This article contains potential spoilers for Invincible Season 2 and beyond.Prime Video's Invincible, adapted from the 2003 comic book of the same name, delves deep into the life and trials of the superhero Invincible, also known as Mark Grayson. While the show features a long string of characters that support the storyline, the mid-season finale comes with a bombshell for fans. Mark, who, up till now, had been an only child, has a brother whose close shave with death shapes the fourth episode of season two.
Season one of Invincible introduced the Viltrumite empire, which sends Mark's father, Nolan, as its agent on Earth and offers the backdrop to the story surrounding Mark's brother. Nolan's job as Viltrum's agent is to prepare the Earth to be integrated into the Viltrumite empire. To carry out his duties, Nolan, disguised as a superhero, marries Debbie and has Mark. But upon discovering the truth, Mark refuses to join his father's plans to enslave the human race, which descends into a bloody battle between the two where Nolan gets exceedingly close to killing Mark. So it comes as a shock to Mark and probably many viewers to find out that just a couple of months later, Nolan Grayson is remarried and has another son.
Invincible: How Big is the Viltrum Empire?
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Who is Oliver Grayson?
Oliver Grayson is the son of Nolan Grayson and the Thraxan Andressa and half-brother to Mark Grayson. In season 2 episode 4, it is shown that after Nolan left Earth, he settled on Thraxa, a planet populated by insect-based lifeforms with shorter lifespans than humans. Nolan soon became the emperor of the Thraxans and married a Thraxan woman, Andressa, leading to the birth of Oliver. Its important to note that the show has yet to even mention the name "Oliver Grayson," though the character itself has now debuted on screen.
By Thraxan traditions, a child gets to choose his own name when he comes of age. This works because the Thraxan lifespan only lasts for one human year. However, Oliver's growth has been slowed and will keep slowing down due to his Viltrumite heritage. However, the Viltrum empire is built around the concept of strength with rules surrounding inter breeding. Viltrumites are only allowed to breed with species that are a close genetic match to Viltrum. His Thraxan DNA that gives Oliver's skin a purple tint, makes the genetic difference clear, and should Oliver be discovered by Viltrum, he will be killed.
For this reason, Nolan lures Mark to Thraxa to help him protect his brother from an impending Viltrum attack, which happens soon after Mark agrees. A fight breaks out between the combination of father and son, Mark and Nolan and the three Vilturmites sent to subdue Nolan. Mark tries to hide Oliver and his mother, Andressa, in the Thraxan caves per Nolan's instructions, but one of the Viltrumites, Lucan, finds them and discovers Nolan has sired a second child. Disgusted, Lucan tries to kill Andressa and Oliver, but Marka and Nolan stop him. The fight eventually draws out and ends up in a stalemate, with the duo terribly injured. The Viltrumites capture Nolan and take him back to face trial for abandoning his post on Earth while Mark is ordered to return to Earth and take up his father's former role as Viltrum's agent.
Oliver Grayson's role in the Invincible Comics
Although the TV show has just introduced Oliver, it tries to follow Invincible comics closely, so fans can check the comics out to understand the full depth of the character. Oliver debuts in episode 26 of the Invincible comics, and following the events on Thraxa, Oliver ends up on Earth because he is bound to outlive Andressa, his mother. On Earth, Debbie, Nolan's first wife becomes Oliver's adopted mother, and contrary to Thraxan traditions, she is the one who names him Oliver.
Oliver grows up on Earth, and Mark takes over his training when he discovers his powers. However, Oliver is unlike Mark. He shares a lot of similarities with his father and believes in killing villains, so they don't come back. In fact, he kills some himself while still getting used to his powers and even encourages Mark to kill his nemesis Angstrom Levy. Through the series Oliver acts as Mark's sidekick, but the character has so much depth and eventually plays a huge role in the fight between the coalition of planets and Viltrum.
Finally, while being brothers, Mark and Oliver don't always see eye to eye and as the comics draw to a close. Oliver mistakenly poisons Mark with a virus created especially for Viltrumites while Mark eventually recovers from the attack. This is just one example of the relationship the brothers have. In the end, Oliver is killed by Thragg while protecting Mark's family.
While Oliver Grayson takes on the role of a major character in the Invincible comics, there's no way to say for sure how the character will be portrayed in the TV show. However, viewers can draw insights into the current episodes that have tried to follow the comic's storyline as closely as possible. If that's true, fans may get to see Oliver become an integral part of the Invincible TV show as we await the second part of season 2.
Invincible
Invincible, based on the Image comics of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley, follows Mark Grayson, as he navigates his life as a superhero and his complicated relationship with his father, Omni-Man.
