Invincible: Top 10 Curiosities You Need to Know About the Animation and Comic!

Launched in 2003 as its first comic, it wasn't until 2021 that Invincible received its TV adaptation, produced by Amazon Prime. With the recent release of its second season, check out 10 curiosities about the series and comics that every fan should know!

1- The Walking Dead and Invincible

Writer Robert Kirkman's first major success was Invincible. At that time, the writer was still independent.

After a brief appearance of the hero in Savage Dragon and an extremely positive reception from readers, the publisher commissioned a complete series, and thus, Kirkman began writing it. Later, he started writing another comic about survivors in a zombie apocalypse, which would become a global phenomenon known as The Walking Dead.

2- Inspirations

The writer clearly drew inspiration from Marvel and DC to create his work. We can easily recognize the similarities between the character Omni-Man, the most bloodthirsty, and DC's Superman. Both are aliens, have super strength, can fly, and incredible speed.

In the first episode of the series, we are introduced to the Global Guardians, a team of superheroes very similar to the Justice League. Later in the series, a Global Defense Agency is introduced, much like Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D, formed by young heroes, alluding to DC's Teen Titans.

3- Crossovers

As the comic was initially published by Image Comics, the character was part of the same universe as other heroes from the publisher, making appearances in Savage Dragon and even in Spawn.

On another occasion, in a story where Invincible is sent to other dimensions, he meets Batman in Gotham. But his main appearance in comics was in Marvel Team-Up, where Invincible joins Spider-Man to defeat Doctor Octopus.

Recently, Omni-Man was added to the game Mortal Kombat 1 as a playable character in one of the DLCs. Check out a snippet of the hero's gameplay in the game!

4- No Ending

Initially, Robert Kirkman did not want to give an end to the comics, leaving the plot for future writers, as is common with Marvel and DC series. After reaching the hundredth issue, he noticed that the direction his story was taking led to an unconscious conclusion, and thus, the comic ended with its final issue at 144.

5- Live-Action

There are plans for the development of the story into a live-action film that will be written, directed, and produced by the same team as the animation. This project has been in Hollywood for some years without materializing, but the hope is that the success of the animation will help propel the film.

6- John Paesano

To capture even more of the distinctive tone and scope of a superhero series, Amazon hired John Paesano to compose the music for the animated series. John was the composer of the soundtrack for Netflix's Daredevil, the soundtrack for the game Marvel’s Spider-Man, initially released for Playstation 4 in 2018, and its spin-off, Miles Morales, released in 2020 for Playstation 5.

7- Cast

Among the voice actors of the original series, we can see several famous actors, such as Steven Yeun, who played Glenn in The Walking Dead series, and here is the protagonist Invincible. Another highlight is the voice actor of Omni-Man, played by the distinctive voice of J.K. Simmons, who acts as J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man movies.

8- Only 14 Years Old

The first 7 issues of Invincible were drawn by Corey Walker, who would later be succeeded by Ryan Ottley. When drawing Invincible and creating the story with Kirkman, Corey was only 14 years old!

9- Contemporary References

In addition to strong references to Marvel and DC comics, Kirkman in his comic also mentioned brands and other facts from the time of the comic's release. In the first issue of the comic, we can see one of Mark's friends wearing a T-shirt with the "RAP" logo, a play on the GAP brand, widely used in the 2000s. The burger joint where Mark works is called Burguer-Mart, indicating a combination of the names Burger King and Wall-Mart.

10- Differences Between the Comic and the Series

There are several changes between the comic itself and the series as listed below:

The origin of the hero's name "Invincible." In the comics, he acquires this name after a fight with a school bully, while in the series, he is influenced by his father.

Encounter with the Teen Team: In the comics, Mark meets the team early in the development of his powers, while on patrol. In contrast, in the series, his first encounter with them is during the initial invasion of the Flaxan aliens.

Ethnicities: In the series, the character Amber Bennett is a young black woman, while in the comics, she was the opposite, a white and blonde girl.

Finishing

Excited for the possible future Live-Action film of Invincible? Are you following the second season that is currently airing on Amazon Prime? In addition to Invincible, stay informed about Top 10 curiosities about the Gen V series!