They’re not all… Invincible.

By Sabastian Astley

Published: Friday, 22 December 2023 at 13:38 PM


Based on the comic book of the same name, the animated series follows Mark Grayson, the son of mighty hero Omni-Man, as he develops his own superpowers.

Season 2 picks up where the shocking season 1 finale left off and marks the return of the show’s star-studded voice cast, including Steven Yeun, JK Simmons, Sandra Oh and others.

The initial run has seen Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) attempting to make amends following the massacre he involuntarily caused as he battled his father, Nolan, aka Omni-Man (JK Simmons), in Chicago.

With a number of new characters being teased by creator Robert Kirkman to appear over the next two seasons alongside the cavalcade introduced in season 1 – here’s everything you need to know about the cast of Invincible, including why those voices sound so familiar.

Invincible cast and characters

The full cast for Invincible is as follows:

Steven Yeun is Mark Grayson / Invincible

Steven Yeun plays Mark Grayson
Steven Yeun plays Mark Grayson
Prime

Who is Mark Grayson? Mark is of course, the titular Invincible himself, the 17-year-old son of Debbie and Nolan Grayson who has been grappling not only with how to become a superhero but also the shocking revelation of the truth of his father’s presence of Earth in the season 1 finale.

In season 2, although Mark has clearly improved in his superheroism, considering the season opens with a Radiohead song, it seems that Mark has only become more angsty, still mulling over his father’s betrayal and subsequent disappearance into the cosmos, leaving him and mother Debbie behind.

Where have I seen Steven Yeun before? You probably known Yeun for his role as delivery boy Gleen Rhee in The Walking Dead, before going on to independent film fare like Burning, Okja, Sorry to Bother You and Minari. Recently, he faced off against Ali Wong in hit sexy revenge thriller series Beef, which earned him an Emmy nomination.

Sandra Oh is Debbie Grayson

Sandra Oh attends the premiere of National Geographic's A Small Light
Dominik Bindl/Getty Images

Who is Debbie Grayson? Debbie is Mark’s mother who was one of the only people in the world to know the double life of her husband, keeping his identity a secret alongside becoming a successful and experienced real estate agent.

In season 2, we’ve seen the long-term damage that Nolan’s betrayal has left on the Grayson family, with Debbie reluctantly joining a superhero support group only to discover Nolan is responsible for most of the grieving individuals’ pain there. To make matters worse, it feels as though Mark is pulling away from her, leaving Debbie feeling very lonely.

Where have I seen Sandra Oh before? If you’re a Grey’s Anatomy fan, you’ll immediately recognize Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang, or potentially as Eve Polastri from BBC’s Killing Eve. She’s also a well-versed voice actor, lending her vocals to the likes of American Dragon@ Jake Long, The Proud Family, Phineas and Ferb, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power amongst many others.

J.K. Simmons is Nolan Grayson / Omni-Man

Goliath JK Simmons

Who is Nolan Grayson? Nolan is, or rather was, Invincible’s equivalent of Superman as the archetypal hero of the world and member of the Guardians of the Globe… until he savagely murdered all of them, turned on Earth and was narrowly beaten by his own son, leaving him to flee his position as the installed Earth-based Viltrumite.

Where has Nolan been since season 2? It seems he’s started up another family of his own over on Thraxa, giving Mark an unexpected baby half-brother in the form of Oliver Grayson. However, the last we saw of Nolan was not great, as he was taken into a Viltrumite warship and carried away to an unknown location.

Where have I seen J.K. Simmons before? Everyone knows J.K. Simmons from something – Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, Juno, La La Land, Jennifer’s Body, Burn After Reading, Law & Order, Counterpart, the list goes on and on. He’s one of the best genre and character actors currently working.

Gillian Jacobs is Eve Wilkins / Atom Eve

Gillian Jacobs
arrives at the Vulture Festival Los Angeles 2019 Day 2 at Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on November 10, 2019 in Hollywood, California.

