Warning: Contains some spoilers*

Thursday March 13 will now and forever be remembered as the day of the season finale of the best animated TV show ever created.

Picture this: you’re alone in your bed, it’s late at night, and you open up Prime Video, looking for a good show. You stumble upon one, and 20 hours later, you finish the most inspiring, heart-wrenching, and simply amazing show ever to grace this earth.

What is this masterful show, you ask? Invincible.

Mark Grayson (17), the show’s protagonist, is just like every other guy his age, except that his father is Omni-Man, the most powerful superhero on the planet. As Mark develops his own powers, he discovers that his father’s legacy may not be as heroic as it seems.

In 2003, Robert Kirkman and Image Comics began publishing Invincible Comics, a series that 144 issues (not including spin-offs), ending in 2018. Then in 2021, Invincible the animated series aired on Prime Video, instantly earning some traction and creating a dedicated fan base that praised it for its unique take on the superhero genre.

The comic amassed critical acclaim and achieved the “Certified Fresh” award from Rotten Tomatoes, with a 98% on the Tomatometer. 

One of the main reasons for the show’s success was the voice acting. Steven Yeun, the voice actor for Mark Grayson, does an exceptional job at conveying not only the wonder that a teenage kid would have after receiving powers, but also portraying the confusion he has when he discovers the truth about his father. But seemingly the most celebrated performance of the whole show was the spectacular performance of J.K. Simmons.

Simmons voices Omni-Man, the father of Mark, and comes off as the Superman of this world. But what people don’t know is that he is secretly taking over the world to prepare it for his home planet, Viltrum, to conquer it. Simmons gives the performance of a lifetime, switching from a normal superhero dad to a murderous, super-powered world-conquering alien that gives off even more chaotic energy than his character in Whiplash.

A three-year wait followed the first season, but instead of fans losing interest, the anticipation grew. Finally, on March 14 of 2024, Invincible Season 2 was released, and surprisingly, it did better than the first, receiving 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Another reason for Invincible’s success was the accuracy to the original source material. The Invincible comics always had a dedicated cult following due to  mature themes. Nowadays, with so much superhero media out there, some people just want to see their favorite comics come to life, which is what Invincible does. It takes scenes directly from the source, with lines perfectly mirroring those in the comics. This has a lot to do with author Robert Kirkman having a direct effect on the show, giving it an authentic feel.

Barely any characters from the comics are changed in the show, and any changes that are made are generally met with good feedback from viewers. 

And then, after a year of waiting, we stood ready for its arrival. The third season of Invincible was released. The third season has gotten better reviews than any other season. The finale has been rated on IMDB a 9.9/10, which is up there with the highest-rated episodes of television history. Like previous seasons, the voice acting was brilliant, with the perfect additions of Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Aaron Paul as Conquest and Powerplex. 

The director, Dan Duncan, has said that new seasons will be released annually, giving fans plenty of content. Even this early on in the show’s streaming time, people have regarded it as the best animated show of all time. As the show continues, what will it “have after 500 years?” Will it live up to the high expectations, or will it fall with the rest? Don’t worry: You’ll get it when you see it.