WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Invincible Season 1, Episode 1, “It’s About Time,” streaming now on Amazon Prime.
The heroes of the Justice League are so iconic that there have been countless rip-offs of the superhero line-up. Embodying the idea of a premier team of seven superheroes responsible for protecting the planet, the latest riff on the team is the Guardians of the Globe in Amazon’s Invincible. Quickly establishing themselves as the gold standard for super-heroics, the Guardians of the Globe quickly endear themselves as unique twists on a classic idea. Even more surprising and unique, however, is how the series quickly kills them off.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
Invincible hits the ground running with a classic superhero scenario. The Mauler Twins attack the White House, threatening the life of the President and many of the civilians in the area. The Guardians of the Globe arrive just in time to stop the diabolical duo, and in the amazing action sequence that unfolds, their parallels to the classic Justice League lineup become clear. There is the superstrong Immortal heading the team as its Superman, the brooding and gadgetry-based Darkwing as its Batman and the powerful weapon-wielding warrior War Woman, whose similarities to Wonder Woman go beyond just alliteration.
Though the parallels to the DC trinity are some of the most direct, the rest of the team bears their fair share of resemblances, as well. Red Rush is every bit the scarlet speedster that the Flash is, while the King of Atlantis is much like Aquaman. The Guardians even have their own shapeshifting martian like the Martian Manhunter who they call Martian Man. Perhaps bearing the shakiest resemblance, though, is the Guardian’s Green Ghost, whose powers are to phase herself and those she touches through solid matter. While the Green Lantern doesn’t have those abilities, it’s hard to ignore the emerald-centric theme both characters share.
What works really well about the Guardians’ debut in this episode is that it establishes the gold standard for what a superhero should be, which becomes a powerful point of contrast later as Mark goes through the growing pains of becoming Invincible. Their coordination as a team and jaw-dropping power make for action sequences, and even though their powers are familiar, they feel as fresh as ever. Similarly, efficient characterizations of the heroes establish their independence from their source material, with qualities like Red Rush’s Russian accent and Martian Man testing his abilities coached by a young child giving them a unique flair.
But perhaps most important of all to the plot is not who the characters are or what they do — it’s that they die. Omni-Man, shown working alongside the team at the start of the episode, suddenly betrays them at their headquarters at the end of the premiere. Though Red Rush’s speed advantage allows him to narrowly keep his teammates safe, Omni-Man soon caves his head on before turning to the rest of the team with a brutal display of his abilities. They put in a noble effort combining their might to stop him, but it simply isn’t enough. Omni-Man destroys the team and then collapses from his own injuries.
The death of the Guardians of the Globe has immediate consequences for the rest of the series. Not only does it establish Omni-Man’s unmatchable power and the threat he poses to Earth’s heroes, but it also rids the planet of its mightiest heroes when they may soon be needed most. Invincible does a remarkable job establishing a clever take on the Justice League, but ultimately, it proves that their absence does more for the story than their presence. Now, their successors have some big shoes to fill, and when Omni-Man recovers, it may take someone invincible to be able to stop him.
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. The series is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
About The Author