Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Invincible Season 4 episode "Hurm." Stream the episode on streaming with a Prime subscription, and read at your own risk!
Invincible Season 4 went to Hell in its latest episode, and it was an unexpected adventure on many fronts. Mark learned a lot about the reality behind the "Under Realm," as Damien Darkblood called it, and how demons actually protect humanity in a surprising way he didn't expect. Overall, I was a fan of the episode, with one major exception when it comes to the animation.
Robert Kirkman's animated series deserves credit for being one of the only animated shows to consistently release hour-long episodes. It's a costly endeavor, and while I understand the need to re-use or skimp on certain parts of the animation process, the latest episode was the first time I've fully locked into what others have talked about over the years.
Article continues belowInvincible's Hell Episode Was The First Time I've Noticed The Show Skimping On Animation
Invincible's "Hurm" episode was a deviation from the comics and an opportunity for Robert Kirkman and the writers to further flesh out the character Damien Darkblood. It was cool considering the comics originally presented the character as a joke, but in this episode expanded his story by telling the story of Hell's various factions, and how in this world, demons are more of a species rather than anything religious.
As cool as it was to watch Darkblood explain that demons actually protect humanity from a deeper evil that exists in Hell, I couldn't help but be irked by the persistent recycling of animated sequences. There were frequent instances in this episode where the same shot was used a few times, or it seemed like the dialogue went on just a little too long, just because it was cheaper to animate that way. It was so choppy, it almost felt like I was watching Space Ghost Coast to Coast during the part where Mark and Darkblood were falling down the pit.
The straw that broke the camel's back for me, however, is when Invincible showed Mark about to take on the iconic Cerberus, only for the entire fight to take place off-camera. It could've been the best fight I'd seen on the 2026 TV schedule, and instead, I just saw Damien Darkblood slowly rising and then falling to the ground while we heard audio of Mark's fight. I ended the episode thoroughly annoyed, and hoping the blatant cost-cutting is justified down the stretch.
Fans Have Complained About Invincible's Animation Quality In The Past
I'm not the first person to complain about the animation in Invincible, and I have seen many make similar complaints in the past. I think it's especially evident to a generation of fans who grew up watching Japanese anime, in which shows like One Piece and Dragon Ball take special care in showing great visuals when it comes to fight scenes.
Those complaints reared their head again in this latest episode, though many were more focused on Invincible doing a "filler" episode right before the big Viltrumite war. Even then, there were a few who echoed my thoughts about the repetitive animation:
- Y'all really loved that episode in season 2 where they explained how animation works and why it takes so long to make, huh? Trash - @SlickBE_
- There are actors in Invincible with more budget going to them than the entire animation team. - @dillzilla11
- Invincible good as f--k but the animation seem a bit weird at times. - @MrBURNSone
- I remember seeing someone s--t on the invincible artstyle for me its not even that, it's just the choppy a-- animation lmfaooo there's movement like every 3 sec - @grayfeeIs
- Dog s--t animation - @Codemanlex
Now, if this episode cut corners because we have some great animated fights coming in the back half of the season, I'm all about that. I would love to see another brutal fight between Mark and Conquest, and Omni-Man and Allen pushed to their limits against other combatants.
That said, I do wonder if these animation constraints are more of a time or budget issue. If it's budget, I would love to see Amazon given Invincible a little more support so this show can continue to be as good as it is, and the animation measures up to the writing. If it's due to time, I hated waiting as long as I did for Season 2, but maybe that's what needs to happen to get the series up to par, like many seem to want.
Invincible has new episodes release on Prime Video on Wednesdays. It's all we have that's new from the franchise at the moment while the live-action movie is still in development, so stay tuned for updates!
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