You May Recognize The Actors Behind These Invincible Characters
Only two seasons in and "Invincible" has already assembled quite the voice cast. While it relies primarily on name screen actors for the big parts, the show doesn't neglect to invite professional voice actors to the party either. Even the leads offer performances that are a cut above the celebrity voice-acting you see in, for instance, DreamWorks or Illumination animated movies.
It's an easy bet that one can recognize at least some of the voices on "Invincible." Maybe a viewer knows them from watching plenty of American cartoons and hearing their voices over and over again. Or maybe they know the voices from the on-camera work the cast has done but can't place them (at least, not without the faces to go along with their corresponding voices).
Whatever the case may be, here is a rundown of the actors who've been bringing these comic book characters to life — and how their work on "Invincible" compares to their previous roles.
Steven Yeun as Mark Grayson/Invincible
Mark Grayson, the young superhero whose other half gives "Invincible" its name, is voiced by Steven Yeun. "Invincible" was co-created by comic writer Robert Kirkman — it's his second biggest hit after "The Walking Dead." Yeun, of course, broke out on the "Walking Dead" TV series playing Glenn Rhee, the plucky everyman of the zombie apocalypse's survivors.
Of his "Walking Dead" co-stars, Yeun is at least tied with Jon Bernthal for the best post-series career; he got a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his role in 2020's "Minari," a drama about a Korean immigrant family living in 1980s America.
It makes sense Kirkman would recruit Yeun to play Mark after seeing him portray Glenn. Mark Grayson is a teenage hero in the vein of Peter Parker, with the same mix of mundane responsibilities that keep him grounded even as he's soaring through the sky. Yeun excels at that.
At the same time, he also excels at characters who are more than they appear on the surface. Take his recent role in the Netflix series "Beef" as Danny Cho, a Korean-American contractor who begins a road rage-fueled feud with the bougie Amy Lau (Ali Wong). The whole show is about how people are more than meets the eye, and Yeun excels in peeling back Danny's layers, striking the balance between making him empathic but not often likable.
In Jordan Peele's 2022 horror film "Nope," Yeun played Ricky "Jupe" Park, a former child actor traumatized after a chimpanzee went berserk on a sitcom set where he was working. Jupe tragically didn't learn his lesson about mixing entertainment and exploitation. Even Yeun's darkest role fits this pattern; in Lee Chang-dong's thriller "Burning," he played Ben, a wealthy young man who may be a serial killer. Even an evil Invincible isn't as skin-crawling as Yeun manages to make Ben.
J.K. Simmons as Nolan Grayson/Omni-Man
The most famous (at least as far as memes are concerned) performance on "Invincible" is, so far, J.K. Simmons as Omni-Man/Nolan Grayson, Mark's superhero dad from the planet Viltrum. Omni-Man is a transparent riff on Superman, but with a twist; Viltrum is very much alive and the head of a galactic empire, and Nolan is on Earth to ready it for invasion.
Simmons is a prolific character actor with hundreds of credits, but his most identifiable role is another comic book part: J. Jonah Jameson in the Sam Raimi "Spider-Man" trilogy, the editor in chief of the Daily Bugle and a temperamental, penny-pinching yellow journalist. Simmons rocked Jonah's mile-a-minute manner and appearance (the square, half-greying haircut and mustache — the same look as Omni-Man) to perfection. He was so perfect, in fact, he's reprised the role of Jameson in subsequent media.
On the more dramatic side, Simmons is also known as the abusive music teacher Terence Fletcher in "Whiplash" (the part that won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor) — he lets some of that violent energy loose in the "Invincible" season 1 finale when Nolan reveals the truth to Mark and fights his son.
Simmons also had some voice acting experience before "Invincible"; he played Tenzin, son of Avatar Aang, in "The Legend of Korra." As Omni-Man, Simmons combines the spirit of his past roles; Nolan is a well-meaning dad like Tenzin on the surface but with the rage of Simmons' usual repertoire hidden beneath the surface.
