Fans of Amazon Prime’s violent animated series Invincible may have been waiting some time for the second season of the sophomore season, but let that be an important sign of what is to come. From the mind of The Walking Dead’s own Robert Kirkman and The Boys producer, Seth Rogen, these two creatives keep pumping out hits, and spending so much time on season 2 can mean nothing but good news. Even better, now we have a confirmed release date of November 3rd, which will be sure to fly by.
All we can do now is wait for the day to come when we can continue Mark Grayson’s (Steven Yeun) journey of discovering his powers and realization that his father, Nolan is a power-hungry alien intent on world domination in one of J.K. Simmons’ best roles. But not so fast, Kirkman tells IGN in an exclusive interview. Season 2 will have some surprises, like the introduction of a new adversary for Mark.
“I think that a lot of people who haven’t read the comic are probably expecting Season 2 to have another advancement of the core story between Mark and Nolan. I think that the opportunity is there to show them, no, Invincible is a big story, and it covers a lot of ground, and it’s not just Mark and Nolan over, and over, and over again. There’s certainly aspects of that. If you’re a big Nolan fan, be excited for season two, but there are so many other stories in Mark’s world and Angstrom Levy is a big signifier of that.”
Voiced by acting powerhouse Sterling K. Brown, Angstrom Levy will be the most imminent threat to Mark when Invincible season 2 picks up.
Sterling K. Brown will play Mark’s nemesis
Last we left Mark, he was in dire straits. He had discovered that his father was a megalomaniac, believing his race was superior. Disappointed that Mark did not feel the same way, he defeats him by brutally beating him senseless. Kirkman promises that this will be an ongoing dynamic going forward in Invincible, but there are other stories to tell as well. Mark will have other villains including the new character, Angstrom Levy.
A character with incredible depth, Sterling K. Brown is the perfect actor to play him. Probably most notable for his role in the wildly successful NBC drama This Is Us, Brown has had other roles, including in Black Panther, Supernatural, and American Crime Story. Now he will stretch his voice-acting muscles as a villain who makes it his mission to destroy Mark as he travels throughout different dimensions, gathering power from his alternative selves. Fans of the comic will note that the character looks slightly different on the page than he will when season 2 premieres, Kirkman says. In the comic, he becomes malformed because he pursues evil.
“Angstrom as brought to life by Sterling K. Brown is a more lively, more vibrant version of what we know from the comics. What Sterling has been able to wring out of our scripts is something real and vibrant and genuine. A true villain, with a solid core of understanding that makes him as sympathetic and relatable as he is dangerous and terrifying.”
Kirkman credits Brown’s charisma with bringing this version of Levy to life. He isn’t just a one-note villain, but a character with layers that draw viewers in. The comic writer naturally wants to keep the finer details of the character under wraps, but the bigger concepts were due for clarification. At this point, virtually every brand has its own Multiverse. Marvel came out officially with their version after Peter (Tom Holland) broke the world. Even non-comic worlds like Everything Everywhere All At Once have something to say about Multiverses.
Kirkman, who first began publishing Invincible in 2003, promised IGN that the series would not lean on the concept as a whole. Though Levy’s power is his ability to jump through dimensions, Kirkman believes Invincible tackles the concept differently than Marvel or other properties. To Kirkman’s credit, they may be ahead of the curve. The only person who has wielded such power in the films so far is America Chavez, and she has barely been touched upon at this point. Invincible has a slightly different perspective on the world of superheroes. Instead of the largely optimistic viewpoint of good vs. evil that Marvel always employs, Invincible has the more realistic view that absolute power corrupts and is sure to explore this when season 2 premieres on November 3.