It's Been A While

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**"It's Been a While"** is the fourth episode of the second season of *Invincible,* and the twelfth episode of the show overall. It is also the mid-season finale.

## Synopsis

Mark answers the call to save an alien species, but the mission has unexpected personal consequences.

## Plot

Moments after leaving earth, Nolan voyages countless stars, moons and again grows a beard. For months, he seemly embarked on a soul search, until he found a black hole of some sort, perhaps unintentionally or out of spite he began to slowly plunge himself into it, until he saw a spacecraft, full of passengers, nearly caught into the black hole. Omni-Man decides to save them, where he saved and took the passengers back to their world, quickly he was given amnesty and became their "monarch".

In the present day, Nolan greets Invincible, who is frozen by his sudden appearance. He emerges closer to Nolan, both closing fists, Nolan, believing he is looking for a fight, is instead hugged by Mark. However, both argue as Mark refreshes Nolan's memory of their last encounter; he leaves, but Nolan successfully pleads Mark to return. As they enter the interior of his palace, Mark learns of his father's new wife, Andressa, whom he kisses in front of Mark and then, their new child, much to his shock.

Meanwhile on Earth, similar to Nolan, Debbie embarks in a city and nearly attempts at suicide upon staring a car highway. Instead, she then arrives to a graveyard of Nolan's supposed tombstone, asking why he chose her to be with instead of just taking over earth, suggesting that their relationship was never real, and continues to sob once more.

Elsewhere, Donald tries asking Debbie for information but is unaware that she has left. He then looks at a small crater of the exploded house where he and the GDA soldiers cornered Nolan and finds destroyed glasses.

Back on Thraxa, Mark and Nolan continue to argue, believing Nolan has replaced his family with Andressa and their new son. Instead, Nolan tries to explain that, following the fight on Mount Everest, he was lost and found the Thraxans, admitting it was like he had a purpose again. But, Mark snarks that he has truly forgotten what he did prior to getting his powers. Nolan then tells Mark of his brother's DNA and fate, because he had left Earth, Viltrum will come for him on Thraxa. With Mark's help they can avert it. However, Mark questions this debacle and blames him for causing death towards the Thraxans, and asks what can he do as he mentions he was unable to inflict damage towards Nolan in Chicago. Nolan recommends they train him, but their talk is interrupted when a trio of Viltrumites arrive to demolish Thraxa's cities. Mark quickly takes Andressa to the Caves of Roclaim along with the child, and the two discuss about their relationships with Nolan, as Mark apologies for his words to him and the child, to which Andressa acknowledges that Nolan has changed and misses him very much.

Their talk is interrupted when Lucan arrives to duel with Invincible, but is enraged when noticing Andressa and her child who Lucan right away identifies as part of Nolan's family tree. Lucan is able to defeat Mark with one finger, but is saved by Nolan who fights Lucan, he proclaimed to Nolan that he deserves death and disgraces his people. Nolan impales him to a wall, mutter that he is aware of his sins, his sins towards earth that is. Andressa is saved and is told to head deeper into the caves. While Mark and Nolan return to the palace.

Meanwhile on Earth, Atom Eve is struggling to maintain her lifestyle, even alluding to William and Amber that she has abandoned the treehouse she made. She now lives in the old Teen Team base, but is then reunited with her old enemy, Killcannon, who steals a powerful battery, Atom Eve becomes careless and fights him all over the bridge in front of innocent motorists. This nearly gets two car passengers killed. She defeats Killcannon, saves the passengers, and shouts for paramedics and begs them to save the two.

Back on Thraxa, the Graysons arrive to the palace only to find the city full of Thraxan corpses. Nolan, angry and emotional, grabs by the throat Mark. Asking why he cares about the Thraxans all of a sudden, claiming that they were barely a species and barely living up their potential. But, Mark admits it is exactly how he should've felt on Earth. Nolan reacts motionlessly, with no word or response. The two other Viltrimuites, Vidor and Thula, arrive to greet their old friend and express they had been worried of him going soft, and a two-on-two battle begins.

Nolan successfully beats up Vidor, while Thula is tearing Mark apart. Nolan briefly tries to get Mark to channel his inner Viltrumite blood, but Mark denies claiming he doesn't kill people. Nolan grabs Mark, tired of his softness tells Mark if he doesn't fight harder, they'll be dead, him, Nolan, his brother, Andressa, and all the remaining Thraxans who are still alive. Finally, Mark begins to wallop Thula, and the bloody and senseless battle continues. Nolan impacts Vidor's skull with a double punch to the skull and tramples on his head, nearly rendering him dead, while Thula cowardly impales Mark. Nolan rescues Mark by attacking Thula and fracturing her jaw. All seems over, but a surviving Lucan suddenly flies in and kicks Nolan's back, shattering his spine, claiming the next time he kills someone, make sure they are truly dead. He calls to his superior claiming "it is done", as he passes out.

On Earth, Debbie is greeted by Art. Debbie's mind is still in free fall, but Art cheers her up by claiming that she was the strongest out of the three, doing the arm and leg work, while Nolan was out and about elsewhere in other cities and countries. This gives Debbie new spirits, and later meets with Cecil to remove all memories of Nolan, cutting ties with the funding for her family and house from the GDA and Nolan's books, while Debbie claims she doesn't Cecil's help with support them anymore. However, Cecil still thinks she's making a mistake.

