WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the fourth episode of Invincible "Neil Armstrong, Eat Your Heart Out," streaming now on Amazon Prime.
One of the difficulties for any adaptation comes in preserving the integrity of the original story's twists, and thus far Invincible navigates that balance well with the changes it chooses to make. In the comics, the reveal drops like a bombshell that Invincible's father Omni-Man is not in truth the sterling-hearted hero protecting the world he pretends to be, but in truth a cold-hearted alien overlooking Earth. The Amazon adaptation draws that reveal out, fleshing out Omni-Man's role in the story prior, but in so doing seems to threaten the integrity of the cover he keeps.
The reveal that Omni-Man is not only violent but the brutal murderer of his own valuable allies the Guardians of the Globe comes relatively early on in the series, capping off the end of the first episode. But even at the time the Guardians themselves bring up the question of whether or not Omni-Man is being mind-controlled, and as the story unfolds and the audience learns more about his intentions, it becomes clearer and clearer that there is not some puppet master at work pulling his strings. As evidence mounts, the sinking realization that he was fully in control of his actions darkens our understanding of the character, but it also affects his family.
In the comics, the reveal of Omni-Man's actions come as a total shock to his wife Deborah and his son Mark, the budding superhero Invincible. Their utter shock at learning just how violent and uncaring the man they loved so much could be rocked them to their core, and it was a major part of the story. Yet, the animated adaptation seems to be easing them into that realization far more gradually. Indeed, in the latest episode Deborah herself grows increasingly suspicious and outright confronts her husband about his seeming changes in behavior ever since the emergence of Mark's powers.
Even with Mark himself, Omni-Man starts to bring up conversations about the horror that the human race inflicts upon Earth. He seems almost entirely callous to the Mars mission Cecil approaches him with, and in perhaps the most shocking display of all he lunches with his wife while a dragon attacks the city behind him.
Despite her urging him to save the lives under threat, he nonchalantly continues his meal and assures her that it's his day off. The intervention of Damien Darkblood's investigation already has Deborah suspicious, but seeing this kind of behavior firsthand she cannot be near as surprised if she finds out the truth of her husband's role in the Guardians' murder.
This choice in the adaptation comes across as curious from a character perspective and raises many interesting questions. Is the shift in Omni-Man's behavior done out of sheer callousness or carelessness? Is it an intentional effort to ease his family into the transition of understanding who he truly is? Given how differently the Amazon series plays out, it is anyone's guess how the story will unfold. But with just how well the adaptation executes its changes thus far, the best that the audience can do, much like the characters within the show, is prepare themselves for the unexpected.
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, Grey Griffin and Max Burkholder. The series is produced by Skybound, and executive produced by Robert Kirkman, Simon Racioppa, David Alpert and Catherine Winder. New episodes are released Fridays on Amazon Prime Video.