Sandra Oh as Debbie Grayson
The third wheel of the Grayson family is Mark's mother/Nolan's wife Debbie, the only human of the three, voiced by Sandra Oh.
Sandra Oh is another one of those actors who's been in so many productions that people might recognize her for completely different things. Her supporting role as Stephanie in Alexander Payne's "Sideways"? Her 10-season-long tenure playing Dr. Christina Yang in "Grey's Anatomy"? Her lead part as super spy Eve Polastri in "Killing Eve"? Those are just three of her most famous parts, but she's got plenty more.
Oh has done a fair bit of voice work too: "American Dragon: Jake Long" (as Sun Park), "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power" (as Castaspella), and some recent Disney/Pixar movies like "Raya and the Last Dragon" (Virana, mother of antagonist Namaari) and "Turning Red" (Ming Lee, lead Mei's mother and a fellow were-panda).
"Invincible" continues Oh's streak of voicing the main character's mother. Her acting experience is a definite benefit to "Invincible" because Debbie is more of a character than in the comics. In the first season, there's a subplot of her slowly realizing the truth about her husband, giving her more agency and emotional depth than the "Invincible" source material afforded her. Debbie isn't constantly angry or distraught, but when she is, Oh makes it memorable.
Gillian Jacobs as Atom Eve
The series' third biggest superhero is Samantha Eve Wilkins/Atom Eve, with the power to rearrange molecules and form pink energy constructs — her abilities are halfway between Green Lantern and Edward Elric.
Eve is one of Mark's closest friends, showing him the ropes of superheroing during season 1 and his inevitable girlfriend (her Mary Jane Watson-style red hair? Not a coincidence). She's voiced by Gillian Jacobs, who still sounds young enough to pass as a teenager.
Jacobs is most famous for playing Britta Perry in the parodic sitcom "Community." Britta was Greendale College's passionate (though not at all self-aware) progressive activist. Though Eve is much more levelheaded than Britta, she fits into a broadly similar archetype (a cool chick with a fiery spirit and passion for social justice). Jacobs hasn't gotten as many chances to unleash her hilarious side as Eve as she did on "Community," but that just speaks to the different aims of the two shows.
Jacobs is a prolific actor (if usually confined to small commitment roles); some of her other parts include Mickey Dobbs in Judd Apatow's Netflix romcom series "Love," Mimi-Rose Howard in "Girls," and Ziggy Berman in the "Fear Street" film trilogy. In 2023, she appeared in the 1940s period drama series "Transatlantic" and season 2 of "The Bear." Voiceover-wise, she voiced the guest character Lieutenant Barbara Brinson in "Star Trek: Lower Decks" and Harley Quinn in "Injustice."
Walton Goggins as Cecil Stedman
Cecil Stedman is head of the Global Defense Agency, essentially the Nick Fury of the "Invincible" universe down to a facial scar. However, his actor — Walton Goggins — is better known for playing villains. Goggins came up with regular roles on two successive FX crime drama series; "The Shield" (as corrupt LAPD detective Shane Vendrell) and "Justified" (as Kentucky gangster Boyd Crowder). He totally disappeared into both parts, making them both distinct when he could have played them as simple permutations of each other (Shane is an impulsive screw-up, Boyd is a deceptive mastermind).
You might also recognize Goggins from the films of Quentin Tarantino ("Django Unchained" as Billy Crash and "The Hateful Eight" as Chris Mannix), his current role in "The Righteous Gemstones," his supporting villain role in "Ant-Man and the Wasp" (if anyone remembers that movie), and his surprisingly sad appearance as transgender sex worker Venus Van Damme in "Sons of Anarchy."
Goggins avoids giving Cecil his usual Southern accent (the actor was born in Alabama). The character looks like he'd have more of a "cranky old man" voice, far from Goggins' smooth and more youthful one. Even so, he was absolutely the right pick to give Cecil a menacing edge. What stands out the most, though, is how strait-laced, to the point, and downright harsh Goggins can be as Cecil. Most of Goggins' characters, Boyd especially, are charming and loquacious.
