As season two of Prime Video's award-winning show, Invincible, has come to a close, it has set up one of the fan-favorite characters to have the ultimate redemption arc in television.
This article will explain exactly how it does that.
We look forward to reading your comments below!
Before you continue reading this article, please be warned that it may contain spoilers for future seasons of Invincible.
During the season, Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) explores his past and what it means to be a Viltrumite. In the final episode of season one of Invincible, he struggles to kill his son to fulfill his duty to the Viltrumite Empire's plan for Earth.
Because Omni-Man failed in his conquest of Earth, he is a fugitive of the Viltrumite Empire, leading to his capture and imprisonment.
During the same time as Omni-Man is imprisoned, Allen the Alien (Seth Rogen) and the Coalition of Planets are looking at ways to get rid of the galactic scourge that is the Viltrum Empire.
This leads Allen back to Invincible (Steven Yeun), as even though he is a Viltrumite, he doesn't believe in conquest
During their meeting, Allen learns that Omni-Man stood up against the empire and even has books that describe all the beings and objects that seriously hurt a Viltrumite.
This leads Allen to try to find Omni-Man so that he can help stop the Viltrum Empire.
A side note to remember is that Allen, the Alien, can go toe-to-toe with a Viltrumite since he was genetically altered to do so at birth.
During his search, Allen finds the prison ship where Omni-Man is kept, so he feigns defeat to help Omni-Man escape prison. As a result of his betrayal and failure, Omni-Man is slated to be executed.
While in prison, Allen uses his telepathic abilities to talk to Omni-Man and tells him about Invincible, the Coalition of Planets, and why he is there.
This is where the final episode of season two ends, and fans are left to wait.
This conclusion also sets Omni-Man up for TV's biggest redemption arc, as Omni-Man now needs to fight against the evil empire he was once a part of to save himself, his family, and the whole universe.
As Omni-Man no longer believes in the values of the Viltrum Empire, the Coalition of Planets has gained one of the most powerful beings in the cosmos to their cause.
Omni-Man is feared by Earth and many other planets because he is a Viltrumite and a conqueror.
He will need to work on gaining everyone's trust and learn how to adapt to his new human emotions.
The sorrow and hurt that Omni-Man has caused will not allow him to have an easy redemption arc.
Even his son, who stood against him, is at war from all sides, both in and out of uniform, due to him being associated with Omni-Man.
This, however, means we may get to see one of the biggest redemption arcs on TV, especially if you have read the comics.
The Invincible comic series has Omni-Man help lead the fight against Viltrumites while also fixing his relations with his human wife, Debbie (Sandra Oh). This is where the comic and TV show Invincible may differ again.
Producers of the show believe a simple redemption arc may not be enough to show the universe, especially Earth, that Omni-Man is now good.
While he can not redeem himself by helping many of the victims of his brutality, as they are dead and there is nothing he can do, he can still spend his time trying to help the survivors against his kind.
Omni-Man's redemption arc can also be complex as he did spend 20 years living with humans, who in the comic lore are the closest to Viltrumites but without superhuman abilities.
By spending time on Earth, Omni-Man's emotions are changed by his wife, and he learns he does have deep feelings he doesn't understand.
The question for Omni-Man's ultimate redemption arc is whether people, especially his family should truly forgive him.
Omni-Man's Wife, Debbi, may find it hard to truly forgive him, especially since he stated how little he thought of her when Omni-Man brutally assaulted Invincible in Season One.
Many people will accept that, but he may never truly be forgiven for the brutal and evil actions he had for Earth.
You can also say that Omni-Man will never forgive himself, as during the comics, he first justifies his brutality and genocidal tendencies, but later on, he realizes that they are wrong.
He may need to accept that what he did was wrong and that nothing can change it.
He may never find personal absolution for his actions, but he can still try to help the universe against the Viltrumite Empire as a way of penance for his past actions.
So whether or not the producers of Amazon's Invincible show follow the comic to a fault or not, Omni-Man's redemption will be TV's biggest as the scale of his destruction and the length he needs to go to redeem himself is going to be a long road for him to travel.
Do you think that Omni-Man will get a redemption arc, and does he even deserve one?
