Invincible Season 4 Episode 3 Recap: Mark’s Darkest Hour & Eve’s Powers Gone Wrong

Liu the Dragon May Return

Titan meets Machine Head at a club. Titan wants to know what Machine Head wants with him. He can’t understand Machine Head, a person who can’t taste or smell food or drinks. Machine Head tells him that life is about the journey. Titan just likes getting things done. Machine Head tells him he should be tap-dancing every morning when he gets out of bed.

They slay the dragon and steal his treasure. Machine Head tells Titan that Mr. Liu couldn’t stay dead. He’s surprised that Liu resurfaced in the real world, too. He warns Titan that Liu is coming for him. The Order has certain member protections in place that even Liu can’t bypass. Machine Head says he loves happy hour and says goodbye to a frustrated Titan.

Should He or Shouldn’t He

The Guardians return to their living quarters, and Rudy says Invincible didn’t have to kill Rus. He just needed to wait a few more seconds. Bulletproof disagrees, saying Invincible had to kill Rus because he ran out of time. The planet would have been overrun, and they’d have to fight for years to reclaim it. Many more people would have died before they could.

Rudy insists the dome would have held. Monster Girl breaks them up, saying it’s all over and they all have to live with what was done. She tells them to go to the showers and be thankful they don’t have to see another sequid again. Brit stops Rudy to make it clear that he follows his orders or would never enter the field again. Rudy understands, but acknowledges Brit is right: if he hadn’t entered the sewers, some infected people and sequids would still be down there.

Shapesmith steps in, wanting everyone to agree that he wasn’t responsible for the sequid outbreak this time. No one responds. Rudy is about to shower when he has a coughing spasm. He coughs up a sequid and spits it out on the locker room bench. He can’t believe he didn’t even feel it inside him. Monster Girl saves him by grabbing the sequid as it tries to attach itself to Rudy, squishing the life out of it.

Rudy tells her they were lucky with the sequids, but that’s not a variable they can control. He says Doc Seismic and Angstrom always return stronger than before. They aren’t dealing with threats permanently; it’s only a matter of time before the villains defeat them. Monster Girl begins to think Mark was right: killing Rus was his only option.

At home, Mark replays the events with Rus in his head. His heart races, his breath catches, and he closes his eyes, seeing the scene repeatedly. He calls Eve, but she doesn’t answer because she’s out trying to figure out what’s happening to her powers. Everything she creates turns to mush, colorful, but still not solid or sturdy like before. Mark leaves her a message, saying he really needs to talk to someone. There’s a knock at their door: it’s Doug, who tells Mark that Cecil would like to talk with him, please.

Time for a Change

Paul comes into Debbie’s office, shows her a house, and asks for her opinion. She says it will fly off the market, and asks when they’ll list it. Paul asks if she likes it. He suggests that if they both sell their homes, they could buy this new house together and have zero mortgage. He’s sure the boys would love more space.

Debbie is confused. She thought Paul wanted to move in with her and her sons. She says she raised them in her house for twenty years. Paul suggests maybe it’s time for a change and asks her to think about it.

Chaos in the Park

At the park, a female security officer checks to ensure it’s safe for Titan and his family. Fiona asks her dad why he didn’t get ice cream. He says it’s too cold. She insists it’s never too cold for ice cream. A security officer gives the all-clear, but is immediately killed. The other agents are also silently eliminated. The female security officer looks around, sees one agent split in two at the midsection, just as she’s about to yell for help.

Family Matters and Titan’s Fury

Vanessa and Titan argue over giving Fiona too much ice cream. Vanessa warns that it’ll be hard to get their daughter to sleep. Fiona shocks them both: “She’ll sleep when she’s dead.” Titan hears something, turns into stone, and wraps them in his arms for protection. He tells Vanessa to run with Fiona. Magnattack retrieves his magnetic, sharp metal parts, telling Titan Mr. Liu sends his regards. Titan chases him, catching one piece before it can be used, and begins beating Magnattack on the ground.

Titan sees a piece of metal flying toward Vanessa’s head. Isotope protects Vanessa and Fiona, transporting them away. Titan continues pummeling Magnattack despite the metal parts sticking out of him. He kills him.