Zazie Beetz as Amber
Mark's current girlfriend is Amber Bennett, played by Zazie Beetz. Amber's character design is modeled after her actor (comic Amber is a fair-skinned blonde). Amber is smart, sardonic, and oscillates between wanting to support Mark and being frustrated with him like any good superhero love interest; Beetz's voice fits her character like a glove.
Beetz's breakout part was in the FX series "Atlanta," a Donald Glover vehicle; Beetz played Van Keefer, the ex-girlfriend of Glover's character Earn Marks and token girl of the cast. Film-wise, Beetz has her fair share of comic book projects under her belt; she played Domino in "Deadpool 2" and Sophie Dumond in "Joker," the crush of lead Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix). She also had supporting parts in Steven Soderbergh's underrated NBA drama "High Flying Bird" and the 2021 Western "The Harder They Fall" by freshman director Jeymes Samuels; Beetz plays Mary "Stagecoach" Fields and introduces herself by singing a folk song.
Zachary Quinto as Robot
Robot is the leader of the Teen Team, the Teen Titans of the "Invincible" universe (he's a Cyborg parody, if you haven't already put that together). He's voiced by Zachary Quinto, most famous for playing Spock in the rebooted "Star Trek" films.
Quinto's experience playing Spock means his voice sounds right as rain coming out of a mechanical synthesizer. However, similar to Spock, Robot only acts emotionless; he's not really a robot, but a physically disabled super genius who operates an android to influence his surroundings. As with Spock, Quinto excels at burying a twinge of emotion in a cold line read.
Robot's two-faced nature is exactly why Quinto holds his own in the role. Before Spock, his most famous role was Sylar in "Heroes," an average nobody turned serial killer who murdered other superpowered people to steal their powers. Similarly, Robot steals a DNA sample from Rex Splode to make himself a human body worth living in. Fans of "Invincible" should know that Robot goes down a dark path, a la Quinto's breakout part. Quinto can easily modulate his quiet voice into a sinister tone, as he did with Sylar, so don't be surprised if he pulls out that skill for Robot.
Seth Rogen as Allen the Alien
Here's some casting that seems odd at first glance; Seth Rogen, the comedy star who made his bones working with Judd Apatow on "Freaks and Geeks" and then "Knocked Up," playing an alien warrior. And yet, Rogen plays Allen the Alien in "Invincible," one of Mark's early foes quickly turned into a friend. However, Rogen is a minor power player in the comic book media world; he's executive produced "Preacher," "The Boys," and yes, "Invincible."
Allen is an Unopan, an endangered species after their planet was destroyed by the Viltrumites. Allen is his people's greatest paragon and an agent of the anti-Viltrumite alliance, the Coalition of Planets. He also has a comedic side; aside from his pretty silly "Star Wars"-esque design, his first scene is a fight with Mark which ends when it turns out Allen came to the wrong planet, confusing Earth with planet Urath. One of Rogen's comic gifts is his ability to act flustered and irritated, which is Allen's mood in this scene. "Invincible" is far from the first time Rogen has twisted his comic charm for a dramatic story: see "Steve Jobs" (as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak) or "The Fabelmans."
Some of Rogen's other comedy roles include "Pineapple Express," "Superbad," "Observe and Report," "The Interview," and "Long Shot." It should be said that he does have a fairly deep, "heroic" voice befitting Allen, it's just that knowing his comedy background makes it hard to hear him that way.
Mark Hamill as Art Rosenbaum
Plenty has been written over the years about Mark Hamill's transformation from the heroic face of a generation (thanks to playing Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars") to a prolific voice actor. His most famous voice roles might be villains, from the Joker in "Batman: The Animated Series" to Fire Lord Ozai in "Avatar: The Last Airbender," but his range is undeniable; one reason Hamill's Joker is so memorable is because he can do high and low pitched permutations of the Clown Prince of Crime's voice. He doesn't just stretch himself in a single role, either; he voiced the friendly Yeti named Skips on "Regular Show."
