TRIGGER WARNING: The following article about Invincible discusses violence and sexual assault.
It's hard to argue that many of the changes Amazon's Invincible makes to its source material are for the better. With the comic's original creators, Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker, involved in the production process there is little question of it staying true to the spirit of the story. Thus far the adaptation has been a refreshing opportunity to flesh out the supporting cast, integrate diversity where it was previously lacking and play with the series of events to streamline the plot for television.
But in looking ahead to the stories the animated series may adapt from the comic, it is hard to ignore Invincible #110. The issue proved hotly controversial upon its debut for depicting the violent sexual assault of the series' main character, and figuring out whether or not to adapt it is a complicated question.
Over the course of Invincible the story grows from a straightforward tale of a young superhero learning the ropes from his legendary father Omni-Man into a multifaceted and complex story with a lot to say. The hero, Mark Grayson, goes on a journey that includes many parts of the real world that were seldom included in superhero comics of its time; everything from its graphic depiction of violence to grappling with subject matter like abortion often proved controversial. And in 2014 with the release of Invincible #110, the comic saw the most controversial issue in its history when it depicted the violent sexual assault of Invincible himself.
The comic depicts its hero leaving a discussion with his girlfriend when he is suddenly surprised by the Viltrumite Anissa. The Viltrumites are a powerful race of aliens who favor strength above all else, and due to Invincible's own great deeds, Anissa wants him to impregnate her for the sake of propagating the strength of their kind. Invincible does not consent, however, and Anissa tackles him to the ground, exchanges bloody blows with him and ultimately rips his uniform off as she forces herself upon him. In the wake of the scene Invincible is deeply traumatized, and subsequent issues deal centrally with the fallout of those events.
In an interview with CBR writer Robert Kirkman discussed the difficulty of writing the scene, wanting to treat it respectfully without making it sensational, and as the Amazon series looks ahead it will likely face that razor's edge again. It's one that other animated adaptations before had to deal with to varying degrees of acceptance from fans. Examples like Batman: The Killing Joke were seen by many to be distastefully sexualized or misogynistic while Amazon's own The Boys manages to adapt its source material's depictions of sexual assault with more reservation and solemnity.
Looking at those examples, that spirit of respect may be the most crucial to maintain. Maintaining Kirkman's original intention of staying away from sensationalizing the moment could preserve what many cherish about the scene. Mark Grayson's own victimization brings up important matters, like the representation of male victimhood and the realities of trauma true to any victims of assault. Its nuance is what many fans appreciate, particularly in a pop culture landscape that too often tips too far into both sensationalizing or trivializing sexual assault.
That same disrespectful background is part of what leads many detractors to claim that Invincible #110 should not have included the plot in the first place. Such voices may see the opportunity to leave out the scene as an improvement to the story, distrustful of Hollywood's ability to treat sexual assault sensitively. Many who view superhero fiction as nothing more than escapist adventure see Invincible's sexual assault as stepping beyond its bounds. Even those who may feel the scene could conceptually work may take umbrage with its execution, in which case its inclusion in the Amazon series may primarily be an issue of how to successfully pull it off.
While the series plays around loosely with the timeline of events in its source material, it's hard to say just when the show may parallel the same timeline as issue #110. Thus far, the series has freely made its changes, big and small, but in the time ahead it will have a difficult choice in how best to convey this particular scene, or if it indeed should be conveyed at all.
Invincible stars Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, Sandra Oh, Seth Rogen, Gillian Jacobs, Andrew Rannells, Zazie Beetz, Mark Hamill, Walton Goggins, Jason Mantzoukas, Mae Whitman, Chris Diamantopoulos, Melise, Kevin Michael Richardson, Grey Griffin and Max Burkholder. The series is produced by Skybound, and executive produced by Robert Kirkman, Simon Racioppa, David Alpert and Catherine Winder. New episodes are released Fridays on Amazon Prime Video.