Invincible Season 2, Episode 6, ‘It’s Not That Simple’ Recap

Warning: The following recap contains major spoilers for Invincible Season 2, Episode 6, “It’s Not That Simple.”

Invincible Season 2, Episode 6, “It’s Not That Simple,” kicks off at the tail-end of the Guardians of the Globe’s bloody brawl with the Lizard League in Episode 5. King Lizard (Scoot McNairy) still has a gun pressed to the head of the last Guardian standing, Rex Splode (Jason Mantzoukas). King Lizard pulls the trigger, and Rex is seemingly killed.

Meanwhile, Mark Grayson/Invincible (Steven Yeun), Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs), and the Guardians they accompanied into space are still slugging it out with a parasitic Sequid horde aboard a Martian warship. Shapesmith (Ben Schwartz) manages to shield Robot (Ross Marquand/Zachary Quinto) long enough for him to complete a device that can take out the Sequid’s host body, astronaut Russ Livingston. The Immortal (Marquand) wants to do the honors, but reluctantly agrees to let Mark take the lead, as he’s more powerful. With Immortal’s help, Mark triggers the device close to Livingston, freeing him and knocking out the Sequids.

Well, most of the Sequids. It turns out two of the tentacled beasts managed to take control of Eve and Robot at the other side of the chamber, where the device’s effects were presumably weakest. The rest of the Sequids start waking up, as Mark and the Immortal scoop Eve and Robot into the air. With the possessed pair held close together, Mark triggers the device again, and what’s left of its energies is enough to break the Sequids’ control of them. Our heroes then make for the exit as the Sequids regroup.

Triumph and Tragedy for the Guardians of the Globe

Back on Earth, King Lizard is making a ransom call to the US government. If they don’t agree to his demands, he’ll launch the captured military base missiles at his disposal. However, King Lizard’s call is soon interrupted by Rex, who isn’t dead after all. Despite the blood spurting from his head (not to mention the hand he lost earlier in the fight), Rex dishes out a vicious beat-down on his would-be murderer. His second wind doesn’t last long, though, and he collapses after Global Defense Agency troops arrive.

Rex’s miraculous survival isn’t the only shock in store for the GDA operatives, either. Shrinking Rae (Grey Griffin) abruptly bursts out of the corpse of another Lizard League member, Komodo Dragon. She’s survived being eaten by him in Invincible Season 2, Episode 5, but expanding to her original size from inside her body has left her seriously injured.

On the Martian warship, Mark, Eve, and the Guardians encounter the Martian troops from Episode 5, who thank them for dealing with the Sequids. Yet the Martians also insist that Shapesmith – a Martian defector – must stay behind to be executed. This doesn’t sit well with the group, and they flee the warship on a stolen Martian fighter. More Martain fighters pursue them, but Mark effortlessly handles the situation. This earns him a hug from Eve and an earnest handshake from the Immortal.

Related: Invincible Season 2, Part 2 – Still the Animated Superhero Series to Beat (Review)

Not all of the fighter’s occupants are in such an upbeat mood, however. Robot is deeply shaken by his brief time under Sequid control and opens up about it to Monster Girl (Griffin). She’s supportive until Robot shifts the conversation to Monster Girl’s own problem: de-aging slightly each time she uses her powers. Robot’s confident he can “fix” Monster Girl, but she angrily rebuffs him.

Invincible Season 2, Episode 6 then cuts to the Grayson residence, where Debbie (Sandra Oh) continues looking after Mark’s baby half-brother. Cecil (Walton Goggins) is there too, ostensibly to update Debbie on the status of Mark’s mission in space. But his true purpose soon emerges: he wants Debbie to reconsider putting Mark’s brother in GDA care. Debbie makes it clear that she views Mark’s brother as family, and shows Cecil the door.

At the GDA’s Pentagon headquarters, Mark, Eve, and the Guardians learn about their fellow crimefighters’ ill-fated skirmish with the Lizard League. Rex is in surgery, Shrinking Rae is on life support, and Dupli-Kate is dead. The Immortal is especially shaken up, as he was dating Dupli-Kate when she died. Similarly, Eve sheds a tear for Rex, as they were an item in Invincible Season 1. For his part, Mark finds comfort in the arms of Amber (Zazie Beetz) in his college dorm room.

Crimefighting and Relationships Don’t Mix

The following day, Mark visits Debbie and his brother, whom Debbie has christened “Oliver” (after Mark’s grandfather). This happy moment gives way to Dupli-Kate’s funeral, where the Immortal delivers a heartfelt eulogy. After the service, the Immortal confides in Black Samson (Khary Payton) that Dupli-Kate’s death has affected him more than the deaths of the many other women he’s loved throughout his supersized lifespan.

Back at college, Mark and Amber have an awkward coffee date. They discuss the problems Mark’s superhero career is causing their relationship and wider personal lives. The conversation wraps up on a downbeat note, with Mark wondering aloud how he and Amber should move forward. Mark then returns to his dorm room, where William (Andrew Rannells) is helping Rick (Luke Macfarlane) readjust to campus life after being transformed into a cyborg in Invincible Season 1.

Donald (Chris Diamantopoulos) is also on hand to assist Rick on the GDA’s behalf. After William and Rick leave, Mark remarks on how unchanged Rick looks. Donald is quick to point out that Rick’s body has nevertheless been fundamentally changed. From Donald’s voice and clenched fists, it’s clear he’s still wrestling with his misgivings about his own robotic rebirth between Seasons 1 and 2. Mark picks up on Donald’s mood and asks if he’s okay, but Donald brushes him off.

