‘Invincible’ Season 3 Episode 4 (Prime Video) Non-Spoiler Review – “You Were My Hero”

Following its three-part premiere, Robert Kirkman’s Prime Video animated adaptation of Invincible takes a somewhat small break from all the major arcs going on in the new season. Much like last season’s third episode, the midseason finale takes viewers away from all the tougher aspects of the current storyline. With protagonist Markus Sebastian “Mark” Grayson (voiced by Steven Yeun) struggling with the challenging trials of morality and the onset of a new romantic relationship, the episode offers a somewhat wake-up call of what is right and what is wrong as a role model and superhero to the world and cosmos. Having pondered on the episode for a little while, it isn’t necessarily a filler. Instead, it provides a small explanation of where the show will go next and what to possibly look forward to in its fourth season.

The third season’s fourth episode is titled, “You Were My Hero”. It is written by Tania Lotia and is directed by storyboard artist Ian Abando (Despicable Me film franchise, DC League of Super-Pets).

In this review, I will discuss Invincible Season 3 Episode 4. As this article’s title suggests, there will be no spoilers present here. Explicit references to previous series episodes and the graphic novel source material will be made!

Invincible Season 3 Episode 4 Logline

According to Amazon Studios Press, here is the logline for Invincible Season 3 Episode 4—“You Were My Hero”.

Two strangers ask Mark for help with a mysterious villain.

Amazon Studios Press

Discussion

After an overwhelming three-episode release as its premiere, Invincible Season 3 continues impressing as an animated streaming television program. Primarily focused on Mark Grayson, his girlfriend Samantha Eve “Atom Eve” Wilkins (voiced by Gillian Jacobs), his father Nolan Grayson (voiced by J.K. Simmons), and Allen the Alien (voiced by Seth Rogen), “You Were My Hero” covers material from Issues 54, 55, and just a bit of 57. Having allowed Shrinking Rae (voiced by Grey DeLisle) to survive the events of Season 2’s Lizard League attacks—a major departure from the concrete fate in the comics—there appears to be room for her to serve a much larger purpose, whatever that may be in the near future.

The episode gets its title from a line spoken to Nolan Grayson during a torture wrought to him by Viltrumite executioners, voiced by Eric Bauza and John DiMaggio in the television series. What makes sense about “You Were My Hero” is that it applies to three different subplots. In a brief several minutes, Rae wants to move on from the life of superheroics. During a larger chunk, Invincible is challenged with life or death in battle with an older, familiar face. Lastly, in nearly half the runtime, Nolan Grayson ultimately goes from an enemy to Allen to his friend and ally.

Tania Lotia and the writers’ room adapt the source material pretty well. While there is a reason these comic books are referred to as “graphic novels”, the episode still keeps a degree of authenticity to the adapted narratives. The pages brought to life retain lines of dialogue, and at the same time, the action sequences are expanded.

Comic Book Accuracy

Mark Grayson’s investigation with the exploded surveillance orb doesn’t immediately lead into its own subplot. Yet, the storyboard artists do a marvelous job at fighting for answers. This detours into one of the more major subplots of the episode—the main character’s date with Eve. One conflict brilliantly transitions to the next. Supervising sound editor Brad Meyer and the sound effects editors do this via booming as Grayson flies speedily over the Atlantic Ocean.

I appreciate that the subplot keeps the minor gag with ditching his clothing. The inclusion of silhouettes offers context via montage to the middle subplot, building suspicion of the reveal and what may occur in the future. Music composer John Paesano’s suspenseful sci-fi apocalyptic score helps prolong the adaptation of Issue 54 magnificently, especially with Grayson’s morality being put to the test. I love that the season’s major arc often does that to him. What’s new about that here is Eve’s reminder that they have the free will to craft their own futures and not be led to fates seen in other timelines and universes.

Music supervisors Gabe Hilfer and Henry van Roden toss in “Your Man” by Joji, during a montage between Mark Grayson and Samantha Eve Wilkins’ date. This takes me back to the beginning of the decade, where the song was one staple that got many through such a difficult time, i.e. the pandemic. By comparison, Paesano’s cartoonish space opera scoring during Nolan Grayson and Allen the Alien’s subplot is fantastical. The voicework in their communication is uncanny, but it’s the small details that I have come to love. Nolan’s face when tortured shows character, teasing the possibility of bruising him.