Who is Atom Eve? Also known by her human name as Samantha ‘Eve’ Wilkins, Atom Eve is one of Invincible’s fellow teenaged superheroes and also one of his class-and-university mates. Eve is actually one of the show’s most superpowered beings, with the ability to rearrange the molecules of anything into anything else – it’s a little confusing to explain, but in practice, it makes total sense.

In season 2, we see that just like Mark, she’s still struggling to get used to the life of a superhero, as she fights with her parents and also engages in a reckless battle with a B-tier supervillain on a bridge, leading to a near-fatal accident involving civilians. In the comics, Eve becomes a very important character for Mark as he grows up, so it’ll be interesting to see how much the show follows the same path.

Where have I seen Gillian Jacobs before? Most people were likely introduced to Jacobs through Community, where she played eternal buzzkill Britta Perry – she’s also had turns in the likes of Netflix’s Love as Mickey Dobbs as well as Mimi-Rose Howard in HBO’s Girls. Recently, she’s appeared in the likes of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, The Bear and Transatlantic.

Andrew Rannells is William Clockwell

Andrew Rannells stars in The Prom on Netflix
Andrew Rannells stars in The Prom on Netflix
Netflix

Who is William Clockwell? William is Mark’s ‘guy in the chair’, to borrow a phrase from the MCU’s Ned Leeds. He’s Mark’s best friend and also one of the only people in the world to know his double life as the crime-fighting Invincible. He’s also aware of the real truth behind what happened with Nolan around the time that Omni-Man went rogue, whereas most of the world believed that Nolan perished in an accident caused by Omni-Man’s destruction around that time.

Where have I seen Andrew Rannells before? Rannells is an acclaimed stage actor, best known for his role of Elder Kevin Price in Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s The Book of Mormon opposite Josh Gad. He’s also appeared in the likes of Hairspray, Jersey Boys, Hedwig and the Angry Itch and Hamilton, and most recently can be seen reuniting with Gad in Gutenberg: The Musical. His other non-stage work includes voicing Matthew MacDell on Netflix’s Big Mouth, Veneer in Trolls: Band Together and a lot of English anime dubs.

Walton Goggins is Cecil Stedman

Walton Goggins
Walton Goggins

Who is Cecil Stedman? Cecil heads the GDA – better known as the Global Defense Agency – which is essentially Invincible’s version of S.H.I.E.L.D. It’s a secret organization that oversees all of the superheroes in the world, providing them with advanced tech, intel, assistance on big intergalactic operations. Their number one was Omni-Man – now, Mark will have to do.

Where have I seen Walton Goggins before? While Goggins’ early career includes stints in The Next Karate Kid, Joy Ride, and House of 1000 Corpses, he really rose to fame as Detective Shane Vendrell on The Shield, following that with the villainous Boyd Crowder on Justified as well as his comedic heel-turn in Vice Principals opposite Danny McBride. His upcoming projects include playing ‘The Ghoul’ in Amazon’s live-action Fallout series.

Ross Marquand is The Immortal, Rudy Connors

Ross Marquand as Aaron in The Walking Dead
Ross Marquand as Aaron
Jace Downs/AMC

Who is The Immortal? The clue being in the name, The Immortal is an ancient superhero who is unable to be killed unless he is decapitated. He has a rich and vibrant personal history, having through a number of significant historical events including the Crusades, and supposedly became Abraham Lincoln at one point before going on to form the Guardians of the Globe.

The Immortal in season 2 has become the new Guardians’ leader, having been resurrected by Cecil after Robot’s inability to lead the team functionally. He has a clear distrust of Invincible due to him being Nolan’s son, which may lead to some unfriendly sparring down the line.

Who is Rudy Connors? Rudy Connors is the human host of the hero known as ‘Robot’ – for a long time, he was a pretty mutated boy kept alive via an advanced healing tank, leading to the necessity of Robot to experience the world. However, after pinching a sample of Rex Splode’s DNA and recruiting the help of the Mauler Twins, Robot was able to clone himself a human body, leading to none other than Rudy Connors.

