Invasion Season 3 Reboots as One Last Global Mission — New “Apex” Aliens Drawn From Jellyfish and Deep‑Sea Life

The third season of Invasion opens with the aliens’ interdimensional mothership destroyed, then jumps forward two years before the extraterrestrials return — and the show’s global cast finally joins forces for a single, mission-style story. Ahead of the premiere, series co-creator Simon Kinberg described how the season was planned, how new “apex” aliens were designed, and why Apple’s global production approach helped the series expand its scope.

Plot setup: a destroyed mothership, a two-year time jump, then a renewed invasion that forces characters to unite.
Story structure: creators aimed for a mission-driven season with space for character work.
Alien design: new apex aliens were developed from hundreds of concepts, inspired by real animals and underwater movement.
Production context: Kinberg cited Apple TV Plus’s budget and global reach as helpful for large-scale sci-fi.
Release: season 3 airs weekly on Friday on Apple TV Plus; Episode 1 is streaming now.

Season 3’s setup and structure

The season begins with the aliens’ mothership destroyed, which initially suggests the invasion is over. However, after a two-year time jump, the extraterrestrial threat returns and characters from different countries converge on a single mission. As a result, the show shifts from parallel stories to a more united, mission-driven plot.

Simon Kinberg said: “This season forces the characters to work together,” series co-creator Simon Kinberg tells Polygon. “If they can’t, they’ll fail. And if they fail, humanity might fail with them.” He also explained that he wanted the season to have the forward momentum of a mission movie like Saving Private Ryan, while still keeping room for character development.

Life after the first invasion

Before the aliens come back, the season shows what the world looks like in a period of normalcy, with social and psychological aftereffects visible. Kinberg said he included a time cut partly to show that post-invasion reality, and that the show intentionally reflected elements of the global COVID experience: societies returning to routines but carrying remnants of trauma.

Designing the new “apex” aliens

Season 3 introduces what the writers call “apex” aliens, a more advanced, sentient species behind the earlier hunters. Kinberg described the design process as extensive.

He said: “It was one of the most involved design processes I’ve ever been a part of.”

According to Kinberg, the team went through hundreds of renderings and concepts, including ideas based on “amoebas, jellyfish, insects, blowfish, sub-Saharan animals.” The designs emphasized movement, translucency, and negative space, and were meant to feel both predator-like and mesmerizing. Kinberg added: “I wanted them to be scary predators, but also beautiful, ethereal, almost mesmerizing. I wanted moments where you could even sympathize with them.”

He credited Eric Henry as the VFX supervisor who led the visual-effects work. In addition, Kinberg noted that the team studied underwater life to capture a flowing, gravity-defying motion and used translucency and lighting to make the creatures feel less like suits and more like living organisms.

Apple TV Plus and production scope

Kinberg discussed Apple’s role as a studio for large-scale science fiction. He said: “From my experience, yes. I’m a huge fan of Foundation, Silo, and Severance. Apple gives you the budget you need to make these shows at scale, so they feel cinematic. Science fiction either needs to be high-concept, like Black Mirror or Severance, or big in scope. Apple supports that.” He added that Apple’s global perspective allowed the show to shoot across many countries and to aim at international audiences.