'Invincible': 6 Things to Know About Mark Grayson From the Comic Book

The superhero genre is hotter than ever. But in an era where a new piece of superhero-related media seemingly drops every week, the classic Marvel and DC characters get most of the attention. What about lesser-known characters getting an opportunity to shine? 

An animated series called Invincible is giving viewers a chance to see a new kind of superhero, and fans seem to love it so far. Let’s take a closer look at the main character from that series, Mark Grayson, and six facts to know about his original version depicted in the comics. 

What is the premise of ‘Invincible?’ 

According to IGN, the Amazon Prime series Invincible tells the story of a young man named Mark Grayson. He is a normal teenager. He’s a fan of comic books. He goes to high school every day, living a mostly mundane existence there. He’s also pining after a girl who doesn’t ever seem to notice him.

The only major difference between Mark and other kids is that his father is a superhero named Omni-Man. While Mark at first finds himself to be unremarkable, he slowly discovers that he has powers like his father.

He quickly becomes a superhero — he names himself Invincible — in an attempt to follow the legacy of his Dad. But it isn’t quite as simple as Mark would like. 

Mark Grayson’s backstory in the comics

Comic writer Robert Kirkman created Mark. Kirkman also created the comic series The Walking Dead. Mark’s comic, Invincible, had a 144-issue run from 2003-2018.

After a decade and a half of his own stories and spinoffs, the character came to an end.  In the comics, Mark’s mother is named Deborah and his father’s alter-ego is that of a man named Nolan.

Much like Superman hailing from Krypton, Nolan is of an alien race known as the Viltrumite. Mark is half-Viltrumite, which is where he gets his powers from. 

6 things to know about Mark Grayson from the ‘Invincible’ comic book

For fans of the show, it helps to know where Mark came from as a character. It may help them better understand his motivations and where he may head in the future.

Screen Rant compiled some facts about the character from the comics, and here are six you need to know (warning: potential spoilers ahead): 

• His father was motivated to come to Earth thanks to a deadly disease. The Scourge Virus is a sickness created by Omni-Man’s people that eventually afflicts them. Omni-Man retreats to Earth to escape the virus, leading to him eventually fathering Mark. 
• Unlike another famous hero, he’s only half-alien. Many elements of Mark’s story mirror that of Superman. But whereas Superman was 100% Kryptonian, Mark is only half-alien. His mother is a human being. Superman’s humanity was forged in his humble upbringing by the Kents. Mark’s is reinforced through his mother. 
• Mark got his costume from his friend. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man gets his outfit from Tony Stark. In the Invincible comics, it’s Mark’s friend Art who designs his costume for him. He also creates the costume for Omni-Man. In the Invincible series, Art is Omni-Man’s friend and serves as a designer for all superheroes.
• He creates his own Teen Titans-like group. Mark teams up with several other teenagers to form a squad known as the “Teen Team.” In the tv show, the team already exists and Mark becomes friends with them.
• He falls in love with another superhero. Sort of like Reed and Sue Richards, Mark finds himself falling for another gifted individual known as Atom Eve. The duo shares a long romance together.
• There’s a connection to another beloved hero. Released under the Image Comics banner, Invincible features a cameo from fellow Image superhero Spawn. Spawn famously had a popular comic, movie, and TV series based on him in the 90s.  

With plenty of source material to draw from, Invincible fans don’t have to worry. The show’s creators have plenty of great Mark Grayson stories to draw from. 

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