Invincible creator Robert Kirkman and showrunner Simon Racioppia broke down about the scary powers of Season 2's villain.
Many longtime fans of Invincible have eagerly anticipated Season 2 of the animated series due to the appearance of one of Mark Grayson's arch-enemies, Angstrom Levy. Even better is that the amazingly talented Sterling K. Brown will voice the Multiversal foe.
Leading up to the release of the next season of Amazon Prime Video's hottest cartoon, creator Robert Kirkman has been hyping up Angstrom Levy non-stop. Of course, his unique control to traverse the Multiverse makes Levy stand out in the world of Invincible.
Who Is the Villain of Invincible Season 2?
In an extensive interview from The Cosmic Circus with Invincible creator Robert Kirkman and showrunner Simon Racioppa, the conversation revealed the theme of this upcoming season and its villain, Angstrom Levy.
Kirkman immediately addressed the fact Invincible's approach to the Multiverse will differ greatly from other recent stories like Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Flash since "there aren't previous iterations of Invincible" to "come in and have show up:"
"I think that, as far as like the multiverse thing goes, because Angstrom Levy is a very multiverse-based villain… You know, we’re doing multiverse stuff extremely differently than what everyone else is doing. A lot of the other multiverse stories are about, like bringing in sandboxes of days old. And, you know, having actors that you may be familiar with, like coming back to reprise roles that you are dying to see them play again. We’re not doing any of that. There aren’t previous iterations of Invincible that we can, you know, come in and have show up."
Instead, according to Kirkman, Season 2 of Invincible will utilize the Multiverse "as more of a character study" showing how "Angstrom Levy is capable of showing [Mark Grayson] glimpses of other versions of himself:
"Yeah, unfortunately, try as I might, Michael Keaton-'Invincible'… But we’re doing it as more of a character study. We’re having Angstrom Levy, the Invincible villain at a time when he is worried about who he might be at his core. Angstrom Levy is capable of showing him glimpses of other versions of himself that may reflect the horrors that he is worried that is inside of him. And so it’s a much more character-based, dramatic way of exploring the multiverse."
Showrunner Racioppa reiterates that Mark's self-reflection will be "the themes of the season" and how "it feels very integrated into the show:"
"That touches on the themes that we were just talking about, the themes of the season, right? Hopefully, it feels very integrated into the show, rather than kind of like, hey, everybody’s doing multiverses now.”
In another interview with IGN, Kirkman praised Sterling K. Brown's performance as Angstrom Levy, describing it as "a more lively, more vibrant version of what we know from the comics" and it being that of "a true villain:"
"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."
It'll be exciting to see one of Invincible's most enduring villains debut in this animated adaptation.
Invincible Did the Multiverse Before It Was Cool
As Racioppa pointed out, the show isn't exploring the Multiverse because "everybody's doing multiverses now" but because the comics, released in the mid-2000s, originally used it to explore Mark as a character. It would make sense after Mark's father, Omni-Man, revealed himself as a monster, killing tens of thousands.
It's only natural for Mark to question himself and whether he could end up as jaded with humanity as his father.
The trailer for Season 2 of Invincible even hints at this possibility, but knowing about Levy's powers beforehand cues audiences into the idea that this season will explore other realities where Marc turns out like his father, exactly what he fears.
Season 2 of Invincible is set to debut on Amazon Prime Video on November 3.
