J.K. Simmons originally passed on playing Omni-Man in Invincible

Thanks to roles in Spider-Man and Justice League, Oscar winner J.K. Simmons has become a household name for superhero fans. Of course, nowadays he's most famous for playing Omni-Man in Prime Video's superhero show Invincible, which adapts Robert Kirkman's beloved comics.

Omni-Man has similar powers to Superman; he can fly, he's got super-strength, and he's incredibly durable. However, his moral compass differs greatly from the Man of Steel. As an agent of the interstellar Viltrumite Empire, it's Omni-Man's job to secretly prime Earth for Viltrumite takeover by any means necessary.

Omni-Man is one of the show's most popular characters. Simmons adores the role and we can't imagine anyone else doing it justice like him. Back in the day when the show was casting, it could've ended up very differently. Simmons was originally offered a different role, which he declined, despite being excited by the premise.

"Invincible came to me out of the blue, and I read, I think the one script that was available and thought it was really good," Simmons told GQ. "They actually had first approached me about playing a different character, and I read it, and I thought, 'Wow, this is, like, really smart and weird and cool.' This sounds silly, because it's animated, but I just kind of didn't see myself as the character that they were saying they would want me to play, and I passed on it...Then, I don't know how many months later, they came back and asked me to play Nolan, Omni-Man." And the rest is history.

Simmons didn't reveal which role he was originally offered. If I was to guess, I'd say his voice suits someone like Cecil Steadman or The Immortal. It was ultimately the role of Omni-Man that piqued his interest; funnily enough, he had no idea how brutal his character really was. "I don't think I knew how twisted it was at the time," he said. "I was just reading the first script, the first two. So, to me, it was another interesting dad character."

Another key motivation for him joining the cast was working alongside Steven Yeun and Sandra Oh, two actors he's long admired. "I think they were already attached, and I thought, 'They're both fantastic, and I would love to work with them, even if it's on a recording studio doing animation.'"

J.K. Simmons had slightly less involvement in season 2, since Omni-Man had fled Earth by that point. It wasn't until later in the season that he returned to the spotlight. Looking ahead to season 3, Omni-Man will return front and center alongside his son Invincible. Season 3 doesn't have a release date yet, but according to creator Robert Kirkman, we can expect one to be announced later this year.

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