Invincible Review: You’re Not Laughing Now / A Deal With the Devil / You Want a Real Costume, Right? (Season 3 Episodes 1-3)

Invincible Season 3 Episodes 1-3, “You’re Not Laughing Now,” “A Deal With the Devil,” and “You Want a Real Costume, Right?” are proof positive that this series isn’t slowing down any time soon. They’re indicative of where this narrative will take us — on a fast-paced, breathless, whirlwind adventure. 

Invincible Season 3

“You’re Not Laughing Now” picks up a few months after the events of the Season 2 finale. The writers up the ante on the stakes by having Mark undergo vigorous training to prepare for the inevitable battle against the Viltrumites. The episode wastes no time with the various threads left dangling in the wind last season. For example, everyone learns that Dupli-Kate is alive. 

Additionally, Mark tells Eve how he feels, which is a breath of storytelling fresh air. Most shows would drag that out for several episodes until a couple finally gets together. Sure, our duo encounters a speed bump over these first few episodes, but their union is so sweet and wonderfully earnest. 

The season premiere also plants the seeds of contention between Mark and Cecil as they butt heads over a crucial theme of Invincible. Hell, I’d argue it’s the true crux of the series.

Where’s the Line?

Do we decide who’s worthy of redemption? Can we come back from, you know, killing lots of people? Cecil employs Darkwing and DA Sinclair, both of whom have committed unspeakable atrocities. Here’s where we see Mark and Cecil’s lines of thinking diverge. While Mark is very much black and white, with an unwavering moral compass, Cecil sees the nuance and shades of gray in life. 

“We can be the good guys, or we can be the guys that save the world. We can’t be both,” Cecil tells Donald in “A Deal With the Devil.” Essentially, he allows wiggle room for carrying out questionable actions for the greater good. He feels you have to play dirty, even for a morally righteous outcome. 

These episodes invite viewers to decide where they fall in this debate. Mark tries desperately not to kill people in a bid to distance himself from his father. To him, villains like DA Sinclair belong behind bars. There’s no room for rehabilitation.

However, in episode two, we get some much-needed Cecil backstory. This was his path to redemption — serving time in prison. Everything he learned about running the GDA, including employing villains, is from his former boss. But who’s right? Can Mark’s idealism be implemented, or is Cecil’s world-weary perspective the only route? 

A Division

Now, Cecil implanting a device in Mark is 100 percent wrong. This speaks to a larger issue of autonomy and the government exercising control over our bodies. It’s pretty resonant thematically on Invincible and in our real world. 

Mark cutting ties with Cecil will undoubtedly remain an overarching plot in the seasonal narrative. Cecil feels Mark is teetering precariously on a knife’s edge — he’s dangerously close to becoming his father. To be fair, we see Mark’s fighting style change drastically this season. He doesn’t pull his punches, and there’s a newfound ferocity to how he fights. It’s a stark contrast from Season 1. 

Mark and Oliver

However, if we’re pointing the finger at someone who’s most like Omni-Man, it would be Oliver. Oliver gets his powers at a younger age than Mark. In “You Want a Real Costume, Right?”, he kills the Mauler Twins like it’s, well, nothing. Then, he tells Mark that some people deserve to die. Not all life matters. That sounds awfully like Omni-Man. 

It’ll be fascinating to watch how Invincible explores the dynamic between Mark and Oliver. Will Oliver turn into his dad? Or can Mark and Debbie’s influence steer Oliver from that Viltrumite way of thinking? 

Moving Parts 

Other significant arcs in the first three episodes of Season 3 include the Guardians of the Globe fracturing. Rex, Rae, Bulletproof, Rudy, and Monster Girl quit the Guardians after they all disagree on Cecil’s methods. Rex, in particular, gets a delightful boost of development. It’s great to see his friendship with Mark flourish. Plus, Jason Mantzoukas is an international treasure. 

Allen the Alien and Omni-Man take a backseat here, but we check in on them briefly. It’s safe to assume they’ll get more screen time down the road. Additionally, Titan returns, and he helps Multi-Paul break free.

However, the most intriguing plot twist is the return of Angstrom Levy, as is evidenced by the final moments of episode three. We see he’s spying on Mark and his family. Invincible deftly balances all these arcs like a pro, and it never feels like the story struggles under the weight of these multiple plotlines. 

A Balancing Act

At the core of this series is Mark struggling to balance his various roles and responsibilities. It’s easy to forget that he’s, what, 18 or 19 now? He’s just a kid himself, with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Steven Yeun really excels at conveying Mark’s anxiety through his voice work. He injects Mark with so many colors, layers, and relatability.

Season 3 Never Lets Its Foot Off the Gas 

So far, Invincible Season 3 is thrilling from start to finish. Even the animation seems sharper, cleaner, and more vivid. There’s a self-assuredness to it now that comes with a series having a few seasons to grow into itself fully.

The action and violence are bold and bloody, but the latter, in particular, never feels irrelevant to the plot. These episodes are propulsive, in-your-face, exciting — everything you’ve come to expect from one of TV’s best superhero shows. 

Stray Observations: 

• As it turns out, Mark and I have the same training regimen — picking up glaciers, throwing giants, bench pressing the Moon, etc. 
• Mark and Eve are super duper cute. Their chemistry oozes through the screen, and that’s due in part to Steven Yeun and Gillian Jacobs delivering solid vocal performances. 
• Allen the Alien and Omni-Man is a blossoming friendship I didn’t have on my 2025 bingo card. They need some kind of buddy road trip comedy, STAT. 
• That opening montage in episode three is giving Up, and it’s surprisingly compelling and heartbreaking — a meditation on capitalism and how it crushes the little guy underfoot. 
• I, too, can punch rockets to destroy them. That’s a very real thing I can 100 percent do. 
• With great power comes great … you know what I mean. 
• Someone’s stealing the Declaration of Independence? Call Nicolas Cage! 

What did you think of these episodes of Invincible? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Invincible drops new episodes every Thursday on Prime Video. 

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