| For alternate versions of Invincible, see Invincible's Character Hub |
Markus Sebastian "Mark" Grayson is the titular main protagonist of the series of the same name. He is the Viltrumite-Human hybrid superhero Invincible, the son of Nolan and Debbie Grayson, the paternal older half-brother of Oliver Grayson II, and the boyfriend of Eve Wilkins/Atom Eve. He is also the grandson of Oliver.
Born as a Viltrumite-Human, Mark would ultimately gain his powers at the age of 17, and begin training to become a hero under his father's mentorship. Following a short involvement with the Teen Team, Mark teamed up with Atom Eve, the second version of the Guardians of the Globe, and Cecil Stedman from the G.D.A. to safeguard Earth from all known threats, while also attempting to protect the entire galaxy from the dangers presented by the Viltrum Empire.
Quick Answers
What is the origin of Mark Grayson's superhero name, Invincible?
Who are Mark Grayson's parents in the Invincible series?
How did Mark Grayson acquire his powers in Invincible?
Who is Mark Grayson's girlfriend in the Invincible series?
What team did Mark Grayson join before working with Atom Eve in Invincible?
Appearance
Physique
Mark is a tall, fair-skinned teenager. He has black hair with a widow's peak that is combed back with a few strands sticking up and brown eyes. While originally slim, since obtaining his powers, Mark's physique has become leaner and gradually more defined. Stemming from the fallout with his father, he has visible stress-faded eye bags. Later, after intense workouts and training sessions from the G.D.A. he gains a slight but noticeable more mass to his build.
Clothing
Direction
For Mark's suit from early S1E1, go to Goggles and Scarf. For Mark's suit from S1E1- S3E3, go to the Yellow and Blue Suit section. For Mark's suit from S3E3- present, go to Black and Blue Suit.
Typical
In his civilian outfit, Mark wears a dark navy green shirt with khaki pants and white shoes. For Mark's suit from S1E1- S3E3, Go to the
Goggles and Scarf
Once Invincible learned his powers, he dressed in an orange and white shirt and pants, along with a scarf mask with goggles. He would wear this outfit to his first fight against Titan.
Yellow and Blue Suit
As Invincible, his hair sticks out of the top of his hero suit. His suit has a yellow mask with goggles to keep the air out of his eyes as he flies. The suit is yellow down the middle, stopping at his waist in an upside-down triangle shape; it also bears blue on the shoulders, blending into the yellow in somewhat of an M shape. The rest of his costume is black, aside from the yellow gloves and blue boots that start from his knees down.
Black and Blue Suit
In the third season, Invincible gets a new suit, similar to his previous suit, except the colours are blue and black, there are no knee pads, the boots are black, and the goggles are black with white lighting.[2]
Personality
Mark/Invincible is a brave, competitive, kind, and noble hero who stays true to his values, especially when he discovers the harsh realities of being a superhero. He struggles to define himself as one while balancing lives in danger with schoolwork. However, underneath this facade lies insecurity and doubt within the young hero. Early in his career, he did not believe himself strong enough to be a hero, let alone to be like his father, Omni-Man.
Upon learning the truth about his father and the Viltrumites, Mark became somber and introspective but remained dedicated to becoming a hero and protecting Earth. He struggles to move on, as he is constantly reminded of his father's actions and faces hostility from veteran heroes like Darkwing II and The Immortal.
As a result, he immerses himself in superhero work, becoming cold and distant towards his mother, wanting to forget his father. Ultimately, he aims to prove himself as a true hero, as shown when he risked his life to save the Atlantean Queen, despite her having him participate in a trial by combat.
