With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

[Duke Long]

I stare into the depths of my pint glass, watching the bubbles making up the foam on the head gradually burst. On the television in the corner of the room Batman is introducing the first few Global Peace Agency officers to a broadly positive reception, both from the audience and from the few people in the bar watching it.

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There are still bubbles after three hours? Well, similarly to Oh El I've never been a drinker, so maybe that's normal?

 

[Bud-E]

I know most of the League is busy with reconstruction, but I feel just bringing up what Batman's doing to them would cause several of them to try to stop this.

 

[Chaoswind]

Gosh darn it, past me. Why do you always have to make my life difficult?

In that case, duel wielding is possible if you've got exactly the right mindset, but your constructs are going to be significantly weaker.

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I think rather than weaker (as shielding has been involved when Grayven fights dual wielding) they should be less energy efficient and grayven manages more easily because he is cheating as a new god because he technically got both rings through conquest and metaphysically that makes his soul cheat when it comes to construct strength vis a vis his emotional state when using the spoils of his victory.

 

[Mquz]

The Lasso can also be used to divine absolute truths? I think that was a thing in the second WW movie?

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And nowhere else? And that was a terrible movie. It compels truth as the person being lassoed knows it, and can compel the truth to be revealed if a person is hiding it / mind controlled, but even with all that and the comic showing it's the embodiment of the concept of truth in the universe, it's never in the comics been used to divine the truth as far as I know.

 

[Sockmonkey]

For a way to explain why Invincipaul's ring went wonky when he tried to promote fear . . . You could just say that it was a clash of intent with desire? That even if he went in intending to use fear to keep people in line so they wouldn't be killed, he didn't really want to do that and the dissonance was severe enough to impact his ring's functions.

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It's more that the way rings work in this setting, the intent to inspire fear is specifically a yellow ring thing to increase the strength of your constructs. It's incompatible with orange, and for non-enlightened users, the wrong mindset shuts the ring down. The same thing would happen if he tried to stubbornly will himself to act instead of wanting to act.

 

[CrazyNoVa]

So... He's not even going to try and stop the obviously Brothereye Batman from taking over the world?

Wow... I know he's been generally useless as of late but that's honestly impressive...

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Dude, give him time. He still needs to go around gathering allies and ressources. It's like when he was planning to take down Nabu. A Batman with a power ring and an army of superpowered minions is NOT something that should be underestimated or taken lightly.

Gosh darn it, past me. Why do you always have to make my life difficult?

In that case, duel wielding is possible if you've got exactly the right mindset, but your constructs are going to be significantly weaker.

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So it is like in canon, then. I recall that when Hal and Guy managed to dual-wield green/blue or green/red and red/violet, it was really hard for them and it was more of a hindrance than a power boost, because they had no idea how to go about it (and in Guy's case, it nearly drove him insane). Granted, Hal had less trouble with it because will and hope are synergetic with each other, while will/rage and rage/love are not.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Dude, give him time. He still needs to go around gathering allies and ressources. It's like when he was planning to take down Nabu. A Batman with a power ring and an army of superpowered minions is NOT something that should be underestimated or taken lightly.

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It's also that he's not sure that he should. Nabu being evil was so obvious to him that he was genuinely shocked that the League didn't see it that way. With Batman, he's not sure that he's wrong.

 

[Ngamer11]

It's also that he's not sure that he should. Nabu being evil was so obvious to him that he was genuinely shocked that the League didn't see it that way. With Batman, he's not sure that he's wrong.

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That means he can be on the sidelines when someone else takes their shot then. I would be interested in seeing Paul seeing a similar situation from the outside.

 

[CrazyNoVa]

That means he can be on the sidelines when someone else takes their shot then. I would be interested in seeing Paul seeing a similar situation from the outside.

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It's also that he's not sure that he should. Nabu being evil was so obvious to him that he was genuinely shocked that the League didn't see it that way. With Batman, he's not sure that he's wrong.

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So, would he take a neutral stance, then? Play mediator between Batman and the rest of the League to try to avoid conflict when they inevitably find out about this?

