Invincible was by far one of the best superhero shows of last year. At a time when Disney is often accused of playing their MCU shows too safe, Invincible came along and completely knocked it out of the park.
The series was filled with over-the-top gore, amazing action scenes and also several twists and turns throughout that made it a must-watch.
At the heart of this was Omni-Man who’s arguably the most memorable aspect of the entire show.
But why is he the perfect villain for the series?
Well throughout this post, that’s what we’re gonna be going over. Now because of this, there will be some spoilers so if you haven’t had a chance to check out the full series then I highly recommend that you check out now.
Introducing Omni-Man
Invincible Episode 1 introduced us to the titular character and his father Omni-Man. Superheroes are a dime a dozen at this point and if you weren’t familiar with the source material then you might think that this was just another carbon copy of the Superman story. Throughout the initial entry, we learned as Mark came to grips with his power and also learned some of his father’s origin story.
We’re told that he’s a protector of peace and Justice who comes from the planet Viltrum. This planet is supposed to be not too dissimilar to our own but those that live there have abilities far beyond what we have. Omni-Man tells Mark that Viltrum was somewhat a Utopia that had achieved perfection through outlawing murder and war.
With no conflict to tackle, the high council decreed that their society shouldn’t become complacent and sent their people out into the stars to help the universe achieve the perfection that they had.
Omni-Man or rather Nolan as he calls himself, says that he and several scientists travelled throughout the cosmos, improving planets and the life forms on them. He was given the job of helping Earth and it became his second home. After he met a woman named Debbie, the pair settled down and had a kid and he’s protected the planet since then.
Truth Reveal
Now though he looks like Henry Cavill in Josstice League before the VFX work, the two couldn’t be more dissimilar and we learn that this is actually all a lie.
By the finale of Omni-Man or Issue 11 in the comics, we learn the truth and it goes down worse than Joss Whedon at a feminist rally.
That’s two Joss Whedon jokes back to back. Shabow.
Now, this is one of the major things that makes Omni-Man so fascinating. We live in a society where people are often propped up as heroes however over time we learn that the truth is more shadowy than that and they aren’t all that they appear to be.
Use of Music
The song Say It Aint So Joe by Murray is heard, which has become somewhat of a cultural icon.
Written in the seventies before Richard Nixon’s resignation the tune was based on a documentary in which a presenter asked people in a small town what they thought of the stories about him. Even in the face of conclusive evidence and proof the people still showed support and this was further likened to the story of Joe Jackson whose name appears in the title.
During the 1920s Joe was a baseball player that reportedly took a bribe to lose the final of the World Series and people at the stadium chanted ‘say it ain’t so joe.’
Our heroes are our heroes and sometimes it’s difficult to see them any other way even if they’re shown not to be. I think that Omni-Man perfectly symbolises this and by the end of the first episode, I saw people who were unaware of the twist still rallying for him.
The Twist
In the post-credits scene of issue one we watch him brutally massacre the Guardians Of The Globe and upon its release many people believed this was mind control, a clone or something else.
Anything to save the hero and all that he stood for.
Come episode 8 we learn the truth and Mark very much has this reaction too. It’s difficult for us to see flaws in our parents and even when they do bad, I’d say it’s way easier to forgive them than it is to forgive a friend.
Throughout the finale, we learn what Viltrum really stands for and that it actually forced its population to fight one another to weed out the weak.
This killed 50% of all Viltrumites and all that was left when the dust settled was the best of the best of the best sir.
The high council then decided to send out the world Conquering committee and due to their enhanced strength, they took over several civilisations to build an empire.
Those that surrendered became enslaved and their planets were picked dry of their resources. Those that resisted were wiped out and the Viltrumite empire spanned the galaxy.
However, over time, their forces were spread too thin and thus they had to devise a new plan. Rather than just attacking planets they’d send in a trojan horse who’d take the form of a hero.
Doing the Right Thing?
Now great villains are always great because you can see the positive aspects of their plans. Nolan doesn’t really see himself as the bad guy and he also discusses the benefits that come with Earth joining up with the Empire. Though they’d pick the planet clean this would take thousands and thousands of years and in that time humanity would prosper. Viltrum would give us the advanced medical care that they’d developed, they’d end the war on the planet and everyone on Earth would live in peace and harmony until we became extinct.
Nice I guess.
You can definitely see the benefits of it and Nolan in his mind was very much doing right by us and right by his own people.
He started to slip into society and he picked a pet in Deborah who he decided to raise a son. Because Viltrumite DNA is so pure it completely overrode the human aspects of him and Mark gained the powers of the Viltrumites.
Nolan planned to raise him to become as merciless as he was but humanity had other ideas.
The Battle
Now that kinda takes us to the battle between the pair which spans the planet. It’s bloody, brutal, has thousands of deaths in it and it’s clear that Nolan completely outmatches his son.
There are some absolutely unforgettable moments in this episode such as when Mark saves a pilot and then Omni-Man crushes his head just to show how insignificant we are.
He’s impossible to beat on a physical level but what the series does perfectly is that it allows him to be defeated on an emotional one.
Throughout the entry Nolan explains that as Viltrumites get older, they age more slowly and that Mark’s lifespan will last for thousands and thousands of years. Everyone and everything he knows and loves will be gone so there’s no point in resisting.
After pummeling his son to an inch of his life Nolan asks his son what he’ll have in thousands of years when everything is gone and he says he’ll have you.
Change of Heart
It completely breaks Nolan and we get a flashback to a time when he likely first saw the good in humanity.
Watching the smile on his son’s face as he plays baseball makes him see him as a person instead of an object of war and it completely breaks the character. Throughout his entire life, he’s been told that having emotions is weak and that the weak must perish.
However, for once he sees things from another point of view and this completely changes his perspective.
Villains, like the best heroes, are often that way because they’re flawed and we can see in them aspects of ourselves.
I’m sure many of us growing up have got caught up in an ideal and because of this, we’ve been jerks to people who don’t agree with that. Whether it’s religion, lifestyle choices or just general attitudes we can often end up seeing things only in black and white which ultimately leads to our values being questioned.
Sometimes we agree with the counterargument and change which is often this is for the better.
This is what Nolan very much represents and why he’s the perfect villain.
He has a stance and takes it but he can also become weakened in that viewpoint when the right thing is presented to him. However, that doesn’t mean he changes completely and Nolan flies off into space leaving a single tear drop behind.
He’s clearly broken and if you’ve read the comics then you’ll know the arc of redemption that he somewhat goes on. I don’t wanna spoil it as I know you guys might still want some surprises but Omni-Man is the perfect villain because of the change that we see in him.
He’s very much a father figure that is set in his ways but after he sees the good in his children he decides to change. It’s something that’s been seen in Darth Vader and it’s a motif that works over and over again because it’s always based on emotions rather than physical strength.
Omni-man is one of the most memorable superheroes to come out in the last twenty or so years and he perfectly deconstructs what it would be like to have the power of a god that only deals in absolutes. He’s questioned and then changes and this very much makes us wonder if we would be strong enough to change our minds if we could do whatever we wanted to.
Omni-Man is fascinating and looking back at Invincible he’s the perfect villain.
I hope you enjoyed the video and I’d of course love to hear your thoughts so make sure you comment below and let me know.
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