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Rex Splode

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Overview




“ Rex Splode isn't some secret identity. It is my identity. It's all I've got. All I've ever had. If I give that up, I won't have anything left. ”
—Rex opens up to Rae.

Rex Sloan, was a major character in Invincible, serving from Season 1 to 3.

He was the superhero Rex Splode, who had the ability to generate explosive energy. He was a former member of Teen Team before it disbanded and he became a member of the newly formed Guardians of the Globe. Following the revelation of Cecil's actions, he and several other members of the Guardians of the Globe left to reform the Teen Team, all the while entering into a relationship with Shrinking Rae. During the Invincible War, he sacrificed himself, using his powers to turn his entire skeleton into explosive, to defeat one of the invading Invincible variants. To pay tribute to his fallen friend's legacy, Rudy Connors/Robot took on his first name, officially christening himself as "Rex Connors".

Quick Answers

What is the nature of Rex Splode's superpower? toggle section
Rex Splode, a product of a government experiment, possesses the ability to charge molecules to an unstable level, turning any object into an explosive. He uses kinetic energy to accelerate molecules, creating explosives. He also demonstrates peak human durability and agility, allowing him to endure powerful strikes and minimize damage against superhuman opponents.
Provided by: Fandom
How did Rex Splode become a member of the Guardians of the Globe? toggle section
Rex Splode, previously part of the Teen Team, was chosen for the new Guardians of the Globe following the demise of the original team by Omni-Man. His human identity and his special power to create explosives by accelerating molecules with kinetic energy contributed to his recruitment. His uncertainty about his real origins, known by the team, was also a factor in his inclusion.
Provided by: Fandom
What is the backstory of Rex Splode's childhood and his recruitment by the government? toggle section
Rex Splode's origins trace back to a government experiment aimed at creating a superhero. Sold by his impoverished family to an enigmatic organization, he was endowed with the power to charge molecules, making any object explosive. Upon maturing, Rex escaped this organization and sought his family. His true origins were already known to his team when he joined the guardians, a fact disclosed by Cecil under pressure from Black Samson.
Provided by: Fandom
How did Rex Splode survive in the Invincible series? toggle section
Rex Splode, a superhero in the Invincible series, survives through his unique abilities and tactical acumen. He once thwarted an attack by the Flaxans, identifying their wristbands as their Achilles heel. Upon their destruction, the Flaxans aged rapidly, forcing them to withdraw. Rex's survival is also linked to his power to create explosions using everyday objects like coins, fridge magnets, and iron bars, a trait reminiscent of Marvel's Gambit.
Provided by: Fandom

Appearance[]

Rex was a tall adolescent male in excellent physical condition, with pronounced muscles, had olive colored skin, green eyes, and dark red hair, kept long on top and tied in a bun, while keeping his sides and the nape of his neck shaved. His only article of clothing so far had been his superhero outfit: a tight-fitting jacket with red shoulders, collar, sides and hand cuffs, and a yellow front and arm necks. His trousers were also tight fitted and similarly colored. He also sported a pair of brown gloves with hook-and-loop fasteners and similarly colored boots, also hook-and-loop fastened, and a brown belt with several white cylinders hanging from his waist. The final piece of his costume was a red mask that covered his entire head and neck, minus his chin and mouth, and a pair of yellow goggles.

Personality[]

Rex was most of the time rude, sassy, sarcastic, immature, audacious, arrogant, argumentative, and abrasive, even and most of all to his teammates and supposed friends, often crudely joking about them. He very often displayed sardonicism and what may come off as outright antagonism to most, if not all, people he encountered, usually regardless of their status and reputation. Because of that and his distrustfulness of most people, he was somewhat disliked by the superhero community. His hard past may have had an impact on his current state.

As a boyfriend, he was very possessive of Eve, even though he ultimately cheated on her with Dupli-Kate (where it’s possibly implied that Rex lied to her that Eve was seeing Invincible), displaying great abrasiveness after she caught them in the shower, saying it didn't mean anything as he didn't have sex with the "real Kate", but her clones, further insulting her.

His arrogance and somewhat recklessness tended to backfire on him, as when he openly mocked Monster Girl for her age and size, he didn't consider the consequences of it at all, first being humiliated back by her, then being attacked and brutally beaten by her in monster form until Invincible interfered. With a similar mocking, he also won himself the contempt of Black Samson after joining the Guardians of the Globe.

Rex was not always as repugnant as he might have seemed at first glance. Despite their rough first encounter, Rex and Monster Girl started to break the ice between themselves right after their fight, which evolved to a friendship of sorts, which inspired Robot - secretly a puppet of a deformed genius - to transfer a copy of his mind to Rex’s cloned body. According to Eve, he wasn’t always as unpleasant as he was then. His stubbornness also occasionally came for the better, as while he may have been a boor, he wasn't a coward and fought until he dropped, wanting to defy Cecil's orders to not interfere with Invincible and Omni-Man's fight and being the first of the Guardians indicate the team is ready to wash the blood stain from the battle of the ill-fated original team with Omni-Man, to which even Samson agreed (after a brief altercation) "they earned it". While his joker attitude was usually to the annoyance of others, he may sometimes joke in a less provocative manner, simply to make the best of the situation. Overall, while he may have at times seemed like merely a toxic jerk, he was also occasionally capable of being more friendly and heroic than others might think.

