- Invincible season 4 episode 5 is out now on Prime Video
- It formally introduces us to a new hero first teased in season 3 episode 7
- Some fans might bristle over a big change that’s been made to them
Invincible season 4 episode 5 has made its debut on Prime Video — and it finally introduces us to a hero who’s been teased since season 3’s penultimate chapter.
Titled ‘Give Us a Moment’, Invincible‘s latest chapter primarily focuses on the build-up to this season’s tentpole event. That being, the Viltrumite War, aka the conflict that erupts between the tyrannical Viltrum Empire and the freedom-fighting Coalition of Planets (CoP).
The latter has sought out allies to aid their cause since its introduction in season 2, but it’s only now that we’ve been formally introduced to the CoP’s final additions. Indeed, Space Racer only joined the cause in season 4 episode 2, and they’ve now been joined by another newcomer who appeared — albeit in cameo form — in last season’s seventh chapter. Full spoilers immediately follow for ‘Give Us a Moment’, so turn back now if you haven’t watched 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 didn’t become part of the comic book series’ wider narrative until Invincible #60. The latter issue, which predates the Viltrumite War’s run from #71 to #78, then, marked this individual’s actual debut in the source material.
In the comic books, Thompson is a high-school student who acquires an extremely powerful piece of technology after stumbling upon a crashed spaceship. There, Thompson finds its only crew member — Kelda, a member of an alien race called the Geldarians — dying after being severely injured in the crash.
With the vessel set to self-destruct, Kelda transfers its suit of armor and weaponry, aka the Tech Jacket, to Thompson to protect him from the ensuing blast. With Kelda perishing in the explosion and the tech now permanently bonded to him, Thompson vows to use it for good. Because the human race’s physiology is far more rebust than the Geldarians’, he’s able to put his Tech Jacket to better use than its extraterrestrial inventors, too.
Arriving on Earth after believing Thompson stole their tech, the Geldarians enlist his 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 apparatus. Following that conflict, Tech Jacket returns home and, unbeknownst to Earth’s other heroes, helps them during the cataclysmic event known as the Invincible War. Not long after, he’s recruited by Allen the Alien to help the CoP’s most powerful heroes to battle 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. What’s fair game from a discussion perspective now, though, is a key change that Invincible season 4 makes to Thompson’s origins — and it’s one that I think some fans might be irked by.
How does Tech Jacket differ from their comic book counterpart in Invincible season 4?
In short: Prime Video’s adaptation changes Tech Jacket’s gender. Indeed, he’s male in the source material but, in the adult animated series, Tech Jacket is a female teenager who goes by the name Zoe. Coincidentally, she’s voiced by an actor with the exact same first name, too, albeit with a ‘y’ on the end because she’s played by Zoey Deutch (Nouvelle Vague, The Politician).
This isn’t the first major alteration that’s occurred in Invincible‘s small-screen retelling. Mark’s former love interest Amber Bennett, who’s Caucasian in the comics, is Black in the show. Meanwhile, William Clockwell, Mark’s best friend in college, is straight in the graphic novels, but gay in the TV series.
With Invincible‘s small-screen adaptation first premiering almost 20 years after its literary namesake, the above changes are small but significant examples of how real-world representation is now reflected in the programs we watch.
Nonetheless, a vocal minority of Invincible‘s fanbase didn’t react well to what they perceive to be unnecessary switches of Amber’s race and William’s sexuality. Heck, you only need to look Invincible season 4 episode 4 revealing that William has a new voice actor to see that some diehards simply don’t like revisions to their sacred texts. So, I wouldn’t be shocked if Zoe’s introduction is similarly criticized by the vocal few.
Frankly, Tech Jacket’s gender-swapping doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. I can already imagine the backlash that’ll come from said minority, though, once they find out that Invincible‘s latest hero isn’t a boy, but a girl. On this occasion, let’s hope I’m wrong.
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