 

[Ngamer11]

So, would he take a neutral stance, then? Play mediator between Batman and the rest of the League to try to avoid conflict when they inevitably find out about this?

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More like be kept out of the loop when someone tries something, similar to what Paul did with Nabu only hopefully less confrontational.

Also, I just realized that Paul could probably commiserate with Dr. Mist now. Dr. Mist believed that non-intervention from superpowered beings is necessary in order for humanity to grow properly. He was severely mistaken about this and is only recently begrudgingly admitting that his viewpoint is very flawed. Paul believed humanity needs to strive to become greater as a species, only to learn most humans would rather leave the actual important decisions to a select few and remain stagnant unless forced to do otherwise.

 

[Mr Zoat]

So, would he take a neutral stance, then? Play mediator between Batman and the rest of the League to try to avoid conflict when they inevitably find out about this?

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What do you mean 'find out'? They all already know.

 

[CrazyNoVa]

What do you mean 'find out'? They all already know.

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Even about Buddy Blank and the other OMACs? Or the more concerning repercussions of the new legislation? Because if so, then it's weird that none of them tried to talk to Batman about it, or tell him to dial it back. I figured that at least one or two League members would object to this.

 

[Chaoswind]

Even about Buddy Blank and the other OMACs? Or the more concerning repercussions of the new legislation? Because if so, then it's weird that none of them tried to talk to Batman about it, or tell him to dial it back. I figured that at least one or two League members would object to this.

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Remember the Sheda invasion and the anti-life broadcast happened just a little while ago and we can't forget about the world split that ended with hundreds of thousands if not millions of kids ded or maimed.


If Batman makes the right arguments then I don't see how anyone on the league disagrees... Even Flash killed the Sheda queen in cold blood.

 

[Someguy Somewhere]

Is there any specific reason why Cat Grant is the one talking to Paul rather than anyone actually close to him?

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Because she's a news hound and he's on her beat. Plus he's been spotting sipping beer by the public in a bar for 3 hours, and she likely got a call or spotted an alert on social media about him, and noted it's somewhat out of character.

 

[Vaermina]

Dude, give him time. He still needs to go around gathering allies and ressources. It's like when he was planning to take down Nabu. A Batman with a power ring and an army of superpowered minions is NOT something that should be underestimated or taken lightly.

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It's been 2 days since he talked to Batman and he has multiple power rings.

 

[Steelplaza]

Even about Buddy Blank and the other OMACs? Or the more concerning repercussions of the new legislation? Because if so, then it's weird that none of them tried to talk to Batman about it, or tell him to dial it back. I figured that at least one or two League members would object to this.

Click to shrink...

The ethos of the Justice League has always been agreeing to work together on the things that they agree on, not to tell each other not to do things or to police each other. Paul has noted that many times, that the root of the League is its members saying, "I'm going to do what's right," without seeking anyone else's permission. That includes each other.

Batman put all of this together mostly on his own, and where he sought help it was from specific people who agreed with him enough to help him. Who exactly has the authority to "tell him to dial it back"? If someone does and he says "noted" and goes on with what he was doing anyway, what are they going to do about it? OL felt justified in acting against Nabu because Zatara had been forced into being a host under threat to his daughter. If Zatara had volunteered freely and without coercion, it would have been a different matter. Like the OMACs.

What individual League members could do is to declare that they as individuals will not work with the OMACs. They will not use the authority granted by the legislation. That would be their choice, though it will be interesting to see how long such a position holds the moment working with the OMACs would save more lives.

 

[CrazyNoVa]

It's been 2 days since he talked to Batman and he has multiple power rings.

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It took him way longer than that to prepare for Nabu. And unlike Nabu, who underestimated Paul and didn't know his strenghts and weaknesses, Batman knows what Paul can do, has been studying Paul and been making plans against him for years, and with access to a power ring, Bruce probably has even more ways to fight him now. Plus, knowing Bruce, he probably anticipated the possibility of his own defeat and probably has a few backup plans in place so that his objective will still be accomplished even if he is defeated. For all we know, maybe Paul rushing in and trying to stop him as soon as possible is part of Bruce's plan.

