Invincible Season 4 Can’t Drop One Of Season 3’s Best Changes From The Original Comics

The following contains spoilers for Invincible season 3 episode 8, “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up,” now streaming on Prime VideoOne of the best changes Prime Video’s Invincible has made from the comics that inspired it should remain a part of the show going into season 4. For the most part, Invincible has been a very adaptation of the comic series of the same name. While certain characters and elements of the plot have been updated for modern audiences, most of Invincible‘s characters are consistent with their original incarnations. However, there are a handful of exceptions, with one of the most notable being Shrinking Rae.
Played by Grey Griffin, Shrinking Rae already survived beyond her comics counterpart by making it to the events of season 3 at all. However, the character finally stepped into the spotlight in season 3. Rae has gotten her own emotional subplot, with her romance subplot serving as one of the sweetest elements of Invincible season 3. Rae ends season 3 in a place where she could easily be shunted off to the sidelines. However, Invincible has done such a good job with Rae that it would be a disappointment to not develop her futher in season 4.
Invincible Has Drastically Improved Shrinking Rae
The Show’s Version Of Rae Is Way Better Than Ray In The Comics
Shrinking Rae was one of the most pleasant surprises of Invincible season 3, and the superhero show shouldn’t drop the character going into season 4. Introduced as one of the young heroes who joined the new version of the Guardians of the Globe, Shrinking Rae was a relativly minor character in the grand scheme of things. However, after recovering from her injuries in season 2, Rae became a more prominent member of the Invincible supporting cast. Her romance storyline was crucial to Rex’s evolution into a more mature and heroic character.

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Rae’s desire to step away from heroics made her an interest parallel to Mark and Eve, who have also struggled with those issues. She even ended the season leaving the field and beginning a romance with Rex, a choice that left her heartbroken when she wasn’t present for the Invincible War that Rex died during. It’s a huge improvement on the Shrinking Ray of the comics, who was a male hero who died fighting the Lizard League. By contrast, Rae has proven to be a surprisingly grounded and compelling character with a strong emotional arc.
Shrinking Rae Needs To Be In Invincible Season 4 (But Not As A Superhero)
Invincible Season 4 Can’t Simply Undo Rae’s Character Development
Shrinking Rae should still be in Invincible during season 4, but she shouldn’t back track on her decision to leave active superheroics. It was a big emotional turn for the character, and undoing it would feel like a betrayal of a very interesting character development. Rae’s grief over Rex serves as a constant reminder that most superheroes can’t bounce back from the kind of injuries that Mark routinely suffers, highlighting the emotional cost that comes from heroic sacrifices.
Rae has a lot to offer the world of Invincible beyond her abilities as a hero, and the show shouldn’t just brush her off to the side.
Rae could use her experience in the hero community to work with the GDA or the Guardians in a non-active role, allowing her to remain active in the plot while not betraying her decisions in season 3. It also means Rae could work as an emergency ally in times of crisis, making use of her specific power-set in unique circumstances. As she explained to Rex before his death, Rae has a lot to offer the world of Invincible beyond her abilities as a hero, and the show shouldn’t just brush her off to the side.
How Rae Could Stay In Invincible Season 4
There’s Plenty Of Room For Rae In The Larger World Of Invincible
There are lots of ways that Rae could remain important within Invincible‘s world that don’t require her to run around in the line of duty, any of which could be interesting ways to expand the universe of the show. Rae could join Kate’s business venture with Invincible Inc., attempting to find a more proactive and directed means of deploying superheroes into crisis situations. Her experience and knowledge would make her an ideal figure for the Guardians of the GDA to rely on at HQ. This could make Rae the Invincible answer to “the guy in the chair” for the heroes.
Similar to Damien Darkblood’s surprising return in the season 3 finale after a lack of notable importance in the Invincible comics, Rae’s lack of a major role in the original story makes her potential future in Invincible season 4 exciting.
Even if Rae fully leaves the hero community behind, she could attend the same school as William or get a job that has her interact with other supporting characters. Invincible has done a great job expanding Rae into a fully fleshed out character, and it would be a shame to see her removed from the show just after all that development. Hopefully Invincible season 4 has a plan for Rae that can continue to build on one of the show’s best deviations from the source material.
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