Throughout the first two seasons of Invincible, Robot has had a complicated story — though, this is not a surprise to fans of the Invincible comics who have seen an evil take on the character before.
Over more than 144 comics, Robot — also known as Rudy, also known as Rex — has seen a lot of character development and changes.
The Invincible show seems to be taking this same route with the character. He has been voiced consistently by two different actors and has gone by at least three different names.
Assuming the Amazon Prime Video series sticks with the comics, there is far more development to come in Robot's character.
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Robot's Path Down The Dark Side
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers for the Invincible comics, and for potential plots that could be adapted into the Invincible series on Amazon Prime Video in the future.
In the Invincible comics, Robot's story takes a complex, dark turn. But how does he turn evil?
To begin with, Robot (Rudy Conners) is not necessarily the most personable in Invincible's ensemble of heroes. He spent most of his life confined in a glass container, of sorts, with his smarts as the only thing allowing him any sort of life.
As Rudy develops, including with the creation of his own body using DNA from his teammate Rex-Splode, he continues to learn more about how to interact with the real world. A lot of this is helped along by Monster Girl (Amanda), and the two become romantically involved.
Some important context to note is that at this point in the story, Robot and Monster Girl spent multiple centuries (but only just about a year on Earth) as the rulers of the Flaxan civilization, and the groundwork for Robot's turn toward evil is laid during this time.
In the comics, when Invincible finds himself fighting Angstrom Levy, Robot steps in and kills Levy almost instantly. He tells Mark Grayson that he has major plans for the future, which he believes would be hindered with Invincible still in the picture. Unable to kill his longtime friend and teammate, Robot leaves Mark alone in an alternate dimension.
Robot, of course, lies to the team, saying he could not find Invincible. With no one the wiser, Robot begins putting his aforementioned plans in place — plans to take over the world. Invincible eventually does return, and tells Cecil Stedman the truth. He and Mark attempt to take Robot in for questioning, an attempt which ends in Robot slitting Cecil's throat and curb stomping his head in.
Sometime later, Robot lures Mark to his home by threatening Atom Eve, who is pregnant, is not using her powers because of it, and who still does not know the truth about Robot's betrayal. Like he has been doing since Cecil's death, Robot tries to convince Invincible to join him — of course, Mark refuses.
A fight breaks out, leading to Robot ripping off Atom Eve's leg. She uses her powers despite her pregnancy, helping Mark fight back. Eventually, though, Robot sets off a device which causes the entire Grayson house to explode.
Robot follows through with his plans to take over the world, sending an army of robot constructs to attack the planet and people. He and his robot construct fleet level the Pentagon, killing almost everyone inside. In the process, he also kills Black Samson and Shapesmith, along with multiple other heroes.
He tries to convince Monster Girl to rule at his side, as the two did in the Flaxan dimension. When she refuses, he sets robot constructs to trap her, and then ejects her into space, thinking he killed her (he does not though, Anissa saves her life).
Robot secures a deal with the Viltrumites who are living on the moon, and Earth's leaders give Robot Cecil's former job, which allows him to quite literally become the ruler of the world. Mark pleads with him to stop, but Robot asserts that he is making the world safer by doing this. Invincible is essentially forced to surrender, and Robot asks him yet again to join his cause. Invincible flies away.
Of course, since this is a comic, the next part of the story involves reboots and time shenanigans. Like with the Flaxans, all that's super important in this context is the gist: Invincible travels back in time, and when he returns to his original timeline, five years have passed.
Robot is fighting a trio of aliens called the Technicians, alongside several familiar characters. Most notable on this team is Nolan Grayson — now Emperor Nolan. Robot convinces his now-friend Nolan to kill the Technicians, an act that Robot tells him will make him a savior.
When Invincible returns, Nolan brings him to Robot, who once again tries and fails to get Mark to see his perspective. In the end, Invincible destroys Robot's "Rudy" body but keeps his brain hooked up to a device that allows Robot to continue communicating with the world. There are safeguards in place, though, to prevent him from what the world learned he was capable of and willing to do.
Will We See Robot's Evil Arc In The Invincible Show?
The Invincible series has stuck very closely to its source material throughout its first two seasons. And given the importance of Robot's turn to evil in the story from the comics, fans may expect to see it adapted.
However, there is not yet confirmation that Invincible on Amazon Prime Video will continue after Season 3. Seasons 2 and 3 were announced together, but since then there has been little discussion about a potential Season 4 or beyond.
Technically, regardless of chronology, this arc could be adapted in Season 3 on its own. However, given the way Invincible has told its stories so far, that seems unlikely.
The show does not tend to rush storylines, allowing for scenes to be particularly impactful because of the long build-up to them. Robot's taking over of Earth would not have as much emotional impact — on audiences or the characters themselves — without the centuries of ruling the Flaxan civilization with Amanda, for instance.
There is so much that happens between the end of Season 2 and even the start of Robot's attack on Earth, let alone the entire follow-through of it. It would be a disservice to the careful, intentional storytelling of the Invincible show thus far to cram all that lore into one season, just to make sure that story gets told. If it is not told properly, it cannot be as powerful as the comic version.
But, fans know that Invincible is actively trying to adapt the story of the comics as well as they can — being both faithful to the comics, and expanding on them. Given this, it would be a surprise to see so much story skipped and so much set-up ignored, for the sake of a single story.
So, if Invincible is renewed beyond Season 3, it is far more likely that this story will be told than if Season 3 is the end. But, there is a lot that has to happen first.
Seasons 1 and 2 of Invincible are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
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Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
