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I’ll be honest, I often have a hard time rooting for the love interests in superhero media. So many of them have bland personalities and feel like empty plot points… I’m looking at you, MJ (not MCU MJ, though, she’s great). As such, I find Amber Bennett in Invincible to be such a refreshing example of a girlfriend done right.
Her relationship with Mark Grayson (whose alter ego is the titular Invincible) develops so naturally and is actually entertaining to watch. Their ups and downs happen organically without just being manufactured drama for the sake of it. We don’t see the stupid miscommunication trope that plagues so much of today’s media, instead, issues arise due to Mark’s deliberate lack of any communication whatsoever.
In a show that has so many high-stakes events, Amber helps bring a more grounded approach. Obviously, I’m invested in Mark’s superhero goings-on, but I love seeing his high school life, too. It makes him feel more relatable as a character, so watching him struggle to keep Amber happy definitely adds much-needed human elements to his personality.
Amber is one of my favorite characters in Invincible, so I’m excited to share more about her throughout this article. Let’s get stuck in!
Who Is Amber in Invincible?
Amber Bennett goes to school with Mark Grayson, and they spend some time in a relationship, although they break up a couple of times. Amber is a proud feminist who works hard at school and doesn’t tolerate disrespect. She doesn’t have powers, but she’s aware that Mark is Invincible.
What Does Amber Look Like?
Amber’s got a really cool vibe going on with bold clothing choices and a confident hairstyle to match. Amber is a black woman with a desaturated brown hue to her skin. Her hair is medium-length dark-brown and she pushes it behind her head so it flares out at the back. It’s voluminous and she wears a hair clip on the top to help hold it in place.
With her clothes, Amber tends to go for strong and vibrant secondary colors like green and orange. You get the sense that she doesn’t particularly care about fashion and that she just chooses clothes she likes the look/ feel of. She always chooses practical tops like t-shirts and jackets and doesn’t tend to wear more aesthetic options like dresses. For pants, she often plays it safe with jeans, but she’ll go for less common colors like bright white.
Even though her fashion choices are pretty low-key, she accessorizes with jewelry. Gold is her go-to color, and she wears a thick gold bracelet around her wrist. She also has a thinner silver bangle that she wears above it. She wears silver rings on her middle and ring finger, but the one on her middle finger has an orange jewel set into it. Around her neck is a triangular gold pendant, and she also wears a long white rod necklace. She has triangular earrings that match her pendant, and silver studs on her helix piercing.
What Are Amber’s Powers?
One of the cool things about the world of Invincible is the balance it strikes between superpowered individuals and regular people. Whilst many of the predominant characters have special abilities, there are also plenty who don’t. Amber falls into the latter category.
Despite not having superhuman powers, Amber is very driven. She’s implied to be particularly smart, and we see her putting a lot of effort into her schooling. She’s thinking seriously about college, and she also takes the time to educate herself on the political climate. So although she doesn’t have powers as such, she definitely has above-average intelligence.
What’s Amber’s Personality like?
As a proud feminist myself, I adore Amber’s girl-power attitude. Despite being an ‘ordinary’ individual in an extraordinary world, she makes sure to still have an impact. Amber takes it upon herself to stay abreast of the issues of the day, and she refuses to settle for anything less than the respect that she deserves.
We see this time and again through her relationship with Mark. We’re so used to the superhero trope of the damsel in distress waiting around for the hero to save the day. And even with strong female characters like Lois Lane, she still cuts Superman a lot of slack when he wastes her time. But not Amber. She doesn’t hesitate to call out Mark when he’s late for a date or he lies to her. It’s quite a rare take for a superhero show, and I love to see it.
She’s also quite forward in her approach to people. When she’s harassed at school, she doesn’t meekly accept it, instead telling off the bully. She’s also the one to initiate things with Mark after she realizes she likes him. That balance of confidence and sensitivity makes Amber a really likable side character, and an excellent example of how to write a strong woman without her becoming a caricature.
Is Amber a Hero?
What do you define a hero as? No, seriously, I’m asking. Because depending on what your definition is, Amber may or may not fall into the category. If you think of a typical comic book superhero, then no, she isn’t. She doesn’t fly around in a costume defeating all the villains and saving the day. That’s Mark’s job.
