In the second half of “You Were My Hero,” Allen (Seth Rogen) and Mark’s dad Nolan/Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) finally escape the Viltrumite prison they’ve been held in. Nolan reveals a key secret that gives Allen’s bosses, the Coalition of Planets, a leg-up against the seemingly unstoppable Viltrum empire: there are less than 50 pure-blooded Viltrumites left.
Even better, two of them are on the heroes’ side: Nolan, and the Coalition’s leader Thaedus (Peter Cullen, aka Optimus Prime). They may be good guys now, but you can still tell they’re Viltrumites by their mustaches. Thaedus’ defection and the Viltrumites’ meager numbers are related: Thaedus, convinced his people had to be stopped no matter the cost, developed a “Scourge Virus” to wipe them out. The remaining 0.01% of Viltrumites had natural immunity.
In “Invincible” #88, Mark is accidentally exposed to the Scourge Virus, putting him in a coma and then leaving him with no powers. While he’s recovering, superhero Bulletproof (played in the show by Jay Pharoah) steps up to fill in as Invincible until Mark returns in #98. (Bulletproof-as-Invincible began in 2012, a year after Miles Morales debuted as Spider-Man, and the arc feels like Kirkman responding to that by introducing a Black successor to his own very Spidey-esque superhero.)
How does Mark survive? His Viltrumite genes are especially strong because he’s secretly part of the royal Viltrum bloodline. When the characters learn this, they realize this also makes Nolan the rightful Viltrumite emperor.
At the end of “Invincible,” Mark steps up to take his father’s throne, leaving Earth behind with Eve (voiced by Gillian Jacobs in the series) and their daughter, Terra. This functionally immortal family reforms the Viltrumites from an empire into a force for good and justice; Viltrumite uniforms go from white/white-and-red to blue-and-yellow in honor of Mark. The very last page of “Invincible,” set far in the future, features a “middle-aged” Mark remembering the question his father asked him long ago: “What will you have after 500 years?!”
At Mark’s suggestion, the Immortal steps up to lead the Global Defense Agency (GDA) and keep the peace on Earth. That eventually spirals into him becoming the brutal king and is what he refers to when he says Mark abandoned him. “Invincible” has changed some details from the comics, but the big picture is still the same. So heed the Immortal’s words, because they are almost certainly a sign of how this animated retelling will go.
“Invincible” is streaming on Prime Video.