 

[Radix]

It's also that he's not sure that he should. Nabu being evil was so obvious to him that he was genuinely shocked that the League didn't see it that way. With Batman, he's not sure that he's wrong.

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And at this point Paul is seriously doubting his own moral decisions after what he did to Bruce. Even if he decides he thinks Bruce is wrong, who is to say he is actually correct in that decision? Or could it be another case where his good intentions cause greater problems, like how he enabled the genocide in Vega.

 

[Mrkraft]

I mean, I fully understand OL's disillusionment and disappointment, but to be fair "invasion from Apokolyps" is such an extreme event that... Well, judging Earth's government or human nature in regards to democracy, or the values of democracy itself based on it is setting an impossibly high bar. Those are super evil gods with a super evil super god that have honed the art of destroying both societies and sophonts down to the soul itself since long before humanity existed (at least a couple hundred thousand years?). The fact that earth's governments collapsed and they kinda turned to the justice league for help, and the countries ruled by super beings survived better, might be more due to the fact that earth's societies were still playing catch up to the whole super powered beings and super tech and magic stuff for the last century, let alone such big issues. Its institutions and governments as they existed weren't anywhere near ready for it, but the same could be said for many more advanced civilizations in DC.

Still, though, I get how seeing this half-takeover half handing of the keys of power in real time can be disheartening. But believing that people in general might just not be good enough, and not that people as a collective can be... Not anything, but possess a very wide spectrum of qualities and attitudes at least, given the right incentives and surrounding culture, is maybe a bit of a doom spiral overtaking OL's better sense.

 

[Mr Zoat]

6th March 2025
21: 35 GMT

Anissa tightens her grip on my left arm slightly as the recording of me stabbing my epée into the eye of the Invincible who attacked the Teen Team plays on the screen in front of us. Not to the point of fracturing it. Not even to the point of being painful, really. Just an nonverbal indication that she thinks that what she's seeing is notable. It's… Nice, that she's bothered to learn how to do that. That she's bothered to put what she's learned into practice.

"Could you do that without the sword?"

Could I?

I theory, I could make a construct capable of piercing viltrumite skin… But I think that's beyond my current ability. "Maybe in a few years?"

She makes a quiet 'hm' noise as that Invincible finally dies, but she doesn't pull away. She doesn't appear to be as irritated by it as she would have been when we first met. Contemplative Anissa is a new thing. But clear communication is good for a relationship, so…

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"I was thinking about the story you told me, about the shapeshifting alien in the hospital."

I nod. The Sector General series is the oldest I remember my parents reading to me, though it wasn't until I reread it as an adult that I encountered that story. The central claim -which the martians demonstrate to be false in reality- is that a shapeshifting species won't learn to build tools until they encounter tool-using aliens, as their physiology encourages them to alter themselves instead. You don't learn to dig ants out of an anthill using a stick if you can shapeshift your arm into being longer and ant-proof.

"What about it?"

She turns her heard towards me, prompting me to do the same. "You were making the point that viltrumites don't bother to learn things that other species do, because we don't need them."

I make a small frown. "I thought you understood that when I-."

She rolls her eyes. "Of course I understood it when you told it to me. What I did not appreciate is that we don't think to learn things that we might actually need. I have never heard of anything like Angstrom Levy's portals, and until I saw what they did to Maah-Akh I thought of your blades as amusing tools. Either of them make you a threat to viltrumites."

"Is that a problem?"

She leans forwards and kisses me. Voluntarily. On her own initiative. "It is as it should be."

"It's a bit of a relief to hear you say that. I've been a bit worried that I might end up like the rognarr if I got too dangerous."

"You could have hidden your swords."

"I've been a bit worried that I might end up like the rognarr anyway. I thought that showing that I was at least somewhat dangerous was the most sensible course of action."

Her eyes narrow as she returns them to the screen. "How strong were those Maah-Akhs?"

"The one native to that world was a little stronger than ours. The others were-."

The doorbell rings, and Anissa give me an interrogative look.

"Were about as strong." Scan. "It's Invincible and Atom Eve."

