Shocking Invincible Season 2 Injury Continues A Weirdly Specific Robert Kirkman Trend

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Invincible season 2, episode 6.

Invincible season 2 featured a central character receiving a massive injury that connects them to a weirdly specific trend for creator Robert Kirkman. After the ending of Invincible season 2 part 1, many were excited to see the show return to continue Mark’s story. Invincible season 2, episode 6 does exactly that by furthering Mark’s relationship with Amber and exploring his potential opposition to the Viltrumites via Allen the Alien’s Invincible return

However, another storyline of Invincible season 2, episode 6 follows on from the shocking fight between the Lizard League and the remaining Guardians of the Globe: Rex Splode, Shrinking Rae, and Dupli-Kate. The fates of Dupli-Kate and Shrinking Rae in Invincible season 2, episode 6 were decidedly grim, while Rex continued to fight against the Lizard League’s leader. During this fight, Rex sustained a shocking injury that saw him continue a trend from creator Robert Kirkman’s other projects.

Rex Splode Gets The Carl Grimes Treatment In Invincible Season 2

The inexplicable survival of a headshot results in prominent eye injuries for both characters.

At the end of Invincible season 2, episode 5, Rex Splode was left at the mercy of the King Lizard. In the ensuing scuffle, Rex is surprisingly shot in the head by the villain, seemingly leaving the recurring character dead. However, Rex mystifyingly overcomes his wound, killing King Lizard and saving Earth from the Lizard League’s attack. Later in the episode, characters like Mark and Eve are shown visiting Rex who is recovering in a GDA hospital.

Through these scenes, it becomes clear that Rex’s injury is remarkably, even strangely, similar to those of Carl Grimes from The Walking Dead. In the Walking Dead comics, also created by Robert Kirkman, and the TV adaptation, Carl Grimes was shot in the head. However, like Rex, Carl incredibly escapes death with only eye injuries to show for it. Rex’s right eye is shown as damaged in Invincible season 2, episode 6, emulating Carl Grimes’ eyepatch that he wore after receiving his own head wound in The Walking Dead.

How Rex Actually Survives Getting Shot In The Head

While the survival of Carl Grimes’ injury can be put down to sheer luck, there may be more of an explanation behind Rex Splode’s survival in Invincible season 2. For one, Rex possesses superpowers. As an inherent, passive ability of his powers, Rex has enhanced durability as shown by his ability to go toe-to-toe with incredibly strong individuals. This could explain why he survived the gunshot from King Lizard, aided by the wound being administered to the side of his head rather than directly through the middle.

While his enhanced durability could be one way Rex survived, it could equally be put down to luck as it was with Carl Grimes. It was made evident that King Lizard was not the most savvy of opponents regarding outright fighting. Instead of fighting off Kate, Rae, and Rex, he hid in the shadows until Rex remained and ambushed him. Instead of shooting Rex in a lethal place like a more competent villain would have, King Lizard shot in an area that – combined with an incredible amount of inexplicable luck on Rex’s part – saw the hero survive.

Rex Splode Surviving Isn’t Invincible Season 2, Episode 6’s Only TWD Reference

While Rex’s unlikely survival mirrors that of Carl from The Walking Dead, another reference to the other Robert Kirkman project was hidden in Invincible season 2, episode 6. Despite being absent for large portions of Invincible season 2 after the premiere, episode 6 saw the return of Angstrom Levy. Levy was shown heavily in Invincible season 2, episode 1, as a man who wished to help the multiverse before being driven mad by the memories of his own variants from other universes.

These memories, and his newfound madness, saw him grow to despise Invincible, vowing revenge on the hero. Throughout Invincible season 2, Angstrom’s only appearances since then have surrounded his growing plan to seek revenge against Mark. This continued in Invincible season 2, episode 6 with Angstrom Levy stating he is “visiting an old friend” before traveling through the multiverse to reach the one housing Invincible‘s main story.

As he travels through the multiverse, another reference to The Walking Dead can be found. After briefly walking through a jungle universe, Levy emerges in a zombie-ridden world before reaching his intended destination. Given Robert Kirkman’s involvement in both Invincible and The Walking Dead, it is all but guaranteed that this zombie universe was an intentional reference to the latter project. This, combined with the continuation of the headshot survival trend, combines the worlds of Invincible season 2 and The Walking Dead in intriguing ways.

New episodes of Invincible season 2 release every Thursday on Amazon Prime Video.