In Season 2, it’s clear that Rudy has spent so much time in Robot form that he’s still getting used to how to be human – handling emotions, asking out the likes of Monster Girl on a date. Comics fans will know that Rudy and Robot play a huge role in Invincible’s future, so for now, keep a close eye on him.

Where have I seen Ross Marquand before? Similar to Rhee, Marquand had his big outing first in The Walking Dead as Aaron, and has since gone on to achieve voice work for his excellent array of impressions including portraying Red Skull in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

Jason Mantzoukas is Rex Splode

Dionysus aka Mr D wears a shirt with a tiger pattern
Jason Mantzoukas plays Dionysus aka Mr D in Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Who is Rex Splode? The most hot-headed of the Guardians of the Globe in more ways than one, teenaged Rex Splode has the ability to turn anything into an explosive device at the touch of his fingertips. More often than not, he seems to explode his interpersonal relationships than anything else though, as evidenced through his tumultuous relationship with Dupli-Kate.

Where have I seen Jason Mantzoukas before? Another classic character actor, Mantzoukas has popped up in Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place, alongside film roles in John Wick: Chapter 3, The Dictator, Sleeping with Other People – he’s also a fantastic voice actor, lending his voice to the likes of Big Mouth, Star Trek: Prodigy and adult animated series Close Enough. If all of that wasn’t enough, he’s also the co-host of popular film podcast How Did This Get Made?

Malese Jow is Dupli-Kate

Malese Jow
Malese Jow
Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Who is Dupli-Kate? No prizes for guessing what Dupli-Kate’s power is. Like the rest of the current Guardians of the Globe, Kate was a part of the Teen Team before having to step up due to Omni-Man’s actions to the big leagues. While she was at one point dating Rex Splode, she seems to have moved onto greater pastures – that being The Immortal.

Where have I seen Malese Jow before? Jow got her start on Nickeledeon, appearing in shows like Unfabulous as Geena Fabiano as well as Big Time Rush. However, she also appeared in more adult fare including The Vampire Diaries as Annabelle ‘Anna’ Zhu and turns in other genre fare like The Flash.

Jay Pharoah is Bulletproof

Jay Pharaoh
Jay Pharaoh
Bobby Bank/WireImage

Who is Bulletproof? Bulletproof is… well, he’s bulletproof. Literally. He’s a newcomer to the Guardians of the Globe, having been invited to join by none other than head of the GDA himself, Cecil Stedman. We haven’t seen much of Bulletproof just yet seeing as he’s a recent addition, so expect him to pop up more in the second half of season 2, especially as Angstrom Levy rears his head again.

Where have I seen Jay Pharoah before? If you’re a fan of Saturday Night Live, you’ll definitely recognise Pharoah. Having been enlisted as a performer on SNL between 2010 – 2016, he was cited as No. 55 of Rolling Stone’s greatest SNL cast members, with comparisons to the likes of Eddie Murphy. He’s had smaller roles in films such as Sing and The Mitchells vs. The Machines and has worked with directors like Steven Soderbergh in the past on Unsane.

Ben Schwartz is The Shapesmith

Ben Schwartz
Ben Schwartz
Getty

Who is The Shapesmith? Continuing the narrative thread of the failed Mars mission in season 1, The Shapesmith is the identity formed by the Martian who assumed astronaut Rus Livingston’s persona upon the rocket’s return back to Earth. It’s pretty clear that The Shapesmith is a somewhat unusual individual to the Guardians, but it doesn’t seem like anyone knows his real identity just yet.

Where have I seen Ben Schwartz before? Schwartz is an acclaimed voice actor, known for his work as Dewey in the Ducktales reboot, Sonic the Hedgehog in Paramount’s film franchise, DC League of Super-Pets, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie. However, you probably know him best as scene-stealing star Jean-Ralphio Saperstein in Parks and Recreation.