But I think that on a more human level, Amber could be considered heroic. Sure, it’s on a micro level, but she’s an undeniably good person, and at its core, I think that’s what heroism is about. Amber always tries to do the right thing, and she has a strong moral compass. Intentions matter almost as much as actions, after all.
However, intentions should be backed up with actions where possible, and Amber delivers on that front as well. She’s involved with various forms of activism and tries to keep up to date on notable causes. She also looks out for the vulnerable people in her local community. Amber helps out with the soup kitchen, keeping the homeless population fed.
She might not be a hero in the traditional sense, but if you were to ask the homeless people she feeds, I’m sure they’d say that she’s as much a hero as a superhero group like the Teen Team is.
Who Are Amber’s Important Relationships?
Amber lives at home with her parents (presumably), but neither of them is ever introduced in the show. Still, she never discusses a divorce or visiting them separately, so we can safely assume that they’re still together. We can presume that she has a relatively healthy relationship with them seeing as conflict doesn’t come up.
She also has a friendship with Atom Eve, who Amber knows by the civilian name of Samantha. The two aren’t besties or anything, but they’re friendly, and they’ll sometimes talk about deeper issues. Amber discusses her relationship with Mark on occasion, and Eve is usually able to help rationalize the situation. Eve is also Amber’s second choice to help out at the soup kitchen after it becomes apparent that Mark won’t be coming.
During the college trip that Amber and Mark take in episode 6, You Look Kinda Dead, Amber connects with Mark’s best friend William. The two had already been acquaintances, but they form a closer connection throughout the trip, and they hit it off really well. From that time onwards, the two appear to be friends rather than just acquaintances.
Of course, the most important relationship that Amber has on the show is with Invincible himself, Mark Grayson. The two start dating after he stands up to the bully Todd, and she’s impressed by his fortitude. Their relationship is rather tumultuous due to Mark always being late for things, which she perceives as him not caring about her. However, regardless of the bumps in the road, the two always seem to find their way back to each other.
Amber’s Appearances in Invincible
Amber appears in the following episodes of Invincible:
- 1×01 – It’s About Time
- 1×02 – Here Goes Nothing
- 1×03 – Who You Calling Ugly
- 1×04 – Neil Armstrong, Eat Your Heart Out
- 1×05 – That Actually Hurt
- 1×06 – You Look Kinda Dead
- 1×07 – We Need To Talk
- 1×08 – Where I Really Come From
Because of her relationship with Mark, Amber’s one of the very few characters to appear in every single episode. She doesn’t feature prominently in all of them, but she appears in at least one scene of every episode. This gives the audience time to really get to know her. She’s such a familiar face, and the series would feel different without her in it.
This guide only covers her appearances in season 1, but I’m really hoping that we’ll see more of her in season 2.
Amber’s Significance to the Plot
Amber’s main function as a character is to drive forward Mark’s story and flesh him out by giving him a romantic relationship. However, she’s more than just an extension of Mark, and I love that she’s not afraid to stand her ground. Instead of just being ‘Mark’s girlfriend’, she’s ‘Amber Bennett, Mark’s girlfriend’, a subtle but important difference. The writers ensure to give her a strong personality so that she can force Mark to grow.
Amber is the one who helps Mark understand that his actions have consequences and that being a superhero isn’t all fun and games. Dedicating himself to the community requires personal sacrifice, which he discovers whilst trying to develop his relationship with Amber. He has to strike a balance between spending time with the girl he likes, and saving the day fighting the bad guys.
He also learns the value of honesty, since a lot of his troubles could be avoided if he were to just tell Amber the truth. Indeed, when Mark finally does come clean to Amber, her qualms aren’t about his actual superhero activity, but instead about him having lied to her for so long.
She also provides Mark with a much-needed emotional outlet. His home life is so unusual compared to most kids. Most of his classmates would’ve had dads who were accountants or electricians, or some other normal job. They certainly wouldn’t have had a Viltrumite living under their roof, flying off to battle entire alien races, and then flying back in time for summer.
Even though Mark keeps the superhero stuff a secret from Amber for the majority of their relationship, he still relies on her for moral support, which she’s more than happy to give.
I also feel like Amber offers the audience a window into what we’d be like in the Invincible universe. Most of us may wish we had superpowers, but the reality is, we’re just everyday individuals. The closest we could hope for is being platonically/ romantically involved with a superhero. That’s where Amber comes in, and we get to see her living an ordinary human life. It’s a refreshingly stark contrast to the action we see in the rest of the show.
