Producer says Amazon did “barely any marketing” for Invincible

In November, Amazon Prime Video will drop the much-anticipated second season of Invincible, an animated adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s superhero comic with an all-star cast. Season 1 was an enormous success when it premiered in 2021, proving to be another jewel in the crown of Amazon’s ever-growing roster of subversive superhero shows, including The Boys.

Given its immense success, you’d think Amazon would pull out all the stops to promote season 2, but that’s not been the case. At least, not when compared with how they have marketed The Boys in the past, or even how they’re marketing The Boys spinoff Gen V now. According to Marge Dean, who runs Skybound Entertainment’s Animation Studio, the lack of marketing was concerning from the get-go.

“I love Amazon, they’re great, but there was barely any marketing for this show,” Dean said, per Deadline. “This thing just popped up but I had no idea what it was or what was going to happen.”

Both The Boys and Invincible are definitely comparable when judged by performance; they are both included in the streamer’s top 5 most-watched shows. And yet, Amazon spends approximately 20 times more on The Boys than Invincible. A lot of Invincible’s success was achieved via word of mouth, or simply people stumbling upon it. “[A] significant number of people who don’t normally watch this stuff found the show and took a chance,” Dean said.

The future of animation is bright!

Since the beginning of animation, the genre has always been seen as more for children than anything. This is partly thanks to the legacy of Disney. But as the years have gone by, the stigma surrounding animation is slowly but surely diminishing.

With legendary directors like Guillermo del Toro turning their attention to animation in recent years, Dean is noticing a shift “from the kids and comedy box that it has been stuck in for decades.”

"At the heart of adult animation are themes, issues and ideas that build into a story in a way that people can actually hear. The key is that balance between action and deep emotional human experience."

Needless to say, Invincible is proving a big part of the adult animation revolution.

Tatiana Maslany joins Invincible season 2!

On the back of her superhero debut in the MCU’s She-Hulk, Tatiana Maslany is jumping right back into another superhero universe. That’s right, she’s involved in Invincible season 2… in multiple roles. Funnily enough, Maslany has already voiced a character in the Invincible universe, playing Queen Lizard in the Atom Eve special, which aired earlier this year.

And now she will voice both General Telia and Queen Aquaria in season 2. Take a look at her new characters:

Meet Bulletproof, another new hero in Invincible season 2

Speaking of new characters in season 2, ScreenRant has a photo showing Shrinking Rae (Grey Griffin) running alongside newcomer Bulletproof, voiced by Saturday Night Live alum Jay Pharoah:

In Robert Kirkman’s Invincible comics, Bulletproof is impervious to harm and can fly. He’ll be a new member of the Guardians of the Globe. His powers also have a tragic backstory the show will no doubt explore.

You can catch season 2 when it premieres on November 3 on Amazon Prime Video. The series will return for more episodes in early 2024.

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h/t CBR