Mark Goes to Hell at the Worst Possible Time

The first three episodes of Invincible Season 4 were jam-packed with build-up, introducing new villains such as Dinosaurus (Matthew Rhys) and Universa (Danai Gurira), teasing the looming threat of Thragg (Lee Pace), and setting up the Viltrumite War. Nolan (J.K. Simmons) and Allen (Seth Rogen) are also working alongside Thaedus (Peter Cullen) to build up the Coalition of Planets, Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs) is pregnant, and Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) is getting a little too comfortable killing. It’s safe to say, thus far, Invincible Season 4 has been all killer, no filler — that is, until the fourth episode, “Hurm,” which sends the titular superhero to Hell, literally.

Damein Darkblood Returns in ‘Invincible’ Season 4 Episode 4

As Episode 4 begins, Mark arrives at Art’s (Mark Hamill) costume shop. Mark is overcome with guilt over his actions, telling Art that he has become just like his father, and tries to return his black-and-blue suit. Art tells Mark that he doesn’t have to wear that suit and reveals that he has been working on an updated version of his classic yellow and blue outfit. At that moment, Mark receives a call from Eve, informing him of a new call from Invincible Inc.

Then, the episode takes a turn to Hell (or the UnderRealm, as its inhabitants call it). Damien Darkblood (Clancy Brown), his sister Domina (Kate Mulgrew), and the Darkblood Clan take on the lava-skinned warrior Volcanikka (Indira Varma), who wants an artifact known as the Vial to enact Hell on Earth. Damien says they should have waited longer and tried a ritual again, but Domina notes that Volcanikka would have triumphed had they waited any longer. Volcanikka proves to be a worthy opponent, knocking out Damien and leaving Domina as the only one standing. Domina attempts to take on Volcanikka on her own, but her regeneration powers prove to be too much, and she is supposedly killed in battle. Damien awakens and brings his sister’s corpse to his father, the Great Beast (Bruce Campbell). Contrary to the name, the Great Beast doesn’t look very great nor beast-like.

The Great Beast’s ritual slowly begins to resurrect the Darkblood Clan, but unfortunately, in his frail state, he doesn’t have enough power to complete it. Damien then conducts a ritual of his own, using his trenchcoat and a vial containing Nolan’s blood. The ritual doesn’t go as planned, and instead of Omni-Man, Mark arrives, still in his black-and-blue suit. This begs its own question: why would Episode 4 begin with Mark getting an upgraded version of his classic suit back, only to appear in this bottle episode with his black-and-blue one? Season 4’s marketing has already revealed that he’s going to go back to his original color scheme, so teasing the audience at the beginning is a questionable choice. Apparently, the call Mark received at the beginning of the episode had nothing to do with Damien. Instead, he was called to supposedly protect Riley (Chloe Bennet) from the reawakened ancient Egyptian Ka-Hor (Brown). Now stranded, Riley thinks Ka-Hor was behind Mark’s sudden disappearance, but Ka-Hor tells her that wasn’t the case. He wants a male host to possess, having no interest in inhabiting the body of a woman. Regardless, he realizes he’s out of options and decides to possess Riley’s body anyway.

Mark Learns the Truth About Hell in ‘Invincible’ Season 4 Episode 4

Damien attempts to introduce a confused Mark to the Great Beast, who we now know is Satan. Thinking he’s an enemy, Mark immediately attacks Satan, but Damien stops him, saying that’s not why he was summoned to Hell. Mark apologizes, and Damien proceeds to give him the lowdown on what he needs to do, while also revealing to Mark that Cecil (Walton Goggins) exorcised him back to Hell; he did not return on his own accord. Damien tells Mark that Volcanikka has stolen the throne of Hell from Satan, and he needs his help. Mark is reluctant, telling Damien that he’s in a dark place at the moment and that he should call upon other heroes to help, but Damien rejects the idea. He’s also reluctant to help demons, since he was raised to believe that Satan was the bad guy, but Damien tells him that it’s all myths made up by the “surface dwellers.” In fact, humans exist because of Satan. Invincible is already a show that constantly pushes the edge, but bringing in theology isn’t really something the series needed.

