Villainous Value – What on Earth Did I Just Watch

Well look who’s back on his home turf! Villains! These people are the ones we love to hate, and hate to love. The scenes in which they’re at their worst are the highlights of the antagonistic character. So which scene are we covering today? Only the biggest jaw dropping moment I’ve experienced in a long time.

Omni Man vs The Guardians of the Globe from Invincible.

Throughout the premier episode of Invincible, we are introduced to the Greyson family. Mark is the son of renowned Superhero: Omni Man (essentially like this world’s Superman). We see him in action in the opening scene, a beacon of hope and a turning point in the fight. Throughout this entire episode, they play him up to be a good man. Then the final five minutes play.

I’m going to leave a link to this scene, but I warn you, this is a violent, bloody mess.

This scene is a curveball. I was lucky to not have it spoiled for me, and since I didn’t read the comics, I never saw it coming. I remember watching that opening episode. Joel and I watched it the day it came out. We were having such a good time, and then that scene played. We stopped talking. I remember when the credits rolled, I looked over at him, and we both had our jaws on the floor. It was a moment I won’t soon forget. 

Ok, so, I want to get a little nerdy here, so hear me out. This scene is such a phenomenal narrative device. This show that we fully expect to be some joyful romp about a teenage Superhero learning how to use his powers from his Superman Dad turns out to be a violent coming of age story about betrayal and real life stakes. This man we watched just minutes ago be a Dad excited about his son’s new powers, turns out to be the villain of the whole shebang. It’s such an effective and visceral sequence to hook the audience with. It instills fear for what is next to come. This also showed the viewer exactly how strong Omni Man is. He was placed on a pedestal so high that you don’t know how anyone would be able to stop him. Omni Man, the man who single handedly took down the strongest Superheroes on the planet, was invincible (pun intended).

I love Villains, I’m sure you know that. This whole scene wreaks of villainy, and after watching the episode, is a complete shock. Omni Man is the villain of the story sure, but I want to draw your gaze this way: Omni Man is a twist villain. Twist villains are a troupe seen today in media. However, all of these twist villains are typically 3rd act hurdles for the hero to overcome. Invincible pulls the rug out from underneath us and introduces the twist villain at the opening of its story. This is such a clever use of the archetype that it makes you wonder why it wasn’t done sooner. What I really love about this twist is that no one but us (the viewers) know. No one was there to witness Omni Man’s crimes. So for all intents and purposes to the populace, Omni Man is still a hero. It’s this super cool juxtaposition that just really scratches that part of my brain, you know?

I really don’t know what’s left to say about this scene. It shocked me to my core, and instantly hooked me into the show. Super excited for Season 2. If you haven’t checked out the show yet, I highly recommend it. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart, but if you can, watch it. Robert Kirkman did it again with this story.