Invincible Season 2 Episode 2's Big Atlantis Twist Is Much Different In The Comics
Contains spoilers for "Invincible" Season 2, Episode 2
This week, the sins of the father had to rest upon the son when (cue title) "Invincible" Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) was ordered by Cecil to marry a fish. After Nolan (J.K. Simmons) turned former Guardians of the Globe member Aquarus (Ross Marquand) into chum and fled, it was left to Mark to settle tensions between the people of both land and sea and wed his widow, Aquaria (Tatiana Maslany). At least, that's what he thought he had to do. The queen of the seven seas revealed it had actually done away with that old tradition, and Mark would instead be fed to a monster for his father's past deeds. What's interesting is that old tradition was one that actually almost came to pass in the original "Invincible" comic.
As with many story beats in Amazon's animated, violent assault on the eyes, the Invincible we've got on-screen differs greatly from the one it's adapted from. This apparently includes Mark having to deal with the possibility of marrying a sea creature in order to keep the peace. Originally, Aquaria (who debuted in "Invincible" #8) is very much for tying the knot with Mark and almost comes close to doing so. Instead, though, the day is saved, and love proves triumphant thanks to a character that is decidedly absent from this episode and potentially the entire series.
Love gets lost in the TV version of Invincible
In the comics, Mark's marriage to Aquaria is canceled after it's revealed that she's stolen the heart of her aid, Lethan, who confesses his love for the queen to Invincible. In an effort to help out this lovestruck stranger and get him out of a relationship he's not interested in, Mark feigns being scared of facing off against a sea creature that Lethan instead steps in to defeat. The ruse is enough for Aquaria to show interest in her aid and get Mark off the hook and back to dry land without having to explain to Amber (Zazie Beetz) how their relationship is going to get complicated.
Instead, Mark saves the queen from the sea beast in the show, going against Cecil's wishes. The decision was the right one, of course, but it'll be interesting to see that, given that there's no further beef with the Atlanteans, if they could make a return in the future for the right reasons. Seeing as Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown) is heading across dimensions and has massive plans to cause problems for Invincible in the future, Mark is going to need all the help he can get. What better backup is there than a royal fish with all of the seven seas at her disposal?