Everyone has been hyped about seeingInvincibleget a new look, but he might never have gotten his upgrade if it weren’t forVenom. As in the comics, Mark Grayson has turned a corner in his life in Invincible and marked the occasion with a new costume that one creator was influenced by a specific time in comic book history.
Invincibleco-creator Robert Kirkmanand series' showrunner Simon Racioppa spoke withThe Directabout the animated series' third season. The duo were asked about Mark’s new black and blue suit, comparing it to the darker, post-Secret Wars period whenSpider-Man had his symbiote suit.
Robert Kirkman: That’s definitely by design. When Cory Walker, Ryan Ottley, and I were doing the comics, we very much tried to play up the tropes of the comic industry. The superhero getting the new costume is something that happens in almost every superhero story. You know, there’s a lot of stories that come from that change and Spider-Man is a good example of that. The kind of darkness that comes from that change and the emergence of Venom as a clear villain that comes from that is a really cool addition to the mythos of [Spider-Man]. And I think there are a lot of worthy additions to the mythos of Invincible that show up during this costume change, that kind of mirror, what happened with Spider-Man.
Kirkman acknowledged that was intentional and that he, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley were intentionally playing with tropes in the comic industry. Kirkman also noted that, like how the costume change led to the introduction of Venom to Spider-Man’s world,the change is meant to usher in new changes and additions to the overallInvinciblemythology.
Robert Kirkman Confirms the Symbiote Suit Inspired Invincible’s New Look
Mark’s New Costume is His ‘Black Suit’ Phase
The first chapters of theInvinciblesaga really put the title character through the ringer. After discovering his father’s unspeakable crimes, Mark began workingclosely with Cecil Stedmanof the Global Defense Agency. However, Invincible is betrayed yet again when he finds out that Cecil has been using assets who have killed people, such as Darkwing and D.A. Sinclair (the latter of whom created an army of reanimated soliders as a contingency to stop Mark). After officially calling it quits with Cecil,Invincible signified his new era by adopting a new costume with a blue and black color scheme.
As Kirkman points out, the trope of a hero donning a new costume (particularly a darker-hued one) during a significant moment of their life isn’t one that’s necessarily limited to Spider-Man. But Peter Parker’s symbiote suit is arguably one of the most well-known costume changes and, like Invincible, came during a darker period in the hero’s life. WhileInvincibleis obviously going in its own direction and not giving Mark his own ‘Venom’ exactly, this costume change does signifya very important moment in Invincible’s life and it has a huge impact on where the character goes from here.
Invincible’s Dark Suit Represents One of the More Perilous Parts of Mark Grayson’s Life
Fans Will Want to Prepare Themselves for What’s Next for Invincible
From brand-new villains to shocking decisions, fans familiar with theInvinciblecomic know that there are a lot of changes and challenges heading Mark’s way as the animated series keeps going on. And when a hero is facing greater difficulty in their life, it’s not uncommon for them to wear a costume that reflects that, as it’s an effective way of communicating the struggle and strife they’re enduring. WhileInvincible’soutfit might not be a living alien, it serves the same point as the suit that ultimately becameVenomand heralded a darker period for the hero wearing it.
