Invincible Once Got Trapped in the Marvel Universe

Spoilers for Invincible below!

Invincible might be one of the most well-respected superheroes outside of DC or Marvel, but that didn’t stop him from taking a quick tour of the latter company’s iconic universe. Resting somewhere between a love letter to superhero comics and a critique of them, Robert Kirkman’s Invincible is the life story of Mark Grayson. While the series initially starts as a pretty standard superhero fare, it proved itself to be something unlike anything comic fans had ever seen. Though the recent TV show shocked viewers with its first episode Omni-Man reveal, the comics are more brutal.

While Invincible is all about breaking tropes, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few up the series sleeve. Among them is Mark’s Rogue’s Gallery. Like Spider-Man and Batman before him, Invincible racks up a big list of villains that range from silly like Doc Seismic to terrifying like Battle Beast. Some of the worst fights of Mark’s life saw the young hero face down imposing physical threats like his father Omni-Man. But one of those aforementioned battles pitted Mark against a foe not nearly as physically threatening, but just as dangerous. His name is Angstrom Levy, and he might be Invincible’s worst villain.

Angstrom Levy is a dimension-hopping mad scientist who holds a nasty grudge against Mark. In Invincible #32, he attacks the Grayson house, taking Mark’s mother Debby hostage before sending Mark through a gauntlet of hostile dimensions to weaken him. One of those dimensions would appear to be awful familiar for comic fans, as Mark is teleported right into the middle of a fight between Spider-Man and Doc Ock in the pages of Marvel Team-Up #14 by Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker. Before he makes it back home to finish the fight with Levy, Mark helps take down Doc Ock, gets some bonding time with Peter, and even meets the Avengers.

Mark’s interactions with the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe are wonderful. He thinks “Spider-Man” is a dumb name and lets Peter know to his face. Then he cries because it’s hard being Invincible. His quick and efficient takedown of Doc Ock at the end of the issue isn’t just a funny moment, but a reminder of just how much of a heavy hitter Mark is. The part of the issue that really stands out is the genuinely fun rapport between Invincible and Spider-Man. It’s a clever and sweet dynamic that showcases the best of both characters, with Peter getting to fill in as a short-time mentor for Mark. It’s a shame that this pairing didn’t get a full mini-series like some of Spider-Man’s other team-ups.

As any great story should, Mark’s quick trek through the Marvel Universe will leave readers wanting more. Its existence also begs so many questions. Who would win in a fight between Mark and Hulk? Would Omni-Man and J. Jonah Jameson freak out when they discovered that they had the same voice? Furthermore, do the events of Marvel Team-Up #14 imply that Invincible lives in the Marvel Multiverse?

About The Author