Invincible Season 4 has officially come to a close, marking another strong outing for Prime Video’s animated superhero series — though some episodes stand out as more successful than others. The show’s latest chapter continues its impressive Rotten Tomatoes streak, snagging another 100% score from critics. Season 4 lives up to the praise, though it does feature a low point for the series. Fortunately, the later action and drama more than make up for it.
The best episodes of Invincible Season 4 tend to blend thrilling action sequences and interpersonal drama. The latter is at its most compelling when it’s between characters we’ve waited years to watch hash things out. In a way, the later chapters of this outing finally pay off several storylines that are years in the making. This adds to their appeal, making them some of the strongest overall. Here’s how we’d rank every new episode of Invincible now that this season’s finished. SPOILERS ahead for Invincible Season 4, Episodes 1-8.
8) “Hurm” (Episode 4)
Image via Prime Video
Most viewers will agree that the weakest chapter of Invincible Season 4 is its fourth episode, “Hurm.” Invincible Season 4, Episode 4 actually breaks an unwanted record for the show, making its lowest-rated installment on IMDb. And although this chapter isn’t totally void of redeeming qualities — there’s some fun humor and much-needed growth for Mark — it’s easy to see why it doesn’t land the way it should. Of all the installments in Season 4, this one feels the most removed from the main story. Considering it arrives just ahead of the Viltrumite conflict fully taking off, that’s even more frustrating. The characters Mark meets in hell aren’t all that compelling either. Perhaps Invincible Season 5 will find a way to pay off their lackluster introductions in hindsight.
7) “Making the World a Better Place” (Episode 1)
Prime Video
Invincible Season 4’s premiere does a good job of throwing viewers back into the world, but it simply doesn’t compare to what comes later. On the heels of Season 3’s showdown with Conquest, it’s good that the series takes some time to breathe and catch us up with the characters — several of whom are still reeling from the events of the prior outing. This is true for Cecil and Eve, but it’s most noticeable with Mark, who’s showing a more ruthless side of himself. That’s probably the highlight of this chapter, as the minor villains our heroes fight in “Making the World a Better Place” are lead to some interesting action but are ultimately forgettable. Conquest’s escape at the end is another highlight, but the episodes that deliver on the Viltrumite conflict are obviously better…as is one installment pretty similar to the premiere.
6) “I Gotta Get Some Air” (Episode 3)
Image via Prime Video
Like Invincible Season 4’s premiere, Episode 3 also deals with side characters and villains while exploring Mark’s increasingly erratic behavior. I’d place it just above the premiere on a ranking, though, mostly because the action is a bit more fun to watch — and this installment offers more interesting characterization for both Eve and Oliver. It also concludes with some intriguing threads that Invincible Season 4 doesn’t pay off, but later outings might. That includes Monster Girl and Robot getting stuck in the Flaxan dimension. Overall, there’s promise in “I Gotta Get Some Air,” but it’s not as satisfying as the chapters dealing with Season 4’s main plot.
5) “Don’t Leave Me Hanging Here” (Episode 8)
Image via Prime Video
“Don’t Leave Me Hanging Here” brings Invincible Season 4 to a quieter close, but it makes sense for the finale, especially after the action-packed prior episode. Mark’s conversation with Grand Regent Thragg at the end is enough to move this to the middle of this ranking, as is Allen’s discovery and conflict in the final scene. This episode does an incredible job of showing Mark’s PTSD and dealing with Eve’s abortion, and it continues Nolan’s redemption story without letting him off the hook. This installment leaves the series in a promising place heading into Season 5, even if it’s not as thrilling as the three chapters that precede it.
4) “You Look Horrible” (Episode 6)
Image via Prime Video
Invincible Season 4, Episode 6 grapples with the aftermath of our heroes’ first collision with the Viltrumites, which leaves Mark unconscious and nearly dead while separating him, Nolan, and Oliver from the rest of their team. Nolan and Oliver have a lot of great character moments as Mark recovers, and their relationship becomes one of Season 4’s stronger emotional beats. Allen and Tech Jacket’s budding friendship is another highlight of this chapter, and the action sequence at the end of “You Look Horrible” gives it more than sentimental strengths. It’s not the most gripping fight of Invincible Season 4, but it makes for a great lead-up to its explosive seventh episode.
3) “I’ll Give You the Grand Tour” (Episode 2)
Image via Prime Video
Although most of Invincible Season 4’s early episodes are removed from the Viltrum Empire story, that’s not true of Episode 2. “I’ll Give You the Grand Tour” lays the foundation for what’s to come while kickstarting Nolan’s redemption in earnest. It gives us a harrowing backstory about the plague that wiped out so many Viltrumites, then sends Nolan and Allen on a quest to find weapons that are actually effective against them. While the emotional elements of Episode 6 are heartwarming, the tragedy outlined in Episode 2 is gutting enough to make you feel for Invincible’s worst characters. And so, I’d say this installment is just a bit more memorable, even if it doesn’t have that standout action sequence going for it. It does still have some action, though, along with some hilariously fun bonding between Nolan and Allen. It’s not enough to catapult this all the way to the top, but it lands near it.
2) “Give Us a Moment” (Episode 5)
Amazon Prime Video
Invincible Season 4’s initial clash between the Coalition’s team and the Viltrumites unfolds in “Give Us a Moment” — and although there aren’t as many casualties as there are in Episode 6, the stakes actually feel higher here. Perhaps it’s because our heroes seem to be in genuinely dire straits. They’re overwhelmed by the onslaught of the Viltrumites, and Conquest proves particularly ruthless as they attempt to fend them off. Both Mark and Oliver will have viewers worried, and Mark’s final moments with Conquest are gory enough to make even the most hardened viewer squirm. There’s also some great emotional depth in this installment, with Debbie and Nolan’s heated reunion and Nolan’s interactions with his sons balancing this chapter’s action with emotion. This one has the best of both worlds, though it can’t compare to the highest point of Season 4: “Don’t Do Anything Rash.”
1) “Don’t Do Anything Rash” (Episode 7)
Image via Prime Video
Although prior installments see the Coalition and its allies fighting the Viltrumites, Invincible Season 4, Episode 7 is the true showdown the entire outing builds to. It sees Mark and the others attacking their enemies on their own turf — and although Thragg and his followers prove too powerful to properly defeat, Mark, Nolan, and Thaedus manage to destroy Viltrum. It’s a visual spectacle and a massively powerful moment, and it only serves to make Thragg angrier. “Don’t Do Anything Rash” showcases the true extent of the villain’s power, having him kill Thaedus, nearly kill Nolan, and spare Mark just when things truly look dire. The entire episode is tense and gripping, and it leaves viewers desperate to know what comes next. It also sets the stage for an even more pressing problem: the remaining Viltrumites seeking refuge and repopulation on Earth. “Don’t Do Anything Rash” accomplishes a lot and is entertaining doing it, so it’s no surprise it’s the top episode.
What was your favorite episode of Invincible Season 4? Leave a comment and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
