever be associated with the controversial act of depicting a child’s death, and I’m not sure if that’s a heavy burden – an aggressive attempt to captivate viewers with extreme shock factor – or a peculiar badge of honor, a testament to its willingness to push boundaries beyond those of its peers in order to convey the harsh truths of superheroism.

Compared to Marvel’s Daredevil and Peacemaker, which engage in violent chaos within the realm of cartoonish mayhem, there seems to be a significant distinction doesn’t there? I doubt a series like The Boys, known for its irreverent, shocking violence, would venture so far as this.

Invincible Season 3 stands out among other shows that merely touch on these concepts, as it appears genuinely committed to delving into the authenticities of a world where superheroes are present. The frequent depictions of death and devastation serve to illustrate the potential perils of such a reality and underscore the fact that while our heroes may be invincible, the citizens they safeguard most certainly aren’t.

Eventually, such a moment had been inevitable for Invincible. For years, fans have speculated about whether the comic’s more somber aspects would make it to the small screen, and now it seems as though the series is affirmatively addressing these questions with a definitive ‘yes’.

The situation has reached a point of no return; it’s only going to become more challenging ahead. If you choose to face it, then welcome aboard, but if you prefer to step aside, remember that there’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man who’s ready to help out.

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2025-02-27 18:49