Why Did Omni-Man Kill Superheroes in 'Invincible'?

The Amazon Prime Video series 'Invincible' rearranges events from the comic books. Omni-Man's brutal killings come out of nowhere. But why?

The Gist:

• Despite coming across as a good man, Omni-Man is evil and his actions against the Guardians prove this.
• Omni-Man killed the Guardians as he feared they were a threat to the Viltrumites.

Article continues below advertisement

Warning: Possible spoilers ahead for Amazon's Invincible.

From the creator of The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman brings his series Invincible, based on the Skybound / Image comic of the same name by Robert, Ryan Ottley, and Cory Walker, to Amazon Prime. The adult animated superhero show centers around 17-year-old Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun), who’s pretty much like every other boy his age, except that his father, Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons), is the most powerful superhero on the planet.

However, as Mark forms powers of his own, he learns that his dad’s legacy may not be as heroic as it appears to be. Throughout the premiere, Omni-Man is portrayed to viewers as a powerful god-like symbol who cares greatly for his family. Nolan Grayson, Omni-Man's alter-ego, comes across as a good man, even though he’s a bit grumpy and uncooperative at times, but it’s not true at all. Despite all the good he’s done during his tenure as a superhero, it’s all a front. Is Omni-Man evil?

Article continues below advertisement

Why did Omni-Man kill all the superheroes in Episode 1 of 'Invincible'?

In Robert's Invincible comic book series, Omni-Man doesn't kill everyone in the very beginning. It comes much later on, unlike in the television series where the superhero murders every member of the Guardians of the Globe in a bloody battle for no apparent reason. In an interview with TheWrap about the premiere cliffhanger, Robert revealed why he moved up the killing event in his animated show.

Article continues below advertisement

He shared, "By having it move up, we do get an extra sense of like, 'Oh my gosh, Debbie [Omni-Man's wife, voiced by Sandra Oh] has no clue what's going on with her husband. And how is she going to find out, if she finds out or when she finds out?' It should build a lot of tension in the series and should be something that keeps you guessing episode to episode." Viewers who aren't familiar with the comic series are definitely wondering why Omni-Man killed off everyone.

Article continues below advertisement

It seems that the brutal killings came out of nowhere, and that's precisely how Robert wanted it to be. When he discussed the massacre during the interview, he told them, "There should be a little bit of mystery to that. Why did he do it? Was he being controlled? Is this something that he was aware that he was doing at the time? What purpose could killing these heroes actually serve? These are all questions that you should be asking yourself."

He also added, "And there's little glimpses of a different kind of Nolan that we see that might make you possibly worry, like, 'Oh man, maybe he did do this deliberately.' That's all there by design." 

Omni-Man says that a mysterious stranger is responsible for the brutal attack, which left him as the lone survivor.  Everyone accepts his story, except Detective Damian Darkblood (Clancy Brown), an investigator from hell who senses that his story doesn’t quite add up.

Article continues below advertisement

Is Omni-Man evil in the animated series 'Invincible'?

It may seem like Omni-Man is a courageous hero to viewers, but he’s really not. Yes, he has done some good things, but he is putting on an entire front. Omni-Man wasn’t sent to Earth to help and oversee so people could evolve. He is here to conquer it. Omni-Man calls all the Guardians and lures them to a remote location so he could kill them. He beats every single last hero in his path.  

Article continues below advertisement

Omni-Man wasn’t brainwashed or possessed when he killed the Guardians. Instead, as the season developed, it became clearer to viewers that Omni-Man killed those heroes of his own will. The question remains why Omni-Man, the strongest superhero in the world, would turn on his fellow superheroes and kill them all in such a brutal fashion. The overall consensus suggests this: Omni-Man killed the Guardians as he feared they were a threat to the Viltrumites.

Season 1 of Invincible is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Invincible Season 2 premiered on Nov. 3, 2023, with the first four episodes dropping weekly. The remainder four episodes of Season 2 are scheduled to release in early 2024, per Esquire.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pbXSramam6Ses7p6wqikaKhfrLW6ecOim2annaO2brnAp2SkoZyheqbCxKuwqKaV