The ending of 'Invincible' Chapter 1 is a gut punch disguised as a superhero origin story. At first, it feels like classic coming-of-age stuff—Mark Grayson discovering his powers, training with his dad, Nolan (Omni-Man), and dealing with teenage awkwardness. Then boom! The final pages reveal Nolan casually obliterating the Guardians of the Globe, Earth’s premier superhero team, like they’re nothing. The art sells it too—the blood splatters, the sheer brutality of it. What gets me is Nolan’s cold expression afterward, like he’s swatting flies. It recontextualizes everything before it. Suddenly, all those ‘fatherly advice’ moments feel sinister. I spent days rereading earlier scenes, picking up on subtle foreshadowing I’d missed.
What makes it hit harder is how it plays with comic tropes. You expect the mentor figure to guide the hero, not massacre allies. Robert Kirkman’s writing lulls you into comfort before pulling the rug out. Even now, knowing the twist, I get chills seeing panel transitions from Mark’s hopeful smile to Nolan’s bloody fists. It’s a masterclass in subverting expectations while setting up a horrifying emotional conflict for Mark. That final splash page of Nolan standing amid corpses? Iconic.