Who Plays Amber in Invincible?
Amber is played by Zazie Beets, which is hands down one of the coolest names I’ve ever heard in my life. Her first official acting credit wasn’t until 2013, but she’s been involved in several titles since then including some pretty big movies.
Zazie is German-American and was born on June 1st, 1991. She was born in Berlin but moved to the US aged 8 where she continued to live and remains at present. She’s bilingual, speaking both German and English, which only adds further versatility to her acting abilities. However, she struggled with her mixed-race identity growing up, something I personally can relate to being mixed-race myself. I think it’s great when celebrities open up about these kinds of struggles, as it can be a huge conflict in one’s identity.
She was named after the eponymous character in the novel Zazie in the Metro, pronouncing the name in the same manner as the 1960 film with the same title. She also apparently loves languages, because as well as being fluent in German and English, she also has a degree in French. This no doubt came in handy during the year she spent living in Paris.
Aside from Invincible, some notable credits from her acting career include:
- Deadpool 2
- Joker
- Bullet Train
- Easy
- Black Mirror
- Atlanta
Amber in the Comics
The most glaring difference between the show and the comics is the visual one. In the comics, Amber is a blue-eyed, blonde-haired white girl. Whereas in the show version of Invincible, she’s a black woman. The show’s creator actually addresses that and admits that it was a deliberate choice to add more diversity. He explains that when he created the comic in 2003, he wasn’t as aware of the importance of diverse representation, so he wanted to remedy that when bringing Amber to life on the screen.
However, beyond her appearance, Amber also has different interests in the show. In the comics, Amber is your typical all-American girl, the kind of love interest you’d expect to see in any teen drama. She and Mark are high school sweethearts, and they have a great run until they ultimately break up after a while of going to separate colleges.
Amber doesn’t really concern herself with the world at large. Whereas Amber in the show is what Robert Kirkman describes as ‘justice forward’, and she makes an effort to educate herself on the issues.
There are plenty of similarities too, though. Just like in the show, Amber in the comics starts dating Mark but quickly becomes concerned that he’s constantly disappearing. She doesn’t appreciate being left hanging all the time, and she starts to speculate as to why he’s never around. She even worries that he may be a drug dealer.
After they’re both attacked one time at college (in a scenario very similar to the attack which occurs in episode 6 of Invincible), Mark goes off to fight the enemy as Invincible, but from Amber’s perspective, she’s been left to die. She very nearly breaks up with him because of it, so he confides in her the truth.
She’s thrilled to know that he’s not a drug dealer after all, and she appreciates him trusting her enough to admit that he’s Invincible. Whereas in the show, Amber’s unhappy even after she finds out the truth because he’d still lied to her for all that time.
Conclusion
I love strong female characters in superhero shows, and Amber definitely delivers. She’s smart, she’s determined, and she’s brave in a more subtle way than the characters with superpowers. There’s so much depth to her and hopefully, this article will have shown you that.
Amber is not only a fantastic character in her own right, but she’s integral to the plot because of what she brings to Mark Grayson’s story. He wouldn’t be the same character without her, and I’m excited to see how their relationship develops going forwards.
If you’ve enjoyed this article, why not check out our other Invincible articles, such as this guide to Titan or this guide to Machine Head?
FAQs
Question: Does Amber know that Mark is Invincible?
Answer: At first, she doesn’t know about Mark’s secret identity, but eventually, he shares the truth with her in an effort to win her trust back after seemingly abandoning her during an attack. However, it’s implied that she knew that he was Invincible even before he explicitly told her.
Question: Will Invincible be getting a season 2?
Answer: Yes! Not only has season 2 been confirmed, but Amazon has also promised a season 3, and they’ve assured viewers that the wait between seasons 2 and 3 won’t be as long as the wait between seasons 1 and 2. Season 2 doesn’t have a specific release date yet, but audiences can expect it in late 2023.
Question: Why do Amber and Mark break up?
Answer: Amber warns Mark repeatedly throughout their relationship that she won’t tolerate being disrespected, and eventually, she becomes fed up with him always ignoring her and being late for things. However, he comes clean to her about being Invincible and promises to be more available, so they get back together.