In "Invincible," Art Rosenbaum is one of Hamill's good characters; he designs costumes for the world's heroes, including Mark's Invincible suit. While not a superhero himself, he does have the punny name of one. He's also middle-aged; as he's gotten older, Hamill's voice has only become raspier. He only just put that cavernous growl to sinister use in live-action as Arthur Pym in "The Fall of the House of Usher," but when he's playing Art, he uses a friendlier pitch.
Jon Hamm as Steve
Talk about a surprising cameo. The very first scene of "Invincible" takes place at the White House; before the super-villainous Mauler Twins show up, two Secret Service agents are making small talk about their families. One of them, Steve, is voiced by Jon Hamm.
Without a doubt, Hamm's most famous role is Don Draper in "Mad Men," one of the most acclaimed TV performances ever. Don is miserable, but Hamm can do comedy too: see "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" (where he played the deceitful Richard Wayne Gary Wayne), his guest roles on the sitcoms "30 Rock" and "Parks and Rec," or his starring part in "Confess, Fletch." In movies, Hamm's niche is playing authority figures who cause the lead some trouble. See "The Town," "The Report," or "Top Gun: Maverick."
Hamm playing Steve can give the impression he'll be an important character, but he's only shown up since in one more small cameo.
The cast of heroes
Many of the supporting characters in "Invincible" are Mark's fellow superheroes. Their ranks include:
Rex Splode (Jason Mantzoukas) — The hot head of the Teen Team, Rex is cocky, horny, and self-righteous like only a teen boy with unearned power can be. He's not really a bad guy though, just immature. Mantzoukas, a comedian famous for parts such as Rafi on "The League" and co-hosting "How Did This Get Made?", makes Rex comical, pitiable, and always entertaining.
Monster Girl, Shrinking Rae, and Olga (Grey DeLisle): An advantage of animation is that the crew can double up on performers. "Invincible" does so, as seen with Grey DeLisle playing three recurring characters. Her most important role is Monster Girl (essentially if the Hulk's natural form was a preteen girl), but she also voices the fully adult Shrinking Rae and Debby's Russian friend Olga, a superhero widow. DeLisle has an unbelievable vocal range (take a peek, her roles include Daphne from "Scooby Doo" to Mandy in "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy"). As of season 2, she's also voicing the Viltrumite Thula, a la her previous villainess roles like Azula in "Avatar: The Last Airbender" or Vicky in "The Fairly OddParents."
More heroes
Dupli-Kate — Malese Jow: Kate is a superheroine who can clone herself — Jow is a former Nickelodeon teen star (see "Unfabulous" where she played co-lead Geena) who graduated to supporting roles on The CW. She appeared in "The Flash" as Linda Park and "The Vampire Diaries" as Anna Zhu, so a superpowered teen is well in her wheelhouse.
Black Samson — Khary Payton: Samson is the oldest member of the new Guardians of the Globe. His casting is fitting since Khary Payton has voiced plenty of superheroes in his day. He played the aforementioned Cyborg in "Teen Titans," and later on "Young Justice," and he voiced both Aqualad and the hero's villainous father, Black Manta. In live-action, he appeared in "The Walking Dead" as King Ezekiel, so this isn't his first time in a Kirkman production either.
Damien Darkblood — Clancy Brown: A "demon detective" who looks like Hellboy fused with Rorschach from "Watchmen," Damien spends the first half of "Invincible" season 1 investigating Omni-Man before being sent back to Hell. He's voiced by Clancy Brown, one of the best living character actors both on-camera and in a recording booth. Brown's classic resume includes "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Starship Troopers," while some of his recent roles include "John Wick: Chapter 4" (as The Harbinger), "Dexter: New Blood" (as the villain Kurt Caldwell), and "Gen V" (as Professor Richard Brinkerhoff). And though Damien Darkblood is gone, Brown remains on cast in season 2 and got to flex his villainous muscle as Viltrumite General Kregg.
