Easter Eggs You Missed In Invincible

Comic book writer Robert Kirkman is best known for penning The Walking Dead, a dramatic horror series which takes a deeper look into the psychology of humanity as it strives for survival in a zombie apocalypse. Most know The Walking Dead as the hugely successful TV series on AMC, which also spawned two spinoff shows — but it was Kirkman's revolutionary graphic novels that changed the game with regard to the zombie genre.

What some fans may not know is that Kirkman released another comic book in 2003, several months before the first issue of The Walking Dead was published. This time, the writer followed the more traditional genre of the medium with the creation of Invincible, the story of a young superhero following in the footsteps of his superpowered father. Teenager Mark Grayson is half Viltrumite, the offspring of a human mother and an alien father. When Mark shows signs of powers at 17, he begins training with his father, a superhero dubbed Omni-Man. 

Invincible was procured by Amazon Studios in 2018 for an adult animated series. The first three episodes made their way to Amazon Prime Video on March 26, 2021. Being that the show not only comes from the mind of Kirkman, but also has him on board as an executive producer, viewers can bet that they can find a number of hidden Easter eggs calling back to Kirkman's other famous work ... among other things. Here are some of the Easter eggs that have been found in Invincible so far.

Another Easter egg that easily may have slipped by viewers in Episode 1 of Invincible is seen in a flashback with young Mark and his father, Nolan. In this scene, we see how Nolan first revealed his superhero origins to Mark when he was a boy. Father and son are sitting on the roof of their house while Nolan tells Mark all about his home planet, Viltrum. 

Young Mark wears a red Canada shirt during the scene, which may spark curiosity considering that the setting of Invincible is in the U.S. So why is Mark sporting a shirt for America's neighbor up north? Possibly because Mark's mother, Debbie, is voiced by Canadian-American actor Sandra Oh. Oh is an Ontario native who made it big in the States thanks to her powerful performances in Sideways and Grey's Anatomy, and more recently from the cult hit Killing Eve. Though Oh applied for U.S. citizenship in 2018, she has stayed proud of her Canadian roots. Perhaps her own background has bled into the fictional character she voices in Invincible, which would explain Mark's pride in his own status as part Canuck.

A scene in Episode 3 shows a guard walking the halls at a supervillain prison facility with a lunch cart. As he walks, he passes by prison cells containing some dangerous-looking characters. One cell is filled with a large group of identical clones in orange jumpsuits, all of them looking like a young man with dark hair. These young men may seem familiar somehow, and there is a reason for that. 

Those who have read the Invincible comics know that the prisoner(s) shown is Multi-Paul, who happens to be Dupli-Kate's brother. Like his sister, Multi-Paul has the ability to create infinite copies of himself. Kate and Paul are under an ancient curse put upon their family — one which gives them their identical powers. Unfortunately, while Kate fights for the good guys, Paul is a supervillain and a member of the Order, a team of sworn enemies fighting against the Guardians of the Globe. Whether or not we will see the siblings face off in a future episode of Invincible remains to be seen.

While Mark is going on his first big space mission, his parents Nolan and Debbie are reenacting their first date with a trip to Rome. The two reminisce while sipping coffee on a terrace when the city suddenly comes under attack. Debbie looks on in horror as a dragon wreaks havoc on a nearby building, but Nolan seems unfazed. "I'm on vacation," he explains.

What some people may not realize is that the dragon is actually a well-known antagonist in the Invincible comics. His name is Mr. Liu, a shape-shifter from China who would later become the leader of the supervillain organization known as the Order. Many years ago, Liu's home was attacked by the dragon, and his family was subsequently killed. In order to stop the creature, magic was used to trap the dragon inside of Liu, giving him the ability to transform into the monster. Given his role in the comics, it's highly likely that Mr. Liu will show up again.

While there's a lot of wild stuff that happens in Invincible Episode 7, "We Need to Talk," there's one blink-and-you'll-miss-it Easter egg toward the end of this exciting chapter.

After the Mauler twins manage to give Robot his new body, they quickly get to work bringing back the Immortal. After all, as one of the clones point out (or is he the Original?), "He's not called 'the Immortal' for nothing." Though their plan is to collar the resurrected hero to do their bidding, the Immortal has plans of his own: to seek out Omni-Man and enact justice for the murders of his team and himself.

At first, it appears that their attempt has failed, but as one of the Maulers beats on the Immortal's chest, we see flashes of the superhero's long life span. One of those flashes shows a familiar scene from American history: the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in the Ford Theater by John Wilkes Booth. But look closer, and you'll see that good old Honest Abe looks awfully calm for someone who knows he's about to get shot. That's right: Apparently, the beloved Emancipator was the Immortal all along. That's quite a big secret to keep for almost 200 years.