The Two Black Panther Actors You Likely Didn't Notice In Invincible Season 4

Contains spoilers for "Invincible" Season 4

"Invincible" is very good at utilizing high-profile stars for its larger-than-life animated story. The cast of "Invincible" is filled with actors you'd definitely recognize, some of whom have previously appeared in other superhero projects. And Season 4 ups the ante in that regard by getting two actors from the "Black Panther" series to join its ranks. 

Among the new characters on "Invincible" Season 4 is Universa, voiced by Danai Gurira. She shows up in the first episode of Season 4, "You Gave Me No Choice," as an extraterrestrial trying to siphon Earth's energy so that she can bring it back to her people to save them. Gurira's also known for playing Okoye, the stoic leader of the Dora Milaje, in the "Black Panther" movies. 

However, there's probably another reason why Gurira was brought into the "Invincible" universe. Before "Black Panther," Gurira was best known for playing the katana-wielding Michonne on "The Walking Dead," based on a graphic novel series by Robert Kirkman — just like "Invincible." She joins a growing list of "Walking Dead" stars to make the leap over to the superhero show, including Steven Yeun as Invincible, Lauren Cohan as War Woman, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Conquest.

Episode 2 sees Allen (Seth Rogen) and Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) searching for weapons powerful enough to kill Viltrumites, which leads them to Space Racer (Winston Duke), whom Omni-Man buried years prior. Space Racer holds the Infinity Ray, which is a gun that can annihilate anything in its path, which means it could take out a Viltrumite in one hit. Space Racer isn't exactly thrilled to see Omni-Man again, but upon seeing that he's trying to make amends for his past wrongdoings, it looks as though Space Racer is willing to join the impending war.

Duke's also a member of the "Black Panther" family, as he plays M'Baku, leader of the Jabari tribe. However, it looks as though he's received a big promotion, as he introduces himself as the leader of Wakanda to the Fantastic Four in an "Avengers: Doomsday" trailer. This sets him up for a major role in the upcoming superhero blockbuster, as various superhero teams will likely coalesce to handle a multiversal threat. 

Two comic book characters would be enough for most, but Duke has another that most folks probably aren't aware of — he's the voice behind Batman in the podcast series "Batman Unburied." It's a testament to Duke's presence and unique voice that he can play very different types of characters and not feel out of place in any of them.

The first three episodes of "Invincible" Season 4 are available on Amazon Prime Video now.