Conquest's Aftermath

Following the deadly clash that killed Conquest, attention turns to a bleak, stone-strewn world where a gravely injured Mark lingers in a coma. Viltrumite patrols saturate the surrounding space, so Nolan and his younger son cannot leave and must stay hidden until Invincible heals. To honor a soldier who fought for his empire until the very end, Nolan raises a stone grave ringed by pillars shaped like the empire's emblem, a gesture Oliver bitterly rejects given the carnage Conquest brought to Earth.

Stranded on the rocky planet, the pair scavenge to keep Mark alive. Nolan is swallowed whole by an enormous centipede-like beast before tearing his way out, and Oliver uses its fluids to nourish his brother, refusing to eat himself until his father insists. Training sessions turn raw when Oliver confronts Nolan over having called his Thraxan mother a mistake, asking whether he too was one; convinced his father cannot truly love anyone, the boy flies off. Realizing Mark needs richer food to mend, the two raid a cave for eggs and battle the creature guarding them, and Oliver stops Nolan from killing it so they keep a lasting food source. That shared effort begins to thaw the tension. Nolan finally speaks honestly about Oliver's mother, admitting he had lied to spare Debbie further grief, explaining how the Thraxans reshaped his outlook on life, and offering a genuine apology that Oliver slowly starts to accept.

As the weeks pass, the Coalition begins to gain ground, and Nolan believes victory is within reach if more conquered worlds can be rallied. After roughly two months, Mark stirs and wakes, now sporting a full beard that Oliver gleefully points out. The reunion is brief. Nolan reminds them the galaxy remains in peril and that the war never paused while Mark healed. Struggling with having killed Conquest, Mark is told this is simply war and that they are still needed, and the three depart the desolate world bound for Talescria.