Invincible is an American comic book series written by Robert Kirkman, illustrated by Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, and published by Image Comics. Set in the Image Universe, Invincible follows the coming of age of superhero Mark Grayson / Invincible, a half-Viltrumite and first-born son of Omni-Man, the most powerful superhero on Earth. The series began publication on January 22, 2003, before concluding on February 14, 2018, spanning 144 issues. Several spin-off series were released over its run: Brit, The Pact, Invincible Presents: Atom Eve & Rex Splode, and Guarding the Globe. An animated television adaptation began streaming on Amazon Prime Video on March 25, 2021, while an additional spin-off interquel, Invincible Universe: Battle Beast, began publication in 2025.
Plot Mark Grayson is the son of Nolan and Debbie Grayson. Nolan, an alien from the planet Viltrum, is Earth's most powerful superhero, "Omni-Man". When Mark is seventeen, his powers manifest, and he quickly uses them to fight crime, taking the moniker "Invincible." He becomes acquainted with the Teen Team, made up of Robot, Rex Splode, Dupli-Kate, and Atom Eve, with whom he becomes close. He also meets Allen the Alien, an agent of the Coalition of Planets, which safeguards planets from threats.
Nolan suddenly kills Earth's premier superhero team, the Guardians of the Globe. The world is unaware of his actions and Mark believes he is being controlled until the Mauler Twins revive the team's leader, the Immortal. He attacks Nolan, who kills him again, but is witnessed by Mark and the rest of the world on live television. Nolan reveals to Mark that he was sent to Earth to conquer it and tries to convince Mark to join him. He refuses, and they fight, with the battle resulting in the deaths of thousands of civilians and Mark being beaten nearly to death. Changed by the people of Earth and Mark's love, Nolan leaves Earth, unable to kill his son.
When Mark recovers, he meets Global Defense Agency director Cecil Stedman and begins working for the GDA. Under Cecil's orders, Robot forms a new Guardians of the Globe team made up of the Teen Team, new heroes like Monster Girl, and the revived Immortal.
Meanwhile, Angstrom Levy, a scientist who can form multiversal portals, attempts to merge the intellect of his alternate selves to gain vast knowledge. Mark's intervention leads to the accidental deaths of Levy's counterparts and his disfigurement. Due to his alternate counterparts' shared hatred of Invincible, who in many other dimensions turned on humanity and joined his father, Angstrom vows revenge on Mark.
In space, Allen is beaten nearly to death by three Viltrumites, but he grows stronger upon healing due to a Unopan breeding program designed to create a specimen strong enough to defeat a Viltrumite. Mark is contacted by a Thraxan for his assistance, unexpectedly reuniting with Nolan, who reveals he had a child with a Thraxan, Andressa, and needs his help to save Thraxa from Viltrumites sent to eliminate Nolan for abandoning Earth. Viltrumites attack the planet and kill millions of Thraxans. More Viltrumites arrive and take Nolan captive, while Viltrumite general Kregg appoints Mark as Earth's subjugator. Mark returns home with the child, whom Debbie names Oliver.
Robot creates a human body using the DNA of Rex Splode and reveals it to the Guardians. The Sequids, a martian race that only becomes strong once they form a parasitic relationship with an organism, attack, but Mark and the Guardians are able to repel the threat. Angstrom returns and sends Mark through multiple universes in an attempt to weaken him and severely injures Debbie. Enraged, Mark apparently beats Angstrom to death, but he is horrified by his actions. Stranded in an alternate dimension, he is rescued by a future version of the Guardians.
Oliver grows at an accelerated rate due to his Thraxan DNA, becoming a preteen in a few weeks, and begins developing Viltrumite powers. Allen comes to Earth to recruit Mark and Nolan to the Coalition, but Mark reveals Nolan's incarceration. Mark gifts Allen Nolan's books, which he believes secretly hint at weapons that can be used to kill Viltrumites. Equipped with new information, Allen thanks Mark and leaves to find Nolan. A Viltrumite named Anissa comes to Earth to check on Mark's progress and warns Mark that a more ruthless and violent Viltrumite will check in on Mark; if he continues to defy the Viltrum Empire, Earth will pay. Anissa leaves and runs into Allen, who allows himself to be captured to find Nolan aboard a Viltrumite prison ship. Following the battle, Cecil has Mark train to stand his own against the Empire.
Nolan is sentenced to death, but Viltrumite law dictates that he must be at full strength before execution. Allen convinces Nolan to join the Coalition, and the two escape from prison with the help of Battle Beast, who was also imprisoned on the ship. The three kill the two Viltrumite guards, along with most of their security forces. Battle Beast disappears in the chaos, and Nolan reveals to Allen that there are fewer than fifty pure-blooded Viltrumites left. Mark continues to fight crime and his morality is continually questioned. Mark and Oliver realize that they are being watched by mysterious floating orbs, but Robot is unable to figure out who sent them.
The orbs are revealed to be under the control of Angstrom Levy, who survived his fight with Mark with the help of a race of technological beings called the Technicians. Angstrom attacks Earth with twenty evil, alternate-storyline versions of Invincible. As Mark is helping in the cleanup after Angstrom's attack, the Viltrumite Conquest arrives on Earth to inspect Mark's takeover. Conquest defies his mission parameters and attacks Mark. Conquest severely injures Oliver and nearly kills Eve when they attempt to aid Mark. After a last stand, Mark eventually beats the Viltrumite. As Mark recovers with the idea Conquest is gone, Cecil secretly keeps Conquest's body, intending to interrogate him about the Viltrum Empire and how to stop them.
