The animated series Invincible is the story of Mark Grayson, the superhero Invincible, and his journey from a regular teenager to one of the most powerful people in the galaxy. But he's only a part of a larger tableau of characters from the original comic books, including the Teen Team.
The Teen Team plays an instrumental role in both the series and in the original Invincible comics. Comic book fans know their presence as a unit may diminish over time, but their legacy, especially in characters like Atom Eve and Robot, lasts throughout the entire 144 issue run of the comic.
Based On The Teen Titans
Invincible builds off a lot of superhero tropes, like Mark's father Nolan Grayson, Omni-Man, being a stand-in for Superman. The Teen Team is an obvious play on the Teen Titans, the popular teenage superhero team from DC Comics that includes characters like Starfire and Nightwing. Though the other key Invincible team, Guardians of the Globe, is more obviously built directly off the Justice League of America, the Teen Team doesn't feature members based on particular DC characters.
Meeting Invincible
Comic book readers meet the Teen Team much the same way viewers of the animated series do. Mark Grayson first encounters them after he gains his superpowers and goes to intervene in a crime. As he does, he meets the team, already on the case.
Mark is surprised at the existence of the team, which consists of Robot, Atom Eve, Rex-Splode, and Dupli-Kate. Like with his father Omni-Man, and the Guardians of the Globe, Mark doesn't become a full member of the team, but a trusted associate.
Fighting The Mauler Twins
Invincible joins the Teen Team in fighting the Mauler Twins, a pair of giant blue-skinned men who outwardly seem Hulk-like and therefore maybe a bit brutish. They're actually both incredibly intelligent, being the clones of a brilliant scientist.
In their first battle with the Teen Team, the twins are stealing various video game parts to build a powerful robot army. In the animated series, the twins are depicted as green, giving them a somewhat Hulk-like appearance.
Disbanding
The Teen Team is only on the scene in the comics for a short time before they disband. Though the team is very well established, operating out of a hidden base in the support pillar of a bridge and working together for a number of years, they break up not long after Mark Grayson first meets them.
This is mostly due to the fallout of Atom Eve leaving the group after realizing her boyfriend Rex-Splode is cheating on her with Dupli-Kate. Another factor in the decision is Robot's accepting membership in the Guardians of the Globe. That team is murdered before he can join up, though.
Robot
Robot founded the Teen Team, though the circumstances are a mystery. Also mysterious is the exact nature of the automaton. Robot is initially thought to be an advanced artificial intelligence, but later, it's revealed that he is in fact the robotic avatar of a teenager named Rudy Collins. Due to a medical condition, Rudy had to live inside a sealed containment unit and his only means of interacting with the outside world was through his remarkable creation, Robot.
Atom Eve
Samantha Eve Wilkins, Atom Eve, is one of the most critical members of the team from the comics. She's also the most significant in terms of her impact on Mark Grayson's life. Mark is surprised to find out she's a student at his school after meeting her during the fight with the Mauler twins.
The two become quick friends, and eventually more, even though she is away from the team and Mark for large periods of time. She is one of the most powerful superheroes in the comic, able to manipulate matter into any form she wishes.
Rex-Splode
When comic book readers first meet Atom Eve, she is dating Rex-Splode, a young hero with the ability to destabilize molecules to the point they explode. Rex was born into poverty and his family gave him up to the government in exchange for compensation. Rex grew up as a soldier and living weapon before he eventually escaped the secret government program. He later joined the Teen Team and was also a member of the second iteration of the Guardians of the Globe.
Dupli-Kate
Dupli-Kate does have some connection to classic DC characters. She seems to be an homage to the Wonder Twins since she and her brother Paul have the ability to clone themselves. They can work together to create and reabsorb clones as well. Their powers are a result of an ancient magical curse.
Dupli-Kate joined the new government-sanctioned version of the Guardians of the Globe after the Teen Team disbanded. She eventually starts a relationship with the reincarnated version of The Immortal, and they end up marrying later in the series run.
Becoming The Guardians Of The Globe
Many members of the Teen Team end up as members of the revamped Guardians of the Galaxy. Robot was the first to join since he had been selected before the shocking murder of the team by Omni-Man in his bid to prepare the Earth for invasion by the Viltrumites.
Dupli-Kate and Rex-Splode also end up on the team, performing well enough in their auditions for the government to be selected. The roster changes quite a bit in the comics, however, with few members staying on the team for a long period of time.
Differences With The Animated Series
The Teen Team's core story in the recently completed first season of the Invincible animated series stays pretty close to the source material. Dupli-Kate's affair with Rex-Splode is exposed and the team breaks up. Some of them become the new Guardians of the Globe. A big difference so far is how the team meets.
Their first battle in the animated series plays out completely differently in the comic books. In one of the bigger changes from the Invincible comics, Mark Grayson first encounters the Teen Team while fighting back the alien Flaxan invaders, instead of the Mauler twins.