How Powerplex's Superpowers Work In Invincible Season 3

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Invincible season 3, episodes 1-6.Powerplex's Invincible introduction was full of emotion and chaos as the show's latest villain had a memorable impact, and his powers have an interesting way of working. Throughout the series, we've seen all the classic superhero tropes, such as enhanced speed and strength, alongside flight and environmental-based powers. However, there have also been a few unique gimmicks, like Monster Girl de-aging with each transformation and Multi-Paul and Dupli-Kate's ability to make copies of themselves. Still, Invincible's most powerful characters tend to have your typical Superman kit, with Mark, Allen, Battle Beast, and the Viltrumites all possessing similar attributes.

Despite this, the heroes and villains with more distinct traits tend to stand out more, and Powerplex is no exception. Voiced by Aaron Paul, the latest addition to Invincible season 3's cast of interesting characters has electrical-based abilities, which were shown throughout "All I Can Say Is I'm Sorry". At the start of the episode, Scott Duvall's powers seem fairly limited, but by the end, Powerplex has some scary potential. Thankfully, Invincible does a good job of explaining exactly how these superpowers work, which also highlights how Atom Eve dealt with the villain much more easily than Mark did.

Powerplex Can Charge Electricity By Taking Damage

Every Hit He Receives Makes His Electrical Powers Grow Stronger

While the origin of Powerplex's powers remains a mystery, the fundamental nature of how they work is relatively simple. Scott Duvall possesses a natural ability to charge electricity through taking damage, meaning the more punishment he takes, the more energy he generates. During season 3, episode 6's introduction, Scott's powers are shown when his niece playfully punches his hands, allowing him to make a small electrical ball. While this scene presents his powers as harmless, his fights with Shapesmith, Eve, and Mark indicate his potential is much greater, although he did have his GDA enhancements during these confrontations.

Powerplex appears to have superhuman strength based on the fact he wasn't severely injured in any of his three fights.

Given his abilities require him to take heavy blows, Powerplex appears to have superhuman strength based on the fact he wasn't severely injured in any of his three fights. The large electrical energy he uses also gives him the ability to essentially fly, as he flees his battle with Shapesmith by propelling upwards using his powers. His sister also hinted at their childhoods being abnormal, meaning their origins may be similar to Multi-Paul and Dupli-Kate's in terms of growing up under government supervision, but the series hasn't elaborated on his past, nor has it revealed the source of his abilities.

Powerplex's Natural Abilities Are Very Low-Level

The Villains Powers Feel More Like A Fun Party Trick Than A World-Ending Threat

Scott Duvall (Powerplex) playing with his niece while his sister watches in Invincible

Despite the damage Powerplex was able to do to Mark, at a base level, his powers are far from special. After entertaining his niece with the small lightning ball, Scott was asked to make a bigger one but revealed this was as large as he could make it. Of course, there is a chance he was simply being a responsible uncle and didn't want to make a scene in a public park, but he was more than likely telling the truth, mainly because before getting his upgrades, there were no clear signs his powers could cause any real danger.

His abilities had never taken him into the hero or villain business previously, and the GDA didn't take an interest in his skills despite Scott working there. It's possible they just didn't know about his powers, as meta-humans are somewhat common in the Invincible universe, but the GDA aren't the type to overlook such a detail. Considering Cecil used the ReAnimen against Mark in season 3 and Omni-Man in season 1, he would almost certainly have tried to recruit Scott if he believed his attributes had any real potential. Instead, Scott worked as a regular scientist.

As a result, it's clear that Powerplex wasn't a major threat despite his natural abilities, but after finding a way to make his powers more lethal, Scott became an unexpected supervillain.

How Strong Powerplex Becomes With The GDA's Technology Implanted In Him

Invincible Highlighted The Extreme Damage Powerplex Can Do After His GDA Upgrade

Powerplex attacking Mark Grayson with an electrical surge in Invincible Season 3 Ep 6

He may not have been overly strong without GDA technology, but after Becky implanted the metal discs into his body, Powerplex became so much more powerful. The GDA discs allowed Scott to store enough power to hurt Invincible according to the villain himself, and it wasn't a miscalculation. He was able to unintentionally incapacitate Shapesmith simply by blocking his punches before unleashing a huge electrical blast. Powerplex also managed to smash through Atom Eve's shield with his punches, indicating that he does have more strength than the average human, while his energy surge was able to flip a police van.

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

However, the biggest sign of his strength came during his fight with Mark, as Scott managed to ground the protagonist and do damage to the surrounding building. Additionally, he unleashed a huge electrical blast on Mark that caused severe pain, and while the hero didn't sustain any lasting injuries, the blast did have a devastating impact. Powerplex's attack accidentally incinerated his wife and son, proving that, at full capacity, the antagonist could be a serious problem.

The fact Mark never really seemed in any life-threatening danger hints that Scott's powers are still limited and that he isn't one of Invincible's strongest villains. Still, to a regular human, Powerplex is terrifying and can end their lives in a moment, showing how much his powers increased with the GDA upgrade.