Over the last few years, the state of comic book films and shows has grown increasingly uncertain with the phrase “superhero fatigue” getting thrown around following the surprise underperformance of major Marvel films. But Robert Kirkman, co-creator, co-showrunner and executive producer of “Invincible” — the violent animated show ready to unveil Season 3 — remains confident in the genre.
“I don’t think superhero fatigue is a real thing, but I do think that the genre of superhero storytelling has become so ubiquitous that it’s gotten to a point where it’s not fresh and it’s not new,” Kirkman told Variety Monday night at the Los Angeles premiere of “Invisible” Season 3. “You can’t just be a superhero show and not have anything special about you anymore because I think the novelty has worn off. But that’s really exciting to me, because now it means that everyone is so familiar with superheroes that you can push things in interesting directions.”
Robert Kirkman, Khary Payton, Jay Pharoah, Sandra Oh, Steven Yeun, Gillian Jacobs, Simon Racioppa, and Jason Mantzoukas at the Los Angeles premiere of “Invincible” Season 3.
Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Prime Video
Jay Pharoah, who returns for Season 3 as Bulletproof/Zandale Randolph, echoed Kirkman’s sentiment, recognizing how “Invincible” has found its legion of fans. “I think it’s become so popular so quickly because of the ability to connect with the characters. In the superhero realm, it’s easy to forget characters. Like who cares when he’s gonna blow up?”
The new season of “Invincible” continues the trajectory of Kirkman’s original comic book series, following Mark Grayson/Invincible (Steven Yeun) as he now finds himself being a mentor figure to his younger half-brother, Oliver (Lincoln Bodin), who wants to quickly harness his growing powers. Mark also has to navigate working with Cecil Stedman (Walton Goggins) under the Global Defense Agency and protecting his family, including his mother Debbie (Sandra Oh).
Yeun remarked on the complex dynamic of Mark being a powerful figure while still just beginning to face the realities of adulthood. “The beauty of the show is that it keeps evolving and pushing the narrative of this particular guy as he’s growing up … At one moment, you’re screaming at your dad as a teen, and at another second, you’re scolding your younger brother in the same way.”
Gillian Jacobs, who has portrayed Atom Eve/Samantha Eve Wilkins since Season 1 (including her character’s 2023 spin-off), credits Kirkman’s writing for making the show work.
“I love how everything that happens on the show continues to reverberate for episodes and seasons to come,” Jacobs said. “It really feels like a world in which whatever these characters do, there’s consequences to it and they’re really grappling with it.”
Gillian Jacobs at the Los Angeles premiere of “Invincible” Season 3.
Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Prime Video
“Invincible” Season 3 does have plenty of the violent action that fans have come to expect from previous seasons. However, Khary Payton, who returns as Black Samson/Markus Grimshaw, sees the show’s true success in telling grounded human stories.
“‘Invincible’ is all about family and I think when you’re doing it right, it’s always about family,” Payton said. “Batman is still about the kid in the alley, Superman is still about that kid on the farm. The real stuff. I played Cyborg for 25 years [in “Teen Titans”] and the thing that still pushes him is this fight that he has with his father about life and what really matters.”
“Invincible” Season 3 premieres its first three episodes on Thursday, Feb. 6 before dropping weekly episodes on Prime Video.
