It's no secret that comic book projects are everywhere. While there are concerns over superhero fatigue, studios remain focused on upcoming superhero movies. The genre also includes TV content, both live-action and animated like Invincible (which is streaming with an Amazon Prime subscription). Season 2 has been killer, and thankfully avoided a genre pet peeve of mine. Let's break it all down.
First off let me say that I'm a fan of the superhero genre, and have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order, as well as keeping up with all things DC. And while I'll continue to do that, one thing always bothers me about those two major shared universes: there's a bizarre lack of blood. This is no doubt an attempt to keep things PG-13, but it drives me crazy. After all, there are ton of action sequences, often involving superpowered attacks. Luckily Season 2 of Invincible delivers on this big time.
Part of the reason why Invincible instantly captured my attention was the brutal violence shown in the very first episode. Omniman massacres his fellow Guardians of the Globe, and its a bloody mess. Since then the show has continued to show just how violent it would be to have heroes in our world, with Steven Yeun's Mark Grayson consistently getting the tar kicked out of him. And while the MCU and DCU can't go that hard with gore, I think the shared universe needs to consider changing its strategy with blood.
Being able to see the brutal physical toll of superpowered fights really helps to raise the stakes of Invincible throughout its first two seasons. When the title character is losing teeth and struggling to breathe, the tension is palpable. Compare this to some fights in popular superhero movies, and they definitely don't elicit such strong emotions.
Of course, there have been a few exceptions in popular comic book projects. For example, Amazon's The Boys is also comically gory. And James Gunn brought some wild, bloody violence to the table with The Suicide Squad (which can be streamed with a Max subscription).
Like Invincible, The Suicide Squad's action sequences were effective because the sense of danger was real. An entire team of characters were brutally killed in the opening battle, and Task Force X's mission resulted in a number of other fatalities.
Of course, The Suicide Squad's R-rating is a big reason why Gunn bring this type of bloody violence to theaters. But there are other ways that my personal comic book pet peeve can be addressed in other DC and Marvel projects. While we don't need Invincible-level gore, simply giving characters bruises or non-serious wounds would help action sequences feel more high stakes. We'll just have to wait and see if the studios actually do this.
Invincible airs new episodes Thursdays on Amazon. For now, check the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