Voicover-wise, he's most famous for voicing Lex Luthor in "Superman: The Animated Series" and "Justice League" and Mr. Krabs in "SpongeBob SquarePants" (a more comical and higher-pitched performance than Brown usually does). Damien was meant to be intimidating, so he needed a deep voice like Brown's.
The cast of villains
What's a good hero without some equally evil villains to thwart? Their ranks include:
Maulers — Kevin Michael Richardson: The muscular, scheming scientist Mauler Twins are played by Kevin Michael Richardson, pretty much the go-to deep voice for a villain. See his underrated turn as the Joker on "The Batman," or Trigon in "Teen Titans," or his gut-busting performance as the twisted Principal Brian Lewis on "American Dad." He can play good guys too, typically gentle giants (see Bulkhead in "Transformers: Prime") but the Maulers are anything but.
Titan — Mahershala Ali: Titan is a stone-skinned criminal who wants to be the boss. His actor, though, is already on top of the world; Mahershala Ali has two Best Supporting Actor Oscars, for "Moonlight" (as Juan) and "Green Book" (as pianist Dr. Donald Shirley). He's not above genre entertainment, though; he played Harlem crime boss Cottonmouth in "Luke Cage," his smooth and deep voice perfect for making the hair on the audience's skin stand up.
Slash the Flaxan — Djimon Hounsou: The Flaxans are interdimensional, green-skinned aliens who don't speak English, so their voices can't be recognized. However, their leader (distinguishable thanks to his eye scar) is a celebrity: Hounsou has credits on "Gladiator," "Blood Diamond," and played Korath the Pursuer in "Guardians of the Galaxy."
Battle Beast — Michael Dorn: A feline alien mercenary, Battle Beast is always in pursuit of the ultimate challenge. There's no one better to voice him than Michael Dorn, who is most famous for playing Worf on "Star Trek." Worf is the first Klingon in Starfleet and science-fiction's go-to example of an honorable alien warrior. The difference is that Worf is uptight, while Battle Beast is bloodthirsty; Dorn is just as good when he's cutting loose.
Stephen Root as Dr. Elias Brandyworth
Between "Invincible" seasons 1 and 2, the show released a special episode detailing Atom Eve's origin. As it turns out, she was a science experiment carried out by Dr. Elias Brandyworth, who watched Eve from afar her whole life out of loyalty to her late mother and paternal affection.
The good doctor is voiced by Stephen Root, a prolific character actor but one who typically plays more loathsome characters. His most recent turn in the limelight was playing Monroe Fuches on "Barry," the titular character's manipulative and blackhearted handler. Brandyworth is also a mentor, but a much more heroic one; Root does have a pretty soothing voice like a caring father should.
Root is also a regular of the Coen Brothers, appearing as incidental characters in several of their films, including "No Country for Old Man" and "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs." However, his most famous film role is probably Milton Waddams in "Office Space," a spineless cubicle drone turned arsonist.
Lance Reddick as Steven Erickson
The villain of "Invincible: Atom Eve" is Steven Erickson, the government creep who commissioned Brandyworth to make a human weapon. He's voiced by the late Lance Reddick in one of the actor's last roles. Erickson is callous and irritable, the exact opposite demeanor of a typical Lance Reddick character.
Reddick had an imperious voice, but surprisingly, he didn't often play villains. Some of his famous roles include relatively good cop Cedric Daniels on "The Wire," the reliable concierge Charon in the "John Wick" movies, and Phillip Broyles in "Fringe," the team's direct superior. Men in suits and consummate professionals, all of them.
This past year, he also appeared in William Friedkin's last movie, "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial," as the patient Judge Luther Blakely. Erickson isn't much of a character, but he does offer a glimpse of a different side to Lance Reddick we didn't often see.
