Posted in: Amazon Studios, Comics, TV | Tagged: battle beast, invincible

Invincible Artist on Series vs Comics Universes; "Battle Beast" Adapt

Invincible artist Ryan Ottley on not viewing the animated series and comics as different universes and "Battle Beast" getting a series.

With the hit animated series returning for a fourth season in 2026 and a fifth season having been given the official green light, there's been a lot for fans of Prime Video's Steven Yeun and J.K. Simmons-starring adaptation of Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley's comic book series Invincible to be excited about. That excitement led to a question regarding the possibility of the animated universe expanding to include an adaptation of Kirkman and Ottley's new comic book series, Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #1.

In his response, Ottley offered a very interesting way of looking at the comics and the animated series that stems from it. "The comics medium isn't a different universe. Like for example, look at Manga, the book is the main property, the animation or anime is the adaptation of the property in animated form. There are differences for sure! Since Robert is re-writing the show like a second draft. And many of our designs are tweaked for streamlining and ease of animation," the acclaimed artist shared.

Introduced in the first season in S01E05: "That Actually Hurt" and last seen in the Season 3 finale, "I Thought You'd Never Shut Up,"  Michael Dorn (Star Trek: The Next Generation) voices Thokk, aka Battle Beast, a fierce intergalactic warrior who earns that title with an insatiable appetite for battle. When it comes to seeing more of Thokk in his own series, Ottley is all for it – but don't expect it anytime soon. "Of course we'd love for Battle Beast to be made into a show. That is a possibility. But we aren't even close to done creating the entire property yet."

Here's a look at what Ottley had to share, followed by some previous insights into what the fourth season has to offer:

Invincible Season 4 "Has More Viltrumite Stuff": Kirkman

Speaking with Deadline Hollywood back in June to discuss the third season, Kirkman shared that an important lesson he learned from his "The Walking Dead" experience made mapping out the animated series easier. In addition, Kirkman was kind enough to drop a few teases regarding what's to come ("By the end of this season, you should be worried for where Mark is headed in Season 4 and beyond").

In terms of the overall series, Kirkman shared that there were "a lot of decisions that were made on 'Invincible' Season 1- Season 3, that were made just in case we get to adapt the entire comic so that when we're going Season 5- Season 6 if we're fortunate enough to do those, we know the track has been laid, and things have been planned." The creative team was able to do that because, unlike the situation with "The Walking Dead" comics series and series adaptation, Invincible had wrapped up its comic book series run before work on the Prime Video series commenced. "We go from season to season, so the process of adapting the comic book into the show isn't getting more difficult because we've done the hard work of making sure that everything is where it needs to be."

Speaking of the fourth season, Kirkman kept the clues to a minimum but did highlight Thragg and the Viltrumites. "Thragg is cast and will be in Season 4. So, I won't reveal anything other than if you've been watching the show since Season 1, you might be like, 'Hey, when is there going to be more Viltrumite stuff?' I will say that Season 4 has more Viltrumite stuff that you might be wanting. In Season 2, we got the cool Anissa stuff and then Nolan's story. In Season 3, we got Conquest, and Nolan's story, and stuff going on in space with Allen. In Season 4, it really ramps up. So, the people that are loving that aspect of the show, you will definitely get more of that."

Series Might Tackle Unused Comics Storyline Idea: Kirkman

If you had a chance to check out the end credits scene, then you know that demon detective Damien Darkblood (Clancy Brown) reappears after being sent to Hell during the first season. Meeting with a "Demon" (Bruce Campbell), Damien alludes to summoning a powerful "surface dweller" to the underworld. If that left you with the impression that Mark could be going to Hell during the fourth season, you're not alone. Speaking with Variety, Kirkman shared that having Mark take a serious trip down south was "a storyline from the comic that I never got around to doing," but "it's entirely possible that we may be doing something like that in the show." And it started with Kirkman and the team looking for a reason to bring back Brown's Damien.

"In the comics, he [Damien Darkblood] was never sent to Hell. He was a great character that we loved from the first season. Clancy Brown's portrayal of him was spot-on and so terrific. We always wanted to figure out a way to get Damian Darkblood back into the show, and then — gosh, do I want to spoil this? There's a storyline from the comic that I never got around to doing. Every superhero story has some chapter where they go to Hell, and they fight the devil. It happens in DC and Marvel comics. It's a big deal," Kirkman shared.

He continued, "I never got around to doing anything like that in 'Invincible.' I kept getting sidetracked, and there was never a good time. So it's entirely possible that we may be doing something like that in the show, and that scene at the end of that episode is setting that up. Oh my God, and we got to work with Bruce Campbell. It's the best." Speaking of Campbell, Kirkman also addressed the theory that Campbell's "Demon" was actually Satan – a theory Kirkman doesn't exactly shut down. "Could be The Devil. Could be. We'll just have to see. Maybe I shouldn't have spoiled that."

Amazon's Prime Video series Invincible stars Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, Sandra Oh, Seth Rogen, Walton Goggins, Gillian Jacobs, Jason Mantzoukas, Zazie Beetz, Grey DeLisle, Zachary Quinto, Chris Diamantopoulos, Ross Marquand, Khary Payton, Andrew Rannells, Kevin Michael Richardson, Ben Schwartz, Clancy Brown, Jay Pharoah, Mark Hamill, and Melise Jow. 

Joining the voice cast during the second season were Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Simu Liu (Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad), Kate Mara (House of Cards), Xolo Maridueña (Cobra Kai), John DiMaggio (Futurama), Tzi Ma (The Farewell), Doug Bradley ("Hellraiser" franchise), Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth), and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Walking Dead, The Boys).

During Summer 2025, we learned that The Americans and Perry Mason star Matthew Rhys had joined the cast as the voice of Dinosaurus, the dissociative personality of Dr. David Anders, who has some very extreme (and deadly) ways of looking to help humanity.

Executive producers are Kirkman, Catherine Winder, David Alpert, Simon Racioppa, Margaret M. Dean, Rogen, and Evan Goldberg, and co-executive producers are Helen Leigh and Walker.

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