Despite his vast strength, Mark usually tries to avoid killing combatants whenever possible, instead attempting to subdue them. Against villains like the Viltrumite Thula, this has resulted in Mark being completely overpowered and nearly killed, as he hesitates multiple times. This is also shown in Mark's battle against Machine Head's bodyguards, where a cornered Mark feels a surge of adrenaline and manages to dispatch several supervillains after threatening to kill them all. When his family or friends are directly threatened, he can easily lose himself in his rage, as demonstrated when he ruthlessly attacked foes like the Flaxan Leader for threatening Atom Eve despite their pleas, Angstrom Levy after a brief exchange, and Conquest for merely appearing at a time where he was emotionally vulnerable (and threatening him due to his lack of progress in subjugating the Earth). However, after his battle with Conquest, he ultimately comes to agree with his younger brother with the fact that it may be best to kill whoever threatens his family.
Mark's strong sense of justice is also flawed as he, despite his intentions, is never good with handling diplomatic matters and resorts to violence rather than facing the person who challenges his worldview head-on. For example his confrontation with Anissa in which she calls him out for the ignorance of logic that she presents him with and he took had to agree in some degree that she was right, not before being beaten by her for his retaliation.
He has also been called out by Cecil for his arrogance and ego for the similar reasons as Anissa but more so to make him understand about the larger issues that go into keeping Earth safe rather than focusing on just letting villains rot in jail without a chance to redeem themselves, seek therapeutic help that was missing from much of their lives and being a major factor of their actions and lastly to utilize their abilities to save people. However, Mark remained stubborn and arrogant in the face of Cecil's pleas, making him resort to using harsh methods to immobilize him in self-defense, which further damaged their professional relationship and caused many of the members of the Guardians of the Globe to leave the organization after seeing Cecil's extreme methods.
This continued with Mark being unable to grasp the concept of killing irredeemable opponents and instead always resorting to hold back and use the justice system to deal with the person. This has been a subject of discussion ever since his father scolded him for holding back in a fight to the death, Oliver's reasoning of stopping the enemies like the Mauler twins permanently due to their actions hurting people and their constant escapes from prisons being a supporting argument to Mark's no kill rule.
When Cecil calls out Mark sarcastically for Oliver's killing of the Maulers, he resorts with extreme force, even going so far as to break into his headquarters after suspecting the G.D.A using snarly tactics to spy over his family. After the Invincible war and surviving his battle with Conquest, Invincible is now left with a changed perspective and reveals that from now on he would kill any or all enemies if it meant protecting his friends and family. He also somewhat fixes his fractured relations with Cecil who aided Oliver and showed up to save him and Atom Eve at the end of his battle with Conquest.
Through Powerplex, he was reminded of the horrors left in the wake of his father's rampage in Chicago and felt guilty for being the reason that Powerplex became the violent individual that he is today. When confronting Powerplex, he doesn't fight back and tries his best to talk things out and give Powerplex some much needed help and closure. However, his efforts prove futile, as Mark struggles to articulate the depth of his sympathy for Powerplex's losses, resorting to tell him how he remembers the people who he lost. However, due to Powerplex's delusions and overwhelming hatred, he snarls back at him, rejecting his sincere attempts at an apology.
During and after the Invincible War, Mark witnesses firsthand how many versions of him were rampaging across Earth. Overcome with shame, he hesitates to join the fight, instead selfishly staying by Atom Eve’s side, who was already under the care of the G.D.A. and her parents. This could have easily prevented many more casualties, especially since even his younger brother, Oliver, took charge and fought many of the patients despite his inexperience in combat.
This left Mark ashamed of the state of Earth. When Conquest shows up, Mark uses the encounter as an opportunity to vent his frustrations, ultimately starting to re-trust Cecil. Unbeknownst to Invincible, however, Cecil has been using the corpses of his evil variants to create new ReAnimen and has also kept Conquest alive. This could easily lead to more conflict between Mark and Conquest if the latter heals and resumes his rampage on Earth, especially if Cecil fails to protect the planet as a whole.
