Invincible is going to get a lot more bloodier and painful for Mark Grayson, who’s still struggling to find his way between living a normal college lifestyle and being a superhero after a gruesome battle with his father, Omni-Man, concluded the show’s first season.
However, things for Mark are about to get more complicated as a new player has entered the game: the interdimensional traveler Angstrom Levy, voiced by Sterling K. Brown, who seeks to find order and peace from all the Viltrumite chaos.
During this year’s New York Comic Con, I was able to hear from Invincible creator Robert Kirkman and executive producer Simon Racioppa about all things Invincible Season 2, such as how important Sterling K. Brown’s performance would be as well as how Levy would play an important role in Mark Grayson’s journey this season.
Finding Angstrom Levy’s Voice
When asked about finding the perfect voice for Angstrom Levy in Sterling K. Brown, best known as N’Jobu in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther and Randall Pearson in This Is Us, Robert Kirkman and Simon Racioppa praised Brown’s performance.
“He’s been absolutely spectacular. He can be the most sincere, kindest, warmest individual you’ve ever encountered and be insanely threatening and terrifying at the same time. He’s got a very J. K. Simmons-like ability in that respect,” Kirkman recalled.
“He’s incredible and he brought everything to this, from the first to the last day and left it all in the booth. I can’t wait for you guys to see Sterling in this,” Racioppa said.
Angstrom Levy Vs. Mark Grayson
I had the chance to ask Robert Kirkman about how integral Angstrom Levy would be in emotionally and tonally exploring the broken relationship between Mark Grayson and Omni-Man from Season 1.
“Angstrom is the first villain that is Invincible’s villain. It’s not just someone that existed in the world that possibly Omni-Man faced or other members of Guardians of the Globe faced,” Kirkman started. “Angstrom emerges from a time when Mark’s trying to figure things out and exists because of Mark.”
“Having a villain that is the core of our season that’s also so tied to Invincible at this time is in his life when he’s uncertain is something that was really important to us to pull directly from the comics and to really showcase and build a season around,” concluded Kirkman.
How Powerful Angstrom Levy Is
With such a great actor in Sterling K. Brown providing an incredible performance for Season 2’s next big villain, Angstrom Levy is sure to make a lasting impact for future seasons to come. Levy’s enhanced abilities to travel to different dimensions, and thus different Earths, can definitely pose a threat even bigger than the Viltrumite Empire.
Levy essentially serves as the doorway to Invincible‘s multiverse, but Kirkman has said that the show’s take on the “multiverse” idea would be a “slightly different angle that makes it fresh and new”, per IGN.
The show quickly picks up straight from the first season, with Mark trying to adapt with the cards he’s been dealt in a more “dark and upsetting place” after having to confront Omni-Man as well as being forced to hold his secret of being a hero to his date, Amber.
Now that Levy’s in the mix, Invincible has the chance to explore the possible outcomes of those situations in a meaningful way that gives Mark his own “eureka” moment.
Knowing that Levy will hold an emotional importance to Mark Grayson’s journey of self-discovery and acceptance this season, time will only tell whether Levy’s crash course with Mark will hit hard as fans have anticipated.
The first half of Invincible Season 2 will premiere on November 3 on Prime Video, with new episodes airing weekly. The second half will premiere in early 2024.
