Who is Darkwing II in Invincible Season 3? Origins and powers explored

Mark Grayson experienced the shock of his life in the second half of Invincible Season 3 Episode 1, "You're Not Laughing Now." While rescuing the heroes from Doc Seismic, Mark learns that Cecil's been working with both Darkwing II and D.A. Sinclair as he deploys Sinclair's Reanimen and the violent vigilante to help Mark save the heroes and apprehend Seismic.

Mark is irate at the GDA director Cecil, as both Sinclair and Darkwing II are violent criminals. Invincible/Mark points out how Sinclair harmed Will's boyfriend Rick in the first season and traumatized him to this day. He also demands that Darkwing II be brought to justice for committing murders. But Cecil instead traps Mark and almost harms him.

All this builds to the moment in Invincible Season 3 Episode 2, where Mark finally quits, and the Guardians also break up over Cecil employing supervillains and actual murderers. Despite that, fans are still looking forward to learning more about Darkwing II, the current protector of Midnight City.

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Who is Darkwing II from Invincible Season 3?

Before learning about Darkwing II it is imperative to look at his predecessor Darkwing, who we meet in Invincible Season 1 Episode 1 "It's About Time". Stylistically, Darkwing looks very similar to DC's Batman, including the gray costume, black cape, and a cowl. The only difference between him and The Dark Knight is the ears on the cowl.

After his mentor's death, Benjamin Taylor/Nightboy, the sidekick of the original Darkwing from Season 1, took over his mentor's superhero mantle. Referred to as Darkwing II, this new version of the dark-brooding vigilante shares little with his predecessor. while the previous Darkwing had a no-killing rule like Batman, the new one's go-to option is to murder the criminals of Midnight City.

We meet him for the first time in Invincible Season 2 Episode 2, where Cecil sends Mark to the crime-ridden Midnight City to capture Darkwing II. After a brief tussle, Mark can knock out the vigilante after saving a random criminal that the caped character would've murdered. After that, Mark drops off this Darkwing to Cecil, and that's the last we see of the vigilante's previous season.

However, in the first episode of Invincible Season 3, Doc Seismic escapes captivity and abducts superheroes with the assistance of some underground creatures. After Mark and Atom Eve fail to stop the evil Doc Seismic, Darkwing II and D.A. Sinclair's Reanimen are employed to help the heroes and detain Seismic. Mark is angry with Cecil because he is unaware of Sinclair or Darkwing II's involvement.

Darkwing II does express regret for his actions in the premiere episode of Invincible Season 3. When Mark warns the Other Guardians about the second Darkwing's past, he owns up to his murderous actions, saying:

“He’s right. I did terrible things. But that was before, but I’m better now, thanks to Cecil.”

One interesting thing about this Darkwing is his one power, which differentiates him from his predecessor.

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Darkwing II from Invincible Season 3's power explained:

Similar to the first one, Darkwing II is an expert hand-to-hand combatant. However, he does possess one unique power that makes him different from his mentor. He can access the Shadowverse and trap his opponent in this dark void of a realm. We see Mark getting trapped in the Shadowverse in episode 2 of season 2.

However, this realm scares even Darkwing II when the hostage Invincible holds the former's hand, and they start hearing the noises of some unfriendly creatures. Unnerved, Darkwing II finally relents and frees them from that dark realm.

Apart from accessing the Shadowverse, he can also hear events inside it, which helps heroes learn about potential looming threats. Also worth noting is that his strength is increased by the exoskeleton suit he wears.

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Catch Darkwing II on the episodes of Invincible Season 3 on Prime Video Every Thursday till March 13, 2025.