How Invincible season 4 is setting up the show’s real big bad

With another season of Invincible coming to an end, fans of Amazon’s adult animated superhero drama correctly guessed that the long-awaited adaptation of the “Invincible War” arc would be a bloodbath. Creator Robert Kirkman gave us the long-awaited debut of The Walking Dead's Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the war-torn Viltrumite known as Conquest in the penultimate episode, and with TWD alumni Steven Yeun voicing the titular Invincible, we got a bloody showdown worthy of their respective characters (Negan and Glenn) in AMC’s hit zombie series. 

While Mark Grayson comes out of his Conquest clash with some serious emotional and physical scars, a terrific trio of Invincible, Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs) and Oliver Grayson (Christian Convery) put Conquest firmly in his place. A last-minute tease suggests this isn’t the last we’ll see of Conquest, and even though those who've read the comics knew this was likely the case, they’ll know an even more dangerous foe is out there somewhere: Grand Regent Thragg.

But who is Grand Regent Thragg, and what does he mean for the future of Invincible?

Grand Regent Thragg is Invincible's big bad

Kirkman foreshadowed a "very different" Invincible season 4, telling Radio Times: “When we come back for season 4, we're going to be coming back to a very different world filled with very different characters." I suspect that next season is going to be spending a lot more time in the cold abyss of space, which just so happens to be where Thragg is sitting on a throne as the undisputed leader of the Viltrumite empire. The events of Invincible season 3 run pretty accurately alongside the comic book “Invincible War” arc, with the scene of Cecil Steadman (Walton Goggins) holding Conquest hostage mirroring what goes down in Issue #68. As Conquest escapes the same issue, and Thragg debuts shortly after in Invincible Returns #1, his arrival could be just around the corner.

Introduced as a veteran of the Viltrumite civil war, Thragg's modus operandi is to avenge the murder of Emperor Argall at the hands of Thaedus (voiced by Petter Cullen in the show) and find the rightful heir to the Viltrumite empire. While we won’t spoil who Argall’s heir is here, let’s just say you’ve met them before. The “Viltrumite War” is the next major arc in the comics, with Thragg being a crucial part of it. Lauded as a Viltrumite who is thousands of years old while being specifically bred for battle, Thragg has made light work of Rognarrs, Battle Beast, and Omni-Man (on several occasions). He’s a formidable force that even Conquest is scared of, but for those sick of the show introducing increasingly OP Viltrumites, you’ll be pleased to know Thragg is the de facto big bad of the whole saga.

Kirkman himself has admitted he doesn’t know how long Invincible will run, telling The Direct: “I try to answer this question differently every time, so sometimes I say 7, sometimes I say 8, sometimes I say 9. Who knows? Who knows? I think the goal is to adapt the entire comic.” The creator says he wants to ‘meander’ with a few extra stories along the way, so having covered just under half of Invincible’s 144-issue comic book run in three seasons, that would give fans at least three more. It’s true that Invincible is yet to introduce the equally fan-favorite Dinosaurus, and with the Jurassic Park-inspired antagonist first popping up in Issue #68, it makes sense that the Conquest tease and eventual introduction of Thragg will be dragged out for a bit longer yet. Hopefully, we’ll soon see Conquest humbled by Thragg and then beg for his life after failing to conquer Earth. Given JDM’s intimidating performances as Conquest, it’ll take some terrifying vocal skills to bring Thragg to life.

Casting Thragg for Invincible season 4

With Thragg being Invincible’s final level boss, someone equally massive needs to play him. Many had championed Morgan as the ‘perfect’ actor to portray Thragg, but with him already making a pretty great Conquest, that one has passed us by. We’re also running out of options for crossovers with The Walking Dead thanks to everyone from Lennie James to Michael Cudlitz voicing Guardians of the Globe from season 1’s opening bloodbath. The obvious ones left would be either Norman Reedus or Andrew Lincoln, with Kirkman telling fans at 2021’s San Diego Comic-Con (per ComicBook.com) how he has specific plans for Lincoln and Danai Gurira: “I can’t say [who I would cast them as] because hopefully that will happen at some point. I wouldn’t want to spoil it. But you know, there are ideas.”

Eagle-eared fans might’ve spotted a season 3 finale cameo from horror legend Bruce Campbell as the demon who meets with Damien Darkblood (Clancy Brown), so there’s no shortage of A-list actors we’re sure could be lured to Invincible for a role as meaty as Thragg. Speaking to Dexerto, Kirkman refused to confirm or deny whether Thragg has been found ahead of season 4, telling the site: "I can’t tell you that. It’s just difficult because we’ve been green-lit for Season 4… whether he’s been cast or not helps people figure out what the heck we’re doing in Season 4. I can’t say that he hasn’t been, I can’t say that he has been." He was joined by co-showrunner Simon Racioppa, who joked: "He’s like Schrodinger’s casting… he’s both cast and not cast at the same time."

The likes of Henry Cavill and Ron Perlman have been thrown out in Thragg fan castings, while the fact Thragg is based on General Zod from DC comics has led others to pitch Man of Steel’s Michael Shannon. There’s one particularly popular choice for who some want to play the show’s ‘endgame’ (get it?) villain. Just imagine if Josh Brolin jumped over from playing Thanos in the MCU to voice Thragg.

Whoever ends up playing Thragg, they’re sure to have some of the show’s biggest action scenes to sink their teeth into. With Mark and Conquest’s fight taking up a whopping 28 minutes of the 43-minute season 3 finale, audiences can expect even more of an explosive showdown when Invincible and Thragg eventually come to blows.

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