Animation

Invincible Seasons 2 and 3 have been getting flak for their minimized quality in animation. Still, I believe much can be cherished in even the smaller minutiae. This point was made in Season 2 Episode 7: “Animation takes a long time [to produce]”. Prop designers Damon Moran, Sinh Nguyen, and Yoshi Vu do swell work with creating onions and corn in a supermarket. It’s also intriguing that tomatoes and green peppers appear larger than fists.

I love the storyboarding artistry with Invincible assisting in fighting off robots, including those with gray character designs and black laser gun prop designs. These minor figures are seen more in the episode than in Issue 54. On top of that, the action sequences make it all worth the watch. I love the background change during Mark and Eve’s montage, consisting of them standing atop a pyramid, then a mountainous iceberg, pretty much traveling all over the world within a day’s time.

Likewise, the action sequence involving Allen the Alien aboard the Viltrumite prison ship is cool. The different character designs of alien beings are reminiscent of the Ben 10 days—diverse in color, shape, and size. The transition of Nolan Grayson getting an uppercut is clever, and even the other imagery involving a head getting smashed in is a perfect callback to Issue 55. That isn’t to mention the ducking and the dodging done during this final subplot is flat-out badass. My only gripe is that Invincible’s fight with the subplot’s antagonist could have a more grating end. To see Grayson’s body dragged through the walls of a throne room should be as epic as, say, the Sandman against a moving train in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3.

The Crew Behind Invincible

Invincible is based on the comic book of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, & Ryan Ottley. Kirkman also serves as a co-showrunner alongside executive producer Simon Racioppa (Mr. Meaty). Walker serves as a co-executive producer.

Series supervising producers Dan Duncan and Shaun O’Neil also serve as the supervising directors.

Luke Asa Guidici is the supervising editor. Lea Carosella and Liam Johnson are the assistant editors.

John Paesano scores the music. Gabe Hilfer (Venom, Birds of Prey, Halloween Ends, The White Lotus, White Men Can’t Jump, Carry-On, Wolf Man) and Henry van Roden (The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live) serve as the music supervisors.

Crystal Mangano serves as the music editor.

Brad Meyer is the supervising sound editor. Katie Jackson, Noah Kowalski, and Mia Perfetti are the sound effects editors.

Meredith Layne (Castlevania, A Tale Dark & Grimm) is the voice director. Linda Lamontagne (BoJack Horseman, The Boys Presents: Diabolical, Close Enough) is the voice casting director.

Storyboard Artists

Abando, Warren Fok (Steven Universe Future, Inside Job), Toniko Pantoja (The Croods: A New Age, Sonic the Hedgehog 2), and Tatiana Wen (Big Hero 6: The Series) serve as the storyboard artists.

Vickie Chau (The Boys Presents: Diabolical, Invincible: Atom Eve), Mark Galez, Yujin Lee (Young Justice, The Legend of Vox Machina), Chris Pimentel, Daniel Quiles (Invincible: Atom Eve), Omandi Moore-Washington, Suzi Whifler (Invincible: Atom Eve), and Chole W. are the storyboard revisionists.

Animation Team

Dou Hong (Ben 10: Omniverse, Young Justice, Batman: The Long Halloween, The Legend of Vox Machina, My Adventures with Superman) is the art director.

Kofi Fiagome serves as the series’ animation/ storyboard supervisor. Invincible comic book artist Ryan Ottley serves as the creative consultant.

Luke Ashworth, Vickie Chau, Nick Lombardo, Tim Nicklas, Johnathan N. Reyes, Charles Tan, and Alex Wilson are the character designers.

Damon Moran (Men in Black: The Series, Black Dynamite, Invincible: Atom Eve, Solar Opposites), Sinh Nguyen, and Yoshi Vu serve as the prop designers.

Jon Finch, Kelly Mai, James T. Robb, Shay Standley, Vu, and Pace Wilder are the background designers.

Guidici serves as the animatic editor for the episode. Samantha Schnauder is the visual effects editor.

The Voice Cast of Invincible

Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead, Sorry to Bother You, Minari, Nope) voices the series’ protagonist and titular character, Markus Sebastian “Mark” Grayson, also known as Invincible. Sandra Oh (Big Fat Liar, The Chair, Umma, Quiz Lady) voices Deborah “Debbie” Grayson, Mark’s mother.