Sterling K. Brown as Angstrom Levy
Invincible's new archnemesis, Angstrom is a man who can open portals to different dimensions of the multiverse and wants to use his ability to help humanity. When an attempt to merge with all his alternate selves leaves him physically and mentally damaged, Angstrom swears revenge on Invincible.
Sterling K. Brown first came to prominence playing the prosecutor Christopher Darden in "American Crime Story: The People V. O.J. Simpson" and then scored a main role as Randall Pearson in "This is Us." He's also done some voice work in both film ("Frozen II") and TV ("Big Mouth, "Solar Opposites").
The closest we've come to seeing him play an outright supervillain, before Angstrom at least, was in "Black Panther." Brown appeared in a small but pivotal part as N'Jobu, father of Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and forerunner of his son's revolution. Playing N'Jobu, Brown offered a glimpse of the rage that drives Angstrom Levy.
Tatiana Maslany as Telia and more
Tatiana Maslany, known to superhero fans for playing Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, joined "Invincible" in season 2. While not purely a voice actor, she's already shown her range by taking on multiple parts: the supervillain Queen Lizard in the "Atom Eve" special, Aquaria the Queen of Atlantis, and Allen's neglected girlfriend Telia.
Maslany's breakout part was on the science-fiction series "Orphan Black," where she played multiple different characters who were clones of the same woman. All the clones had widely different names, appearances, and personalities; the show was essentially a showcase for Maslany's chameleon-like range. Likewise, "She-Hulk" is a show where the whole gimmick is that an introvert (Jen) transforms into an extrovert (She-Hulk). The transformation has to be more than just physical and Maslany is the sort of actor who can pull that off. Voice acting can be more limiting than other types of performance (since an actor only has one tool), but that doesn't constrict Maslany's range on "Invincible."
Peter Cullen as Thaedus
Thaedus (introduced in season 2, episode 3 "This Missive, This Machination!") is Allen's boss; as the leader of the Coalition of Planets, he is the universe's last and best hope against the Viltrumites.
Who does one cast to play such a figure? Someone who has experience playing an alien leader and ultimate force for good; Optimus Prime himself, Peter Cullen. Cullen first voiced Prime in the 1984 "Transformers" cartoon and, drawing on his older brother Larry and acting "strong enough to be gentle," made the character into an icon. Cullen has played Prime in all the "Transformers" films and later cartoons like "Transformers: Prime." His voice is synonymous with the character. Kirkman's company Skybound Entertainment is the current owner of the "Transformers" comic publishing rights, too, which may have inspired his choice to bring on Cullen.
However, Thadeus is hiding some things about himself (though not his intentions, to be clear), as comic readers know. That's what makes casting Cullen more than an homage to "Transformers"; a viewer is inclined to trust him because they're used to trusting Optimus, but Thaedus is a bit murkier than the Autobot leader usually is.
The Walking Dead alums as The Guardians of the Globe
The twist of "Invincible," played out at the end of the first episode, is that Omni-Man reveals his true self by killing the world's other greatest superheroes, the Guardians of the Globe. Like Yeun, these heroes are all played by actors who previously appeared as main characters in "The Walking Dead." Their ranks include:
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Ross Marquand (Aaron) as The Immortal and Aquarus.
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Lennis James (Morgan) as Darkwing.
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Lauren Cohan (Maggie Greene) as War Woman.
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Michael Cudlitz (Abraham Ford) as Red Rush.
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Chad Coleman (Tyreese) as Martian Man.
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Sonequa Martin-Green (Sasha) as Green Ghost.
The Guardians are obvious stand-ins for the Justice League; the names, costumes, powers, everything. Aside from the Immortal at least; he's more like Wolverine or a heroic Vandal Savage. That might be why he's the only one who comes back, since he's more than just a bald parody. The other Guardians get so little time it's hard to gauge their actors' performances, but the "Walking Dead" connections make for a fun Easter egg.