When a foe from Mark’s past returns with a vengeance, his entire reality will buckle under the pressure. Invincible dives into some of it’s most violent footage yet, but this time layers it with the emotional heft our heroes. It’s been a long time since Nolan (J.K. Simmons) destroyed the Guardians of the Globe, but this is the closest thing we’ve seen since.
Invincible – “What Have I Done?” – The Recap
After what seemed like a death blow, Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown) somehow survived a beating at the hands of Invincible. He opens a portal to an alternate dimension, where he crawls to find Technicians who can help him recover. Months later, he unleashes an “Army of Invincibles” on Mark’s reality. Angstrom tells them to destroy whatever they can so that everyone will hate Mark.
Mark (Steven Yeun) lies in bed with Eve (Gillian Jacobs). He’s still upset about Powerplex (Aaron Paul) and cannot shake the feeling he could do more to save his family. He admits it’s a lot to take in, and Eve cancels dinner with her parents. Mark asks why she won’t let him meet her parents, and she reminds him how bad they’ve been. They laugh about their bad parents but are interrupted by a phone call. The other Invincibles are killing people across the globe and destroying things in the process.
Rex (Jason Mantzoukas) helps Shrinking Rae move into her new apartment. For the first time, Rex feels better about himself than he has in years and Rae invites him up to her room. However, they’re interrupted when an explosion goes off. While he suits up, Rex tells Rae she cannot “unquit” on her first day. He goes off to help.
Mark arrives at the prison and discovers the alternate reality version of himself. After the alternate version gets cocky, Mark is able to crush the skull of “Mohawk Invincible.” However, other heroes cannot tell the difference between Mark and the others, causing his friends to attack him. Powerplex, newly escaped from prison, is overjoyed by what he sees. When Mohawk Invincible stands up, Powerplex tries to take him down, only to be thrown into the rubble of the prison.
The world watches the news as it is discovered that there are multiple Invincibles. Oliver throws on his costume and tries to fly away to help Mark. Debbie does not want him to go, but Oliver asks her to let him help people. She agrees, but tells him to not return.
Mark beats the Mohawk Invincible again, and this time his former friends tell him they can handle the passed out villain. Mark takes flight when he sees Eve’s power trail flying through the sky. Cecil and Donald are saved from a Robo-Mark by the Reanimen. Donald lays out facts they can confirm, namely that they’re being attacked by Alternate Reality Invincibles. He also confirms that they’re not as strong as Mark. Cecil tells Donald they need to bring everyone into the fold.
The next day, more heroes join the fight. Oliver saves a woman and child before flying after an Incincible. However, this is not our Invincible, and he’s covered in blood. Mark and Eve discuss the strategy to take more Invincibles down. She asks who could do this, but Mark believes Ansom is dead. They spot a yellow suited Invincible, and Mark takes him out with a single punch.
The Immortal throws an Yellow/Blue Invincible into an ancient tomb, where a mummy tries to possess him. The Invincible escapes, and when the Mummy climbs back into the tomb, Jane the paleontologist escapes. Her girlfriend promises to help save her.
A montage of heroes, including Mark, Oliver, and Atom Eve continue to do battle against the Invincibles. A red and white suited Invincible arrives to attack Eve. Mark keeps trying to get Eve to leave, but one eventually breaks her leg. The two Invincibles taunt Mark, but are attacked by Reanimen. Donald asks Cecil to let him fight, and after some convincing, the GSA leader reluncantly lets him go.
The yellow/blue Invinvible continues to fight the Immortal in the Guardians headquarters. The bodies of Dupli-Kates, Shapesmith, and Black Sampson are strewn across the ground. Darkwing tries to help, but this Invincible grabs him and shatters his leg. He decapitates an Immortal and throws him through another Dupli-Kate. Darkwing grabs Invincible and takes him into the void.
Debbie sits with Paul, continuing to watch the news, as both lament how worried they are. Rick and Andrew Rannels run through the ruins of the campus, and when a building falls on Andrew, Rick saves him with super strength. Black Sampson and Shapesmith awaken, with Shapesmith needing to regenerate his body. They decide to get back in the fight.
Meanwhile an Invincible visits Debbie’s house and eventually the Teen Team location. He destroys several Robot drones. He opens the last drone, and realizes that Rudy is inside the suit. Before Invincible can kill Rudy, Bulletproof attacks him. Rudy tries to help Monstergirl and Rex, who is barely conscious. Rex tells them to go and stand in to fight Mark while they escape. Invincible grabs him by the throat, and mocks him that he has nothing left to explode. Rex tells him he has one thing left: his skeleton. He blows himself and Mark up in a final act of sacrifice. Rae arrives after the explosion.