Nolan tells Allen about how, centuries ago, enemies of the Viltrum Empire created a disease known as the Scourge Virus that killed over 99% of the Viltrum population. Allen takes Nolan to the Coalition homeworld, Talescria, and introduces him to Thaedus. Thaedus tasks the two of them with finding weapons to aid in their fight against the empire. Thaedus shows Nolan a new strain of the Scourge Virus during a conversation, which has the potential to wipe out every Viltrumite in the universe if the empire proves to be too much for them. Nolan, fighting himself from attacking Thaedus, asks Thaedus to not use the Virus as a standard weapon, only in desperation against the Viltrumites. Mark continues fighting crime for a while, encountering the ecoterrorist villain Dinosaurus. Conquest escapes from Cecil's detention center and returns to the empire, where Grand Regent Thragg orders him to kill Mark, Nolan, and Oliver. While this is happening, Atom Eve has had trouble using her abilities for this entire time until she finds out that she is pregnant, but she keeps it a secret from Mark.
The Flaxans attack Earth again, and Robot and Monster Girl follow them back to their home dimension to destroy them for good. Nolan and Allen return to Earth, where they recruit Mark, Oliver, and the hero Tech Jacket for the war against the Viltrum Empire, the Viltrumite War. On their way back to rendezvous with the Coalition, the group is attacked by the Viltrumite trio. Conquest, Lucan, and Randee. Mark manages to strangle Conquest to death, but is gravely injured. Nolan and Oliver look over Mark in secret on an alien planet for the next 10 months and take the time to train and bond with each other. Allen and Tech Jacket are able to return to Talescria in secret and spend months helping the Coalition fight the Viltrumites. Mark recovers, and he, Nolan, and Oliver get to Talescria to assist the Coalition in defending the planet from a Viltrumite attack. The Viltrumites flee, and Mark, Nolan, Oliver, Thaedus, Allen, Tech Jacket, Space Racer, and Battle Beast follow them back to Viltrum. In the resulting battle, some Viltrumites are killed, and Mark, Nolan, Thaedus, and Space Racer destroy Viltrum. Enraged, Thragg decapitates Thaedus and gravely injures Mark, Nolan, and Oliver. Before he lands the final blow, Thragg spares them. After recovering from the battle, the Coalition believes that the Viltrumites have gone to Earth to lay waste to it. Mark, Nolan, and Tech Jacket race back to Earth, expecting it to be destroyed, but find it intact. Thragg intercepts the group and gives them an ultimatum: allow the remaining 37 Viltrumites to breed with Earth's population and replenish their ranks, or fight them all and have every living being on Earth likely killed in the resulting battle. Fearing for Earth's safety, Mark agrees, and the Viltrumite War ends in a truce.
Mark learns that Eve had an abortion while he was gone, but does not hold it against her. Mark fights Dinosaurus again in Las Vegas, which results in Dinosaurus activating bombs that destroy the city, killing thousands and presumably killing him as well. Dinosaurus survives and is captured by the GDA. Cecil and Mark travel to the ruins of Las Vegas, where Cecil reveals that they are using the glass created by the bombs to take advantage of solar energy to provide power to millions of people. Mark realizes that Dinosaurus's methods, while abhorrent, have positive results. When Mark breaks Dinosaurus out of the Pentagon, the two team up to do good for the planet, but Cecil declares them enemies. Meanwhile, on Talescria, Allen reveals to Nolan that the new strand of the Scourge Virus has the potential to kill the Viltrumites hiding on Earth, but also the potential to kill every human on Earth. Nolan disagrees with Allen, as he believes that Earth can change the views of the Viltrumites as it did for him. The two fight, and Oliver intervenes before deciding to assist Allen with his plan. Nolan is imprisoned on Talescria while Allen and Oliver travel to Earth. Mark meets the two of them in space, where the duo reveal their plan. Mark refuses to risk the lives of the humans, and a fight breaks out. Mark is nearly overpowered by the two of them before Thragg arrives to assist him. Thragg and Allen talk and try to resolve the issue peacefully, but the Guardians arrive and see Mark, who is still an enemy of the planet. Another fight breaks out, and Oliver attempts to unleash the Scourge Virus, but Mark is infected.
Mark is put in critical condition, and Thragg has Viltrumite scientists heal Mark to prevent the Coalition from attacking them. Dinosaurus goes to the warship to assist in Mark's recovery. Thragg realizes that Mark is the grandson of Argall, the former Emperor of Viltrum, making Mark, Oliver, and Nolan the heirs of the Viltrum Empire. Thragg attempts to kill Mark, but he is rescued by Dinosaurus. Mark recovers from the virus, but loses his powers. The Flaxans attack Earth, and what happened in their dimension is revealed: Robot and Monster Girl overthrew the Flaxan dictatorship, became the rulers of the dimension, before gradual political strife caused a rift between them and Robot becoming more ruthless in order to improve the overall quality of life for his subjects. The Flaxan attack is stopped, but not before there are thousands of casualties. During the attack, General Kregg, to Thragg's chagrin, saves a group of people that included a romantic partner of his. All of the Viltrumites except for Thragg and Anissa had taken on a romantic partner and began to see the appeal of humanity and proper companionship.