Invincible: Ideological Conflicts In a Physical Form
Marxist Theories At Work in a Superhero Universe
BAM! BOOM! SPLAT! Amazon Prime Video’s Invincible is prized for its violence and action, but the intense and diverse superheroes demonstrate there’s more to the lore of the show than just violence. Within Amazon Prime Video’s catalog stands a new twist to the superhero genre, the popular series Invincible, created by Robert Kirkman. The show provides expert detail into the possibilities of Marxist conflicts that shock the audience of Invincible and its ideological discourse. The show presents us with a world full of superheroes and villains with extreme gore and violence, with themes of classism and capitalism that dominate the realities of this world.
Throughout the plot twists and shocking events within Invincible, theories of imperialism, genetic capitalism, and racial classism thrive as the motives for a fascist society called the Viltrum Empire. Mark Grayson challenges that these ideologies are faulty and present more harm than good in the universe because of his firm beliefs that a more diverse and independent set of races is better than the imperialist dystopia of a Viltrimite-controlled universe.
Mark Grayson’s independent ideologies and mindset set up the plot of the Invincible series, ultimately leading to the showdown between Mark Grayson and his father, each with opposing ideologies.
The World of Invincible
We meet the typical high school boy Mark Grayson; however, his world is far from normal. Riddled with conflict, both political and physical, Mark’s world is divided by heroes and villains with his father being seen as the most powerful of them all, Omni-man.
Mark Grayson grows up as a regular human with no superpowers unlike his father, compelling Mark to perceive life as an average individual. Suddenly, when Mark Grayson obtains similar powers to his father, it is revealed by his father that they are aliens called Viltrimites. As Mark Grayson rapidly becomes a more established superhero, tragically, the world’s greatest superhero team, the Guardians of the Globe, are ambushed and killed by Omni-man. As Mark Grayson makes this revelation, Nolan Grayson expounds that the Viltrimite race is superior to every other race and should imperialize the universe in their name to benefit the people of all planets. This leads to the ultimate clash of the two represented ideologies in the final episode, Mark Grayson vs. the Viltrum Empire.
Marxist Theories in Invincible
As established by Chris Barker in the Sage Dictionary of Cultural Studies, this ideology produced by the Viltrimite race is an extreme case of classism, Marxism, and elite narcissism. As we dig deeper, more cases of ideology and classism implement themselves within this action-packed series. As we compare the ideological theories of Mark Grayson and Nolan Grayson, we can witness the similarities between the Viltrimite Empire and the contents of Marxism. Barker defines class as “a classification of persons into groups based on shared socio-economic conditions” and “class can be grasped as a relational set of inequalities with economic, social, political, and ideological dimensions.”
We can easily compare this to Viltrimite’s imperialist view on classism; rather than classes being decided through socio-economic statuses, they are decided based on race and “purity” of blood instead. The Viltrum Empire established itself as the higher members of society, and those that remain are below them regardless of any sort of scientific, technological, or economic achievements and abilities. This can be elaborated on by Barker stating that classism brings up the definition of ideology, being “the systems of beliefs and ideas available within any particular culture.” In turn, the “systems of beliefs and ideas” within the Viltrimite society is a fascist genetic capitalistic approach. Their genetic capitalistic approach establishes an unofficial yet recognized laborer and owner, but instead of economics, it's derived from the purity of an individual’s blood.
The Viltrimite ideology translates into the produced thoughts on capitalism which within Marxism is described as “the economic mode of production that creates the social classes of owners and laborers”, which is clarified by Mary Klage in Key Terms in Literary Theory. Klage goes on to define base/superstructure, which is the relationship established in society between a capitalist and a laborer. In similarity, capitalism within the Viltrimite society is owners of purer Viltrimite blood and laborers having non-Viltrimite blood. Understanding the complexities behind the Viltrimite society and their capitalistic approach gives way to understanding how Marxism is overwhelmingly present within the Invincible universe.
Louis Althusser
Another significant set of ideas within Marxist Theories is discussed by Louis Althusser, which is touched on by Klage. Two tremendous components of Louis Althusser’s philosophy are Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs) and Repressive State Apparatuses (RSAs). ISAs are institutions such as schools, churches, and other facilities that maintain the conditions of capitalistic domination. These facilities inculcate individuals with a dominant ideology and shape their beliefs to support the existing social order. RSAs are institutions of the state that enforce order through repression and force; these institutions include the police, army, and judicial system.
Alongside ISAs and RSAs, Louis Althusser established the terms “Interpellation” and “The Epistemological Break” within Marxist theories. Interpellation is the process in which an individual is transformed into a subject. Oftentimes, ISAs transform an individual’s mindset to fit within their society and to become a “good citizen” by upholding the specific standards of a society or government. The epistemological break is the radical shift in approaches in philosophy and methods behind research for certain subjects.
