What is Shadowverse in Invincible, Explained

The second season of Prime Video’s ‘Invincible’ adds a bunch of new characters to its universe. The scope of its universe is increased by the revelation of alternate realities that intertwine with each other with the arrival of a new villain. These worlds are similar to the world that the main story takes place in, and yet, things couldn’t have been any more different there. Mark, aka Invincible, experiences one such world in the second episode while fighting Darkwing II. While Invincible might be one of the, if not the, strongest people in his universe, he quickly realizes that Shadowverse is not the place he wants to get stuck in. SPOILERS AHEAD

Shadowverse is Another Dimension in the World of Invincible

The first episode of ‘Invincible’ opens with an alternate reality where Invincible is convinced by Omni-Man to join him in his villainous plan to take over planet Earth. The original Mark isn’t aware of that and countless other realities yet, but he gets a taste of being in another universe when Darkwing II, previously known as Night Boy, throws him into it.

Not much is known about Shadowverse as of yet, but it’s clear that this place is in a state of perpetual darkness, much like Midnight City, but much worse and on a much grander scale. The total darkness makes it impossible to see anything, even if it’s right next to you. Despite all his powers, Invincible struggles to get a hold of himself, but Darkwing uses the dark to his advantage. What makes Darkwing II even more dangerous and powerful is that he seems to be the only one who can access Shadowverse. He can come and go out of there of his will. He can take someone and leave them there, with no way for them to get out. He planned to do this with Invincible, but it didn’t work out.

According to the Invincible comics, it is one of Darkwing’s powers to access the Shadowverse dimension. It is easier for him to go there in Midnight City, which is in a state of perpetual darkness because the Shadowverse can only be accessed through shadows and dark spots around him. It is another world entirely, and different kinds of creatures live there. Invincible isn’t able to see them, but they can be heard growling in the distance. Darkwing II calls them “dark and hungry things.”

The nature of the place and how dangerous it can get there can also be estimated from the fact that Darkwing II himself doesn’t like to spend any extra second than he needs to be there. Even though he has the ability to come and go there of his will, he finds it better not to overdo his stay and goes back before something in the dark catches up with him. Still, it makes for a great advantage for him in a fight, especially when he is fighting someone as powerful as Invincible. He can throw them in Shadowverse forever, and they’d never be able to come out.

The connection between Nightwing II and Shadowverse is unexplained, but it is special in its own right because it doesn’t necessarily mean that Nightwing II can travel to other worlds as well. In the show, Angstrom Levy has exhibited this ability. All of his variants in other universes have the ability to travel across alternate universes, which is how he plans to defeat Omni-Man and save all the worlds that have been destroyed by him. Moreover, the manner in which they travel is also very different. Angstrom uses portals to travel to other universes, while Nightwing II only has to look for a shadow or a dark place to access that other world.

Darkwing II and Shadowverse Are Critical to Invincible’s Future Plotline

The true potential of Shadowverse is still kept in the dark, but considering that Darkwing II and the alternate universe he has access to play an important part in the events of the future, we will surely see them again. With the introduction of alternate realities, the second season of Prime Video seems to be leading toward the Invincible War. In the comics, it is brought to an end when Darkwing II fights alongside the good guys and takes the Evil Invincible to the Shadowverse.

The scene in the show, with Darkwing II taking Invincible to Shadowverse and threatening to leave him there is meant to show how easy it would be for Darkwing II to do the same thing to Evil Invincible when the time comes. While Darkwing II brings back the good Invincible because he, too, is scared of being in Shadowverse for too long, he doesn’t do so with Evil Invincible. The stakes are much higher at the time, and Darkwing II chooses to sacrifice himself to save the world from the wrath of Evil Invincible. So, he stays there and doesn’t return. At least not for a very long time.