Related: Invincible Season 2, Part 2: How Did Part 1 End?

From here, “It’s Not That Simple,” jumps back to the GDA headquarters. Mark is visiting Rex, who’s out of surgery and will soon be fitted with a high-tech prosthetic hand. Rex reveals that his near-death experience has opened his eyes to how badly he treated Atom Eve, Dupli-Kate, and the other women he’s dated. Mark responds by acknowledging that his relationship with Amber is on the rocks. Rex subsequently shares this information with Eve, who reacts with interest.

At the same time at the Grayson residence, Debbie is interviewing potential babysitters for Oliver. She rejects a highly qualified candidate for being a GDA spy. Debbie’s more receptive to the next applicant, April (Calista Flockhart), after she comes clean about her GDA ties upfront. April ultimately wins Debbie over by insisting that she – and not Cecil – will be April’s boss.

And speaking of Cecil, he drops in on Eve at her treetop hideaway. He thanks Eve for her role in defeating the Sequid invasion and invites her to rejoin the Guardians. She turns him down, before adding that she’s still available for ad hoc assignments. Cecil teleports away, as Eve’s next unexpected guest, Amber, shows up.

Mark Unlocks the Key to Bringing Down the Viltrumites

Meanwhile, Mark calls on superhero tailor Art Rosenbaum (Mark Hamill). He unloads his relationship woes on Art while Amber does the same with Eve in a cross-cutting montage. The joint takeaway? Mark and Amber feel like they’re failing each other. Art tells Mark to talk things through with Amber, and Eve gives the same advice to Amber.

As he leaves, Mark mentions that Omni-Man’s (J.K. Simmons) last words to him in Invincible Season 2, Episode 4 were to read the books he wrote as Nolan Grayson. Mark adds that he thumbed through all of Nolan’s travel tomes when he returned from Thraxa, however, none contained any hidden messages. In response, Art reveals that Nolan also wrote a bunch of sci-fi novels, and gives Mark a box full of them.

That night, William shows Rick around the rebuilt college campus. Coming across a plaque dedicated to D.A. Sinclair’s victims, Rick says he’s no longer sure if he’s still himself after what the mad scientist did to him. He adds that he still experiences flashbacks to Sinclair’s experiments, but also has gaps in his memory. William assures Rick that they’ll get through it together.

Related: Invincible Season 2, Part 2 Trailer Pushes Mark to His Limits

In his dorm room, Mark flips through one of Nolan’s sci-fi books, “The Man with the Invincible Gun.” It tells the tale of a legendary figure, the Space Rider, and his unbeatable weapon, the Infinity Gun. The next paperback, “Savage Planet, Savage Beasts,” chronicles the exploits of a pair of Viltrumite-like explorers on a harsh world more than a match for even their tremendous superpowers. Mark quickly figures out that Nolan’s novels all reference real-life Viltrumite weaknesses he can exploit.

At the GDA, Cecil orders the Immortal to take a leave of absence. The ancient adventurer is outraged, however, his argument with Cecil is cut short when the GDA detects an unidentified alien entering Earth’s orbit. Ignoring Cecil’s objections, the Immortal races to confront the alien, who turns out to be Allen (Seth Rogen). The Immortal attacks Allen, despite the one-eyed alien’s insistence he’s not hostile. Mark intervenes, and the Immortal flies back to Earth, ashamed.

Mark takes Allen to his dorm room, where Allen brings him up to speed on his boss, Thaedus (Peter Cullen), being a rebel Viltrumite in hiding. In response, Mark reveals that Omni-Man is slated for execution, although Allen suggests the Viltrumites won’t kill him straight away. Allen then asks Mark to accompany him to the Coalition of Planets to help plan the coming war with the Viltrum Empire. Mark declines, but gets Allen to scan Nolan’s novels (which Allen verifies are legit) and present them to Thaedus. Before he leaves, Allen agrees to sniff out info on Omni-Man’s location, and Mark promises he’ll be there for the war.

A Dangerous Foe Returns From the Multiverse

Across the universe on a Viltrumite prison ship, General Kregg (Clancy Brown) looms over a still-healing Omni-Man. Kregg states that Omni-Man must be fighting fit when he’s executed, and encourages him to re-enter the Viltrum Empire’s service. When Omni-Man remains silent, Kregg tosses him around the cell. He then pledges to make Earth suffer for its “toxic” effect on one of Viltrum’s greatest warriors. Omni-Man defiantly pounds the floor with his fist when Kregg’s gone.

On Earth, Russ Livingston cleans up his apartment now that Shapesmith is gone. He suddenly starts retching and vomits in the sink. Something stirs in the resulting pool of bile – a Sequid. The parasite leaps on Livingston’s face, possessing him, and we cut to credits.

In a post-credits scene, Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown) is fitted with a business suit on an alternate Earth. Asked what occasion the suit is for, Levy replies that he’s meeting “an old friend” (read: Mark). Levy then walks through portals to multiple other universes before arriving in the mainstream Invincible reality.

And that’s our recap of Invincible Season 2, Episode 6. Check out additional episode recaps here.

Invincible Season 2, Part 2 is currently streaming on Prime Video, with new episodes dropping Thursdays.