Kevin Michael Richardson is The Mauler Twins

Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson

Who are The Mauler Twins? The Mauler Twins are probably the most recurring villain in the show after Omni-Man. The rowdy blue scientists who constantly accuse the other of being a clone have been instrumental to the plot of Invincible seasons 1 and 2 so far, firstly for the creation of Rudy Connors, then for turning Angstrom Levy into a monstrously intelligent (and horrific-looking) being, with psychosis as a mild side effect.

While it seemed that who was the clone and who wasn’t was finally over, due to the burn marks on of their faces, due to the clone straight-up murdering his original maker, we’re back to square one. We’ll likely see the Mauler Twins again very soon.

Where have I seen Kevin Michael Richardson before? While you likely haven’t seen Kevin Michael Richardson before, you’ve definitely heard him. He’s lent his voice to Lilo and Stitch, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show, The Simpsons, Futurama, Teen Titans, Ratchet & Clank, The Batman to name just a few.

Mark Hamill is Art Rosenbaum

Mark Hamill at the Empire Awards in March (Getty, HF)
Mark Hamill at the Empire Awards in March (Getty, HF)

Who is Art Rosenbaum? Art is the superhero tailor, having designed costumes for both Omni-Man and of course, Invincible. He is one of the few friends that many of the superheroes have, due to the length of time he spends with them designing their costumes to be just right for their specific abilities. He’s instrumental in helping Debbie to uncover the truth behind what Nolan was up to, and as a result, he’s just as lonely as Debbie was, having betrayed one of his closest friends in the process for the greater good.

Where have I seen Mark Hamill before? I mean, apart from Star Wars? and The Joker across most non live-action Batman projects? Or Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender? Or Skips from Regular Show? Really, it’s actually easier to tell you the projects Mark Hamill isn’t in at this point.

Clancy Brown is Damien Darkblood

Clancy Brown
Clancy Brown

Who is Damien Darkblood? Damien was the private detective hired by Cecil to tail and uncover the truth behind Omni-Man’s strange behaviour throughout season 1. He also happens to be a demon who escaped from hell and for some reason, chose to take up P.I. work as his new-found career. Unfortunately, he picked up the wrong case in the form of tailing Nolan, as it led to Cecil banishing him back to Hell in order to avoid revealing Nolan’s truth too early. Perhaps that was a mistake.

Where have I seen Clancy Brown before? You probably know Clancy Brown from the recent The Boys spin-off, Gen Z, as Professor Brink, or perhaps in Dexter: New Blood as Kurt Caldwell. While you might know Brown for his live-action work, you definitely know his voice actor work – he’s Mr. Krabs from Spongebob Squarepants, and has also leant his voice to many iconic Marvel and DC villains including Lex Luthor, Parallax and Taskmaster.

Sterling K. Brown is Angstrom Levy

Sterling K Brown
Sterling K Brown
Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Who is Angstrom Levy? Angstrom Levy is a scientist with a bit too much ego and not enough restraint. Coming from a dimension in which Mark did join his father and take over Earth, Angstrom is their only savior – his power to open portals to other dimensions allows him to accumulate knowledge on how other dimensions were able to defeat Mark and Nolan so that he may be able to return to his own dimension and save the day.

However, how does one hold all of that knowledge? Well, the Mauler Twins concocted a botched operation to supplant all the versions of Angstrom’s self into his mind – however, Invincible arrives, quickly gets the wrong end of the stick, and annihilates the machine. That’s Angstrom Levy in the ground, right? Oh no. Instead, he’s the literal definition of ‘Big Brain’ – and now bloodthirsty for revenge.

Where have I seen Sterling K. Brown before? Multi-Emmy winner for his work on The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story and This Is Us, Brown is one of the most versatile American actors currently working in television. Alongside TV, he’s appeared in films such as The Predator, Waves, Frozen II, American Fiction, and Black Panther.

Invincible season 2 part 1 is available to watch on Prime Video now.

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