The “I Thought You Were Stronger” meme has been around for years, but thanks to the Invincible season 2 finale, many are just starting to learn the context of the quote and meme.
Invincible is an animated TV series based on the comics of the same name by Robert Kirkman. The show follows Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) as he discovers he has superpowers and learns the truth of his Viltrumite lineage. After a long wait between seasons, season 2 finally arrived and saw the intensity escalate as Grayson continues dealing with the aftermath of Omni-Man’s (J. K. Simmons) betrayal. It also explores the rise of a new villain, Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown). Those familiar with the comic books likely knew where the show was heading upon learning of Angstrom’s entrance and the season finale’s title, “I Thought You Were Stronger.”
What does “I Thought You Were Stronger” mean?
The “I Thought You Were Stronger” meme has been around since 2022. It features two panels from the Invincible comic book series published in 2006, in which a blood-soaked Mark Grayson looks at his hands in horror and states, “I thought — I thought you were stronger.” Viewers started pairing the panels with captions related to the superhero series The Boys, and it gained traction as a meme. However, those unfamiliar with the comics likely didn’t know the meaning behind the panels until Invincible season 2’s finale.
The final battle in season 2 between Mark and Angstrom plays out almost identical to the comic books. Viewers will recall that Angstrom first made his appearance in season 2, episode 1, “A Lesson for Your Next Life.” In the episode, it is revealed that, with help from the Maulers, Angstrom has built a device that will allow him to gain all the memories and knowledge from every variant of himself across the multiverse. Initially, his intentions are to use his extensive knowledge to help Earth and other planets. However, when Mark disrupts his plans, things go terribly wrong, leaving Angrstrom disfigured and tormented by memories of evil variants of Mark from alternate dimensions.
Angstrom disappears for the majority of season 2, only returning at the very end to get his revenge on Mark by threatening his family. The pair fight as Angstrom transports them to numerous alternate dimensions until Mark gains the upper hand. However, Mark loses control, ultimately killing Angstrom. Once he realizes what he has done, he looks on in horror while quoting the famous comic book line, “I thought you were stronger.” This is the same story from the comics that inspired the meme.
As mentioned above, the comic panels became a meme in 2022 when an X user created one to joke about how The Boys‘ Homelander (Anthony Starr) isn’t actually that strong and could easily be defeated by a number of fictional characters.
After spreading through The Boys fandom, the meme gained widespread popularity as users began using it to refer to any villain or fictional character who is comically weak, and also started recreating the scene with other characters.
Given that not everyone was familiar with the Invincible comics, the finale led to many viewers realizing that that’s where the “I Thought You Were Stronger” meme actually comes from. Now, years after its creation, Invincible has finally brought the meme to life for viewers.
(featured image: Amazon Prime Video)
