Round two of Mark Grayson vs Conquest was just as bloody and gruesome as Invincible had hoped for. Maybe a little too brutal for some people.
During the last ten minutes of season 4, episode 5 Give Us a Moment, Mark wraps his hands around Conquest’s neck in a death grip and refuses to let go until the older Viltrumite stops breathing. Even when Conquest slams his hand through Mark’s stomach and pulls his intestines out, Mark still won’t let go until after Conquest’s eye rolls in the back of his head.
(Warning: this is NOT safe for work, especially once you hit the 2:22 min mark. It’s also really gross).
But wait a minute, Viltrumites are basically indestructible. How was Mark able to strangle one of their strongest warriors to death?
Tough skin is not the same as needing to breathe
The body of a Viltrumite is extraordinary. They can shrug off attacks that would kill most beings instantly. They have accelerated healing. They can even survive in space.
What made Nolan so terrifying back in season 1 was that nothing the heroes of Earth threw at him could slow him down. Even half-Viltrumite hybrids like his sons Mark and Oliver have survived getting pummeled into buildings, mountains, nearly getting their head squished, etc. Mark’s body was famously used by Nolan to decimate a subway train full of passengers by just standing in its path.
But none of those feats change the fact that even an alien’s brain still needs oxygen. Suffocation cuts off the body’s supply of oxygen by preventing air from reaching the lungs by restricting the airways (in this case, Conquest’s neck). When this process is interrupted, the damage is severe and even permanent.
You see, the brain is very sensitive to oxygen deprivation as it uses roughly 20% of the body’s oxygen supply. It needs a continuous supply of oxygenated blood. Without it, the neurons can’t metabolize glucose into energy, which stops them from sending signals to the brain and they begin to decompose.
The longer the brain goes without oxygen, nerve cell bodies are damaged until it becomes irreversible. After one minute, the brain cells lose their ability to function and start dying. Once the brain cells die, they can’t repair themselves. Three minutes in and the neurons are affected which increases the risk of permanent brain injury. Brain cells begin to die in large numbers after five minutes. And brain activity stops once you go ten minutes and over without oxygen.
This is NOT THE SAME as holding your breath. The latter is a voluntary decision where you’re in complete control. You still have air in your lungs as your body uses the remaining oxygen. The worst that can happen is that you pass out, but even then you’ll start breathing once you lose consciousness. What makes suffocation different is that you have an object blocking your airway. Conquest had no control over his own body.
That would explain why Conquest’s healing factor stopped working. When Mark got his hands on Conquest he immediately cut off the brain’s access to oxygen. The lack of oxygenated air forced Conquest’s brain to stop functioning, completely overriding his healing abilities.
How suffocation compares to other Viltrumite weaknesses
Internal trauma can have a similar effect. Viltrumites have extraordinarily durable skin, but their insides are not. Damage to organs can still be catastrophic, which we saw with Mark at the end of Give Us a Moment.
The Scourge Virus is a completely different beast since it’s designed to attack Viltrumite biology from within, undermining their strength. Exposure to extreme temperatures (particularly intense heat) will break down a Viltrumite’s “smart atoms” and slow down their healing factor.
Suffocation isn’t the only way to hurt a Viltrumite. But compared to their other known vulnerabilities, it’s the most effective.
Mark took Conquest off guard
This isn’t addressed in the show, but in the comics Mark actually takes Conquest by surprise.
In both mediums, Conquest goes after Oliver as the young boy flies to the nearest planet for air. Before he could lay his hands on Oliver, Mark slammed into him which is how he got his hands around the Viltrumite’s neck. We see Conquest exhale or after he hits the ground from the impact of Mark’s attack.
Either way, the fact that Conquest was so focused on Oliver he failed to sense Mark approaching him proved to be a fatal mistake. Conquest’s desperation showed how close he came to death’s door. He even tried to pull a “if I go down, you’re coming with me” and it wasn’t enough.
Mark was also stronger than the last time these two fought. Viltrumites don’t just heal when they recover from injury, they become slightly more durable each time. Every brutal fight, every near-death, on top of training plus saving the world on a daily basis. Mark’s growth allowed him to catch up to Conquest strength-wise following their first encounter back in season 3.
There is something almost poetic about how Mark wins this fight. He doesn’t discover a new power or whip out some fancy move. The choke hold is a simple attack. He holds on while enduring pain that most people couldn’t imagine surviving. It’s a reminder that even the strongest beings have their limits.
