J.K. Simmons talks voicing Omni-Man in Invincible, staying "ignorant" of his future

J.K. Simmons is no stranger to superhero universes, having previously played J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man movies and Commissioner Gordon in DC's Justice League. His recent role voicing Omni-Man in Prime Video's animated adaptation of Robert Kirkman's Invincible comics will no doubt go down as one of his most popular.

Invincible recently wrapped up its second season. So far, Omni-Man's journey has been one of the most interesting; some fans, in fact, are more invested in his story than in the titular hero, Mark Grayson. In season 1, Omni-Man was a beloved protector of Earth with something of a Superman status. However, as the season went on, we begn to learn about his ulterior motives: to prime the planet for takeover by other Viltrumite aliens. And after a devastating fight against his son, he decided to abandon the planet. By the time season 2 comes around, Omni-Man is on his redemption era, rebelling against the Viltrumite empire.

Despite voicing the character, J.K. Simmons hasn't read ahead in the Invincible comics and spoiled Omni-Man's story for himself. Instead, he wants his performance as the character to be authentic as possible. The ignorance helps, apparently. "After the initial research, I've steered clear of even looking at the source material anymore," he told Collider. He then went into further detail:

"I try to, as hard as it is these days, keep myself ignorant of where the character is gonna go, because, and it sounds silly and kind of actor-y, but even in the animation world, if you're playing a character and you know, “Oh, this is how and where and when he's gonna die, or how and where and when he's gonna kill this person,” or whatever it is, I think, on some cellular level, that's not good for your creation of the character. Not “creation,” Robert created it, I'm just a conduit, but it affects how I help bring that character to life in our animated universe."

As for the development of his character in the opening seasons, Simmons is very impressed. "Well, yeah, and that's part of the fun. I mean, I'm not sure 'shocked' but certainly surprised and kind of delighted," he said. "That's part of the fun of being a participant in this universe where there's literally no boundaries for the creators. They can portray anything, and we can lend our voices to it. It's just a fun, unpredictable ride to be on."

Finally, Simmons was asked who his favorite character in the Invincible universe is. "I have a lot, and it's hard to pick one," he said. "But certainly, my wife and son. I'm gonna put Allen the Alien up there pretty high." Everyone loves Allen the Alien!

All eight episodes of Invincible season 2 are now streaming on Prime Video. Season 3 is officially on the way, although we don't know when it'll premiere. Creator Robert Kirkman has previously revealed that the wait won't be as long as the two-year gap between seasons 1 and 2. We'll wait...impatiently.

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