She blatantly decides not to groan, and releases my arm so that I can fly over the settee and towards the door. I'm not.. sure what Invincible would want. He seemed happy enough when we got back, and it's not like we didn't have as much time to talk as much as he wanted while we were waiting to deliver the sheep.

I pull open the door with a smile. "Invincible. Atom Eve. Good evening."

Eve's expression is… Somewhat blank, which is about normal. For her and me, actually. Invincible looks… A little awkward. Nervous? That's… Not something I'm used to seeing from him.

"Ah, hey. I… I need to have a private conversation with… You and Eve. Like, in orbit?"

This isn't like him at all.

"Certainly..?" I turn back inside the house. "Anissa, Invincible needs to borrow me for a little while!"

"I've paused the recording! Don't make me wait too long!"

Invincible looks a little awkward. "Was I..? Were we interrupting..?"

I step through the front door and close it behind me. "Nothing that won't keep. Shall we?"

I fly upwards at high speed, Invincible and Eve just behind me. Eve generates armour around herself as we go. She told me that she finds it easier to maintain her air supply if it's contained within a physical barrier rather than just free floating around her. And the fact that she likes to have a solid barrier between her and Invincible… I can understand it.

I keep going until we reach near-pure vacuum, the curve of the world clearly visible below us. As the other two reach my level I project a near-opaque bubble shield around us and fill it with breathable air. Invincible takes a breath with a smile, and a moment later Eve dismisses her armour.

And then Invincible stops smiling. Stops looking relaxed and starts looking… Uncomfortable.

"Lantern, you can open a portal to any parallel Earth, right?"

"I haven't mapped any, but I can have Angstrom open one to any Earth he's previously been to, or a new one."

He nods. "Eve… You can-. Go. If you want."

Huh?

A quick glance at Eve suggests that she doesn't know where this has come from either.

Invincible sighs. "I got talking with the other Invincible. The one who's Earth we were on. I wanted to know how we were different. Turns out it wasn't just Mom dying. Dad… He wanted to make sure that I didn't get too attached to the G.D.A., even when he was working for them as a superhero. So he made sure I knew about all the underhanded and.. evil stuff they got up to. That all governments do. He didn't say it at the time, but looking back he was obviously trying to prepare me to want to overthrow them and help the Viltrumite Empire take over. For that In-. For that Mark, the whole… Take-over thing came out of nowhere, so of course he said 'no'. For me it wasn't, and Cecil getting Mom killed… It just cemented the whole thing for me. I only-."

He takes a moment.

"I only wanted to overthrow the governments. I didn't.. realise how hard people would fight, even if they.. couldn't win. And I didn't realise how long it would take for us to actually bring the…" He looks at me for a moment.

"Transition team?"

"Yeah, transition team, over here to start improving things. And I just… Dad was my… Anchor through the whole thing, and I…" He closes his eyes for a moment. "I get I started acting… Different. I didn't… I didn't know how to.. handle it, so I just started copying Dad… I didn't think it would keep going as long as it did. And I can't.. undo it, or.. change it…" He faces Eve. "But I can get you out of here. Or… He can."

I don't think she knows where this is coming from any more than I do, but this display of openness and honestly is enough to provoke her in restoring her naturally harsh facial expression. "What?" And tone of voice.

"I think-. I was trying to make.. things like how I think they should be. But that's-. Dumb. I can't. Things are.. what they are, and-. We aren't going to happen. But I do… Care about you, and offering you a portal to another Earth is the most I can do."

He makes a helpless shrugging gesture with his right arm.

"So? Do you want to-?"

The pink beam of energy hits him right in the face!

 

[TFTwink]

"I think-. I was trying to make.. things like how I think they should be. But that's-. Dumb. I can't. Things are.. what they are, and-. We aren't going to happen. But I do… Care about you, and offering you a portal to another Earth is the most I can do."

He makes a helpless shrugging gesture with his right arm.

"So? Do you want to-?"

The pink beam of energy hits him right in the face!

Click to shrink...

