Directed by Paco Caballero, Invisible is a story about a boy who, because of certain disturbing things that happen in his life, thinks that he has superpowers. After the above-mentioned line, the narrative (based on Eloy Moreno’s novel) might sound simple, but believe me, it is much more layered and detailed than anybody could imagine. The way the writer has described what happens inside the mind of a person who is bullied, abused, or who lives in perpetual fear, is beyond exceptional. Invisible is a series that everybody needs to watch, no matter what phase of life you are in. So, let’s find out what exactly happened in Invisible’s ending through a detailed recap of the finale.
Spoiler Alert
Did Capi have superpowers?
Since the beginning of the series, we saw that Capi had told his therapist that he had certain superpowers, though he very honestly admitted that he had not learned to use them till then. On further investigation, the therapist came to know that Capi was heavily influenced by comic books, and he had made this entire world up inside his mind, which he felt was real. Capi felt that he had the power to be “Invisible.” Obviously, Capi didn’t have any superpowers, and it was all in his mind. This subplot is symbolic of what happens to a kid who goes through abuse, bullying, and other such traumas on a regular basis. Capi felt helpless; he knew that no matter what people said, he couldn’t stand up against his bullies. He knew that it would just take one moment of courage for things to be different from thereon. But Capi wasn’t able to take a stand. He was so petrified of MM, Jairo, and Nacho that every time they came in front of him, he got paralyzed. Somewhere deep down, he expected his friends to help him out and stand alongside him. But even they weren’t able to help their friend. We have to remember that they were kids too. They were also dealing with their own traumas. They also had fears and inhibitions. The desire to be accepted by the popular gang of the school, to be validated, resided in them, too. They felt embarrassed for not being able to help their friend, but they made peace with the fact and learned to turn a blind eye to what was happening or at least not let it register in their mind. So, what does a kid who is abused every day, who lives in fear, and who is incapable of finding any ally do?
Capi created an imaginary world for himself, one in which he was the Wasp Man. One time, when MM and his friends forced Capi to destroy a wasp’s nest, he got bit by wasps, and he fell unconscious to the ground. When he woke up after some time, he made himself believe that, just like Spider-Man, he too would get superpowers. But nothing of that sort happened. He still got bullied on a regular basis, and as a matter of fact, it got worse. Capi stopped attending school, and even when he did attend, he went and sat quietly so that nobody noticed. The poor kid realized that his life was better when nobody acknowledged his presence. He started to realize that that was his superpower, being invisible to others. When the therapist asked him to use his superpowers in front of him, he told him that he hadn’t learnt to control them and use them at his will. The therapist understood that comics, that fantasy world, and those superpowers he talked about were Capi’s coping mechanisms. All Capi wanted to do was escape. Those comics served as a portal for him, which he could use to enter into a reality that was much better than his current one. He felt at peace with all the superheroes. He felt at peace in a world where justice was served and where good always defeats evil.
Who assaulted Capi?
From the first episode of Invisible, we’d seen that Capi had been admitted to the hospital as he had been severely injured. It was quite evident that he’d been beaten and tortured by his own classmates. The school administration was being criticized by the media, and an investigation was underway to find out which students had abused Capi. Capi didn’t say a word to anybody. He didn’t name the people who hurt him. Capi’s parents also realized with time that they didn’t know anything about their son. They didn’t know that he had scars on his back, probably because he had been abused in the past, too. They also were unaware of a video going viral, where MM and his friends were making fun of and abusing Capi. The parents finally saw all that their son had endured. Ana, Capi’s mother, broke down as she had not been there for her son. She blamed herself for whatever happened to the poor boy. Now, Capi sees these ghosts/monsters, and in his dreams, he always finds himself in a tunnel, where he is chased by a dragon. At first, it felt like the dragon was there to hurt him. But with time, we realized that the dragon was his protector. Capi had the ability to portray the people in his real life as characters in his fantasy world. Capi’s imagination was very strong, and that was evident through the kind of detailed sketches he made. So the bullies became ghosts, and his literature teacher, the one who was always there to protect him, became the dragon.
