In this special episode, we take a break from Invincible’s epic journey to explore the backstory of Atom Eve. Which I was pleased to see was just as well-done as any episode of the main series.
This was not only a great addition to the Invincible universe, it was just a really well-done superhero origin story; considering how tired those got with many of the MCU and DCEU movies, it’s nice to find one that makes an impression.
Like Mark Grayson in Invincible, I think Eve’s story works not just because it’s trying to be a superhero origin story, but because it’s a coming-of-age story. Before she creates a secret identity and starts crime-fighting, her problems are very down to Earth. Before she’s in a costume fighting crime, she’s a child struggling to fit in. If you take away her ability to control matter and energy, you might be mistaken for thinking you’re watching a story about a girl coming to grips with her neurodivergent personality and the judgement of her family and peers. The early parts centered around Eve’s childhood reminded me of the HBO movie about Temple Grandin.
But we know from the jump that there’s more to Eve than meets the eye, whether you watched the rest of the show or not. Eve is the product of a top secret weapons program, run by the benign Dr. Elias Brandyworth and overseen by Erickson, a vicious government agent. Thanks to Brandyworth, the newborn Eve ended up with Adam and Betsy Wilkins after the death of her birth mother.
She grows up feeling disconnected from the parents who raise her as well as other kids, first due to her intelligence and then due to her powers. But gaining her powers and entering the public eye as Atom Eve gets the attention of her makers, leading to a traumatic “family” reunion.
The limits of these abilities gets explored too. Before she was born, Brandyworth engineered a subconscious block that prevents Eve from using her powers on sentient matter (people, animals, etc.), but we see that she’s able to subconsciously override this when under extreme duress. Meanwhile, the other less stable subjects in the experiment have nothing close to her level of matter/energy control, but they were made without the sentient matter block. This makes Eve’s fight with her half-siblings a nightmare of Cronenberg-esque body horror in an action scene that’s as chaotic and intense as anything from the rest of the series.
This was good. While not really connected to the main series narrative beyond Eve and a couple brief appearance from the Graysons, it felt as much a part of Invincible as anything else. Eve's one of the show's more major characters, so it was nice of them to shed some light on her story.
Bits and pieces:
* This special also gives us another look at the original Guardians of the Globe during the opening battle with the Lizard League. Some nice details there: Black Samson younger and not bald, a male version of Green Ghost, and Immortal and War Woman’s funny battle banter. Omni-Man showing up to save the day leaves a bad taste in the mouth, of course.
* A few guest stars: Stephen Root does the voice of Dr. Brandyworth. Jacob Tremblay plays Phase Two, as well as Prince Lizard during the opening. And the main antagonist, Erickson, was voiced by the late Lance Reddick.
* I get the feeling the special was meant to add some sympathetic depth to Adam and Betsy, but really it just made me dislike them even more.
* Music: “Deceptacon” by Le Tigre during Eve’s first outing as a superhero.
Quotes:
War Woman: “Apparently everyone’s running around with a big letter on their chest these days.”
The Immortal: “… Is that what this is?”
Dr. Rodgers: “Phase Two’s abilities are still impressive.”
Steven Erickson: “I don’t want impressive. I want the ability to change reality. I want death on command. I want powerful beyond measure. And I almost had it.”
Adam Wilkins: “Your mother and I were told you were special. Silly us, we thought that meant you should go to a school for special kids.”
Samantha Eve Wilkins: “What’s so special about them anyway? They don’t have any fun or care about anything. They’re just a bunch of freaks.”
Adam: “They’re freaks? Look at yourself! Isn’t that why you belong there?”
Dog Thief 1: “Dude, I think it’s a Powerpuff Girl.”
Atom Eve: “Nice soul patch, bro. Makes your face extra punchable.”
Killcannon: “Sorry, kid. You’re just not made for this.”
Atom Eve: “I literally was.”
Dr. Elias Brandyworth: “Atom-Eve? Where’d you come up with that?”
Atom Eve: “Atom because… duh. Eve because it’s my middle name.”
Dr. Brandyworth: “Cute.”
Atom Eve: “No, the cape is cute. The name is awesome.”
Phase Two: “All we hear about is how perfect you are, and how perfect we aren’t!”
Eve: “You ruined my life. Took everything from me. Killed people I didn’t even know I loved. I am Samantha Eve Wilkins and I DEFY you to even REMEMBER who I am!”
A very nice addition to an already solid series. Four and a half out of five pink capes.
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