Bwahahah, Gay Invincible is ♪ so close, yet so faaarr... ♪

 

[Darko]

I nod. The Sector General series is the oldest I remember my parents reading to me, though it wasn't until I reread it as an adult that I encountered that story. The central claim -which the martians demonstrate to be false in reality- is that a shapeshifting species won't learn to build tools until they encounter tool-using aliens, as their physiology encourages them to alter themselves instead. You don't learn to dig ants out of an anthill using a stick if you can shapeshift your arm into being longer and ant-proof

Click to shrink...

Even if they could shapeshift that doesn't mean that they can alter how hard their body is or change their ability to deal with extreme temperatures, so they'd develop things like mining tools and clothing.

The other were-."

Click to shrink...

"others"

out it wasn't just Mom dying. Dad… He wanted to make sure that I didn't get too attached to the G.D.A., even when he was working for them as a superhero. So he made sure I knew about all the underhanded and.. evil stuff they got up to. That all governments do.

Click to shrink...

Though I'm guessing he left out the fact that his government did those same things but on a much, much larger scale.

"So? Do you want to-?"

The pink beam of energy hits him right in the face

Click to shrink...

Yeah, nothing he does is going to make her like him.

I'm guessing she got pissed because he thought that she'd just leave him and his psycho buddies to do what they want, or that that it took him this long to realize that he fucked up.

 

[Khornelius]

Sorry, it just clicked for me, that this Invincible isn't necessarily homosexual. But rather bisexual, if I'm remembering right, he's pined for both Eve and William. Right?

 

[Old Knife]

How many dead invincibles are there now?
Thong?

 

[ForeverShogo]

He's not the gay Invincible at all, the others were just calling him that because he brought Paul with him as backup.

Beyond that . . . Have to admit, I don't really think a lot of this Mark's attitude in this update really fits what we saw of him in canon.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

6th March 2025
21: 35 GMT

Anissa tightens her grip on my left arm slightly as the recording of me stabbing my epée into the eye of the Invincible who attacked the Teen Team plays on the screen in front of us. Not to the point of fracturing it. Not even to the point of being painful, really. Just an nonverbal indication that she thinks that what she's seeing is notable. It's… Nice, that she's bothered to learn how to do that. That she's bothered to put what she's learned into practice.

Click to shrink...

Though I suspect when she's... Distracted, that goes out the window. And if that's enough to warm the cockles of her heart, I can't imagine how she'll feel when she sees the portal kill in ultra-slow-motion...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

"Could you do that without the sword?"

Could I?

Click to shrink...

With a construct? He'd have to reach a whole new level of comprehension to make something that durable.

I theory, I could make a construct capable of piercing viltrumite skin… But I think that's beyond my current ability. "Maybe in a few years?"

She makes a quiet 'hm' noise as that Invincible finally dies, but she doesn't pull away. She doesn't appear to be as irritated by it as she would have been when we first met. Contemplative Anissa is a new thing. But clear communication is good for a relationship, so…

Click to shrink...

She probably won't stop pulverising your pelvis in bed, though.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"I was thinking about the story you told me, about the shapeshifting alien in the hospital."

Click to shrink...

That's not a Doctor Who reference is it? Then again, that was probably referencing something even older.

I nod. The Sector General series is the oldest I remember my parents reading to me, though it wasn't until I reread it as an adult that I encountered that story. The central claim -which the martians demonstrate to be false in reality- is that a shapeshifting species won't learn to build tools until they encounter tool-using aliens, as their physiology encourages them to alter themselves instead. You don't learn to dig ants out of an anthill using a stick if you can shapeshift your arm into being longer and ant-proof.

Click to shrink...

Interesting. Sounds like 'ER' in space. Surprised stuff like this hasn't gotten picked up, these days. Too obscure, maybe...

"What about it?"

She turns her heard towards me, prompting me to do the same. "You were making the point that viltrumites don't bother to learn things that other species do, because we don't need them."

Click to shrink...

Wonder where she's going with this? Perhaps a desire to learn martial arts?

I make a small frown. "I thought you understood that when I-."

