The following contains spoilers for Invincible season 3 episode 8, “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up,” now streaming on Prime VideoThe mid-credits scene ofInvincible’sseason 3 finale teases a surprising villain for season 4.Invincibleis an adaptation of the comic of the same name, largely sticking to the plot of the original while updating certain elements and characters for a modern audience. As time has gone on,Invincible’s charactershave been slightly tweaked and changed in places, making room for unexpected romances or surprising dramatic turns that were absent from the comics.
This now extends to the show’s villainous roster, as theInvincibleseason 3 finalesets up a number of threats that could surface in the upcoming season 4. While some are long-brewing dangers like the Sequids or newfound enemies like Conquest, one of the enemies teased in the season finale is actually largely absent from the original comics after their brief role earlier in the story. It’s a potentially huge change that could continue to expand upon a type of threat thatInvinciblehas largely avoided using all that regularly.
Damien Darkblood’s Invincible Season 3 Return Is Not Directly From The Comics
Damien Darkblood’s appearance in theInvincibleseason 3 finale departs from the original comics and makes him a villain. The mid-credits sequence shifts focus from the physical plane to the underworld. This is the dimension Cecil banished Damien in season 1 and where the demonic detective has seemingly remained. The scene sees Damien meet with an older figure that Damien refers to with infernal respect, suggesting he is one of the former demonic lords of this realm and that Damien remains loyal to him. This is a big change from the comics.
Played by Clancy Brown, Damien Darkblood was last seen being dragged back to hell in season 1 episode 4, “Neil Armstrong, Eat Your Heart Out.” The unnamed demon he speaks with in the mid-credits scene of “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up” is played by Bruce Campbell.
Damien actually only plays a minor role in the originalInvincibleand never indicates that he’s anything more than a well-meaning (if largely unsuccessful) detective. WhileInvincibleseason 1 treated Damien seriously, the character Damien was more or less a joke character in the comic. Although series creator Robert Kirkman intended to exploreInvincible’s version of hell and delve intoDamien Darkblood’s backstory, this never came to pass before the comic ended. This makes his apparently dangerous transformation into a potential villain for the animated series all the more surprising for long-time fans of the series.
What We Can Tell About Invincible’s Demonic New Villains From Season 3’s Ending
Damien’s Partner In Hell Could Become Very Dangerous
Damien and the demonic lord he serves in theInvincibleseason 3 mid-credits scene aren’t fully explained or introduced in the episode.It’s clear that the older demon is worthy of some infernal respect from Damien, hinting that his frail body hides great power. This would make the demon a thematic successor to Mr. Liu, the leader of the Order who could magically transform into a dragon before being dispatched earlier in season 3. The demon clearly has ambitions to escape his situation, given that Damien suggests there is a mortal body he could inhabit on Earth.
This also hints that despite their potential power and ambitions, the demons ofInvincibledo have limits.
This suggests that the demons have plans for the world at large but can’t simply go to the planet with ease.This also hints that despite their potential power and ambitions, the demons ofInvincibledo have limits, such as the ones that forced the older demon off his throne. For example, while Damien may be a powerful demon even on Earth, there are certain ways to combat that kind of magic in the world. This is how Cecil countered Damien’s efforts to further investigate the deaths of the Guardians of the Globe, suggesting there are ways to combat demons.
Who Is The “Surface-Dweller” Damien Darkblood Mentions?
A Demonic Force Could Give The Earth Heroes A Threat To Deal With During The Viltrumite War
Damien mentions that he has found the perfect “surface-dweller” to serve as the mortal servant for his fellow demon. However, the open-ended nature of that statement, as well as the fact that this storyline is a departure from the comics with no precedent to adapt directly from, means it could be any number of characters. The obvious choice would be Invincible. Mark might be harder to place under the demon’s influence, though, which could make his younger brother Oliver or other heroes like Atom Eve or Monster Girl good picks.
Rus Livingston
Conquest
All of those characters have important roles to play in future storylines are considered heroic by the world at large, which suggests they aren’t the target. Damien’s mention of the target’s “blackened heart” suggests it’s someone more villainous. This could turn out to be the newly defeated Conquest, which would indeed give the demon a powerhouse new body. However,it could also be a way for Damien to get revenge on Omni-Man or even Cecil Stedman. The demons could also factor into long-brewing storylines like Rus Livingston’s Sequid invasion or play into likely upcoming threats like Dinosaurus.
Invincible Season 3’s Post-Credits Scene Continues A Growing Trend Of Comic Changes
InvincibleIs Increasingly Confident Changing Character Arcs
Invinciblehas largely remained faithful to the spirit and overarching story of the original comic. At times, it has even replicated specific scenes or shots directly from the source material. However, the show has never been afraid of tweaking certain elements of the story, such as having Omni-Man slaughter the Guardians of the Globe earlier than he did in the comics.Season 3 has proven increasingly willing to change elements of the story, changing certain characters and altering their roles in the story. Rex and Rae’s romance was an invention of the show, which built on their decision to spare the gender-swapped version of Shrinking Rae whereas the comic killed Shrinking Ray.
Invincible Broke My Heart, But Season 3 Needed That Death To Break A Problematic Trend
Invincible season 3, episode 7 may have broken my heart by including a big character death, but I cannot deny that it needed to happen.
The reintroduction of Damien Darkblood is the latest sign that the show is willing to explore parts of theInvincibleworld that the comics never could. It’s possible that Damien’s storyline inInvincibleseason 4 is actually reflective of the plot that Robert Kirkman almost gave him years ago, meaning it could easily fit into the overarching plotline of the show. There’s also a chance that, similar to the wayInvincibleexpanded Rae and gave them a unique personality, the animated series wants to do the same with a lingering plot thread from the first season.
Invincible Season 4 May Have Another Magical Villain
Mr. Liu Proved That Magical Villains Are Dangerous InInvincible
One of the most quietly exciting aspects of this development is the wayit teases another magical threat for Invincible and his allies to combat. While magic does exist in the world ofInvincible, the show largely deals with sci-fi elements of the superhero genre. Even beyond the alien races that are central to the plot, characters like Robot and Angstrom Levy ensure technological geniuses are repersented. The most prominent magical figures in the show have been heroes like Wolf-Man and Monster Girl (who are regular humans cursed with powers), demons like Damien, and magic users like Mr. Liu.
Mr. Liu’s battle withInvincible in season 3’s episode about the Orderestablished that magical forces might actually be powerful enough to contend with even the strongest of the world’s fighters, making them a potentially exciting wild card in the coming storylines.Damien’s return could force the heroes to confront this kind of danger head-on, allowing for more inventive battles. It would also make for an interesting natural contrast to see Earth magic face off with alien technology. The return of Damien Darkblood is an exciting development forInvincibleprecisely because it could go in so many directions.