Across the globe there are dozens of dead heroes. Mark sits by Eves body in the hospital, and refuses to join the fight. Cecil tells him that he still has people counting on him, but Mark refuses to leave.
On Day 3, several Marks continue to wreak havoc on the planet. Angstrom tells the remaining Invincibles to return to their home. There, he delivers his next objective: bring Mark to him. Several of the Invincibles demand he hold up his end of the bargain, and he throws them back into a void dimension. The Yellow/Black Invincible promises to kill him, and Mohawk Invincible calls him an idiot.
Cecil reveals that the GDA found Angstrom. Mark flies into action, and the two continue their previous fight. Mark flights between portals and drones, rarely making it close to Angstrom. When he finally does, Oliver tells Mark to kill him. However, before Mark can do it, Angstrom flies through a portal. Mark rips off his arm.
On the other side of the portal, the Technicians who saved him have turned against Angstrom. His word has no value to them and he refused to honor their deal. They offer to save him, but only if he works for them now.
In Mark’s reality, many of the cities have been leveled and hundreds of thousands have died. Eve remains in critical care. Mark beats himself up for not killing Angstrom, but Cecil tells him they’ll rebuild. Cecil tells Mark that they found Debbie and they need help in New York. In New York, Powerplex attacks Mark, screaming that it’s all Invincible’s fault.
Back at Eve’s side, Mark admits to her that he thinks Powerplex is right. As he cries, Eve’s parents arrive to the hospital. Eve’s dad tells him to get out, but her mother follows Mark down the hall. Eve’s mother tells Mark about their neighbor from across the street who died without being a hero. She seems to understand Eve’s willingness to fight for the first time, but before she can say anything, Eve’s dad interrupts them.
Immortal wakes up in his bed, with Dupli-Kate by his side. Immortal announces he’s retiring and he’s starting a family with Dupli-Kate. Cecil runs through a list of updates on heroes, and Robot confirms Rex died in the fight. Cecil asks Mark to lead the Guardians because he’s willing to stand up to power. Mark refuses again.
Cecil offers to walk him out, and Mark refuses to listen. However, he says he will be there when they need him, and thanks Cecil for offering to help. As Mark helps the cleanup, a Viltrimite leader arrives. Conquest tells Mark this is his last chance to fulfill his duty as a Viltrimite. Mark tells him it’s not a good time, but when Conquest keeps pushing, Mark engages. They fly towards each other as the episode ends.
Was “What Have I Done?” worth watching?
Perhaps the bloodiest and most horrifying episodes of Invincible in years, “What Have I Done?” pulls no punches. It’s an all out gorefest, with dozens of our favorite heroes pulled apart, killed, or gregiously wounded during the battle. It turns out, even a weaker Invincible is far stronger than we’ve realized.
What might be the most shocking aspect of “What Have I Done?” is that a Viltrime arrival feels like a step down. That’s powerful storytelling, that’s further buoyed by the Powerplex storyline. With Mark already reeling from that emotional upheaval, he’s questioning the good he can do for the world. Invincible is one of the only shows that can pull this highwire act off, and they do so brilliantly.
Mark might be the strongest Invincible but his inherent goodness leaves him vulnerable. This allowed Angstrom to get away with the slaughter, while only losing an arm. It’s never been easier to relate to Oliver’s willingness to kill, but as “What Have I Done?” reveals, that’s a slippery slope for Mark.
Yet at the same time, levels of power and new foes emerge. The Technicians appear to have calculated everything Angstrom would do. At no point do they appear surprised, and if anything they realized that saving him so he could fail would put him further in their debt. With his life on the line, they flex their power. We anticipate he will take the deal.
The team of Invincibles in the Void also appear to be a problem. They do not have the ability to jump back to their worlds without Angstrom, but the fact they did not die leaves us to believe Kirkman and team have plans for these guys. With that in mind, we anticipate a return from the group in the next season.
Finally, the Viltrimites return to Earth at the worst possible time for Mark. As the begins the fight with Conquest, it’s easy to see how this can go sideways for him. Mark is not only emotionally unhinged at the present, but the loss weighs on him. This could be the moment that breaks his restraint, and if that happens, Invincible could turn dark.
Invincible airs on Thursday on Prime Video. “What Have I Done” aired on March 6, 2025.
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