J.K. Simmons (the Spider-Man film franchise, Whiplash, Palm Springs) voices Nolan Grayson—Mark’s father and Debbie’s husband—, also known as Omni-Man.

Supporting Voice Actors

Gillian Jacobs (Community, Minx, The Bear) voices Samantha Eve Wilkins, also known as Atom Eve.

Jason Mantzoukas (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,  Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Big Mouth, Close Enough) voices Rex Splode.

Ross Marquand (Avengers: Infinity War, Robot Chicken, The Walking Dead) voices The Immortal and Rudolph “Rudy” Connors.

Chris Diamantopoulos (Silicon Valley, The Boys Presents: Diabolical, Made for Love Season 2) voices Donald Ferguson and a royal guard.

Walton Goggins (The Shield, Predators, Justified, The Hateful Eight, I’m a Virgo, Fallout, The White Lotus Season 3) voices Cecil Stedman.

Grey DeLisle (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai) voices Amanda/ Monster Girl and Shrinking Rae.

Jay Pharoah voices Bulletproof.

Zachary Quinto (Heroes, Big Mouth, American Horror Story) voices Robot.

Seth Rogen (Sausage Party) voices Allen the Alien, a champion evaluation officer for the Coalition of Planets.

Eric Bauza (Trese, The Boys, Little Demon, Inside Job, Blue Eye Samurai, Rick and Morty, X-Men ’97, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, Gremlins, Star Trek: Lower Decks) voices Executioner #1 and an alien guard.

Additional voice performances come from Nyima Funk, Robert Kesselman, Dan Navarro, and Ami Shukla.

Guest Voice Actors

Xolo Maridueña (Cobra Kai, The Boys Presents: Diabolical, Blue Beetle) voices Fightmaster and Dropkick, a time-traveling duo of thieves.

Michael Dorn reprises his Season 1 role as the voice of Battle Beast.

John DiMaggio (Futurama, The Animatrix, Kim Possible, Chowder, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, the Ben 10 franchise, Adventure Time, Batman: Caped Crusader) voices Executioner #2.

Paul F. Tompkins (Magnolia, Bob’s Burgers, BoJack Horseman, Jellystone, The Great North, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man) voices the episode’s narrator.

Voice Performances and Character Developments

With the past couple of seasons focused on Amanda/ Monster Girl, Grey DeLisle gets a good focus on Shrinking Rae. The celebrated voice actor’s performance alongside Jason Mantzoukas in the opening scene is loveable. On the one hand, Amanda expresses frustration with her abilities being her personal pharmakon and Robot’s objective with resolving it. Her annoyance at Rudy speaking through both Robot and his Rex-cloned-into-Rudy human body adds some nuance. To compare, Rudy exhibiting this in Issue 57 is done merely for comical effect. On the other hand, Rae expresses her irritation with having been forced into the life she’s given. Her sense of normality is starting to be challenged whenever Rex enters a room.

In juxtaposition, Ross Marquand has a painful voice performance in this episode. The Immortal and Rudolph “Rudy” Connors are polar opposites in the roles they serve in protecting the planet. On the one hand, The Immortal can live a perpetual existence so long as his body parts are stuck together. Immortality can be a harsh predicament, especially when outliving those whom one loves. On the other hand, Rudy Connors has been born into a human body to stay alive. He treats life with a little more levity but is inventive about his outlook.

Final Thoughts on Invincible Season 3 Episode 4

I try my best to stay away from Invincible Season 3 discourse, and so far, so good. Redemption can be had in telling an already existing story, and “You Were My Hero” exhibits coherence and comprehension. Fans can be utterly impatient with arriving at the juicier stories that many may fail to appreciate what comes weekly. After the three-part premiere, Season 3 is back to giving us weekly episodes. What I love about Episode 4 is that it understands whom to focus on and when to move on to others. I aim to finish the season before the month ends to keep up with the fictional drama.

Invincible Season 3 is now streaming via Prime Video!

Have you seen the Prime Video series yet? If so, then what are your thoughts on it so far? Let us know! For more action, adaptation, adventure, animation, comic book, drama, fantasy, science-fiction, and thriller-related news and reviews, follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky! Also, follow us on Letterboxd for further feature film, short film, and limited series reviews!