At Home

Debbie returns home, noticing all the living and growing in their house: the boys’ heights on the wall, photos on the table. Oliver comes in, and Debbie teases that he’ll soon be as tall as Mark. He asks about Mark, and she says he’s probably not home. Oliver notes Mark seems sad and angry a lot lately; he misses the way he was.

Cecil reassures Mark that he made the right choice with Rus. He emphasizes that Rus Livingston knew the risks and that stopping the sequids was necessary. He cautions Mark that decisions like this change a person, and not always for the better. He asks Mark to let him help bear such decisions in the future. Mark insists he’s not a kid and can handle his own actions, though Cecil continues guiding him through the guilt of taking a life.

They are interrupted by DA Sinclair, who apologizes to Mark for what he did to his friends and students. Mark tells him to stop talking. Cecil comments that Sinclair’s Reanimen are one of humanity’s greatest inventions, already saving lives. Mark leaves, angry.

Donald enters the robotics lab, telling everyone to cover everything and take lunch, Invincible is present and shouldn’t see anything.

Eve’s Powers

Eve struggles with her powers at home. Mark arrives and asks what’s wrong. She explains she can no longer move atoms or link them together properly. Nothing she creates holds shape. She’s scared to fly. Mark reassures her that they’ll figure it out.

Later, she receives a message from Invincible, Inc. Mark can’t respond immediately. She asks what happened, and he admits he killed Rus. Oliver volunteers for a job and asks the pay.

The Flaxan Invasion

Isotope finds Liu and tells Titan he’s still unstable, likely why he sent Magnattack. He tries to convince Titan to rejoin the Order. Oliver arrives for Invincible, Inc. Fiona runs into Titan’s office, scared. Oliver distracts her by lifting Titan’s desk. Titan hugs his daughter.

Eve consults Rex about her powers. Everything she creates turns to goo and disappears; now she can’t even do that. Rex’s vitals are normal, with no irregularities in her brain or body chemistry. Rex says he can solve the problem, but it will take time. Suddenly, a beeping noise signals a transport tunnel opening downtown. Aliens emerge, capturing people and placing devices around their necks. The Flaxans have returned. Robot tells the Guardians that previous invasions occurred within days of each other; time moves faster in their dimension.

Oliver flies Titan over the city. They plan to teach someone a lesson without killing anyone. Mr. Liu is inside a building. Oliver fights the dragon and gets knocked around, calling Eve for help.

Mark and the Guardians intervene to stop the Flaxans. They must locate the emitter to trap the Flaxans in the current dimension. Donald updates Cecil: thousands of Flaxans are coming. Robot and Monster Girl free prisoners and return them through the portal. They destroy the emitter as more ships approach. Rex sees a larger operation preparing and emphasizes destroying the Flaxans in their dimension. Brit leads the charge through the portal, disobeying orders.

Mark helps Oliver fight the dragon. Mr. Liu is taken before they can finish. Titan yells that this isn’t over. Mark becomes uncontrollable, attacking Titan. Oliver urges him to stop. Mark leaves with Oliver. Debbie patches Oliver up. Paul tries to joke, but no one finds it funny.

Eve tells Mark that Rex found nothing wrong. They are gone. Mark promises they’ll figure out her powers, even with Cecil’s help. Mark admits he almost killed someone again; Eve hugs him. Later, Eve checks if she’s pregnant: she is. Mark is stopped from entering the bathroom, Eve is pregnant!

The Order

Machine Head sits at the head of the Order’s table, announcing a returning member: Titan. He emphasizes loyalty among members and welcomes Mr. Liu back. Both Liu and Titan were tricked into returning. Machine Head shifts focus to making ridiculous amounts of money.

This episode was fantastic. Seeing Mr. Liu and his dragon, Titan and Oliver fighting the dragon, and Mark helping the Guardians against the Flaxans was thrilling. Rex, Robot, Monster Girl, and Amanda face unexpected consequences on the Flaxan side. Titan struggles with the Order, Mark battles anger after taking a life, and Eve’s pregnancy adds tension. This episode earns 4.9 out of 5 stars.

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