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The cameos from ‘Invincible’ latest episode: Fortnite, Spider-Man, Batman, and zombies from ‘The Walking Dead’
We take a look at the most curious and eye-catching cameos and references from Episode 8 of Season 2 of ‘Invincible,’ Prime Video’s animated superhero series.
To top it all off, the latest episode of ‘Invincible’ has become a new punch in the stomach and a roller coaster of emotions for both Mark Grayson and the most die-hard fans who have not missed a single episode. Without wanting to spoil the whole episode, we will take a look at the cameos that “snuck” into episode 8 of season 2 of the Prime Video series, the last one so far. We have references as diverse as Fortnite, Robert Kirkman’s own ‘The Walking Dead’, Spider-Man, and Batman.
Author’s note: Spoilers for the episode “I Thought You Were Stronger” of Invincible below.
Angstrom Levy’s dimensional portal-opening powers have allowed ‘Invincible’ to feature unexpected cameos.
In Episode 8 of Season 2 of “Invincible,” an enraged Angstrom Levy arrives at the Grayson house seeking revenge on Mark for disfiguring him and derailing his plan to save the multiverse in the first episode of the season. We already know from that chapter that Levy’s powers consist of creating portals to other universes and dimensions, and he uses them against Invincible to wear him down both physically and mentally. And it is this narrative resource that has been used to introduce cameos and nods to other superheroes and franchises. Let’s take a look:
- Spider-Man: In one of the dimensions visited by Invincible as part of Angstrom’s torture, Mark finds himself in the middle of a fight between two very strange versions of Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus. The “Spider-Man” is called Agent Spider according to the episode’s credits, and is voiced in the English version by Josh Keaton, Spidey’s voice actor in various works. This is a reference to “Marvel Team-Up Vol 3 14′ (2005), in which Mark Grayson arrives in Marvel Universe-616 and, among other things, meets the real Spider-Man. It’s a clever solution to the fact that he couldn’t get the rights to ‘Spider-Man’ for his official cameo in Prime Video’s ‘Invincible’ series.
- Fortnite: When Mark emerges from one of the portals, he uses a Fortnite Dragon’s Breath Sniper Rifle as a blunt weapon to hit Angstrom Levy. This reference to Epic Games’ video game is a way of “returning the favor,” as both Invincible, Omni-Man, and Atom Eve are outfits from the game.
- The Walking Dead: In another of Mark’s interdimensional journeys as part of Levy’s torture, he arrives in a version of his neighborhood that has been completely taken over by zombies. Although not explicitly stated, this is clearly a reference to The Walking Dead, the other famous work by Robert Kirkman, author of Invincible.
- Batman: Finally, on another of his journeys between dimensions, Mark encounters Batman himself. Although he is not seen as such, as his back is turned and he is out of frame, he has had an encounter with the Invincible, as Mark’s face is bloodied. Mark comments, “You’re a man dressed as a bat, and your name is... Well, I mean, don’t you think that’s kind of lazy?”
As we can see, the creators of the ‘Invincible’ series on Prime Video have taken advantage of Angstrom Levy’s special powers to introduce cameos and references that already exist in the comics, add new ones, and adapt others that were not possible due to copyright issues.
When is Invincible coming back? When will the third season premiere?
Although there is no release date or window at the time of writing, it has been confirmed that ‘Invincible’ will have a third season, which is expected to take less time than the first two seasons. This was announced in May 2021, when it was announced that Invincible had been renewed for a second and third season.
We’ll have to wait and see how the story of Mark Grayson and his fight against the Viltrumite Empire continues as he tries to get his life in order. It is one of Prime Video’s highest-rated original series; on Rotten Tomatoes, Season 1 has a 99% and Season 2 has a 100% from critics, and on Metacritic, Season 1 has a 73 and Season 2 has an 82 from critics.