The following contains spoilers for the Invincible comics as well as Invincible season 3 episode 7, "What Have I Done?," now streaming on Prime VideoInvincible's characters have struggled openly with this divide, which eventually splintered the hero community.

While Mary Grayson believed firmly that villains needed to be imprisoned for their actions, Cecil argued for their potential as agents in the field. Both sides had genuine points and moral arguments, as wel as hypocritical moments of their own that undercut their arguments. It's not an issue the season really offers a conclusive anwser on, although the positive character growth of several characters underscores the importance of giving redemption a chance. This is never truer than in Invincible season 3 episode 7, where one villain's redemptive arc proves Cecil was right.

Darkwing Redeems Himself During Invincible Season 3's Invincible War

Darkwing Goes Out Like A Hero

Darkwing has been a core element of Invincible season 3's exploration of redemption, with his heroic sacrifice during "What Have I Done?" proving Cecil's point over Mark. Formely a sidekick to one of the heroes Omni-Man killed in Invincible's first episode, the current Darkwing proved himself a dangerous threat in season 2 during a brief fight with Mark Grayson. However, despite being detailed by for by Invincible murder, Cecil made Darkwing an active superhero in season 3. This was a key factor in Mark (and subsequently several other heroes) breaking away from Cecil, while Darkwing replaced them in the Guardians.

Darkwing II was introduced in season 2's "In About Six Hours, I Lose My Virginity to a Fish," and has played a recurring minor role as a member of the Guardians of the Globe throughout season 3.

This proved to be a crucial decision in Invincible season 3's penultimate episode. As part of a global assault by a group of villainous Invincible variants, one version directly attacked the Guardians in their headquarters. The team was severely injured in the ensuing battle. The only reason this evil Invincible didn't get the chance to finish the job was Darkwing, who used his ability to travel through a shadow dimension to drag them both away from the Guardians. Darkwing hasn't returned, but his sacrifice ensured that the rest of the team survived long enough to recover and regroup.

Darkwing's Sacrifice Proves Cecil Was 100% Right About Reforming Former Villains

Without Darkwing, A Lot More People Would Have Died

A big thematic question of season 3 has been the possibility of redemption. Mark broke off from Cecil out of anger over his decision to utilize criminals as agents, something that Cecil also resisted in his youth. While some of the villains under Cecil's employ haven't shown any regret for their past actions, Darkwing openly want to be a hero. While Mark is skeptical of him, the Guardians accept this — and only survive the Invincible War because of that choice. On a pragmatic level, Cecil has always had a point about powerful villains being useful in the field.

Cecil was right to put faith in Darkwing.

Despite this, Mark didn't care. While teaching Oliver the importance of restraint, Invincible refused to offer the same grace to Darkwing. If Mark had his way earlier in the season, the Guardians would be dead and Darkwing unredeemed. Given a chance, Darkwing proved true to his word by bringing down one of the evil versions of Invincible laying waste to the world. Cecil was right to put faith in Darkwing. Seeing his potential was an important first step that helped turn a potentially dangerous threat into someone willing to make a heroic choice in a dire situation.

Will Darkwing Return In Invincible Season 4?

Darkwing Will Return — But Probably Not For A While

Darkwing's disappearance into his shadow dimension remains an unresolved plot beat for a while in the comics. As in the animated adaptation, the other heroes believe that his absence is the result of being killed by the villainous Invincible. However, due to the nature of his powers, this trapped the evil Invincible in the dimension with monstrous entities that contain or kill him. In the comics, Darkwing's exact fate remained a mystery until #144. In the final issue of the Invincible comic, Darkwing finally escaped the shadow dimension after years of being lost within that realm.

This makes it unlikely that Darkwing will appear in season 4 of Invincible. While there have been some changes to the source material, the show has been largely faithful in adapting the original comic. Bringing the character back could potentially give him more importance in the overarching storyline (similar to how Rex Splode and Shrinking Rae's romance was invented for the show), Darkwing's return could end up being another long-lingering punchline for the inevitable series finale. Still, Darkwing's last heroic action in Invincible season 3 underscores a major thematic element of the character's role in the show.