Invincible Season 3 Finale Post-Credits Scene Explained

The following contains spoilers for "Invincible" season 3.

"Invincible" season 3 is over, and I'm devastated — partly because the last two episodes were nonstop horror and brutality, and partly because we've now entered the waiting phase until season 4. Though the death toll from Conquest and the Invincible War are enormous (RIP Rex), the season ends with at least a few bits of optimism and solace: Mark (Steven Yeun) and Eve (Gillian Jacobs) reaffirm their commitment to each other, Oliver (Christian Convery) begins to step further into his power, Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) and Allen (Seth Rogen) are working against the Viltrum Empire, and despite all the devastation, Earth manages to fend off a series of major threats.

That said, the season also ends with several big threats looming in the shadows. A closing montage shows the Sequids building strength, while Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown) remains at large, now under the control of the mysterious Technicians. However, the final post-credits scene of "Invincible" season 3 actually focuses on Damien Darkblood (Clancy Brown), who was banished back to Hell by Cecil (Walton Goggins) in season 1.

In the comics, Darkblood is more of a joke character — a spoof of "Watchmen" vigilante Rorschach with a Hellboy spin. The show already gave him a bit more dimension in season 1, and it looks like he could get even more new material moving forward. The "Invincible" season 3 post-credits scene suggests that Darkblood has plans for Mark Grayson, and those plans seem to involve a far more powerful figure from Hell itself. At the same time, the scene is pretty cryptic, so let's take a closer look.

The "Invincible" season 3 post-credits scene begins with Damien Darkblood drawing a summoning circle of some kind in what appears to be a cave in Hell. This incantation summons a much older demon. Darkblood refers to this elder creature as "Lord," and later as "the great beast," suggesting that he both holds a high rank in Hell and is incredibly powerful. The demon detective claims that he has "means to restore you to Infernal Throne," which revolve around a "surface-dweller of great power, likes of which this planet has not seen for eons."

It seems safe to assume that Darkblood is referring to Invincible here, as he claims that the person in question is far stronger than anyone else on Earth. The detective then explains that he has found a way to bring this figure — again, presumably Mark — to Hell, telling the elder demon, "His blackened heart will be bound to your service."

While Damien Darkblood generally comes out on the side of good in season 1, it's hard not to read this scene as incredibly sinister. If he is talking about Mark, the reference to a "blackened heart" is particularly interesting. Does he mean that Invincible is already descending to a point where he could be controlled through Hell magic, perhaps via his newfound relationship with killing? Or does he mean that the process of bringing him under the thrall of the "great beast" will corrupt his heart? Either way, it doesn't sound awesome for Invincible. And since there's no precedent for this storyline in the comics, it's impossible to say exactly what Darkblood has planned.

It's also worth noting that this new demon character is voiced by Bruce Campbell — an actor whose prominence in the horror genre suggests some dark deeds to come.

As previously stated, Damien Darkblood is an incredibly minor character in the "Invincible" comics. It's fun to see the Prime Video series adding in new storylines to keep longstanding fans on their toes, and it should be interesting to find out how this new plot intersects with other arcs, primarily the encroaching danger of the Viltrum Empire.

We've still got a ways to go in the big-picture Viltrumite plot on "Invincible," and the show has done a pretty good job in the past of tucking certain characters and threats away for long stretches of time, only to pull them out when you least expect to throw a new challenge at Mark and the other heroes. It's also a smart call to end season 3 with the scene in Hell, as it's the only part that can be considered a true cliffhanger.

Most of the other storylines that are running right now can be googled if viewers really want to know what happens, since they're very similar in the comics. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's still nice to have a bit of mystery for everyone to chew on while we wait for "Invincible" season 4.

The first three seasons of "Invincible" are now streaming on Prime Video.