She rolls her eyes. "Of course I understood it when you told it to me. What I did not appreciate is that we don't think to learn things that we might actually need. I have never heard of anything like Angstrom Levy's portals, and until I saw what they did to Maah-Akh I thought of your blades as amusing tools. Either of them make you a threat to viltrumites."

Click to shrink...

Heh. Never underestimate the ingenuity of 'lesser' beings, after all.

"Is that a problem?"

She leans forwards and kisses me. Voluntarily. On her own initiative. "It is as it should be."

Click to shrink...

Wow, she's come a long way! Surprised he didn't have a moment of 'Wait, is this really her?'

"It's a bit of a relief to hear you say that. I've been a bit worried that I might end up like the rognarr if I got too dangerous."

"You could have hidden your swords."

Click to shrink...

Exterminated due to their potential threat? Goes to show how strong they were for the viltrumites to consider them that dangerous.

"I've been a bit worried that I might end up like the rognarr anyway. I thought that showing that I was at least somewhat dangerous was the most sensible course of action."

Her eyes narrow as she returns them to the screen. "How strong were those Maah-Akhs?"

Click to shrink...

Dangerous, but not too dangerous? A fine line to walk.

"The one native to that world was a little stronger than ours. The other were-."

The doorbell rings, and Anissa give me an interrogative look.

"Were about as strong." Scan. "It's Invincible and Atom Eve."

Click to shrink...

Better than any doorbell cam, eh? Though I'd be worried for anyone trying to attack them in their home anyway.

She blatantly decides not to groan, and releases my arm so that I can fly over the settee and towards the door. I'm not.. sure what Invincible would want. He seemed happy enough when we got back, and it's not like we didn't have as much time to talk as much as he wanted while we were waiting to deliver the sheep.

Click to shrink...

I mean... You have a construct with interdimensional portal technology. It must be related to that.

I pull open the door with a smile. "Invincible. Atom Eve. Good evening."

Eve's expression is… Somewhat blank, which is about normal. For her and me, actually. Invincible looks… A little awkward. Nervous? That's… Not something I'm used to seeing from him.

Click to shrink...

Huh. Wonder if he's had a breakthrough involving his and Eve's relationship? One he hasn't let her in on yet, maybe.

"Ah, hey. I… I need to have a private conversation with… You and Eve. Like, in orbit?"

This isn't like him at all.

Click to shrink...

Huh. Wonder if he's debating a little trip or something?

"Certainly..?" I turn back inside the house. "Anissa, Invincible needs to borrow me for a little while!"

"I've paused the recording! Don't make me wait too long!"

Click to shrink...

In other words, she wants to cuddle while watching bloody victories.

Invincible looks a little awkward. "Was I..? Were we interrupting..?"

I step through the front door and close it behind me. "Nothing that won't keep. Shall we?"

Click to shrink...

Oh, he's getting his pelvis broken tonight, I just know it.

I fly upwards at high speed, Invincible and Eve just behind me. Eve generates armour around herself as we go. She told me that she finds it easier to maintain her air supply if it's contained within a physical barrier rather than just free floating around her. And the fact that she likes to have a solid barrier between her and Invincible… I can understand it.

Click to shrink...

Plus she can adjust the shape of the armour to be more aerodynamic. The human body isn't exactly streamlined.

I keep going until we reach near-pure vacuum, the curve of the world clearly visible below us. As the other two reach my level I project a near-opaque bubble shield around us and fill it with breathable air. Invincible takes a breath with a smile, and a moment later Eve dismisses her armour.

Click to shrink...

That's one way to avoid eavesdropping.

And the Invincible stops smiling. Stops looking relaxed and starts looking… Uncomfortable.

"Lantern, you can open a portal to any parallel Earth, right?"

Click to shrink...

Hmm... What's he planning?

"I haven't mapped any, but I can have Angstrom open one to any Earth he's previously been to, or a new one."

He nods. "Eve… You can-. Go. If you want."

Click to shrink...

Ah. Giving her an out... If she wants to take it.

Huh?

A quick glance at Eve suggests that she doesn't know where this has come from either.

Click to shrink...

I'm guessing this is borne out of seeing Mark-prime and Eve-prime together. How a healthy relationship should work between them. And he's realised theirs comes up short.