During Rex Splode's funeral, Mark felt relieved that Eve was still alive, but she understandably mistook his relief as him ignoring Rex's death and selfishly pitying himself over her survival. However, this misunderstanding was resolved just as quickly.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Viltrumite-Human Hybrid Physiology: Although Mark Grayson is technically a Viltrumite-Human hybrid, the dominance of his Viltrumite genetics renders him nearly indistinguishable from a full-blooded Viltrumite. Initially no different from an ordinary human, his powers began to manifest fully at age 17, after which he quickly adapted and steadily grew stronger over time. Despite his limited experience, Mark has consistently proven capable of matching, and even defeating, seasoned Viltrumite warriors. His strength and potential were impressive enough that General Kregg, a powerful veteran himself, believed Mark could succeed his father’s mission. At the peak of his abilities, Mark was able to push Conquest, the second most powerful Viltrumite in history, to fight with genuine effort, solidifying his place among the elite.
- Anger Empowerment: Mark has a unique ability to greatly enhance his strength when fueled by intense emotions, particularly anger. This surge in adrenaline acts like a second wind, dramatically boosting his physical abilities and combat effectiveness. In high-stress situations, his emotions temporarily fuel his power, allowing him to push past his limits and gain a decisive edge over his enemies.
- Decelerated Aging: Mark possesses an exceptionally prolonged lifespan due to his biology, which causes him to age increasingly slower over time. This decelerated aging allows him to maintain peak health, physical conditioning, and combat performance far beyond the natural limits of most beings.
- Dominant Genes: Viltrumites genetics are incredibly potent and adaptive. Mark, like others of his kind, can reproduce with a wide range of species, with his Viltrumite DNA overwhelmingly asserting itself in the offspring. As a result, the child will typically inherit predominantly Viltrumite traits, often appearing and functioning almost entirely as a Viltrumite. The more genetically compatible the mate’s species is, the faster and more reliably the offspring will manifest the full range of standard Viltrumite abilities.
- Flight: Due a complex balancing system located in his inner ears, Mark possesses the ability to levitate and propel himself through the air at will, capable of reaching extreme speeds. He can effortlessly alter his trajectory mid-flight, allowing for sharp turns, sudden stops, and precise aerial maneuvering. His control enables seamless navigation through a wide range of environments.
- Superhuman Strength: Mark Grayson possesses tremendous physical strength, capable of lifting many tons and unleashing blows that devastate both foes and surroundings. One of his earliest displays came when he accidentally launched a garbage bag from America to England, highlighting his raw potential. As he grew, Mark’s strength escalated dramatically, he once threw a baseball from Chicago, through Mount Everest, and back in a single toss. He easily overpowered foes like Titan and Killcannon early in his career and displayed frightening bursts of power when emotionally triggered, such as breaking out of alien restraints to save Atom Eve or smashing through enemies after witnessing comrades in danger. His strength was formidable enough to fight Allen the Alien to a standstill (while holding back) and push back against the Flaxan armies multiple times. His power continued to scale; he caught and threw a massive asteroid, destroyed energy weapons, and regularly overpowered human-augmented threats like the ReAnimen. In combat, he’s launched enemies across cities, crushed through advanced armor, and shattered constructs. One of his most pivotal strength displays came during his battle with his father, Omni-Man. Though outmatched, Mark fought with heart and resilience. Omni-Man used Mark’s body to slaughter civilians, most horrifically ramming him through a subway train full of people. Mark’s attacks, while emotionally fueled, barely fazed Nolan. During the battle on Thraxa, Mark faced his first Viltrumite, Lucan. Though overpowered and tossed aside, he managed to land a few hits before Omni-Man arrived. When two more Viltrumites, Vidor and Thula, joined the fight, Mark battled Thula. Initially outmatched, he gained the upper hand after witnessing the Thraxan casualties but ultimately lost due to his refusal to kill her. This display earned him recognition from General Kregg, who saw Mark as a worthy successor to Omni-Man in leading Earth’s Viltrumite conquest. His fight with Anissa, the strongest female Viltrumite, was a one-sided demonstration of his current limits. Despite his efforts, Mark was overpowered and unable to land effective blows. His odds of just survival were placed at just 18%. However, this