Following his near-death experience at the hands of King Lizard, his personality had a significant change. He thought back on his life and regretted how he had negatively impacted those around him. He became much more understanding and respectful of others. While still jovial and somewhat hotheaded, he slowly became less insulting and vulgar (while still being irreverent comic relief). This change in behavior allowed him to better his relationships with others, notably Invincible and Shrinking Rae. By season 3, he legitimately supported his friends Invincible and Atom Eve dating, helped Rae with the move from the GDA, and was willing to sacrifice his life to save his comrades.

Power and Abilities[]

Powers[]

  • Surgically Enhanced Physiology/Kinetic Charging: Rex Splode possesses the power to make any object he touches explode. This ability works on inorganic material and some organic material, with the force of the explosion being determined by his level of focus and intensity. His explosions are precise, allowing him to target specific objects or areas without affecting his surroundings as much. However, the more objects he touches or manipulates, the more energy he expends, limiting how frequently he can use this power in quick succession. Rex is also capable of enhancing the size of his explosions by increasing his physical exertion, but this comes at the cost of draining his stamina quickly. While powerful, Rex’s ability requires careful control and concentration to avoid collateral damage.
    • Enhanced Agility: Rex possessed great agility which he used in battle. He had demonstrated these abilities in battles against the Flaxans and Machine Head’s mercenaries. His agility is also shown able to skillfully navigate through various terrains unimepeded.
    • Enhanced Durability: Rex could withstand powerful strikes and sustain relatively less damage when facing opponents of superhuman strength, such as formidable fighters like Monster Girl and Battle Beast.
    • Enhanced Endurance: Rex possessed remarkable endurance, able to withstand and survive severe amounts of punishment. Against the Lizard League, he not only survived through multiple lacerations, a hand bitten off, and even a bullet to through the brain, but he retained consciousness throughout the battle. He even managed to beat King Lizard to death in this state.
    • Enhanced Strength: Rex possessed remarkable strength, managing to tackle ReAnimen to the ground.

Abilities[]

  • Skilled Combatant: While mostly relying on his kinetic powers. Rex was a capable fighter, able to fight against several enemies. Against Dropkick, a highly advanced fighter, Rex was able to overpower the foe while having a casual conversation with Invincible.

Equipment[]

  • Cybernetic Left Wrist: Following his brutal fight with the Lizard League, Rex was given a new hand. It retained the same range of movement and dexterity as the original hand, and Rex could still channel his powers through it. In addition, underneath the robotic material, contained a power blast attack once charged by placing two index fingers onto the bullet hole area, could deal a heavy finish to enemies, this was shown when Rex used it on Octoboss.
  • Objects: Rex Splode would often use small objects or projectiles in his pockets, or metal bars on his belt to create explosives.

Sightings[]

Trivia[]

  • Rex Splode is based on Gambit from Marvel Comics. Likewise, both characters carry around with them light weight objects to be used as explosive material, Gambit carries around several decks of playing cards and Rex carries around change, fridge magnets and iron bars.
    • Some fans of the show like to compare Rex's suicide in season 3 to that of Gambit from X-Men '97 a year prior. It has been erroneously suggested that Rex's suicide in the show was modelled after Gambit's considering that Invincible #60, the issue featuring Rex's death, appeared in 2009, fifteen years before X-Men '97. Subsequently, Gambit was not part of the E is for Extinction comic from 2001 that inspired the '97 episode "Remember It", featuring Gambit's sacrifice. The comparisons between the two respective events ultimately boil down to simple coincidence.
    • Rex Splode is similar to Kid Flash from the Young Justice series, both having this immature child like personality at first, and later end up becoming mature role models, even having a super hero girlfriend (who like Shrinking Rae wears a similar green getup super hero uniform and wanted to retire from the super hero lifestyle), and like Rex, Kid Flash sacrifices himself to his friends and the world.
  • Since I'm Not Going Anywhere, Rex Splode wielded a cybernetic wrist with a laser. To activate the weapon, he placed two of his fingers in his palm, similar to Spider-Man using his webs.
  • Rex had a love for home design magazines and Eve suspects that it is because he never had a home.
  • Rex's suicide explosion to kill off one of the Invincible variants during the Invincible War mirrors a similar action done by Vegeta from the Dragon Ball franchise. Both used their powers to turn themselves into living explosives to take out an extremely powerful foe: Retro Invincible for Rex Splode, and Majin Buu for Vegeta. However, whereas Rex was successful in killing his opponent, Vegeta's suicide explosion failed to kill his.
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