Invincible sighs. "I got talking with the other Invincible. The one who's Earth we were on. I wanted to know how we were different. Turns out it wasn't just Mom dying. Dad… He wanted to make sure that I didn't get too attached to the G.D.A., even when he was working for them as a superhero. So he made sure I knew about all the underhanded and.. evil stuff they got up to. That all governments do. He didn't say it at the time, but looking back he was obviously trying to prepare me to want to overthrow them and help the Viltrumite Empire take over. For that In-. For that Mark, the whole… Take-over thing came out of nowhere, so of course he said 'no'. For me it wasn't, and Cecil getting Mom killed… It just cemented the whole thing for me. I only-."

Click to shrink...

...I suppose that explains why he was so willing to side with his father, even before the loss of friends and family..

He takes a moment.

"I only wanted to overthrow the governments. I didn't.. realise how hard people would fight, even if they.. couldn't win. And I didn't realise how long it would take for us to actually bring the…" He looks at me for a moment.

Click to shrink...

It's easy to share that determined focus when you've got such a clear and present outside danger. Humanity is, at its heart, great as 'Us versus Them' situations.

"Transition team?"

"Yeah, transition team, over here to start improving things. And I just… Dad was my… Anchor through the whole thing, and I…" He closes his eyes for a moment. "I get I started acting… Different. I didn't… I didn't know how to.. handle it, so I just started copying Dad… I didn't think it would keep going as long as it did. And I can't.. undo it, or.. change it…" He faces Eve. "But I can get you out of here. Or… He can."

Click to shrink...

The question is, how will she see this offer? A chance at freedom? Or being given a way to run away from something she's come to consider her duty?

I don't think she knows where this is coming from any more than I do, but this display of openness and honestly is enough to provoke her in restoring her naturally harsh facial expression. "What?" And tone of voice.

"I think-. I was trying to make.. things like how I think they should be. But that's-. Dumb. I can't. Things are.. what they are, and-. We aren't going to happen. But I do… Care about you, and offering you a portal to another Earth is the most I can do."

Click to shrink...

Taking the romantic loss and focusing solely on his own job, eh? The problem is how Eve will respond.

He makes a helpless shrugging gesture with his right arm.

"So? Do you want to-?"

The pink beam of energy hits him right in the face!

Click to shrink...

Got to love the ambiguity of the cliffhanger.

Given what we've seen of her thought processes, I don't think she'll take the offer, the chance to 'cut and run', so to speak. She's too invested in her place as a counter-balance to him and Nolan. And probably a little bit of romantic interest that may have crystallised into actual feelings with this little revelation. We'll know for sure once she starts talking...

 

[Darko]

He's not the gay Invincible at all, the others were just calling him that because he brought Paul with him as backup.

Beyond that . . . Have to admit, I don't really think a lot of this Mark's attitude in this update really fits what we saw of him in canon.

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We only saw this version for a few minutes in canon.

 

[Darko]

Exterminated due to their potential threat? Goes to show how strong they were for the viltrumites to consider them that dangerous.

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They blocked off sunlight from their world and they froze.

They're still alive though.

I'm guessing this is borne out of seeing Mark-prime and Eve-prime together. How a healthy relationship should work between them. And he's realised theirs comes up short

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"Short" isn't the word I'd use.

Nonexistent is more accurate.

. And probably a little bit of romantic interest that may have crystallised into actual feelings with this little revelation

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Doubt it.

Any romantic feelings she may have had died the moment he killed her friends and snapped her neck.

 

[ForeverShogo]

And? Nothing about Mister Practice-Snapping-Necks-On-Protestors-Until-I-Master-Doing-It-Non-Lethally comes close to suggesting he was just trying to copy his Dad or was overwhelmed by it all.

 

[Rebu]

He's not the gay Invincible at all, the others were just calling him that because he brought Paul with him as backup.

Beyond that . . . Have to admit, I don't really think a lot of this Mark's attitude in this update really fits what we saw of him in canon.

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That version didn't have Paul on his shoulder, influencing him for the better.

To be fair, this could still just be a manipulative sob story.