crushing defeat motivated him to undergo three months of advanced training, which pushed his strength to new heights. Before his intense training, Mark faced Angstrom Levy, who threatened his family by teleporting him through alternate realities. Along the way, Mark teamed with Agent Spider against Prof. Ock, was overpowered by cavemen and Omnipotus, but ultimately defeated several foes before returning home. There, he fought a cybernetically enhanced Angstrom, who briefly overpowered him, until Mark unleashed his full power in the Wasteland Universe, beating Angstrom near death and leaving him horribly disfigured. After intense GDA training, Mark’s strength increased by 138%, allowing him to lift a giant’s leg, hold up an iceberg, and casually lift cars. Post-training, Mark dismantled threats that had previously overpowered him, dismembering ReAnimen, crushing Multi-Paul’s clones, and defeated foes like Doc Seismic’s monsters, sea beasts, and was even stated to be stronger than most alternate versions of himself. In an alternate reality, Mark faced the Immortal, who ruled as a tyrant. Mark initially held back but eventually decapitated him, shrugging off his strongest blows with little effort. Among his notable feats, Mark intercepted and completely destroyed a powerful EMP missile midair with a single punch, saving Earth’s entire communication infrastructure. During his clash with Mister Liu, a colossal, dragon being, Mark momentarily overpowered the creature by flying straight into its head, temporarily killing it. Even with his upper body punctured by Liu’s massive fangs, Mark’s retaliatory strike showed how destructive his raw power had become, though Liu regenerated and ultimately overwhelmed him. During the Invincible War, Mark fought Movincihawk evenly and later overpowered him with help. He also battled Hoodvincible, who admitted Mark was stronger than expected, until Omnivincible arrived. Mark briefly held his own against the duo and might have defeated them if not for the distraction caused by Eve. In a renewed battle with Angstrom Levy, Mark resisted capture through a multiversal portal, endured drone assaults, and smashed through the swarm before Angstrom escaped. Mark’s most brutal test came against Conquest, the second strongest Viltrumite. Though outmatched, he managed to draw blood, shattered Conquest’s metal arm, and tore out part of his shoulder. Fueled by rage after Eve’s death, he launched a vicious counterattack, holding his own until Eve’s energy blast gave him the edge to finish the fight. While Invincible’s strength is immense and still growing, he is currently surpassed by Conquest, Battle Beast, and possibly Anissa, though he rivals Movincihawk.
- Nigh-Invulnerability: Mark has a remarkable degree of resilience, which renders him unharmed against all but the strongest of threats. He is unfazed by virtually any environment, or lack thereof. He can withstand recoil of his own speed. Even when worn down by the parallel Maulers, he could even endure a large explosion in Angstrom's warehouse which disintegrated the Maulers. After his training, he could withstand a nuclear warhead at point-blank range. Likewise, Mark's nervous system is similarly resilient, as even after having it targeted and scrambled, Mark was able to stand and soon after recover.
- Reactive Adaptation: Mark is instinctually and in short periods of time able to improve. The more he struggles, the more his physical strength, speed, and durability progressively will augment in correlation with the level of adversity he faces or the severity of injuries he recovers from. Moreover, his combat experience fosters an innate ability to assimilate knowledge and insights from past encounters, enabling him to refine his tactics and enhance his efficiency in subsequent engagements. Against Thula, a seasoned Viltrumite soldier with eons of experience, while initially being overwhelmed by her, Mark steadily adjusted to her tactics to match and ultimately overpower her, only losing from his hesitation to kill her. After 90 days of extensive training with the G.D.A., Mark's various physical parameters (his strength, in particular) increased by 138%, prompting the belief that he could now defeat Anissa, who effortlessly defeated Mark just before his training began.
- Regenerative Healing Factor: Mark can heal from most injuries, even those that would normally kill humans, in short periods of time with no lingering signs, even regenerating lost anatomy like teeth, provided the injury doesn't prove immediately fatal. He is also immune to virtually all illnesses and contaminants. He was able to heal all the damage he got during his fight inside within a few days. An impalement through the chest already began to visibly close and mend mere minutes after the massive claw was removed. Likewise, as his powers continued to grow, he completely regenerated from having two claw holes from Mister Liu's dragon form in a couple of hours.
