Invincible's Season 2 Part 2 Trailer Teases The Comic's Most Disturbing Storyline
Contains potential spoilers for "Invincible" Season 2, Part 2
The trailer for "Invincible" Season 2, Part 2, is teasing loss, dimension-hopping lunatics, and faces getting smushed into a paste. Same old, same old from Amazon's adaptation of Robert Kirkman's superhero opus, then? With that said, though, one brief appearance of a character from the comic book has sparked concern and anticipation of one of the most unsettling moments in the entire series.
One new superpowered person teased in the trailer is a mysterious Viltrumite seen giving Mark (Steve Yeun) a severe beatdown around Earth. While it's not fully confirmed in the trailer, fans have already deduced that this is a female Viltrumite named Anissa who debuted in "Invincible" #44. In the comics, Anissa is sent to Earth to ensure that Mark is continuing his father's failed mission of infiltrating and taking over the planet for the Viltrum Empire. While there, Anissa suggests procreating with Mark to continue the Viltrumite regime, which he turns down. As a result, she essentially beats Mark into submission, forcing herself on him, and then is revealed later to have had a child from the assault.
It's easily one of the story's most harrowing moments that stays with Mark for some time, even leading to him breaking down in front of his father over what happened. The question is how one of the most traumatic experiences for Mark will be handled, if at all, given how "Invincible" is different from the comics already.
Anissa's place in Invincible needs to refined, for better or worse
Should Anissa's horrific actions be transferred to the show, many details would need to be considered and hopefully reviewed. The assault itself, while an undeniably harrowing read, felt like a moment of shock value rather than making Anissa a crucial part of the "Invincible" story that reaches a conclusion. Admittedly, she's not the only character in "Invincible" who gets away with past deeds. For example, in the case of Mark's father, Nolan (J.K. Simmons), the road to redemption might not be as turbulent as audiences would like following the events of Season 1. However, whether Anissa's actions are addressed later in this telling of this version of the story or not, its inclusion might still be seen as important for different reasons.
While this show might be about superheroes fighting aliens or threats from different realities, there are still some serious issues that it has managed to address, and Anissa's sexual assault of Mark could be another instance. This would mark a rare occasion in film or television where a male is the victim overpowered by a woman, and if the storyline makes it onto the show, it could spark conversation around the topic. We'll see just how Anissa's arrival is handled when "Invincible" Season 2, Part 2 arrives on Amazon Video on March 14.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).