‘It Was Not Something Realistic’ Invincible Co-Creator Explains Absence Of Several Characters In The Series

Summary

Invinciblefeatures a vast universe with many superheroes, villains and supporting characters. However, those who appear in the crossover remain absent from the show, and its co-creator, Robert Kirkman, explains why.

Invincibleis an animated superhero series on Amazon Prime Video. It is an adaptation of the comic book written by Kirkman, illustrated by Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, and published by Image Comics. The first season premiered on July 01, 2025, with 98% ratings from critics onRotten Tomatoes.Season 2andSeason 3dropped in November 2023 and February 2025, respectively. Both were critically acclaimed, just like the first season and had 100% ratings from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. While fans were delighted with the show, they were also wondering about the absence of the crossover characters, especially in the “Invincible War” episode, a major crossover event in the comics.

One of the things that makeInvinciblepleasurable to watch is the mix of characters in its universe. However, fans notice that the crossover characters like Spawn (Al Simmons), Savage Dragon (Officer Dragon), The Darkness (Jackie Estacado), Witchblade (Sara Pezzini), ShadowHawk, Pitt, Madman and more are noticeably missing in “Invincible War.” Kirkman spoke with Image, the publisher, about bringing those characters on the show and they were reportedly interested. “There were definitely some conversations that were had,” Kirkman told ComicBook. However, they realized that doing it would only delay the third season, so they decided to scrap the idea. Kirkman explained:

At the end of the day, it was going to be such a complicated and drawn-out process that may not have worked out. It was decided that it was not something realistic that could be done. I think pretty much everybody [at Image] was somewhat on board with it, but logistically, it was just an absolute nightmare. Because production was moving at the rate it was moving, the legality of it all couldn’t be sorted in time.

Kirkman added that he personally wanted to make it happen and work with people portraying those characters. He wanted those characters to come to life on the small screen, saying, “That would’ve been really cool.” However, fans didn’t see it because things “just didn’t come together,” the filmmaker continued. Although Spawn and the rest of the crossover characters failed to make an appearance inInvincibleSeason 3, from the look of it, Kirkman and everybody else on the team were on board in bringing them on the show. So, who knows if they will join Season 4?

It would be cool to see Spawn, Witchblade, Savage Dragon, Pitt and more onInvincibleSeason 4. Longtime fans would love to see these iconic characters interact withMark Grayson (Steven Yeun), aka Invincible. Introducing them in the series is a great way to expand the universe and an enjoyable fan service. Spawn creator Todd McFarlane had already said that he was open to crossovers. So, there will be no issues bringing Spawn onInvincible. However, it’s also possible that Kirkman has let go of the crossover idea due to its complexity.InvincibleSeason 4 may focus on major arcs likeVirumite Warand adding the crossover characters will only be distracting. Also, Spawn and Witchblade are supernatural-based andInvincibleis mostly sci-fi superhero action, so the characters might feel out of place. The best way to include them inInvincibleSeason 4is by mentioning them in creative ways, like a flash news report, in a printed newspaper, or in a casual conversation. They should not take too much screen time and take away fans from theInvinciblemain story.Invincibleis already great and if adding crossover characters will only make things more complicated and take the audience away from the main story, it’s probably best to leave it as it is.