Mark ultimately agrees to Damien and Satan’s pleas for help, but warns them that he is not interested in hurting anyone. Mark and Damien are tasked with retrieving Satan’s Molten Crown, which will restore him to his true monstrous form. While on their journey, Damien tells Mark that he was expecting Omni-Man, but it’s revealed that Mark believes his father is dead, executed at the hands of the Viltrum Empire. Regardless, Mark doesn’t think his father would have helped, but Damien says he thought he could convince him with self-interest. What follows is arguably the most entertaining moment in the episode, as Mark and Damien fall down a “bottomless” pit, where the former constantly asks the latter questions about how he talks with his helmet on and the shocking revelation that Heaven doesn’t actually exist. It’s a fairly simple scene, but after spending so much time with Mark at the lowest points of his life, it’s nice to see him confused in a more comedic fashion, instead of reacting in sheer rage.

Upon arriving at the bottom, Mark faces off with Cerberus, the former three-headed guard dog of Hell. Mark is easily able to retrieve the Molten Crown and carries Damien out of the pit. They present Satan with the crown, who then transforms into his true form and speaks exactly how you’d expect a Bruce Campbell character to talk. It’s delightful. Mark waits outside of Satan’s cavern as he performs his ritual to resurrect Domina and the Darkblood Clan. When Damien joins him, he says, “I helped you get the crown, now send me back.” Of course, Damien tells Mark he still needs his help.

Satan has successfully resurrected the Darkblood Clan, but Domina is still gravely wounded and unable to battle, telling her brother to take her battleaxe in the fight against Volcanikka. The battle culminates in Volcanikka and her Magmaites defeating most of the Darkblood Clan, leaving only Mark, Damien, and Satan standing. Her regenerative powers make her a tough opponent, but Mark ultimately defeats her, causing her to melt. But as she evaporates, she warns him that she will never truly go away. Just as the battle appears to be done, a gang of demonic creatures, known as the Vial, arises from the lava, only to be quickly defeated. It’s revealed that the Darkblood Clan has survived the encounter, and Domina is on her way to recovery. Satan thanks Mark for his assistance and prepares to send him back home, telling him, “We owe you a debt. Make us proud.”

Omni-Man Returns to Earth in ‘Invincible’ Season 4 Episode 4

Back on Earth, Eve tells William Clockwell (Andrew Rannells) about her pregnancy, admitting that while she wants to have children with Mark at some point, she isn’t ready to be a mother yet. In fact, she hasn’t even told Mark yet. William comforts Eve, telling her that she sounds “unsure” and that she really needs to talk with Mark about this, not him. Upon his return, Mark finally dons his upgraded yellow-and-blue suit and flies back to the Grayson household, where Debbie (Sandra Oh) and Oliver (Christian Convery) await his arrival. Debbie tells her sons that Paul (Cliff Curtis) has bought a new house and that they’ll be moving. Instead of being excited about a new beginning, Mark and Oliver are conflicted about the move. Seeing that he doesn’t want to hurt his mother’s feelings, Mark tells her that he’ll support her no matter what and that Paul is a great guy.

The episode ends with Mark sitting next to Eve on the roof, telling her about his complicated feelings about the move as well as his trip to Hell, saying, “I’m not OK. But maybe, I’m getting there.” Eve decides that she finally needs to tell him about her pregnancy, but as soon as she opens her mouth, Nolan and Allen arrive, telling Mark, “The time for war is upon us.” A post-credits scene reveals that Damien has made his return to Earth and that Volcanikka is still pursuing a war on the surface world.

“Hurm” isn’t a bad episode of Invincible, but it comes at the worst possible time for the season. Creator Robert Kirkman previously revealed that this subplot never made it into the comics, and upon watching this episode, you can understand why. It just doesn’t feel like the Invincible we know and love. This is a story with superheroes, intergalactic wars, aliens, and human drama, and really digging deep into the supernatural elements, through the character of Damien Darkblood, doesn’t feel needed. If this episode were to have come during the second or third season, it may have been more effective, but the detour for this particular story in Season 4 is more jarring than effective.