Fans don’t particularly like it, but Invincible season 5 can’t abandon its controversial story introduced in season 4, despite the negative conversation surrounding it. Invincible season 4 was a notable new installment in the ongoing animated superhero series, leading up to an including the Viltrumite War, which destroyed the planet Viltrum and caused its survivors, led by Thragg, to assimilate on Earth.

Invincible season 4’s ending laid the groundwork for just how trepidatious Mark is going to have to be, as Viltrumites are now everywhere on his home world with the intention of breeding more of their kind. In the meantime, Allen, who has become the new leader of the Coalition of Planets, has a more deadly version of the Scourge Virus, which he might be planning to use on Earth to destroy Viltrum’s remaining population.

These stories lay the groundwork for a multifaceted Invincible season 5. However, it’s not the only long-term storyline set up during season 4. This includes the introduction of villains like Dinosaurus and Universa, both of whom will be more important later in the series. But another storyline was set up during season 4 that fans weren’t very keen on.

This would be the Hell storyline, an original story for the animated series that takes place during season 4, episode 4, “Hurm.” The episode sees Damien Darkblood summoning Mark to Hell, recruiting him to help Satan return to power after he was overthrown by Volcanikka. The episode was panned by fans, earning a 6.5 out of 10 on IMDb. However, that doesn’t mean future seasons should abandon it entirely.

Invincible’s Unloved Hell Storyline Needs Resolution

Although the Hell storyline was set up during the end of Invincible season 3, many fans argued its placement in season 4 broke the momentum of the Viltrumite storyline by having Mark go on a tangential side quest. The episode was also only focused on Hell, without any other side stories or major characters appearing outside of Mark and Darkblood.

However, the episode’s self-contained nature also laid the groundwork for a much bigger story that it seems Invincible season 5, and subsequent seasons, are going to follow up on. The post-credits scene of season 4, episode 4 saw Satan send Darkblood back to Earth to discover why Volcanikka came to Hell in an attempt to oust him and rule over the realm.

It’s a cliffhanger that’s somewhat justified, since Volcanikka becomes an important character later in the Invincible comics. It appears this Hell storyline will tie into her later reemergence, seemingly laying the groundwork for a comic storyline far in advance. But it also leaves off on a number of cliffhangers the show should resolve in order to give it a satisfying conclusion.

While viewers weren’t keen on the Hell storyline in season 4, adding other Invincible characters to the mix or making it tie directly into established lore from the comics could help to justify it later down the road. Even if it’s not as glamorous as other episodes, it’s still one that could hold larger importance depending on the approach moving forward.

Was Invincible Season 4’s Hellish Episode Really THAT Bad?

Although Invincible‘s Hell episode was panned by fans, the episode on its own wasn’t really that bad. It offered some unique world building for the animated series by explaining the connection between Earth and Hell, revealing it as a realm whose inhabitants predated humans. It made for a compelling look into the unsung history of the series’ universe.

While there wasn’t much action, leading to a lot of exposition, the episode had a number of good ideas that felt like they fit perfectly in the world of the series. Even though viewers weren’t the most receptive to it because of its placement in the season, the episode itself was still just as good as any other typical, non-event episode in the series.

This makes it important for Invincible to stick to its plans with the Hell storyline and maintain its relevance, despite audiences not being as receptive to it as expected. The show can even utilize critique to its advantage by making the storyline flow naturally with the rest of the series, without feeling like too big a distraction.