Since the pilot episode fans have been wondering why Omni-Man, seemingly a Superman-like figure, killed the entire Guardians of the Globe. While I know the truth from the comics, I’ll go over the popular fan theory behind the event, and will reveal at the end why he did so in the comics. Don’t get me wrong, it’s entirely possible that the show will go in the same route that the comics did, but if they’ve revealed anything, it’s that comic accuracy isn’t to a tee. Which is a great thing because I like to be surprised, and with killing off the original Guardians in the pilot, is something I wasn’t expecting to happen this early. They’ve managed to do a great job with this mystery and sense of confusion as we don’t know why Omni-Man did this… Five-episodes into the show.
Omni-Man is one of the more fascinating characters in comics, surely a top 10 of mine OUTSIDE of DC and Marvel. The “anti-hero” is a complicated individual and one who is posed to have quite the interesting future from here on out. Potential spoilers ahead for those that aren’t aware of the comics, and if you don’t want to know anything, stay clear!
Source: Amazon Prime
Setting Up Mark to be His Replacement
When Mark tells Omni-Man/Nolan of his manifestation of his powers, Nolan seems a little thrown. Almost like he was upset, or thought that he had more time to potentially plot. It’s possible that Nolan, who was sent from Viltrum to be the sole protector of Earth, wanted to wipe out the Guardians so Mark could be what he couldn’t.
Nolan had no clue that when he came to Earth that there’d be more super-powered individuals. Maybe he killed the Guardians so Mark could be the most powerful being on Earth and would have no firm competition for that title.
We’ve seen that Nolan is a family man, well lately at least, according to his wife Deborah. He’s been very motivated to train Mark, and to help him to unlock his full potential with his powers. It appears that Nolan’s fixated on his relationship with his son, and growing a bond that’ll lead to their futures as heroes of Earth. However that plays out, remains to be seen. And by killing the Guardians of the Globe, that definitely throws a wrench into him being a good guy, after-all.
Source: Comicbook.com
The Real Reason Behind Omni-Man Killing the Guardians in the Comics
The annihilation came much later in the comics. In fact, it was a handful of issues into the series before we saw the downfall of the seven heroes. The series uses this to set up the primary mystery, and overall intrigue, of the series. Robert Kirkman, who wrote the Invincible comics and also runs the show, told The Wrap why he made the choice to speed up the climatic ending to the pilot.
“By moving that event up, in the comic book series it happens much later, there isn’t this sense of, ‘Oh my gosh, when are people going to find out? And what are they going to do when they find out?’ Because everything just kind of rolls from there. By having it moved up, we do get an extra sense of like, ‘Oh my gosh, Debbie [Omni-Man’s wife, voiced by Sandra Oh] has no clue what’s going on with her husband. And how is she going to find out, if she finds out or when she finds out?’ It should build a lot of tension in the series and should be something that keeps you guessing episode to episode.”
We'll see what happens with the show, and anything, really, could play out. When Omni-Man first attacks the Guardians in the final scene, the heroes wonder if he's perhaps under someone else’s villainous control. And while things could always be different, the way Omni-Man has behaved in the episodes after the bloody massacre, makes it clear that he knew exactly what he was doing.
Source: The New York Times
Since the show has already shown a willingness to play with the source material, it's likely that Omni-Man's general motivation will remain the same.
The key to why Omni-Man did what he did, lies in his heritage as a Viltrumite. Nolan keeps telling people that Viltrumites are sent to planets to be their sole protectors. Well, in the comics, it’s later revealed that Viltrumites actually conquer other planets as a way of expanding their own empire. However at a certain point, a virus took almost all of them out. The remaining Viltrumites went to other planets and laid low, planning to destabilize the defenses of the planets they inhabited from the inside out. Slowly plotting an eventual uprising and comeback for Viltrum. By murdering all of the Guardians, Omni-Man was weakening Earth's defense for his eventual planned takeover of Earth.
So Omni-Man was, in turn, playing the long game on Earth. He befriended the Guardians of the Globe in the 1980s, found a loving wife, and even had a son who shares his powers. And there, likely, is where the real crux of the series will come: will Nolan convince Mark to join him? Or will the two face off against one-another?
We'll find out in the coming Invincible episodes if this is indeed the reason, but that’s how Kirkman decided to do so in the comics. Growing animosity between Nolan and Mark, at times, will most likely lead up to a final confrontation that could be damning for Nolan, unless Thragg comes to play before season’s end or next season. The show has eight episodes in its inaugural season, so I don’t expect a resolution to occur anytime soon. But I do expect Nolan’s motives to be fully revealed by the end of the season finale.
You can see new episodes of Invincible every Friday, only on Amazon Prime!