Atom Eve suddenly returns to her home, with Adam Wilkins awaiting for her. Debbie leaves two boxes of Nolan's Books outside on the curb. Meanwhile, Donald, inside the Pentagon, discovers he died or perhaps the original did. He cuts his arm with a knife, discovering blood and a mysterious bent area seen on the knife, indicating something else to him. He is then summoned by Cecil that they have "a situation". Back on Thraxa, Mark awakes and notices Nolan being transported in quite possibly his last moments with seeing or speaking to his son Mark again. He urges him not to forget the deeds, the acts he made, and his books; he demands for Mark to read his books.

Later on Thraxa, General Kregg mentions to Mark that he is to be congratulated for his efforts against two Viltrumite veteran warriors, but Mark doesn't care and scolds him. Kregg launches a heavy attack upon Mark and informs him that Nolan is being transported to an unknown location and prepared for execution for failing his mission, while Mark on the other hand is sent back to Earth as a new Viltrumite agent. Kregg admits that he’s well aware of Marks reluctance to carry out such a task but reasons either Mark can kill a few humans to subdue them or the Viltrumites will slaughter millions if they learn Mark has failed or the planet rebels. Kregg leaves, but not before revealing that they will check on his progress soon, and, unlike his father, they won't change their minds. He wishes Mark good luck on his mission and leaves.

Elsewhere on Earth, the Mauler Twin from Angstrom's warehouse, returns to his old stomping ground and reconstitutes a clone; the clone calls him "King Mauler" and discretely assassinates King Mauler by poisoning his lemonade, claiming that the clone theory should always remain.

## Cast

#### Starring

* Steven Yeun - Invincible
* Sandra Oh - Debbie Grayson
* J.K Simmons - Omni-Man
* Oliver Grayson (debut)

#### Featuring the Voices Of

* Zazie Beetz - Amber Bennett
* Clancy Brown - General Kregg
* Grey Griffin - Thula
* Chris Diamantopoulos - Donald Ferguson / Vidor
* Phil LaMarr - Lucan
* Walton Goggins - Cecil Stedman
* Mark Hamill - Arthur Rosembaum
* Gillian Jacobs - Atom Eve
* Kevin Michael Richardson - Mauler Twins
* Andrew Rannells - William Clockwell
* Rhea Seehorn - Andressa (debut)
* Fred Tatasciore - Killcannon

## Trivia

* This episode marks the end of the first half of Season Two, with the other half airing sometime in early 2024.
* General Kregg, was first seen in "Where I Really Come From", having a vocal appearance with Clancy Brown doing the role.
* Before the airing of this episode, on twitter and some other websites, it was credited by Robert Kirkman and other writers, as the best *Invincible* will offer in terms of story, action and drama, surpassing the previous seasons expectations.
* Currently, this episode also marks the final time Nolan is seen with his **"Omni-Man"** costume.
* The whole scene of Mark and Nolan interacting since the last season is totally different here than in the comics:
	+ In the comics, Mark sobbed, pleaded for Nolan to return to Mark, Nolan admits he was determined to kill Mark because he was weak, but left, he also admits that he didn't want to talk about Debbie.
* Thula was not seen in the comics adaptation of this fight, instead Nolan was fighting an a unnamed male viltrumite.
* Vidor is an original character but could be based on a grey haired viltrumite character from the comics that Mark fought, and Nolan killed.
* Many comic veteran fans were very upset when Nolan didn't say a very interesting line about the viltrumite warriors who are being sent by the empire to their deaths by coming to thraxa.
* This episode also continues to explore Mark's goal to not be as brutally fearless as Nolan.
* Amber mentions that has been a week since Mark left.
* Debbie severs funding from the GDA, and Nolan's books.
* Before being taken away, Nolan mentions to Mark to read his books, which Debbie is seen giving away are hints to important elements in the future, these include:
	+ The Man with Invincible Gun: Space Racer who in the comics is an alien explorer and gunner who uses a powerful gun to hurt viltrumites, Savage Planet, and Savage Beasts: Rognarrs, uncontrollable beasts that can also hurt viltrumites.
* Debbie keeps the baseball gloves that Mark and Nolan use to play baseball in the pilot episode.
* Due to his father's arrest, Mark has been appointed the former's previous position as the new viltrumite agent of earth.
* Kregg mentions that the empire will check on his progress soon, rumors indicate they will send Conquest or Anissa, one of which that has been seen in the great purge flashback, and the other who has not been seen in the series as of yet.
* Killcannon was previously in "That Actually Hurt", being defeated with ease by Invincible.
* In the comics, the Thraxans lifespan ranged from over 9 months, in the series it is a year.
* Donald learns that he had died in the last season.
* This episode also introduces Mark's brother, who will be an important character to Mark and the Grayson family in the future.
* Atom Eve continues struggles with maintaining her mental health and super heroine work, somewhat alluding to her abandoning her tree house. Both may possibly lead to her to quitting being a super hero altogether, all of which was foreshadowed in episode 4 & 5 of season 1 .