Amazon's animated Invincible show makes some notable changes to Robert Kirkman's comics, and here are the biggest changes so far. After seeing the success that AMC had with adapting Kirkman's The Walking Dead, Amazon is dipping back into the superhero genre. The company recently found success with the adult, dark, and satirical series The Boys. Now the hope is that an adult-oriented animated series based on Invincible will be similarly successful.
Kirkman's Invincible story concluded in 2018 after 144 issues focused on the life of Mark Grayson after he gained superpowers and became Invincible. Through it all, Kirkman wove an intricate story and universe together. The response to Invincible was overwhelmingly positive and it is often referred to by its fans as one of the best comic series of all-time. This put the animated show in an intriguing position to stay close to the original source material but also allow Kirkman to update the story where he wanted. As is the case with any adaptation, Invincible is not a direct translation of the comics.
The first episodes of Invincible are now available on Amazon Prime Video, which gives fans of the comics a chance to experience the story in a new format. While newcomers might not know it, there are many changes made by Kirkman for the animated series. Here are the biggest changes Amazon's Invincible show makes to the comics.
Omni-Man Killing The Guardians of the Globe
The earliest and biggest surprise the Invincible comics hit readers with was Omni-Man's role. Introduced as a caring father for Mark and the world's greatest superhero, Kirkman waited until the tenth issue of the comic to show Omni-Man murdering the Guardians of the Globe. This was done to weaken Earth's defense in preparation for a Vultrumite takeover. Instead of waiting several episodes to begin teasing Omni-Man's evil intentions, Invincible made this reveal at the end of the first episode. The fight between Omni-Man and the Guardians of the Globe also plays out differently. The show allows the Guardians to put up a decent fight against Omni-Man and injure him enough to put him in the hospital, putting him out of commission for a short while. The comics showed the Guardians were no match for Omni-Man. This change also allows Damien Darkblood and others to link Omni-Man to the attack right away, although he is viewed as a victim primarily.
How Invincible Gets His Name
Invincible makes a minor but potentially important change to how Mark Grayson chooses his superhero name. The comics saw Mark get the idea for the moniker when a school bully told him "you're not invincible" despite the fact that he practically is. For the purposes of the show, Mark is inspired to take on the Invincible name by Omni-Man. Near the end of the first episode, Mark and his father are playing catch in the sky and Nolan begins talking about the unlimited potential of his son's powers. He says, "Kids your age think they're invincible and it holds them back, makes them careless. The thing is, you're different. You actually are invincible." With Mark's superhero name now tied to his relationship with his father, that could have an impact on whether or not Mark wants to remain a hero once he learns the truth about Omni-Man.
How Invincible Meets The Teen Team
Early on in Mark's superhero career he meets and becomes part of the Teen Team, which is comprised of fellow younger heroes Atom Eve, Rex Splode, Dupli-Kate, and Robot. Invincible makes the first encounter with the Teen Team a much bigger deal than the comics. Mark met the group during a late-night patrol not long after he developed his powers. He saw one of the Mauler Twins robbing a building and decided to try and stop him. However, the Teen Team arrived and mostly took care of the villain for Mark. A similar dynamic plays out when they team-up in Invincible, only the threat is much more significant. The show places the first meeting between them during the initial invasion of the Falanx aliens. Mark leaves the fight over the alien invasion early on to try and save the life of an older lady who is badly injured, but the interaction still leads to him and Eve striking up a friendship.
More Guardians of the Globe
Invincible also adds new content and moments to the story that weren't in the comics at all, such as more time with the Guardians of the Globe. The superhero team made their debuts in the source material in a single issue that briefly highlighted each of their lives before Omni-Man killed them. Invincible made a good decision to show more of the heroes right from the start. War Woman, The Immortal, Darkwing, Red Rush, Martian Man, Aquarus, and Green Ghost are featured in the opening battle of the series. They battle the Mauler Twins as they attack the White House. The scene provides a good introduction to the heroes and their powers prior to their deaths at the end of the episode.
Updated Characters
Another change Invincible makes comes with making its characters more diverse and inclusive than the source material. Robert Kirkman started the comic in 2003 and the animated series updates the ethnicities and genders of several characters. Mark's first love interest Amber Bennett is now Black after being a blonde white teenager in the initial source material. Mark, Debbie Grayson, and Rex Splode have also been redesigned to reflect the real-life appearance of their voice actors. Invincible also gender swaps a few characters from males to females, such as Green Ghost and Shrinking Ray.
The Flaxans Invasion
The Flaxans are recurring threats in the comics, but their invasion plans are a much bigger focus in Invincible at the start. The Flaxans initially battle Omni-Man and Mark during one of their first missions together in the comics, which ends with the aliens capturing Omni-Man, who goes on to lead a revolution on their planet. This plays out differently in the series, though, as Omni-Man is stuck in the hospital when they first attack. This leads Mark and the Teen Team to team-up multiple times to stop their invasions. The third invasion attempt sees the Flaxans gain the upper hand before Omni-Man arrives to swing the tide and follows them to their world so he can destroy the civilization.
Fewer Side Villains
A side effect of giving the Flaxans a bigger role is Invincible cutting down on the number of side villains Mark faces early on. Some supporting villains like Kill Canon, Titan, and Doc Seismic still appear in the first episodes, but the show has adopted less of a "villain of the week" structure. Some of these changes may have been made to help streamline the show's story, while others could be the result of Kirkman shifting the timeline of events from the comics. For instance, Mark's teacher and villain David Hiles, who strapped bombs to students, is one of the side villains Mark fought early on. Hiles and other smaller villains could appear later on or have been removed from the story entirely.