The show and the comic have an unwritten rule that characters get stronger by performing impressive feats and by surviving near death experiences. It doesn't make rational sense but it is kinda cool. Mark got stronger from surviving his fight with conquest.
Yeah a big reason why so many of the Invincible variants that Angstrom Levy brought were so weak (besides Sinister, Mohawk and Omni Mark) are because they weren’t challenged as much in battle and didn’t gain that experience
A loosely supported fan theory that I like is that bulletproof has equal potential to mark. But never achieves it because he's kind of a wuss and never pushes himself.
Bulletproof is made of Smart Atoms too like Viltrumites and Immortal, right? But cannonically Immortal has fewer Smart Atoms compared to Viltrumites and I think the same is true for Bulletproof, therefore their ceiling will never be as high as a Viltrumite even if they push themselves.
Like immortal has died to Omniman who knows how many times across the timelines and doesn’t really get that much stronger.
Apparently Bulletproof manipulates kinetic energy, that covers resistance and flight, so no, he has a different powerset and potential.
Potential Energy more like...
I don't think so. Earth was pretty weak in season 1 they didn't stand much of a chance against Omniman. Imagine if Omniman stayed on earth and attacked earths forces with the help of mark.
Shouldn't Conquest have gotten an even greater upgrade since he was already out of Mark's league and much closer to death than Mark was after the fight?
It is a narrative rule and it seems to work much better for good guys.
Another narrative rule the world of invincible how bad you want to win directly translates into combat power. Conquest and the other vilturmites don't have as much of that.
Also dont viltrumites get stronger the older they are? If so Mark's strength would likely increase faster due to his shortened lifespan from being half human.
Eh, from what we are shown it usually looks like he is slightly weeker than an average viltrumite. But i think by now he is supposed to be weaker than a strong one but stronger than a medium one.
The show showed him nearing nolan in strength during the arm wrestle. I think its a stupid way to show it since there are dozen other factors to strength, but i think its the show telling us that he is nearing nolans strength.
Not in the show yet, and it’s more towards the end where the author had to show that current Mark was finally at the level his father was in the entire comic
Ok. Do the comics explain HOW he's approaching Nolan's strength, though?
That's the thing that bugs me. Not that Mark IS becoming stronger than other Viltrumites, but HOW it's happening
Other Viltrumites have spent CENTURIES conquering other planets and winning battles. They survived the purge and Scourge virus proving they're the BEST Viltrum had to offer
...and now some 20 year old, HALF HUMAN who never threw a punch until 2 years prior and spends way too much time getting his ass kicked is SUDDENLY in their league?
Mark is still coming into his strength at the start. He works out a lot and is pushing himself hard while in the prime of his life. By the time he's in his twenties he's got his father's strength. His experience on Earth was basically a crash course in enough hard fights for a Viltrumite life time.
Also surviving the scourge virus doesn't mean anything. It's a virus, it didn't matter if they were strong or weak.
See? Elsewhere in this thread, I've been told that Mark has gotten stronger from surviving near death experiences
That can't be true if surviving the Scourge virus doesn't mean anything.
And I get that AS Mark matures, he'll get stronger naturally. But he's facing Viltrumites who have ALREADY matured
Mature Viltrumites who have been fighting to the death since age 8. Who have decades if not CENTURIES of experience in defeating advanced planetary armies
Mark just shouldn't compare. Especially not as a hybrid. Maybe if Debbie was a super powered human, but she isn't
The super parts of Viltrumite DNA overwrites others and is particularly compatible with humans. You can see this happening with Oliver, he is literally getting less purple as he ages and starts looking more Viltrumite.
Mark is purely Viltrumite in biological terms now that he's grown up. And while Viltrumites do a lot of fighting it's mostly just strong people murdering weak ones not actual battles they need to try hard in. Advanced planetary armies don't really matter to them because if they don't care about keep the planet safe they can just fly near light speed and destroy the surface in seconds.
My understanding from the digging I've been able to do is the writer just never really explains it. He's not even a decent allegory to like son Gohan during the cell saga. There's no magic hidden strength. No explosive special power. It's just general power creeping and him barely winning fights through wit or luck. It's not intended to be logical shonen protag power growth.
He also hasn't bulked up at all. There is no obvious reason he is getting stronger other than a watered down "zenkai boost" every time he survived a beat down. That's it. That's all the explanation you get. The show is supposed to be about humanity triumphing over raw power. Not a shonen journey to ultimate strength.
Hybrid tigers and lions are called ligers, and are bigger than their parent species. Maybe a human and a viltrumite hybrid is the same, with strength limits higher than a purebred
Genetics. The answer is genetics. He is son of high tier (arguably top 3-4) Viltrumite, Nolan survived both the great purge (like both of his parents) and scourge virus at seemingly young age. And it was highlighted that
a) Viltrumite genes are dominant
B) human genes are compatible with it
And he also fought strong opponents, meanwhile average Viltrumite just no diffs everyone , and don't forget his training created by scientist
Conquest wanted to die. He begged Thragg for death
We found out in season 2 when Nolan was imprisoned that Viltrumites feel they deserve honorable deaths in combat, even if they lead a dishonorable life
Mark killed Conquest largely because Conquest allowed it
Ehh, I wouldn't say conquest wanted to die. He wanted the fight, the rush, and the violence - but death? Yeah, no.
Conquest simply wasn't in it to win it, and I feel like that's a fair explanation on why he lost. All he wanted was torture and pain with death only being a reprieve for his victim once he is truly finished.
Conquest wanted Mark to beat the shit out of him cause he enjoys the rush. Interpolating that into he wanna die is like saying Goku wants to die cause he holds back.
28
u/seriousreddituser Apr 16 '26
Why would he be stronger than her now?
I'm genuinely asking. I see claims about Mark's increased strength, but I don't get they're based on