Spawn Is Not in ‘Invincible’, and Here’s Why

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Let’s talk about something that’s been on a lot of our minds lately—whether Spawn, the chain-wielding antihero from Image Comics, shows up in the animated series ‘Invincible.’ With Season 3 of the show hitting us hard in 2025, especially that wild Episode 7 adapting the Invincible War arc, it’s a fair question. In the comics, Spawn pops in for a quick moment, but on screen? Not happening. Let’s break down why.

‘Invincible’ follows Mark Grayson, a teenage superhero with Viltrumite blood, dealing with evil doppelgängers and a messed-up family legacy. In the original comic, Issue #60, we see Spawn step in during the chaos of the Invincible War, chaining up one of Mark’s rogue variants sent by Angstrom Levy. It’s a brief but memorable beat since both characters hail from Image Comics’ shared universe. Fans like us hoped the show would follow suit, especially with all the multiverse madness in Season 3.

Thing is, it didn’t pan out. Robert Kirkman, the mastermind behind ‘Invincible,’ laid it out plain and simple in a chat with Dexerto. ‘Unfortunately, it’s complicated to the point of impossibility for something like that to happen in a show. So, I wouldn’t expect to see Spawn in this show ever,’ he said. That’s a tough pill to swallow if you were picturing Al Simmons trading blows with Mark. Turns out, the legal tangle of character rights and licensing makes a TV cameo way trickier than a comic page.

Spawn’s got his own legacy to lean on. He hit the big screen back in 1997 with Michael Jai White as the burned-up soldier-turned-hellspawn, Al Simmons. John Leguizamo played the freaky Clown, and Martin Sheen brought some sleaze as Jason Wynn. That flick made around $87 million but took a beating from critics, sitting at a measly 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. Even so, it broke ground as an early superhero movie with a Black lead.

Then there’s ‘Todd McFarlane’s Spawn,’ the HBO animated series from 1997 to 1999. Keith David’s gravelly voice gave us 18 episodes of dark, bloody vibes, nabbing an Emmy in ’99 for Outstanding Animation Program.

So why’s it so hard to get Spawn into ‘Invincible’? It’s not just about Todd McFarlane being protective—though he’s famously hands-on. He told SyFy Wire in 2017 about a new Spawn movie, ‘I write, produce and direct, and that’s just non-negotiable.’ That kind of control doesn’t mesh easily with a show like ‘Invincible,’ which has its own creative crew calling the shots.

Other Image heroes like Tech Jacket or Savage Dragon face the same roadblocks, and the show’s already swapped in characters like Agent Spider for Spider-Man in Season 2. Seems Kirkman’s team prefers to play it safe with what they can fully use.

Even with Spawn’s history of crossovers—like teaming up with Batman twice in the comics—TV’s a different game. Those comic one-shots were simple to pull off, but animation means more cooks in the kitchen.

In Episode 7, we got Brit, Kid Thor, and Tech Jacket stepping up against Angstrom’s army, which was plenty exciting. Angstrom’s chilling order, ‘Go, destroy everything in your path. Make them see Invincible, make them fear Invincible, make them hate Invincible,’ kept the stakes high without needing extra cameos.

Spawn’s got his own stuff brewing too. A new film’s been kicking around since 2018, with Jamie Foxx set to star and Jeremy Renner as Twitch, directed by McFarlane under Blumhouse. It’s still stuck in the works, though—no release date yet. Meanwhile, ‘Invincible’ is gearing up for even crazier Season 4.

Bottom line—Spawn’s not in ‘Invincible’ because the red tape’s too thick, and the show doesn’t need him to shine. It’s a letdown for anyone who wanted that comic nod, but I can see why they skipped it. If you’re itching for more Spawn, dig into that ‘97 movie or the HBO series. For now, ‘Invincible’ is doing its thing, and it’s still a blast.

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2025-03-17 19:17