The Biggest Difference Between Invincible & The Boys Is Why Both Superhero Shows Are So Successful

Both Invincible and The Boys have elevated the superhero genre over the last few years, and there is one key difference that highlights why both shows are successful despite their different approaches. Both shows are adapted from comic book series, and have been celebrated for their deference to the source material. Amazon Prime has established a healthy, and likely overlapping viewer base for both shows thanks to memorable characters and engrossing stories, and there is a perpetual argument over whether Invincible or The Boys is the best superhero show.

However, there is one major distinction between the two superhero genre powerhouses that not only sets them apart, but also explains why they’ve both been embraced. Both Invincible and The Boys prove there is a demand for superhero content that breaks from the formula that has become standard for both Marvel and DC, and it goes well beyond just having a great villain like Omni-Man or Homelander. Both shows expose the superhero genre for its lack of realism, but they each do it with their own unique method.

Invincible Is Not A Superhero Parody Like The Boys

Invincible exaggerates many classic superhero tropes, but The Boys makes fun of them.

Invincible and The Boys both present an alternative viewpoint on superheroes that departs from the clean and wholesome punches of Captain America and Batman, but Invincible isn’t a direct parody like The Boys is. Invincible certainly contains plenty of homages to Marvel and DC heroes, and it greatly exaggerates much of the superhero action, but it still holds on to many of the classic superhero tropes. The Boys, on the other hand, directly mocks the genre to deliver a scathing condemnation of its many overwrought tropes.

Invincible has a classic superhero as its protagonist in Mark Grayson, while The Boys paints a group of individuals who wish to expose and kill superheroes as its protagonists. Where Invincible still glorifies heroes like Invincible and Atom Eve as forces for good, The Boys often implies that merely being a super-powered individual makes you a villain. That distinction between the two shows results in vastly different viewing experiences, but it also emphasizes the importance of alternative superhero content, regardless of its central intent.

Why The Boys & Invincible’s Takes On Superheroes Both Work

Both shows force viewers to examine the superhero genre from a different angle.

After more than a decade of formulaic superhero movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe, both Invincible and The Boys have acted as a palate cleanser for many superhero genre fans. Both shows, along with their source material, depart from the standards that have been established over nearly a century of comic book lore, which is exactly what is necessary for any style of art or content. Simply put, it needs to evolve.

Both Invincible and The Boys have been successful because they’ve helped superhero fans look at the genre from a completely different perspective than the one that they’ve been spoon-fed for so long. While it’s true that Invincible still clings to some of the tropes of the genre, it does so in an exaggerated, ultra-violent manner that shows little deference to the more wholesome elements of superhero content. The Boys spits in the face of the concept entirely with biting commentary on not only superheroes but the world at large. Both are important additions to one of the most popular genres of fiction of the last century.