Invincible Season 3 Episode 4 recap: Mark goes back to the future

Invincible Season 3 Episode 4 is a tale of two halves: Mark and Eve go on their first real date, until he’s distracted by a mission to the future; and Omni-Man and Allen finally team up to get out of the Viltrumite prison.

The opening three episodes of Invincible’s third season were pivotal in all sorts of ways: Mark parted ways with Cecil after discovering his work with Darkwing II and the ReAnimen, he got this blue suit, Oliver murdered the Mauler Twins, and Mark and Eve finally got together.

We have a good idea of what’s coming (thanks to Amazon’s episode titles and some leaked casting), and let’s just say Mark is on a collision course with a fight the likes of which he’s never experienced.

The boy just can’t catch a break – until Episode 4, which rewards him for his (admittedly traumatic) efforts to help Dropkick and Fightmaster.

Mark confronts Cecil about the red orb

Before we catch up with Mark and Eve, we see Rex accompanying Rae on a trip to the grocery store. He’s happy living off ramen, pizza, and black coffee, but after her “engineered diet” growing up, she craves the normality of making a home-cooked meal.

“You can either help, or go do something else,” she tells him, angrily, but he jumps into action… until they’re forced to drop what they’re doing and stop a monster rampaging on the streets.

Meanwhile, Robot (and Rudy, which creeps out Amanda) tries to figure out the source of the orb spying on Mark, Debbie, and Oliver. Alas, it’s too damaged to ascertain who built it – but it’s “of Earth origin and incredibly sophisticated… whoever made this has significant resources at their disposal.”

Mark immediately thinks Cecil is to blame, so he invades the Pentagon and lays waste to dozens of ReAnimen before Cecil presses his red button. “What are you doing here, Mark, other than costing taxpayers millions of dollars and assaulting a government institution?” he asks.

However, Cecil denies any association with the orb, so he flies away. “Well, that was a terrifying way to start my morning,” he says. And, surprise surprise, he’s actually telling the truth – but he wants to know who made the orb.

Mark and Eve’s date is interrupted

Prime Video

Mark flies to Paris for his “second first date” with Eve. Just as they’re about to kiss, a portal opens next to their table… and Dropkick and Fightmaster emerge from it.

“You have to come with us right now. It’s life and death, there’s no time to explain,” they say, before claiming they had a good reason to steal the Declaration of Independence: they needed it to help them in the future.

“We need you to help us overthrow our king. When we saw you before, we realized all the stories about you were true. You’re the only one strong enough,” they tell Mark.

According to Dropkick and Fightmaster, they only have enough power for one trip back to the future – so if Mark doesn’t come with them now, they’re doomed. He says no… so they snatch him through the portal anyway.

Mark meets King Immortal

Prime Video

In this version of the future, centuries of war “against him” have decimated cities, with people forced to attend work camps, public executions, or stay inside with day-long curfews.

The twins explain that one man was crowned the ruler of Earth when the planet was on the brink of collapse. “He ruled well, for a while… the legends say his brain worked better back then. Then something changed. We don’t know what happened exactly… but slowly, he went mad,” they explain.

This mysterious monarch destroyed 10 major cities just for resisting – but he inadvertently sparked the rise of the rebellion. Dropkick and Fightmaster then explain why they built a time machine: to look for solutions in the past, including using the ink from the Declaration of Independence to kill the king (it didn’t work).

Mark asks if he’s a Viltrumite, but they don’t even know what that is. He agrees to help them, and moments later, they’re apprehended by the royal guard. Mark fights a few of them off, but the twins want to be arrested, as it’s the quickest way to see the king. “Stop the king, we can take care of ourselves,” they plead, sending Mark up in an elevator to meet him.

He steps out, and he can’t believe his eyes: the king… is the Immortal.

