Summary

  • Invincible season 2 cleverly referenced The Room, one of the worst movies, in its finale.
  • The reference was made twice in one dialogue scene, adding a comedic touch to the intense fight scene.
  • The acting and dialogue in Invincible's reference to The Room were better executed, thanks to the context and the talented voice acting of J.K. Simmons.

Among everything that happened in the Invincible season 2 part 1 finale, the show made a clever reference to one of the worst movies of all time, The Room. The Room was a 2003 film starring, directed, written, and produced by Tommy Wiseau about a man whose fiancé is being unfaithful to him with his best friend. The dialogue, story, production, and, most of all, acting are all so hilariously abysmal that it unintentionally came across as a comedy, with Wiseau himself at the forefront. The Room's legacy is so strong that the film's production became a book-turned-film titled The Disaster Artist.

On paper, it seems downright impossible for Invincible and The Room to be connected in any way possible. That has nothing to do with both being revered for completely different reasons. They are two completely different genres, with one being in a world without superheroes and the other being grounded in reality, warts and all. That said, Invincible season 2 managed to pull it off.

Invincible Cleverly Referenced One Of The Room's Unintentionally Funniest Scenes

Better Yet, They Did It Twice In One Scene

The Room Johnny Laughing

It was only mentioned in ing, but the Invincible season 2 part 1 finale dropped Easter eggs to The Room twice in one dialogue scene. While Nolan and Mark are in the middle of their fight with the Viltrumites, Nolan says, "Mark, what are you doing? She's tearing you apart!" This subtly references one of The Room's most hilarious scenes. When Johnny confronts his fiancé Lisa for making up that he abused her, he infamously screams, "You're tearing me apart, Lisa!" Both the cheesy dialogue and the bad acting make for one of The Room's funniest moments, hence why Invincible may have chosen to incorporate it into the episode. If that's not enough, the name of Johnny's best friend in The Room is Mark, who shares the same name as Invincible's protagonist's alter ego, Mark Grayson, which adds even more to the connection.

How Invincible Made It Better

The Acting And Dialogue Is Better

A bloodied Invincible and Omni-Man look up at Viltrumites in Invincible season 2

Despite referencing one of the most infamous moments from one of the worst movies ever, Invincible made it work with Omni-Man because of the context and the acting. Mark was getting beaten up by the Viltrumite Thula because he was holding back. Despite having Viltrumite genes, Mark is not a killer, which is a disadvantage against Viltrumites, who would kill him without a second's hesitation. Invincible's Omni-Man is blunt with Mark by saying that he's being torn apart because his refusal to kill people is holding him back.

More importantly, J.K. Simmons pulls the line off much better because his voice acting is among the best in the industry. Simmons comes off more as an adviser, urgently being brutally honest with his son to save both their lives. Wiseau, on the other hand, screams his famous line from The Room in a surprisingly nonchalant manner, in the face of the fact that his character is having an emotional confrontation with his fiancé. By referencing The Room, Invincible proved that even the corniest of lines can work well with the right people and situation.

Invincible is streaming new episodes on Prime Video.