For over a decade, the superhero genre has been permeated with the heroes of Marvel and DC taking on the worst of the worst. As fans new and old celebrate the high-flying heroics of these iconic heroes, Amazon Prime Video has chosen to focus on the more mature aspects of the genre. Their approach began with Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's live-action adaption of The Boys and has continued with the first season of the animated adaptation of Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley's Invincible comic. What these properties lack in recognition, compared to Marvel and DC, they more than make up for with violent entertainment and poignant topics.
Between The Boys and Invincible, the superhero genre has become deconstructed in a time where their popularity is at an all-time high. Similar to how Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon's Watchmen looked to delve deeper into the idea of superheroes, these series have opted to display the painful realities of the lifestyle. However, both series go about these meta-analyses from completely different points of view.
The Boys tackled the idea of a world of superheroes that act more like villains behind closed doors. Characters like Homelander were showcased as the typical Superman archetype, but his god complex made him more of a tyrant with no real regard for humanity. One example of this was shown in Season 1, Episode 4, "The Female of the Species," when Homelander decided to let a plane of civilians die without even trying to save one person. To combat these "heroes," there was a group of civilians, known collectively as the Boys, who had their own grudges against superheroes and were willing to sacrifice their morals to see them dead. The series tackled power's corruptive qualities and turned the concept of superheroes on its head by making the people's idols into villains.
Rather than show how power corrupts, Invincible chose to show how being a superhero isn't like how it is in a traditional comic book. The moment Mark Grayson discovered his powers, his life became a spiral of loss, struggle and copious amounts of blood and gore hidden behind the guise of classic comic book tropes. By Season 1, Episode 5, "That Actually Hurt," Mark was nearly beaten to death by the Battle Beast for helping someone in need. Following the trauma from that experience, Mark discovered his father was actually an alien tyrant. His unwillingness to join his species' conquest ended in a bloody battle between the two. Ironically, the show's title card represented the show's mature subject matter by covering the "Invincible" name with more blood each week. It was a clever visual cue of the show's violence and showed that Mark Grayson was anything but his namesake.
By peeling back the layers of each story, there are powerful and poignant messages that speak to the world as a whole. At its core, The Boys acts as a commentary on corruption and fame as the "superheroes" in the series care more about their ratings and merchandise sales rather than saving an innocent. The show exemplifies the idea that not all heroes wear capes and the dangers of worshipping false idols. Invincible is a story of a superhero who is forced to deal with endless trauma, from his inability to save everyone to his father's betrayal. At the end of the day, Mark endures and serves as a role model for others dealing with trauma to follow, as he works through his own problems with his family and friends.
The path Amazon Prime Video has chosen to contribute to the superhero craze is clear, and it's bloody. But through the ultra-violence and mature dialogue, these stories harbor a lot of heart and speak to the masses. The superhero genre is a place of escapism, but with The Boys and Invincible, Amazon Prime Video has taken it upon itself to use the medium to tackle more mature stories that mirror the real world. By doing so, they have found their niche and will continue to offer entertaining and relevant superhero stories.
Invincible stars Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, Sandra Oh, Seth Rogen, Gillian Jacobs, Andrew Rannells, Zazie Beetz, Mark Hamill, Walton Goggins, Jason Mantzoukas, Mae Whitman, Chris Diamantopoulos, Melise, Kevin Michael Richardson, Khary Payton, Grey Griffin and Max Burkholder. The series is produced by Skybound, and executive produced by Robert Kirkman, Simon Racioppa, David Alpert and Catherine Winder. The first season is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.