Robert Kirkman Sheds Light on THOSE Invincible S2 Finale Cameos
The Season 2 Part 2 finale of "Invincible," titled "I Thought You Were Stronger," delivered a gripping showdown between Mark/Invincible (voiced by Steven Yeun) and the multiverse-traveling villain Angstrom Levy (voiced by Sterling K. Brown). The episode sees Mark rushing home to rescue his kidnapped mother Debbie (voiced by Sandra Oh) and baby alien half-brother Oliver from Angstrom's clutches.
Throughout the intense battle, Angstrom continuously outmaneuvers Mark by opening portals to different dimensions, keeping the hero at bay. However, amidst the chaos, viewers were treated to several eye-catching cameo appearances from alternate-universe superheroes and pop culture references.
One standout moment pays homage to the original "Invincible" comic, featuring a web-slinging hero named Agent Spider (voiced by Josh Keaton) battling a tentacled villain known as Omnipotus. Keaton's casting as Agent Spider adds a nostalgic touch for fans, given his previous role as Spider-Man in animated series like "The Spectacular Spider-Man."
Kirkman tells Variety: It was just trying to figure out a way to keep that moment somewhat intact from the comics. It seemed like something that would be a fun and surprising way to do it. Amazon legal, painstakingly, was like, “No, the costume can’t be that color. We gotta get away from this and that.” There were a lot of eyes on that scene. We wanted to find an actor who had done Spider-Man before. [Supervising director] Dan Duncan came in immediately and was like, “Josh Keaton needs to do it. ‘Spectacular Spider Man’ is a great series.” He had worked on it and said Josh was great. He seemed like the best possible choice because it’s animation to animation. It seemed like it would be a fun thing. That said, he’s not playing Spider-Man. That’s Agent Spider. There might be some similarities, but I think Josh’s nuanced performance as Agent Spider is completely different than the way he played Spider-Man in “Spectacular Spider-Man.” But who knows? My opinion may be somewhat biased
Additionally, the episode includes nods to iconic characters such as Batman, with Mark encountering a cape-wearing, bat-themed superhero off-camera. Creator Robert Kirkman explains that while the scene may imply a connection to Batman, it was never their intention to directly reference the character.
Listen, I think that sequence might seem to imply a certain thing that isn’t there. That’s not Gotham City. That’s not Batman. That’s a completely different bat character that Mark is referring to. If the audience is inferring a certain thing from it, I don’t have control over that. The audience gets to take from it what they will, but it was never our intention to imply anything remotely close to the Batman character
Another surprising cameo comes in the form of a sniper rifle from the popular video game "Fortnite," appearing in Mark's hands during a pivotal moment. Kirkman reveals that the inclusion of the weapon was done in collaboration with Epic Games, adding an official Easter egg to the episode.
That was all done in cooperation with Epic Games, and it’s the actual model for the Dragon’s Breath sniper rifle. That was all referenced and approved and seemed like a fun nod since he’s in the “Fortnite” game.
Maybe Angstrom sent him there and everything in the game is canon and he’s coming out with a gun. That seemed like a fun, official Easter egg we could do. I was writing the episode, or was about to start writing the episode, when I had my initial talks with Donald Mustard, who was the creative lead on “Fortnite” but has since left the company.
He was really on board to do something in the show that references it and help push it through on their side. It was kind of an organic thing that happened because we were talking about Invincible being in the game at the same time as I was writing the episode.
Despite the abundance of Marvel, DC, and gaming references, Kirkman clarifies that there were no direct communications with Marvel or DC regarding the cameos. Instead, the legal departments at Amazon ensured that all references were within acceptable parameters.
Overall, the Season 2 Part 2 finale of "Invincible" delighted fans with its action-packed narrative and clever nods to comic book and gaming culture. As the series continues to captivate audiences, viewers eagerly anticipate what surprises await in future episodes.