Summary
The biggest surprise reveal regardingInvinciblecharacter Omni-Man was originally meant to take place further down the line. In the final issue of the beloved superhero comic,Invinciblewriter Robert Kirkmangets frank about when he wanted to reveal the truth regarding Mark Grayson’s father and how it could have been disastrous for the series.
At the end ofInvincible #144, Robert Kirkman pens a final letter column to readers. Kirkman reflects on the journey he’s been through and thanks his numerous collaborators. Kirkman also gets candid and reveals at a certain point, he was certain the book was going to get canceled by issue #13.
Kirkman later thanks Jim Valentino and reveals he told Valentino aboutKirkman’s original plan to have Omni-Man kill the Guardians of the Globe in issue #25. Valentino urged Kirkman to have the murders happen earlier, something Kirkman believed helped the series make it to issue #25 and beyond.
InvincibleCould Have Been Canceled Before Omni-Man’s Biggest Surprise Moment
Invinciblestarts off as a fairly straightforward superhero tale. After years of waiting, Mark finally starts developing powers like his heroic father Nolan, aka Omni-Man. Unbeknownst to Mark, Nolan has come to Earth not to be its champion, but to bring it into the Viltrum Empire. Believing that it was time to resume his mission,Omni-Man turned on his allies, the Guardians of the Globe, and killed them so they wouldn’t threaten his mission. It’s a powerful moment thatflips the story on its head and sets many ofInvincible’sevents in motion.
In the letter column, Kirkman is frank about howInvinciblewas performing at the beginning of its run and admits that the series saw a bump around issue #12 (which featuredInvincibleand Omni-Man’s brutal fight). But that bump would not have happened had Kirkman stuck to his original plan to reveal Nolan’s treachery in issue #25. Kirkman greatly credits Jim Valentino for pushing Robert to have the Guardians' murder take place as early as issue #5. While Kirkman wound up putting the deaths in issue #7, Valentino’s advice paid off andultimately savedInvinciblefrom an early cancelation.
Omni-Man’s Surprise Betrayal Was the Secret to Invincible’s Success
While there’s something to be said for a shock reveal that takes place after readers get to know a character, Omni-Man’s decision to murder the Guardians when he did came at the perfect time. It elevated the stakes considerably, changed everything fans knew about Mark and his father, and helped give the series its unique identity. Kirkman is the first to admit that his instinct to hold back on Omni-Man’s big reveal was wrong because if he hadn’t, there’s a good chanceInvinciblewould have died before it got a chance to live.
Invincible
Invincible is a multimedia franchise that began with the graphic novel series by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley. The series follows Mark Grayson, the son of Earth’s strongest hero, Omni-Man, as he enters into his powers at the cusp of adulthood. A television adaptation began in 2021 and retells the core story of the comics while fleshing it out and expanding on characters and concepts introduced in the medium.
