Invincible Season 3, Episode 4 Does 2 Big Things To Make Mark Grayson A Villain

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Invincible season 3, episodes 1-4.With Mark Grayson continuing to face more and more challenges in Invincible season 3, his morality has been put to the test, and episode 4 just made him feel like a villain in two key ways. Mark's journey to becoming a hero has been far from easy as he faced countless powerful antagonists throughout his time and often came up short. Season 1 saw him barely survive encounters with Battle Beast and even his own father, while Invincible season 2's ending had the protagonist finally win a fight, only for him to accidentally kill his opponent, or so he thought.

Although season 3 has since teased Angstrom Levy's return, the events of the previous season have continued to weigh on Mark's mind, and he's become even more ruthless than before. He is undoubtedly still trying to do good and is attempting to save lives, but his methods and attitude are becoming increasingly cold, suggesting he may have a slightly darker side to him than first anticipated. This has never been more evident than in season 3, episode 4, where two major moments proved how dangerous the superhero really is, and how problematic he could be if he ever turned evil.

Mark's GDA Rampage In Invincible Season 3, Episode 4 Makes Him Look Like A Villain

Breaking Into The Pentagon & Instantly Attacking Is Something A Villain Would Do, Not A Hero

Mark being restrained by the ReAnimen in front of Cecil and Donald in Invincible season 3

Before Mark's journey into the dystopian future in "You Were My Hero", he follows up on the device spying on him, determined to find out who sent it. With Robot unable to examine the broken camera orb, Mark naturally assumes it belongs to the GDA and confronts Cecil, but not without causing some chaos first. Rather than trying to reach out to the GDA Director or set up some sort of meeting, Invincible season 3 continued making Mark look like a villain by having him break into the Pentagon, taking down several ReAnimen in the process.

Mark's decision to break into a government institution and destroy the ReAnimen just to question Cecil is far more in line with the actions of a villain than a hero.

Despite the two having a heated confrontation earlier in the season, Mark's decision to break into a government institution and destroy the ReAnimen just to question Cecil is far more in line with the actions of a villain than a hero. Cecil also reminded him that destroying the ReAnimen was costing taxpayers millions of dollars while breaking into the GDA's base of operations could be considered treason. Had it not been for the GDA Director's device inside Mark's head, there's a chance they wouldn't have even had a civil conversation in the first place, considering how angry Mark was.

All of this is made worse by the fact that the device didn't belong to Cecil, although we learn the GDA are also spying on Mark, somewhat justifying his suspicions. Regardless, his complete disregard for the law is hardly the sort of heroism audiences have come to associate with Mark, and it wasn't the only glimpse at his darker side.

The Future Timeline With Immortal Makes Mark Seem Even More Villainous

Mark Unintentionally Dooming Earth Before Killing The Immortal Continues His Dark Descent

Mark's confrontation at the beginning of the episode was bad enough, but the dystopian timeline makes things even worse. After being dragged from his date with Eve into the future, Mark is tasked with killing The Immortal, who had become Earth's King after being left in charge for centuries. Although there is no excuse for his actions, what happened to The Immortal in Invincible season 3's future timeline is arguably the fault of Mark's future self, as he gave The Immortal the throne. Rather than staying and overseeing Earth himself, the protagonist abandons the planet to be with his family.

Why he wanted to settle down elsewhere is left unclear, but he unintentionally doomed the Earth, and seemingly never checked in to make sure The Immortal was coping on his own. Still, these actions can't be blamed on the show's main version of Mark, but even he was forced to eventually kill The Immortal. After going insane, Earth's King asks the protagonist to end his suffering, and despite Mark refusing repeatedly, he eventually takes down his ally permanently.

Invincible Season 3 Episodes	Release Date
Episode 1: "You're Not Laughing Now"	February 6, 2025
Episode 2: "A Deal With The Devil"	February 6, 2025
Episode 3: "You Want A Real Costume, Right?"	February 6, 2025
Episode 4: "You Were My Hero"	February 13, 2025
Episode 5: "This Was Supposed To Be Easy"	February 20, 2025
Episode 6: "All I Can Say Is I'm Sorry"	February 27, 2025
Episode 7: "What Have I Done?"	March 6, 2025
Episode 8: "I Thought You'd Never Shut Up"	March 13, 2025

Of course, the context behind this means he helped bring peace to Earth and provided The Immortal mercy, but watching him rip his friend's head off his body was still hard to watch. Season 3 has continued to push Mark's limit and put him in impossible situations, but regardless of whether his actions were motivated by anger or peace, episode 4 proved how brutal the hero can become.

Invincible Season 3's First 3 Episodes Already Cast A Shadow Over Mark's Actions

The Protagonist's Threats To Cecil & Apathy Towards Villains Show Mark's Mental State Had Already Been Tested

"You Were My Hero" isn't the first time season 3 has made viewers question Mark's heroism, as the first three episodes also saw Mark display some villainous traits. The most obvious example is his fight with Cecil. The GDA Director is no saint and has plenty to answer for in his own right, but despite warning Mark and trying to defuse their tension, the protagonist was hellbent on Cecil sending Sinclair and Darkwing back to prison. This eventually led to a confrontation that spiraled out of control, ending with Mark destroying several ReAnimen and threatening his former ally.

Holding Cecil by the throat, Mark tells him that they'll never work together and warns him to stay away from his family. In addition, Mark's treatment towards villains has been much harsher this season, as he massacred many of Multi-Paul's duplicates - all of which have thoughts and feelings - while his dismissive attitude towards Tether Tyrant and Magmaniac shows why criminals struggle to reform. Although Mark is still very much against killing his enemies, Invincible season 3 has highlighted the flaws of his methods, which has even reflected on Oliver, hence his extreme behavior.

It's safe to say Mark is still Invincible's biggest hero, but he's no longer the most moral, and if he continues down this dark path, it could be a road he never truly comes back from.