- Superhuman Lung Capacity: Mark possesses extraordinary lung capacity, allowing him to survive without air for extended periods. This ability enables him to operate unhindered in oxygen-deprived environments, such as the vacuum of space without protection.
- Superhuman Senses: Mark possesses extraordinary sensory abilities, far exceeding human limitations. His auditory perception allows him to hear sounds from great distances with incredible clarity, enabling him to detect even the faintest noises and selectively ignore irrelevant ones. His vision is equally advanced, providing him with the ability to see distant objects with the same sharpness and detail as though they were right in front of him. Additionally, his heightened equilibrium and balance grant him exceptional poise and stability, allowing him to maintain control and coordination in even the most difficult situations.
- Superhuman Speed: Mark can move at incredible speeds, able to move multiple times faster than the speed of sound. He can easily achieve escape velocity of Earth and leave its atmosphere within 9 seconds. He is one of the fastest beings on Earth (if not the fastest), faster than The Immortal. His speed also extends to his reflexes and reaction time, able to follow other superfast targets.
- Superhuman Stamina: Mark can sustain physical exertion for prolonged periods of time without showing any signs of exhaustion and likewise make quick recoveries from physically strenuous assaults like electrocution. He can likewise endure some of the most grievous of injuries that would instantly kill a human, excluding too much harm to his heart or brain. He was able to survive brutal beating from augmented Hail Mary with little discomfort and multiple mountain-shaking punches of Omni-Man without dying. Even being impaled through the chest barely fazed him. He can also go for several weeks without sleep or sustenance unhindered.
Abilities
- Expert Combatant: From the beginning of his superhero career, Mark has shown exceptional instincts and reflexes for fighting. While his fighting style was crude at first, relying mostly on his super strength for simple punches and throws, he proved effective and adaptive. Following his teachings from his father (originally) and later the G.D.A., Mark's skills and tactics in hand-to-hand combat improved tremendously. To which, he became very adept in facing multiple foes at once, able to decisively outmaneuver and defeat them with precise and calculated assaults. His prowess could even contend with Conquest, a Viltrumite with eons of experience.
- Indomitable Will: Mark has been severely injured and still continued fighting, despite the pain. Mark even continued fighting after his leg and arm were broken, and was disemboweled. Mark fights for what he believes is right.
- High-Level Intellect/Leadership: Although not usually stated, Mark is capable of fully memorizing and understanding complex ideas and skills, learning and adapting to any situations and environments instantly. Mark is also a very capable and intelligent leader.
Weaknesses
- Excessively High Frequency: High-frequency noise can have harmful effects on the ears of Viltrumites. It disturbs their balance, restricts their flying capability, induces severe pain, and could potentially lead to their death. The frequency's intensity dictates the degree of pain felt.
- Extreme Force: Even though Viltrumites rank among the universe's mightiest, they are not entirely invincible. Viltrumites are vulnerable to entities with comparable or superior strength.
- Scourge Virus: Developed from Viltrumite DNA, the virus targets Viltrumites by compromising their immune systems, deactivating their strength and invulnerability. The sole method of survival is by having a uniquely strong immune system and patiently waiting for the virus to run its course.
