- Invincible Season 4 episode 5 is now available on Prime Video
- We are formally introduced to a new hero that was first shown in episode 7 of season 3.
- Some fans may be upset about a big change that has been made to them.
Invincible Season 4, episode 5 made its debut on Prime Video and finally introduces us to a hero who has been teased since the penultimate episode of season 3.
Titled ‘Give us a moment’, InvincibleThe last chapter focuses mainly on the preparation for the big event of this season. Namely, the Viltrumite War, also known as the conflict that breaks out between the tyrannical Viltrum Empire and the Coalition of Planets (CoP) fighting for freedom.
The latter has sought allies to aid his cause since his introduction in Season 2, but only now have we formally learned of the CoP’s final additions. In fact, Space Racer only joined the cause in episode 2 of season 4, and now they have been joined by another newcomer who appeared, albeit in cameo form, in the seventh episode of last season. Full spoilers for ‘Give Us a Moment’ follow immediatelyso come back now if you haven’t seen it.
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Invincible’s Tech Jacket explained: Who is the new Iron Man-like hero?
Real name Zack Thompson, Tech Jacket first appeared in Invincible #27, but did not become part of the larger narrative of the comic series until Invincible #60. The final issue, which predates the Viltrumite War from #71 to #78, marked this individual’s actual debut in the source material.
In the comics, Thompson is a high school student who acquires extremely powerful technology after stumbling upon a crashed spaceship. There, Thompson finds his only crew member, Kelda, a member of an alien race called the Geldarians, dying after being seriously injured in the crash.
With the ship about to self-destruct, Kelda transfers her armor and weaponry, also known as Tech Jacket, to Thompson to protect him from the resulting explosion. With Kelda dying in the explosion and the technology now permanently attached to him, Thompson vows to use it forever. Because the physiology of the human race is much more robust than that of the Geldarians, he can also put his Tech Jacket to better use than its alien inventors.
Arriving on Earth after believing Thompson had stolen their technology, the Geldarians ask him for help in their decades-long war against another race known as the Kresh after being impressed by his aptitude and use of the Iron Man-like device. After that conflict, Tech Jacket returns home and, unbeknownst to Earth’s other heroes, aids them during the cataclysm known as the Invincible War. Not long after, he is recruited by Allen the Alien to help the CoP’s mightiest heroes fight the Viltrum Empire.
I won’t spoil what’s to come in the rest of the Amazon TV original, including the outcome of the Viltrumite War or Thompson’s fate. However, what is now valid from a debate perspective is a key change that Invincible Season 4 addresses Thompson’s origins, and I think it’s something that might bother some fans.
How is Tech Jacket different from his comic book counterpart in Invincible season 4?
In short: the Prime Video adaptation changes the genre of Tech Jacket. In fact, he is a man in the source material, but in the adult animated series, Tech Jacket is a teenager named Zoe. Coincidentally, she is also voiced by an actor with the exact same name, although with a ‘y’ at the end because she is played by Zoey Deutch (New vague, the politician).
This is not the first important alteration that has occurred in InvincibleThe count on the small screen. Mark’s former love interest, Amber Bennett, who is Caucasian in the comics, is black on the show. Meanwhile, William Clockwell, Mark’s best friend in college, is straight in the graphic novels, but gay in the television series.
With InvincibleThe small screen adaptation first premiered almost 20 years after its literary namesake, the changes above are small but significant examples of how the representation of the real world is now reflected in the shows we watch.
However, a vocal minority of InvincibleThe fanbase did not react well to what they perceived as unnecessary changes to Amber’s race and William’s sexuality. Damn you just need to look Invincible Season 4, episode 4 reveals that William has a new voice actor to see that some fans just don’t like the revisions to his sacred texts. Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if Zoe’s introduction was similarly criticized by a vocal few.
Frankly, Tech Jacket’s gender swap doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. However, I can already imagine the reaction that will arise from said minority, once they discover that InvincibleThe last hero is not a boy, but a girl. This time we hope I’m wrong.
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