SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Following a two-year hiatus that has left die-hard fans impatient, the release date for season two of Amazon Prime's "Invincible" was revealed during a Friday evening panel at Comic-Con.
Robert Kirkman, the original comic book writer and creator of the show, spearheaded the panel, keeping the conversation with the moderator jovial as trailers, teases and sneak-peeks were shown on the ballroom's big screens.
The adult animated superhero series features acclaimed actors, such as Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons and Sandra Oh. Jam-packed with violence and gore, its bloody nature is only matched by fellow Prime show "The Boys."
Of course — if you're reading this, you already knew all that.
Let's jump into what you really want:
Kirkman's a cheeky guy... OK — I'm serious this time.
MEAT AND POTATOES
Let's cut to the chase: Nov. 3, 2023, is the release date for episode one of "Invincible" season two, streaming on Amazon Prime.
Kirkman is committed to releasing episodes weekly rather than following the common streaming service practice of dropping a full season all at once. From his perspective, the weekly releases help build the community, allowing viewers to digest the latest episode as they eagerly anticipate the next.
Although excitement filled the room when the official premiere date came straight from the creator's mouth, a damper shortly followed the announcement.
Only four episodes will be released in 2023. Following a short break around the holiday season, the rest of season two will pick up in early 2024.
An exact date for the second half of the season (another four episodes) was not disclosed.
Kirkman said that fans will need the holiday time with family following the first half of the season, suggesting heavy-hitting episodes are coming right out of the gate.
During the discussion, the creator said that seasons two and three of the show will be "more Invincibler" than ever (yes, that's a real quote!).
Aside from the logistics for the season's release, the next big reveal was that Sterling K. Brown ("This is Us") will be the voice of Angstrom Levy, Mark Grayson's antagonist who has the ability to travel between dimensions.
Later on in the panel discussion, Kirkman addressed how "Invincible's" multiverse will be different from other superhero worlds. In his story, the interaction between the universes will act more as a "mirror" to one another.
Yes, there are different outcomes and emotions; however, the alternate versions of the characters won't be brought into the main universe, according to Kirkman. The multiverse plot device will act more as a "character study" in this upcoming season, and perhaps later on in the show, too.
One of the storylines that will be covered in season two is the introduction of Midnight City, a metropolis embattled by a curse. One of the teaser clips showed a fight between Invincible and the new Darkwing. At one point, the two ended up in a shadow realm of sorts, and Grayson tapped into his dark side to intimidate the former sidekick.
Kirkman says this storyline is more of a side plot, so don't worry! I didn't spoil too much there.
A main theme for the season is Mark's self-growth, especially because the now disgraced Omni-Man is no longer there to train him. Additionally, Mark will have to grapple with the fact that he is indeed a Viltrumite, just like his old man.
The teaser clip showed the other new voices who will join the show along with Sterling K. Brown, including Peter Cullen (the voice of Optimus Prime) and Tim Robinson, the mastermind behind Netflix's irreverent sketch-comedy series "I Think You Should Leave."
For all of you who thought this day would never come. INVINCIBLE S2 TEASER TRAILER!!! New episodes November 3 on @PrimeVideo. pic.twitter.com/CqKRXIeheR
— INVINCIBLE (@InvincibleHQ) July 22, 2023
Kirkman is a massive "Transformers" fan, so securing Cullen for his cast was a dream come true.
"I never cried so much," he said, describing the excitement of having Optimus Prime's voice in his show.
Although "Invincible" has been a hit for Amazon, there were still actors who turned down Kirkman's request to join the team.
I'll expand on that further in the next section.
FUN FACTS
Comedian Connor O'Malley declined to join the cast of "Invincible" for season two, and Kirkman jokingly encouraged the room of fans to give him a hard time on social media.
A true white whale for the show is Bryan Cranston. Kirkman told the audience that when he asked the "Breaking Bad" star to lend his voice to the production, Cranston politely told him he was "too busy."
"I believe him — he's Bryan Cranston," Kirkman said immediately.
Kirkman said he'll keep ringing Cranston's line — perhaps the familiar, raspy voice of Heisenberg will be on board in the future.
During the Q&A portion of the panel, a fan asked Kirkman if the audience can expect Allen the Alien, voiced by Seth Rogen, to burst out the actor's unmistakable laugh.
This led to a quick story: Kirkman specifically asked Rogen during a voice recording session if he could laugh for them, so they'd have it in the can for when they needed to use it down the line. Rogen quickly shot that down, telling Kirkman that he can't simply laugh on command.
Rogen explained that it's his real laugh, and the only way to get it on tape is, well, to make him laugh. Kirkman balked at the tall task of testing out a tight-five against a comedic genius.
Another fan asked about the process of developing the show and the editorial decisions of cutting out certain plot points from the comics. Kirkman talked about a side mission Mark took on that will never make air: A high school teacher was turning students into bombs.
Kirkman explained that sometimes it's just better to get to the good stuff.
The next part of his answer was exciting though: He is eager to magnify Debbie Grayson's moments in the show, since Sandra Oh is an amazing actor. It's wise for a showrunner to utilize the talent they have on deck. It will be interesting to see how Debbie navigates through losing her husband, who apparently only loved her like a pet.
When asked about his favorite change in bringing the comic to animated form, Kirkman said diversifying the original characters was one of the best decisions he ever made. Previously, the Grayson family was ethnically-ambiguous in the comics. Now, their ethnicity is solidified as Korean.
Additionally, representation was expanded through Mark's girlfriend, Amber — who is Black in the show. Mark's best friend, William, was also gay in the comics; however, his sexuality was hidden, while he is open about it in the show.
"We can't downplay the importance of diversity," Kirkman said to the applauding crowd.
He described the show as the story's "second draft."
OTHER 'INVINCIBLE' MEDIA REVEALS
A one-off Atom Eve special episode was announced during the panel, and it came out later that night. Not only did they show the crowd a teaser from that, but there was also a special screening of the episode at the convention a few hours later. The special episode looks into Eve's complex origin story.
Can’t wait for you to watch… [SMASH TO ATOM EVE TITLE CARD]. Invincible Atom Eve, a special episode, now available on @PrimeVideo. pic.twitter.com/IS9M8apIgK
— INVINCIBLE (@InvincibleHQ) July 22, 2023
New details for two upcoming "Invincible" video games were revealed during the 20th anniversary panel prior to the season two discussion. "Invincible: Guarding the Globe" is a mobile game developed by Ubisoft, allowing players to act as Cecil Stedman's right-hand man as they dispatch superhero teams for various crisis scenarios.
"Invincible Presents: Atom Eve"was the other game showcased. Developed by Skybound Games and available on Steam, players will have full control over Eve's choices — and their moral compass will impact gameplay and battles. The combat is turn-based RPG style.
Finally, Omni-Man will be a playable character in the new, upcoming Mortal Kombat 1 game. Kirkman claimed that Omni-Man would trash Scorpion in a monstrous way, and one of the creators of Mortal Kombat popped out to join the discussion.
"First of all, he's wrong," the video game creator responded.
He later said they had to "tone down" Omni-Man for Mortal Kombat, showing that even the mind behind fatalities can get a little queasy.
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