Invincible’s creator confirmed that Season 2 will pull from one key theme audiences watched play out recently in the MCU with Spider-Man's storyline.
While Mark Grayson and Peter Parker might seem very different at first, the two actually have some interesting parallels. Sure, Mark’s power levels are far higher than Spidey’s—but strength isn't everything.
For one, both characters were extremely excited to jump into the deep end of superhero-ing. The two of them also work hard to juggle their life in high school with the responsibility of being a hero.
Then there’s their status of being rookies, which is something the two are always trying to get past.
But another key similarity between the two will cause Mark’s next step on his journey to feel very reminiscent of Peter’s trip to Venice in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Invincible Season 2 Takes Some Queues From Spider-Man
In an interview with Polygon, Invincible writer and creator Robert Kirkman talked about Mark Grayson's journey in Season 2—which will tackle a premise similar to what's seen across Spider-Man's first two MCU solo films.
Kirkman shared how "Season 1 is Mark wanting to be like his dad" while "Season 2 is Mark being terrified that he might be his dad."
"In some sense, Season 1 is Mark wanting to be his dad, and Season 2 is Mark being terrified that he might be his dad. But to take your analogy, if Season 1 is him trying to become a superhero in his own right, Season 2 is him getting there, and maybe regretting the speed with which he thrust himself into this position. It’s definitely a 'be careful what you wish for' situation, because now he’s that guy he strived to be, and it’s nothing but problems and this tremendous burden."
This journey, and the theme it illustrates, is very similar to what Peter Parker went through from Spider-Man: Homecoming to Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Spider-Man was excited and working hard to become a full-fledged hero in his first film from 2017, hoping to live up to Tony Stark's expectations. By the time he had his international field trip in the second movie, his eagerness had vanished, and following the death of his mentor, Iron Man, Peter Parker got the same hesitation that Mark will be getting in Season 2.
To put it into better words, Far From Home writer Erik Sommers summed it up in an interview with Variety by saying: "Peter is... lying to himself about not wanting to step up and not wanting to face the new reality that he finds himself in."
When asked about the show's progression compared to the comic source material, Kirkman reiterated that "this is very much Invincible's story:"
"I know there are a lot of memes around Omni-Man, but I don’t think the fan base is only there for Omni-Man. I think this is very much Invincible’s story. Season 1 had a lot of Omni-Man in it, and a lot of the stuff we did with him was important. Coming out of the season with him as the character people want to know the most about, what’s going on with him, that’s by design. "
The showrunner went on to definitively state that "[they] know what you want, and [they're] going to give it to you:"
"The challenge of Season 2 — we know what you want, and we’re going to give it to you, but we also have a story to tell. So I love having the comic as a roadmap, and being able to sit back and say, 'OK, people are expecting this, but they don’t know they’re getting this, because they haven’t read the comic. And people who have read the comic might be expecting this, but we’re going to be giving them this.'"
At the same time, Kirkman assured that audiences "[are] going to be surprised" with what Season 2 has in store:
"So they’re going to be surprised, too. It’s great to be able to sit back and play with those expectations. So, without altering the story in any way, I think fans who are dying for more Omni-Man are going to be happy, and fans who are just invested in seeing the comic book story told are going to be happy. I’m very bullish on Season 2 of 'Invincible.' I’m anxious to see what people think of it."
How Will Mark's Journey In Invincible Differ?
While Mark Grayson’s journey in Season 2 will hit many of the same notes Spider-Man’s recent films have, there’s a key distinction that will keep it from feeling repetitive: the familial connection.
While Tony may have felt like a father figure to Peter Parker, Omni-Man is Invincible’s actual dad. Furthermore, he brutally betrayed his son and slaughtered thousands upon thousands of innocents before leaving Earth. Whereas for Tony Stark he simply died heroically while saving all of existence.
Needless to say, there’s plenty of originally to Mark’s situation to distance itself from Spider-Man’s journey in the MCU.
However, perhaps Spidey will one day encounter an evil Tony Stark in the Multiverse that will put his storyline even closer to Mark Grayson’s. After all, fans have wanted to see Superior Iron Man (a locally questionable Variant of the iconic hero) for quite some time.
Speaking of the Multiverse, fans did recently spot a fun Spider-Man crossover teased in the trailer for Season 2.
Fans can watch Mark’s story play out when Invincible Season 2 lands on Prime Video on November 3.
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