r/Invincible • u/mwthecool Omni-Mod • Nov 24 '23

Invincible [Episode Discussion] - S02E04 - It's Been a While EPISODE DISCUSSION

Episode 4 - It's Been a While!

Mark answers the call to save an alien species, but the mission has unexpected personal consequences.

Full cast, crew and characters

Join the r/Invincible Discord server!

Please act appropriately and follow our rules. We ask you to report any comments that are uncivil/malicious or don't belong in the non-comic spoiler thread.

DO NOT post comic book spoilers in this thread - use [the comic spoiler discussion thread](LINK HERE) for discussion using comic book context

Please report comments discussing comic book spoilers in this thread.

2.3k Upvotes
  • permalink
  • link
  • reddit
  • reddit

97% Upvoted

3.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

697

u/quantummufasa Nov 24 '23

I always thought the clone being lesser was a joke.

405

u/TerraSollus Nov 24 '23

I assume it’s more of a “if you clone something it can never be perfect ergo the more you do it the worse it gets” the original mauler probably died decades ago. The Mauler Twins don’t know who the clone is, both of em, so they treat each other roughly equally. If one realizes he’s older then he treats the other as a slave until the younger one gets fed up and kills him. Which I imagine only takes a few days

229

u/PerfectMix877 Nov 24 '23

Aand you answered what happened to the original lol.

90

u/macedonianmoper Nov 24 '23

The original probably did it, then the clone realized the same would happen to him and so he made it so you can't know who the original was, maybe it took a few iteration to get there tho.

11

u/Professional-Cow7023 Nov 24 '23

The Maulers never made it so tthat they wouldn't know. Not knowing just seems to be a consequence of cloning in this universe.

40

u/macedonianmoper Nov 24 '23

Always assumed it was intentional, otherwise you'd know simply because the original was laying on the left bed or something

43

u/Vexho Nov 24 '23

It is intentional, they said in S1 when cloning Rudy that it's important for the clones to be indistinguishable cuz if that's not the case things usually get messy, seems like mutilated Mauler forgot about that bit in the meantime and got bit in the ass for it.

23

u/OtakuAttacku Nov 24 '23

but also I think it's specific to the Mauler's personality. He needs to be superior and the inferior will always conspire to become superior. In Rudy's case it was impossible not to see who lost the coin flip but the original knew this was always gonna be the outcome.

14

u/Vexho Nov 24 '23 edited Nov 24 '23

Yeah it's definitely an integral part of their personality EDIT: during the conversation with Rudy they at least seem aware of this flaw and so they designed the process in a way that would avoid the doom that would follow knowing which one is which

1

u/xRyozuo Jan 10 '24

imo it showed the inherent differences in character between rudy and the maulers. Youre on point about the maulers personality, they need the balance. OG Rudy understood that he wouldnt get to live his second life, that wasnt the point. The point was for his clone to have a life, and it would be him in every way except being able to experience it.

I found it very touching that despite being the same being, the moment the well off clone realised he was the lucky one, he wanted to help preserve the old one out of survivors guilt. Both the maulers and rudy end up killing the old versions but its also so different.

12

u/someguyfromtheuk Nov 24 '23

I assumed the cloning process wipes the last minute or two of their memory so they don't remember lying down and activating the machine.

4

u/macedonianmoper Nov 24 '23

Yeah but that would still leave you with ways to prepare to know you're the real one, like taking a while before setting down, or writing a note, or wearing different clothes, too me it seemed like a way to ensure neither "the original" nor the clone would slack off, in this case "the original" had no way to hide his defects proving himself to be original, which lets him slack off, a sort of Ulysses pact

12

u/Thrallov Nov 24 '23

they don't want to know truth it becomes messy, they willingly delete memories before cloning

3

u/macedonianmoper Nov 24 '23

Exactly, this is why I'm arguing it's an intended consequence, if the Maulers truly wanted to know who the original is all they need is a marker.

6

u/Professional-Cow7023 Nov 24 '23

Apparently I was wrong. Didn't mean to lead you astray.

15

u/Cletus1085 Nov 24 '23

Rewatched the first season recently, and they mention it's intentional, precisely to avoid what happened in today's episode.

4

u/Professional-Cow7023 Nov 24 '23

Damn. I stand corrected. I should re-watch s1.

4

u/red_deed_redemption Nov 24 '23

Pretty sure they did, in season one they say that one of them knowing which the clone is never turns out well