During Invisible’s twisted ending, we got to know that even though MM and his gang had abused and assaulted Capi in the past, that one time they were not responsible for what happened to him. Capi was desperate to find an escape route. He was desperate to find his powers and give a befitting reply to his abusers. In his mind, he was very clear about the fact that he wouldn’t be able to face his abusers until and unless he had some supernatural powers. He saw himself as Peter Parker, who was mocked and abused and who didn’t have the courage to raise his voice until he was bitten by a spider. So Capi went into that same tunnel where he had his secret room, and he stood on the tracks waiting for the train to arrive. He felt that his powers would make him invisible and the train would pass through him. At the very last moment, Capi hallucinated once again, and he saw his little sister standing near the tracks. Something changed inside Capi, and just a split second before the train came, he jumped off the track. Though he still got hit on his cheek, he was lucky enough that he survived. For days, Capi was in the hospital, and the ghost of his past never left his side. Capi felt a paralyzing fear at times, and he just couldn’t seem to overcome his feelings.
Did MM make a confession?
The school wanted to save its reputation, and MM’s parents were trying to save their son, so the interrogation committee reached a decision that, due to lack of evidence, nobody was to be held guilty. But then we witnessed MM having a change of heart. Now, I have to say that if Invisible hadn’t been so maturely written and if it had catered to the sensibilities of the masses, then Capi would have been abused, and MM would have been the villain/abuser. It was quite easy to put them under those brackets and pass judgment on their character. But that’s not how Invisible dealt with the characters. MM had a backstory. He was also a victim once, and he made sure that with time, he turned the odds in his favor. Often, while fighting those we hate, we become like them in the end. MM must have realized that the only way to tackle the situation he was in was to become a bully. Life was much more comfortable if you were on the other side. MM came from a dysfunctional family. One time, when he was very young, his parents were fighting in the car, and his father got distracted and lost control of the vehicle. MM had gotten severely injured in that accident, and he had undergone surgery after that. MM had a huge surgical scar on his chest, and his entire childhood, before he joined high school, his classmates had bullied him because of it. MM turned his weakness into his strength and became exactly like those who tortured him.
In Invisible’s ending, after MM and his friends chased Capi, he fell into a dry well, and their professor caught him. The literature professor had also endured a lot in the past. She also had scars on her back, which made us realize that she, too, had been tortured and abused. That was the reason why she could see through the intentions of her students. Even when nobody did anything in front of her, she saw how MM and his gang picked on Capi. So, the professor caught MM, and that’s when the boy broke down. He told his teacher that he didn’t like who he had become. He told her that he didn’t want to be a bully and that he knew he was wrong. The professor left MM alone as she realized that he, too, was a victim and whatever he was doing was just a coping mechanism. At the end of the series, when the school committee declared that they were not holding anybody guilty, MM got up from his seat all of a sudden. His father tried to make him stop, but MM had made up his mind. He stood up and said that he was the one who was responsible for what had happened to Capi. MM knew that he might not have pushed him in front of the train, but he was responsible for pushing him to him breaking point where the poor boy literally felt miserable and desperate. MM knew that Capi wanted an escape because he was petrified of what would happen to him the next time he went to class. As soon as MM stood up, other students also got up and confessed that they were guilty, too. Kiri knew that she should have spoken out against MM and his gang, while Zaro realized that he should have been there for his friend and not turned a blind eye to the situation.
Invisible teaches us a very important lesson. It tells us that not speaking against abuse, keeping it within you, and secluding yourself does not help anybody’s cause. And the situation is not only true about the bullying that happens in school, but also that which takes place in every phase of life. I understand that a person stuck in that situation feels helpless. They feel embarrassed due to various reasons that shouldn’t matter at all. We all know families who try to conceal whatever is happening at their home just so that their reputation does not get tarnished in front of society. For young boys and girls, they want to look cool and be a part of that happening gang. Everybody loves validation, but we should understand the cost of getting it. Zaro got validation from MM and his friends, but for that, he had to ignore what his conscience told him, and in the end, he got burdened with guilt. In the end, as Capi’s therapist said, it was a victory in itself for those who didn’t become like the ones who bullied him. It was important to understand that the bully and the one being bullied, specifically in Capi’s case, were both victims of their circumstances. Invisible made us realize how important it is for an institution, school, or college to have the resources and correct people to deal with such issues. Had Capi not had his guardian angel and his professor, then I don’t think he would have been able to survive that long. Had he not had a therapist like the one he did, I don’t think anybody could have ever understood what he was going through. As I said earlier, Invisible is a series that needs to be watched by everyone, and I am pretty sure that it will surely impact you in ways that you wouldn’t have imagined.
