Invincible Season 2: Steven Yeun Is Ready to Grow Old With Mark Grayson

This article contains spoilers for Invincible season 2 episode 5.

The best comic book superheroes tend to stick around awhile. DC’s Batman has been fighting crime in Gotham City since 1939. Marvel’s Spider-Man has been slinging webs since 1962. Even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, originally launched as a satire of the genre in 1984, are now an established squad and have been for some time.

Along with that longevity, however, often comes an uncertain continuity. There are dozens of versions of Batman, Spider-Man, and the TMNT that exist across countless storylines in comics, television, film, and beyond. One recent comic book character, however, has no such uncertain continuity. There’s only Invincible … give or take a few infinite multiverses.

The life of superhero Mark Grayson a.k.a. Invincible was recounted faithfully over 144 issues of Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley’s comic of the same name. Over Invincible‘s run from 2003 through 2018, readers got the chance to really get to know Mark, his allies, their enemies, and the ultraviolet universe in which they all reside. Simply put: Invincible fans got to grow old with Mark Grayson. And now the actor portraying him in Prime Video‘s animated series is excited to do the same.

In speaking to Den of Geek prior to the premiere of Invincible season 2’s return with episode 5 on March 14, Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead, Beef) discussed why he remains invested in the half-Viltrumite hero.

“My favorite thing about Mark is that he’s an ever-changing character,” Yeun said. “I really like that he grows over time and that we can chart his growth. He’s so young that he’s not aware enough to make himself one type of person. Instead he’s all the things: he’s funny, he’s goofy, he’s brave, he’s courageous, he’s strong. The fun thing about playing Mark is he runs a large spectrum of emotions.”

Mark indeed runs a large spectrum of emotions in Invincible season 2 episode 5 “This Must Come As a Shock.” In the span of just 51 minutes Mark has to mourn the loss of his father to the Viltrumites (again), rebuild the alien society his latest fight destroyed, return home to Earth, explain the whole thing to his mom while giving her his new half-brother to look out for, then head back off to outer space to confront yet another existential threat to the human species. Oh, and he needs to make up with his girlfriend after a two-month absence.

Due to 144 issues of comic storytelling needing to be condensed into a TV-sized package (creator and show producer Robert Kirkman has estimated the show will require seven or eight seasons to complete), there isn’t much time for Mark to rest. Nor is there much time for Mark to properly train up for the threats facing humanity. Despite being the son of the all-powerful Omni-Man, Mark tends to get his shit rocked in battle more often than not.

It’s something that fans of the show have begun to notice and occasionally meme. But those same fans should take note of the comic-specific episode titles of season 2’s final four episodes – names that suggest Mark may have internalized the lesson from his father to no longer hold back. Yeun, for one, is excited to get more wins under Mark’s belt.

“He’s always trying to push this thing down that he naturally has power in,” Yeun said. “When I was recording episodes for earlier scenes in the show it was hard for me to justify Mark’s angst and his young naive idealism. That isn’t meant to say that the violence he accepts is correct. It’s just that if you keep pushing these aspects of yourself away, they’ll find a different way to come up.” 

While the wait for Invincible season 2 was a lengthy one (something that both Kirkman and Yeun have acknowledged likely won’t happen again), this part of the story should prove to be a foundational building block in the hero Mark Grayson eventually becomes. And Yeun is clear that he’s ready for the full journey, however long it may take.

“He’s too aware, man. I like him coming into himself and his voice changing over time. Him being able to settle into his being. I’m just so stoked to be on this show.”

The first five episodes of Invincible season 2 are available to stream on Prime Video now. New episodes premiere Thursdays culminating with the finale on April 4.