Viltrum Empire’s Imperialistic Ideology
The Viltrum Empire is shown to be a fascist society with a tremendous amount of false empathy for other races, including humans. As Nolan Grayson explains to Mark, the Viltrum Empire obtains more of a biological advantage and is scientifically advanced compared to the human world. The Viltrum society parallels capitalist exploitation, where the Viltrum Empire forces humans to become servants to a more capable empire; this aligns with Karl Marx’s class conflict of the proletariat (the working class) and the bourgeoisie (the higher class).
Conclusively, the Viltrimites believe there is more of a benefit for the humans to be “taken in” by the Viltrimites to prosper into a better world. This is a classic example of class struggle when the Viltrimites attempt to impose a cemented class system upon humanity, for what they believe to be the ultimate betterment of Earth.
Classism in the Viltrum Empire
Within episode eight of season one, Nolan Grayson claims, “By the time I was born, Viltrum was already the greatest empire in our galaxy. We decide to make it the only empire in our galaxy.” As we closely examine these remarks by Nolan Grayson, we begin to understand that the Viltrum Empire classified themselves as superior to everyone else, giving them what they feel is the right to conquer and imperialize the surrounding empires into lower classes of the Viltrum Empire. Seeing as the Viltrimites conquer planets due to their beliefs that their race is genetically more capable than the rest, it can easily be seen that their fascist imperialist stance is the embedded ideology that fuels their society and culture.
Capitalism in the Viltrum Empire
There are also glimpses of capitalism within Invincible, although it isn’t exactly in terms of wealth. The capitalist mindset within the Viltrimite society remains with genes, meaning that the Viltrimites attempt to keep their lineage as pure of Viltrimite blood as possible. As Nolan Grayson further expands upon the Marxist ideology, he specifically outlines the idea of classism that would lead to the Viltrum Empire being established as a higher power than humanity.
The complexities behind the genetic capitalism of Invincible can be related to an established base/superstructure. The superstructure demonstrates an indication of the relationship between capitalist and laborer, meaning the capitalists are the Viltrimites as owners of pure-Viltrimite blood compared to the non-Viltrimite blood carriers being laborers under the authority of the Viltrimite Empire.
In response to hearing his father’s support of this ideology, Mark decides to confront him directly. As they unravel the points behind their ideologies, conflict rises to a boiling point. This leads to the climax of the season, when Mark and Nolan Grayson battle to the point that Mark Grayson almost meets his demise.
Mark Grayson’s Ideology
As we embark through the immense lore and rich history of the Invincible series, we are provided an opportunity to understand the struggles of Mark and Nolan Grayson’s dealings with the Viltrum Empire’s ideologies. Given that Mark Grayson grew up as a powerless human aspiring to be the perfect hero, his views particularly align with equality throughout the various alien races. Throughout Mark Grayson’s discovery of the imperialistic ideologies of the Viltrum Empire, his ideologies are fundamentally challenged, forcing him to take a firm stance on the complex situation of clashing ideology. Mark Grayson undergoes ideological revelation, which can be seen as a similarity to the proletariat becoming aware of their exploitation.
Instead of taking on the Viltrimite mission, Mark attempts to uphold the proletariat's view that represents Earth against the Viltrum Empire. In doing so, Mark Grayson challenges the ISAs and RSAs implemented by the Viltrum Empire. These are represented through Omni-man or Nolan Grayson, as an ISA, who preaches to Mark about the benefits and beauty behind the Viltrum Empire’s ideologies and their superiority to everyone else. However, since Mark Grayson grew up as a normal human being, he takes the side of Earth, or the proletariat, and upholds Earth’s ideology in battle. During the fight, Nolan Grayson represents Viltrum’s RSA, a violent and oppressive force that pushes the Viltrum Empire through threats and brute strength.
Ideologies Clash in Physical Form
As we compare and contrast the ideologies of the Viltrum Empire to those of Mark Grayson, we can further understand the complexities of Marxist theories and how they play into the political mindset of the world. Complications of ideologies and classism can often turn physical, as seen in examples of clashing historical political mindsets. Ultimately, Invincible tells the usual story of hero vs villain, but it portrays something on a larger scale as well: political conflict and how people deal with it in a massive ideological struggle. Using the tale of Invincible, we can sense the damages of political conflict when not dealt with on a diplomatic scale, allowing us to define how we shouldn’t handle adverse ideologies.
Additional Sources Used in this Article
Chris Barker. “Class.” The Sage Dictionary of Cultural Studies. 2004. Found on Credo Reference.
Mary Klage. “Ideology.” Key Terms in Literary Theory. 2012. Found on Credo Reference.
Mary Klage. “Capitalism.” Key Terms in Literary Theory. 2012. Found on Credo Reference.
Mary Klage. “Base/Superstructure.” Key Terms in Literary Theory. 2012. Found on Credo Reference.
Mary Klage. “Marxism.” Key Terms in Literary Theory. 2012. Found on Credo Reference.
Mary Klage. “Louis Althusser.” Key Terms in Literary Theory. 2012. Found on Credo Reference.
