Invincible Season 3's Teased Romance Will Fully Redeem The Hero Season 2 Unexpectedly Made You Root For

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Invincible season 3, episode 3!

Invincible season 3 is teasing an all-new romance, and it will fully redeem the hero that Invincible season 2 unexpectedly made you root for. The world of Invincible is populated with some incredibly unlikable superheroes, with powerful characters like Omni-Man constantly wrecking the world that Mark is attempting to protect. However, now that Invincible season 3 is here, it is asking questions about if people can truly change. As it turns out, the new Invincible season is using one unlikely hero to examine this theme, giving him a redemption arc that turns him into someone the audience can root for.

Invincible season 3 has finally been released, with the first three episodes kicking off the new season. Invincible season 3 picks up where Invincible season 2 ended, with Nolan and Allen the Alien being held in a Viltrumite prison while Mark prepares for the Viltrumite invasion of Earth. However, things are taking a turn for the worse on Earth, with Cecil and Mark's conflict leading to Mark quitting the GDA and the Guardians of the Globe disbanding. Everybody in Invincible is in a dark place, with one notable exception: Rex Splode.

Invincible Season 2 Did A Great Job Of Making Rex Splode A Character You Can Root For

After His Missile Mission Defeat

Rex Splode is one of Invincible's most interesting characters, as he has completely turned himself around since his debut in Invincible season 1. In the first season of Invincible, Rex was undoubtedly the most unlikable character in the show's main cast of superheroes. He was in an unhealthy relationship with Atom Eve, with things like his cheating and neglect making him the problem in most cases. On top of that, Rex's ego led him to have some conflicts with Mark, with his pride often getting the Teen Team in trouble during their various mission.

Rex had a change of heart in Invincible season 2, however. Atom Eve leaving Rex had a massive impact on him, but Rex's mission at the missile base had an even bigger impact. Rex was horribly injured while fighting the Lizard League, with him losing his hand and having to undergo a lengthy recovery process. On top of that, his friend and teammate Shrinking Rae was hurt even worse, while Rex and Rae believed that Dupli-Kate had died. This led Rex Splode to reassess everything, with him coming out the other side a much more positive person.

Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) wears a blue and black suit in an Invincible promo image

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After two stellar seasons, Invincible season 3 increases the moral and emotional complexity, enhancing Mark's story and the viewer experience.

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Invincible season 2 saw Rex come to understand his character flaws and attempt to correct them. This catapulted Rex from being one of the most unlikable heroes on the Teen Team to being one of the most likable heroes on the Guardians of the Globe. This kicked off Rex Splode's redemption arc, something that is continuing in a major way in Invincible season 3.

Rex Splode Getting Together With Shrinking Rae Would Be The Final Step In His Redemption

Paralleling The Beginning Of His Arc

Rex Splode's arc in Invincible season 3 seems to be taking an all-new direction, with the show teasing that he will get together with Shrinking Rae. Throughout the first three episodes of Invincible season 3, Rex and Rae have a lot of scenes together, with them discussing the impact of their mission at the missile facility in a heartfelt way. They talk about how the impact of the Lizard League's attack has bonded them forever, with them always going out of their way to spend time with each other when the Guardians of the Globe are around.

Invincible season 3 showing what Rex is like in another relationship could cement that he has finally redeemed himself, with this being the end of his hero's journey. When audiences first met Rex, he was in an incredibly unhealthy relationship with Atom Eve. Invincible has used seasons 2 and 3 to force Rex to become a better person, and by putting him in another relationship, the viewer will get to see how much he has truly changed. Rex's relationship with Rae will most likely be more positive than his relationship with Eve, finally fulfilling Rex's three-season arc.

Rex Splode & Shrinking Rae Don't Get Together In The Comics

It Is Original To The Invincible Show

One of the most interesting aspects of this redemption arc is that Rex Splode and Shrinking Rae actually don't get together in the comics. In fact, Shrinking Rae isn't even in the story anymore by the time the comics reach this point. Rae has undergone a lot of changes while adapting the Invincible comic into the Amazon Prime Video show, with one of the biggest being that Rae was a man in the comics. On top of that, Rae actually died during the Lizard League fight in the comics, with her staying alive being one of Invincible season 2's biggest comic book changes.

Mark Grayson and Cecil looking angry in Invincible

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Because of this, every contribution that Shrinking Rae makes to Invincible after her involvement in season 2's Lizard League fight is original to the TV show. The scenes that season 3 has used to make Rex and Rae interact aren't in the source material at all, with the new romance being something that the TV writers have added. Although this arc isn't complete yet, it could turn out to be a good change, using Rae to complete Rex's arc in a much stronger way.

Invincible's TV Adaptation Is Continuing To Make Shrinking Rae A Bigger Character

Despite Her Comic Book Death

Since Shrinking Rae is dead at this point in the comics, it is clear that Invincible's TV adaptation is making Shrinking Rae a much bigger character. Shrinking Rae is nothing more than a filler superhero in the comics, with Rae's death having very little impact on the world or story. However, Invincible seasons 2 and 3 have shown that Rae's death had a massive psychological impact on Rex and the rest of the Guardians of the Globe, making her a far more significant character in the world of the show.

On top of that, Shrinking Rae is now a member of the new team of superheroes that will form after Rex and the gang leave the Guardians of the Globe. Rae is not a member of this team in the Invincible comics, meaning that it is impossible to predict where her story will go. However, her continued inclusion throughout Invincible season 3 teases that the show wants to continue building her up, giving her a much bigger character arc in the future.