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Anyone who didn’t read Robert Kirkman’s originalInvinciblecomic book was taken by surprise whenAmazon’sInvincibleseason one ended. Mark Grayson/Invincible believed his whole life that his father, Nolan, came to Earth with benevolent intentions. Nolan always talked about the Viltrumites going to other planets to help inferior races stand up against the evils in the galaxy. However, the alleged do-gooder, Omni-Man, revealed himself to be on Earth with more nefarious intentions than originally believed by friends and family by the end of the first season.
Nolan Grayson hailed from the planet Viltrumand came to Earth with the goal of conquering it for the Viltrum Empire. While having a kid was part of his plan, he didn’t expect Mark to change everything. Nolan flew away from Earth, seemingly returning to the Empire.Invincible’ssecond season not only showed that he didn’t return to the Viltrum Empire, but it also introduced other Viltrumites. Audiences first saw Allen, the Alien, fight a group of Viltrumites after learning there was a mole within the Coalition of Planets. Then, Nolan and Mark took on some frighteningly powerful Viltrumites, leading fans to wonder: How big is the Viltrumite Empire?
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The Viltrum Empire, Explained
Viltrum was a utopiafor its inhabitants, but it didn’t start out that way. Somewhere along the line in their history, a faction of Viltrum took on a “survival of the fittest” mentality. They culled the weak from their civilization, sparking a civil war that ended with half of the population annihilated. With the weak gone, the Viltrum Empire was able to thrive as a utopia. Or, as Nolan Grayson told his son:
We have created a perfect civilization, but it took all of our strength, determination, and courage to get there. In order for our people to reach their full potential, we had to remove the weak from our society. It was a long and difficult process. When it was over, our population was cut in half but what emerged from the ashes was unstoppable.
Viltrum and its inhabitants are a darker version ofKrypton’s society from DC Comics. However, there were some on Krypton who would have liked the Viltrum culture. Like Kryptonians, Viltrumites wield the ability to fly, survive in the vacuum of space, and lift incredibly heavy objects, but they also have longer lifespans compared to Humans. There’s no doubt that as malevolent as the Viltrum Empire is, they see themselves as the good guys as they seek to expand their territory beyond the borders of their homeworld.
Noticing the evil authoritarian lifestyle they were inflicting on others, one Viltrumite stood against the Empire. His name was Thaedus, whom anyone who watches the TV series on Prime Video will remember as the man who seemingly killed Allen the Alien, and he killed the first emperor of the Viltrum Empire. Afterward, he fled the planet and formed the Coalition of Planets, a group dedicated to putting an end to the Empire.
Unfortunately, they haven’t had the easiest time against the Viltrumites. Considering Thaedus may not be as benevolent as his comic book counterpart, despite Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime) voicing him, the Coalition of Planets may have a difficult time against the Viltrum Empire.
Omni-Man’s Role in the Empire
Nolan Grayson, or Omni-Man as Earth knew him, was part of a special group of Viltrumites sent to different planets throughout the galaxy. Their goal was to weaken the civilization and prepare it for the Viltrum Empire’s inevitable invasion and takeover. While most planets had to deal with a planet’s military forces, Earth had the unique characteristic of superheroes who would put up a worthy resistance to such an invasion. Nolan made it clear thatEarth’s military defenseswould be no match against the Viltrums, but he had to attack the planet’s greatest superheroes by surprise.
Omni-Man had to eliminate the strongest of the superheroes, the Guardians of the Globe, before the Empire could execute its plan. As Omni-Man told Invincible in the season one finale:
Our most trusted officers were each given a planet to weaken by themselves. I was one of those lucky few. I couldn’t tell your mother why I was here. But that time’s come to an end, and now, we need to get Earth ready to join the Viltrum Empire.
How big is the Viltrum Empire?
In the first season finale of Amazon’sInvincible,Nolan/Omni-Man tells Invincible that they started with a population of six billion citizens. However,the civil war cut their numbersin half to three billion. Since the obliterated half of the Empire were the “weak” ones, the surviving force was a merciless militaristic society that only welcomed the strong into their ranks. They expanded into other systems, onto other planets numbering in the thousands. Before their expansion slowed, they conquered over 70% of the Milky Way galaxy. Unfortunately, with that much expansion, their numbers stretched thin.
Their dwindling numbers prompted a new strategy for conquest, which included sending a little over a hundred Viltrumites to select planets to weaken their defenses and prepare them for Viltrumite conquest. Thus, Nolan Grayson ended up on Earth. Amazon’sInvinciblehas made numerous changes from the source material, all for the best, making it uncertain if the series will head in the same direction as the comic books. Whether Amazon’s series faithfully followsKirkman’s comic book storylineor not, Mark and the rest of Earth are going to have a challenging time defeating the Viltrum Empire.
Invincible
Invincible, based on the Image comics of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley, follows Mark Grayson, as he navigates his life as a superhero and his complicated relationship with his father, Omni-Man.
