Invincible: 7 Best Changes To The Comic Books In Season 1

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Invincible!

Amazon Prime’s Invincibleis an adaptation of the popular Image Comics series, and while the series is mostly accurate to the comic books, season 1 does make a few big changes. However, Invincible‘s biggest changes are all for the better, with the deviations from the source material being used to better the story and world of Invincible. Some changes are more significant than others, but these seven Invincible changes take an already great comic book and make the Amazon Prime show even greater.

Invincible follows a kid named Mark Grayson who soon discovers that he has superpowers, taking up the mantle of Invincible. Unbeknownst to Mark, his father Omni-Man is not the hero Mark thinks he is, with Omni-Man murdering countless innocent civilians and even other superheroes.

Invincible‘s long-awaited season 2 is just around the corner, and with season 1 only covering a fraction of the comic’s story, now is a good time to look back at the show’s biggest changes. So, here are the seven best changes that the Invincible show makes to the comic book series.

Related: Why Invincible Season 2 Is Taking So Long

7 Omni-Man’s Fight With The Guardians Of The Globe

Omni-Man’s fight with The Guardians of the Globe is one of the most iconic parts of Invincible season 1, with the gory bloodbath ending the very first episode. In the comics, Omni-Man doesn’t kill the Guardians of the Globe until issue #7, meaning that readers have to wait a while to see just how horrible Omni-Man is. Omni-Man’s fight with the Guardians works much better in the Invincible show, as having it be episode 1’s post-credits scene acts as a fantastic hook. Omni-Man’s betrayal of the Guardians serves the same purpose in both versions of Invincible, but from a pacing perspective, the TV show’s version works so much better.

The execution of Omni-Man’s fight with the Guardians of the Globe is also different in the TV show. In the Invincible comic, Omni-Man murders all of the Guardians in only a few panels, with the superhero team barely being able to put up a fight. Not only does Omni-Man’s fight with the Guardians last much longer in the show, but it’s also a lot harder for him to actually kill the team. While Omni-Man successfully rips his former team members to shreds, they put up much more of a fight, with the team getting a few hits in on Omni-Man. In the show, Omni-Man is strong, but he is beatable.

6 How Invincible Gets His Name

Another one of the big comic changes in Amazon Prime’s Invincible is how Mark got his superhero name. In the comics, Mark picks his superhero alter-ego after a school bully says that Mark isn’t invincible. In the show, however, Mark’s Invincible name comes from his father, Omni-Man. Omni-Man tells Mark that, unlike other kids, Mark actually is invincible, with Mark first using the name only a few scenes later. The new origin of Mark’s name works a lot better, as having Mark base his entire identity around a school bully is a bit cliché and uninspired.

Mark getting his superhero name from his dad, however, works much better for the story of Invincible. Mark’s entire superhero identity has been based around his idolization of his father, with him only realizing that Omni-Man is a monster in the Invincible season 1 finale. Mark will most likely have to cope with Omni-Man being a villain in Invincible season 2, and having his Invincible identity inextricably tied to his father could be an interesting new angle for the TV show. This is an idea that couldn’t be explored in the comics, with the Amazon Prime show breathing new life into the storyline.

Related: Invincible’s First Costume Teases His Future Replacement

5 Cecil’s Earlier Season 1 Introduction

Cecil Stedman is basically the Nick Fury of the Invincible universe, with the character working alongside Mark and others to take down Omni-Man. In the comics, Cecil doesn’t appear until after Invincible and Omni-Man’s first big fight, with Cecil helping Mark prepare for his father’s return to Earth. In Amazon Prime’s Invincible, however, Cecil first appears in season 1, episode 2, investigating Omni-Man in the background of the show’s main story. Cecil’s earlier involvement in Invincible season 1 allows for Omni-Man’s villainous storyline to be progressed before Mark is aware of his father’s crimes, helping the pacing a ton.

4 Debbie’s Role In The Story

Debbie Grayson is the mother of Mark and the husband of Omni-Man, but unlike the rest of her family, Debbie is just a regular human. In the Invincible comics, Debbie doesn’t play a super big role, with her essentially completely unaware of Omni-Man’s true motivation until pretty late in the story. In the Invincible show, however, Debbie starts to become suspicious of Omni-Man even before Mark. Debbie’s investigation into Omni-Man is an interesting new addition to the Amazon Prime series, with her decision to take on a Viltrumite adding an incredible layer of tension to the story.

3 Donald Ferguson’s Backstory Change

Another big change to Invincible‘s comic storyline is Donald Ferguson’s backstory. In both versions of Invincible, Donald is Cecil’s assistant, although the execution of his story is much different. In the comics, Donald is a cyborg, with the character being a former superhero that uses his abilities to help stop Omni-Man. This cyborg storyline is never hinted at in the Invincible show, with Donald bleeding human blood while being killed by Omni-Man. It’s possible that future Invincible seasons could bring Donald back as a cyborg, but season 1 dropping the entire storyline was a great way to trim down the comic book.

2 Invincible Focuses Less On Side Villains

Amazon Prime’s Invincible continued to trim less necessary aspects of the Invincible comic books by dropping a lot of the series’ side villains. The comics have all kinds of low-level villains appear, with most of them not having any story significance. While some of these villains are introduced in Invincible episode 5, a lot of them are still missing. The side villains make sense in the Invincible comic books, as there are 144 issues worth of story to fill up. However, since Amazon Prime’s Invincible is trying to condense the story a little bit, tossing out these side villains was a good idea.

Related: Invincible: Why Amazon Was Right To Change A Mark Grayson Trait

1 The Invincible Show Is More Diverse

One of the best changes to the Invincible show is how much more diverse it is than the comic books. In the comics, Shrinking Ray and Green Ghost were both men, with the characters being women in the show. The series also race-swaps several key characters, including Amber Bennett and Rex Splode. On top of that, Mark is biracial in the show, with the character’s Asian heritage playing a bigger role. This change is one of the show’s best, as it makes the Invincible series a lot more inclusive than the comics.

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