Sightings
| Season 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1. "It's About Time": | Appears | 5. "That Actually Hurt": | Appears | |||||||||
| 2. "Here Goes Nothing": | Appears | 6. "You Look Kinda Dead": | Appears | |||||||||
| 3. "Who You Calling Ugly?": | Appears | 7. "We Need To Talk": | Appears | |||||||||
| 4. "Neil Armstrong, Eat Your Heart Out": | Appears | 8. "Where I Really Come From": | Appears | |||||||||
| Season 2 | ||||||||||||
| 1. "A Lesson For Your Next Life": | Appears | 5. "This Must Come as a Shock": | Appears | |||||||||
| 2. "In About Six Hours, I Lose My Virginity to a Fish": | Appears | 6. "It's Not That Simple": | Appears | |||||||||
| 3. "This Missive, This Machination!": | Appears | 7. "I'm Not Going Anywhere": | Appears | |||||||||
| 4. "It's Been a While": | Appears | 8. "I Thought You Were Stronger": | Appears | |||||||||
| Season 3 | ||||||||||||
| 1. "You're Not Laughing Now": | Appears | 5. "This Was Supposed To Be Easy": | Appears | |||||||||
| 2. "A Deal With The Devil": | Appears | 6. "All I Can Say Is I'm Sorry": | Appears | |||||||||
| 3. "You Want A Real Costume, Right?": | Appears | 7. "What Have I Done?": | Appears | |||||||||
| 4. "You Were My Hero": | Appears | 8. "I Thought You'd Never Shut Up": | Appears | |||||||||
| Season 4 | ||||||||||||
| 1. "TBA": | Appears | 5. "TBA": | Appears | |||||||||
| 2. "TBA": | Appears | 6. "TBA": | Appears | |||||||||
| 3. "TBA": | Appears | 7. "TBA": | Appears | |||||||||
| 4. "TBA": | Appears | 8. "TBA": | Appears | |||||||||
| Specials | ||||||||||||
| Invincible: Atom Eve: | Appears | |||||||||||
| Invincible: Atom Eve & Rex Splode: | Absent | |||||||||||
Trivia
- Invincible is based off of Superboy.
- Likewise, Invincible shares similarities with Gohan from the Dragon Ball Franchise.
- Both a kind and pacifists by nature, only relying on violence to protect their home and loved ones.
- Both are the first hybrid child to appear in their respective franchises.
- Both have shown to have greater potential then their respective fathers and can summon much greater levels of strength during bursts of rage.
- Both became their respective Earth's greatest champion for a time.
- Both descend from powerful, world-conquering aliens, yet favor the human side of their respective heritage.
- Both have a younger brother that idolize their respective brother.
- Likewise, Invincible shares similarities with Gohan from the Dragon Ball Franchise.
- Invincible has been voiced by Steven Yeun, well known for his roles in The Walking Dead as Glenn, Minari as Jacob, as the voice of Wan in The Legend of Korra, Keith in Voltron: Legendary Defender, Wingspan/Nathan Park in Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters, Bo in the 2017 Sony Pictures Animation film, The Star, and Steve in Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, Tatiana Maslany also voices Steve's girlfriend, Aja, in the series as well.
- When the Invincible comic book was in development in the 2000s, the main character was originally going to be named 'Bulletproof.' However, the name was later changed to 'Invincible' by the time the comic was released to the public, and 'Bulletproof' was eventually introduced as a separate superhero in the series.
- Originally, Invincible’s powers were supposed to be based on solar energy, as a nod to Superman, who also gains his powers by absorbing solar energy from the sun.
- Invincible's super hero suit had undergone a slight visual color change in season 2, as the first season he had very a bright and expressive blue and yellow, but changed to a dimmer yellow and blue.
- The title cards for Invincible, represent his outfit's blue and yellow color scheme.
- Throughout Season 2, the red & black title card would crack and break apart and reveal a black & blue title card, which foreshadows Mark's black & blue suit in Season 3.
- In Season 3 the title card rotated between the color palettes of the Invincible variants that showed up in the Invincible War, until finally settling in on the Viltrumite color scheme, foreshadowing the Viltrumite War.
- Mark Grayson’s name is derived from Mark Gray, a comic-book loving character from Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).
- Although it is commonly believed that adrenaline is exclusive to Human-Viltrumite Hybrids, Robert Kirkman has gone on record saying that this is not the case and that every single Viltrumite has adrenaline.[3] Instead, Mark's ability to come out on top even against impossible odds stems from his determination and indomitable will.
References
- ↑ As a kid, in Episode 1 flashback only.
- ↑ File:Invincible Season 3 leaked photo 4.jpg
- ↑ "He was just referring to adrenaline and rage in general. He was not saying that Mark is unique in that he has Adrenaline." | Robert Kirkman, The Invincible Podcast: Robert Kirkman talks Season 3, Battle Beast and more! | Timestamp: 51:09
