Invincible season 4 is here, with many wondering how it ranks against its prior three seasons. The ending of Invincible season 3 adapted two of the more iconic storylines from the source material. First came the Invincible War, with the evil variants of Mark Grayson/Invincible wreaking havoc on Earth at the behest of a vengeful Angstrom Levy.

In the season 3 finale, Invincible‘s fight with the Viltrumite known as Conquest raged across the globe, providing an exciting, dark end to the eight-episode arc. Invincible season 4 picked up a few months later, with Mark and the other heroes of Earth left picking up the pieces of season 3’s climactic final two episodes.

With Invincible season 4 moving into the Viltrumite War, the conflict that has been teased since season 1, many will be looking back on where the show has come from. Season 1 first aired in 2021, with season 2 following in 2023 and 2024 thanks to its two-part structure, season 3 in 2025, season 4 in 2026, and even a live-action Invincible movie in the works.

This constant churn of projects makes Invincible one of the more revered and consistent superhero properties outside of Marvel and DC. With each installment maintaining a high level of ongoing quality, inevitable rankings will take place. With that in mind, here is how we would rank Invincible‘s four seasons, bearing in mind that the final two episodes of season 4 were not included in screeners.

4 Invincible Season 2

image via Prime Video

Coming in as the weakest installment of Invincible is season 2. Firstly, it is worth noting that a show having its weakest season be as strong as Invincible season 2 is not a bad thing at all. There is no bad season of Invincible, but season 2 is simply the weakest for one big reason: its mid-season break. Invincible season 2 first aired in November 2023 with four episodes before taking a prolonged break and airing the remaining four in March 2024.

Overall, the mid-season break simply robbed Invincible season 2 of a lot of momentum. By the time the second part was released, the hype for the overall season had died down, despite the second half being vastly superior. For this reason alone, Invincible season 2 can be ranked as the worst installment of the show. However, even beyond the mid-season break, Invincible season 2 has a weaker collection of episodes.

The two episodes that opened Invincible season 2 were mostly inconsequential and showcased Mark dealing with various threats that did not tie too heavily into the overarching story. It was only the Viltrumites of the mid-season break and Angstrom Levy’s return at the end of the story that picked things back up again.

Invincible episode 3 had some strong developments with Allen the Alien and the Coalition of Planets, but they were marred by the lack of further developments until months later, thanks to the mid-season break. Some of the narrative tension of Invincible season 2, part 2 was then made worse by the drawn-out development of Amber and Mark’s relationship.

Beyond these criticisms, though, Invincible season 2 was still enjoyable. The developments with Omni-Man, the Viltrumites, and Mark’s continued opposition to the Empire were all incredibly compelling, as was the introduction of Oliver. Invincible‘s Angstrom Levy took a while to be established as a viable threat, but he ended up being a strong antagonist, leaving off his story for season 3.

This, as well as Invincible‘s typically strong characters, voice acting, and mature tone, all work in the installment’s favor, but season 2 simply cannot match the heights of seasons 1 and 3.

3 Invincible Season 1

Initially, Invincible season 1 episode 1 began as an incredibly generic superhero show, but that proved to be entirely the point. The subversion of this with Omni-Man’s dark destruction of Invincible‘s Guardians of the Globe gave the show one of the most memorable opening episodes of all time, with that shock factor only bolstering the following episodes.

Somewhat similarly to Invincible season 2, the three episodes following the premiere were not the most eventful, but the shock of Omni-Man’s betrayal and anticipation of his true motivations still made them more compelling than weaker entries from season 2. From Invincible season 1 episode 5 onwards though, the show is almost perfect.

Aside from episode 6, which had an incredible latter half featuring Mark’s first truly bloody battle against Battle Beast and Machine Head to Omni-Man’s heritage reveal.

The final two episodes shine in a way none from Invincible season 2 manage to achieve despite some great individual episodes within it. However, what elevates Invincible season 1 is its strong central rivalry between Mark and Omni-Man paired with excellent writing.

The stronger episodes and compelling antagonist allow Invincible season 1 to rise above its successor due to its role as an entry point into this universe. Season one introduces its world and characters for viewers for their first time making everything feel fresh compared to what was seen in subsequent seasons.

This contrasts with Invincible‘s “middle-chapter syndrome,” where it ties up loose ends from season one while setting up new elements that do not culminate until later on. All these factors contribute to ranking Invincible‘s first season above its second installment while also noting that animation quality plays a significant role.

The animation quality has faced criticism since Invincible‘s second season began continuing into seasons three and four due to how much stronger it was during its inaugural run compared to later entries which lacked artistry across both small moments and larger sequences alike. Despite these strengths placing Invincible‘s first outing above its second it still cannot quite match more recent installments.

2 Invincible Season 4

I have yet to watch the final two episodes of Invincible season four. I have only seen episodes one through six meaning this latest installment could easily surpass its predecessor after those final moments air. That said judging it solely on what I’ve seen thus far, Invincibl season four cannot quite match its predecessor but gives it an impressive effort.

The only episode I felt dipped below an incredible standard was episode four which featured Mark’s side quest alongside Damien Darkblood in hell had some moments but felt too much like a detour akin to earlier seasons’ less impactful installments. Given this storyline was also not present within comic adaptations it felt even more like an unnecessary adventure lacking stakes both narratively or character-wise.

The fact this is arguably considered one show’s weakest episode yet still allows for such high rankings shows how excellent others have been thus far! Episode one serves as solid reintroduction following previous madness while episode two delivers an unforgettable buddy-cop adventure featuring Nolan alongside Allen building excitement leading into Viltrumite War through former’s backstory.

The third episode dipped slightly alongside fourth before fifth delivered one best episodes entire series thus far! Nolan’s argument with Debbie charged emotionally resonating even compared some live-action dramas while Mark’s rematch against Conquest provided all gore fans could desire!

I won’t spoil sixth episode here but it continues building stakes surrounding Viltrumite War excellently allowing both new returning characters shine brightly unlike fifth’s action-packed romp did not permit! This sets up killer final two installments I cannot wait watch! If last two installments match heights achieved within fifth sixth then ranking could easily change placing it crown jewel adaptation Prime Video!

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