Invincible mainstay Andrew Rannells addressed his absence in Season 4 of the hit Prime Video series. Rannells joined the cast of Invincible in Season 1 as the voice of William Clockwell, Mark Grayson's loyal best friend and one of the few people to know his secret identity as Invincible. Rannells brought the right amount of warmth, sarcasm, humor, and emotional depth to the character across the first three seasons, making William a relatable human anchor and the franchise's first openly gay character. However, Rannells was recast for Invincible Season 4, with comedian Brandon Scott Jones taking over the role.
Invincible fans were not happy with the recasting of William in Season 4, with some pointing out that Jones didn't sound like the character and that he lacked personality. Others claimed that the new voice of William, a gay character, sounded over-the-top and stereotypical.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Direct on the red carpet premiere of Miss You, Love You, Andrew Rannells talked about not returning as the voice of William in Invincible Season 4, admitting that "there was maybe a little restructuring" that led to his exit:
The Direct: "You played Mark's best friend in three seasons of Invincible, but not in the fourth season. So can you tell me why you didn't?"
Andrew Rannells: "I'm not exactly sure why. I think there was maybe a little restructuring and they... I was a guest star, and there were a lot of guest stars that didn't end up coming back for the fourth season. So I'm not exactly sure why, but I was happy to be a part of the first three."
Rannells wasn't the only voice actor who didn't return in Invincible Season 4. Ross Marquand replaced Zachary Quinto as the voice of Robot, and Luke Macfarlane stepped in for Jonathan Groff as Rick Sheridan (William's boyfriend).
Fans have campaigned for Rannells to return as William in the already-confirmed Invincible Season 5 to bring more levity to the character, continuing his impressive performance from the first three seasons. Rannells' performance was highly praised because it gave Invincible grounded humanity through Mark's witty best friend. Invincible Season 5 is set to premiere sometime in 2027 on Amazon Prime Video.
As a powerless human who offers humor and support amid the chaos, William has been Mark's (and later, Eve's) emotional anchor in Invincible.
Andrew Rannells already built that strong bond with Steven Yeun's Mark Grayson over three seasons, with his delivery as William making the character feel like a real friend and not just comic relief.
Bringing Andrew Rannells back in Invincible Season 5 would restore the dynamic that fans fell in love with, especially now that the story will shift more to Earth after the Viltrumite War concluded.
Moreover, Rannells, an openly gay actor with Broadway experience, helped shape William into a confident, openly gay character from the beginning of the series. His performance arguably avoided reducing William to a stereotype and helped maintain the show’s positive queer representation, which it could continue to do in Season 5.