The Immortal asks Mark to kill him

Now, all of the stuff the Immortal says here is pretty important, so I’m going to transcribe key lines of dialogue:

• “It’s been so many years since you left with your family, I wasn’t sure I’d recognize you.”
• “You look thin, weak… have you been sick again? I thought they found a cure.”
• “You left me no choice, it was the only way to bring you back. I didn’t want to do it, I had to force your hand.”
• “I’m not a Viltrumite, you shouldn’t have left me in charge. You’re the Emperor, you should have known it was too much for me, especially after so long.”
• “All of this is your fault. I didn’t want the repsonsibility, I was tired and ready to move on… I told you that, but you said I was the only one you trusted.”
• “The man you remember is dead, but I didn’t receive that privilege.”
• “Kate? I don’t know that name. Is that the red-haired woman? I’ve had hundreds of wives, I’ve outlived everyone I’ve ever loved.”
• “Your family could endure. You need to repay the debt you owe me, whether you want to or not, that’s why I set all this in motion.”
• “You left me here. You made me into a monster. How many more must die because of your mistakes?”

The Immortal has one request: he wants Mark to kill him for good. He can’t kill himself – he believes suicide is a coward’s escape. “We were friends once, do this for me,” he begs, and eventually, after an emotional fight, Mark fulfils his wish, ripping his head from his shoulders.

When the royal guard arrives, they confirm that authority has now been passed to the people, and Dropkick and Fightmaster return Mark to his timeline.

Mark and Eve finally sleep together

Prime Video

Mark explains what happened in the future. He feels guilty for something he hasn’t even done yet. “The future version of you isn’t you… whatever that was, it isn’t our future, not anymore at least,” Eve says, and she’s right: the Immortal wanted to die, so Mark shouldn’t feel bad.

They fly home, dropping off the Declaration of Independence along the way and spending the day seeing the sights of America and the world. As they hover in the sky, Mark tells her he loves her – and she says it back!

They get back to the house, and after Eve uses her powers to remove their clothes, they… you know.

Allen and Nolan break out of prison (with Battle Beast)

Prime Video

The episode gives Mark and Eve some privacy, cutting to Allen the Alien and Nolan in the Viltrumite prison (with a recap of everything that led to their imprisonment). Crucially, Allen still believes Nolan can be redeemed, but Nolan thinks he deserves death for his actions.

“I’m not on your side, I’m not on anyone’s side. I disgraced my people. I betrayed my family, I abandoned my sons, I committed crimes against everyone and everything I hold dear,” Nolan says, and Allen tells him to make it right. “No,” Nolan says.

They reach an impasse… until the date of Nolan’s execution. After he’s escorted away by two Viltrumite soldiers (and beaten to a pulp), Allen burts out of his cell and rallies the troops – aka, his fellow prisoners, including Battle Beast (Allen promises him opponents worthy of his strength)!

As they mow down the prison’s security guards, one of the Viltrumites asks Nolan, “Was your betrayal worth death?” Nolan replies, “Yes, and I’m sad you’ll never understand.”

Allen and Battle Beast find the execution room, and a bloody fight ensues. Battle Beast takes one Viltrumite and Allen takes the other. As Allen takes a beating, Nolan watches on in horror – and it inspires him to break free from his shackles and fight back against his own people.

Omni-Man reveals the truth of the Viltrumites

Allen blows a hole in the ship and takes the fight into space. Him and Nolan double-punch the Viltrumite’s head, crushing it like a melon and killing him instantly. Meanwhile, Battle Beast drifts off duking it out with the other Viltrumite Soldier.

Allen makes another plea for Nolan to join the coalition, especially after he saved his life.

However, Nolan makes a shocking confession. Allen is worried about more Viltrumites coming to attack them, but Nolan says there won’t be any others.

“There are fewer 50 pure-blooded Viltrumites left in the universe. This is the Empire’s most closely guarded secret. It’s also why we can beat them.”

We briefly return to Mark and Eve after… you know. Debbie knocks on the door and asks why it’s locked, so he says he’s tired and doesn’t have any clothes on. “We gotta get our own place,” he tells Eve.

Make sure you know exactly when new episodes drop with our Invincible Season 3 release time & schedule guide. Until then, check our breakdown of the Invincible cast so far.

You can also find out how to read the Invincible comics for free, read our breakdown of the show’s soundtrack, and keep up with Season 3 with our recaps of Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3.

Make sure you check out what’s dropping during Dexerto’s We LOVE TV & Movies week too.