Marvel and DC have created their superhero empires around characters that don’t change very often. Batman is Batman, Spider-Man is always young, and even big deaths are short-lived.
That formula has created some of the most popular heroes in pop culture. However, ‘Invincible’ creator Robert Kirkman thinks a different formula can be equally effective.
Robert Kirkman Says Character Evolution Is What Makes ‘Invincible’ Stand Out
Kirkman shared his philosophy explaining why he’s always been more interested in stories where heroes actually change throughout the course of the narrative, which is one of the things that made ‘Invincible’ successful. “Marvel and DC’s mostly frozen-in-time characters never really appealed to me,” he told SR.
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He believes that one of the things he’s always had problems with in mainstream superhero comics is that they are not willing to change. He likes writing long stories because the characters grow and make life-changing decisions, and they have to deal with the consequences that will affect them in the future.
“I love writing continuing stories. The fun of it is slowly evolving characters over a long period of time.” Rather than returning heroes to their original forms, Kirkman likes to see them grow up, mature, and enter new phases of life.
That attitude is very much reflected in ‘Invincible’, which sees Mark Grayson change in many ways over the course of the series. Relationships change, characters get older, and key events affect the story without being erased by the next reboot.
Kirkman also said that he was inspired by Savage Dragon creator Erik Larsen. “Erik Larsen’s plan for that series was to do a continuing superhero series, but have it progress in real time. For most of the run, an issue would sort of represent a month in Dragon’s life. It was neat to watch the characters age and change and grow over time.”
A Different Vision For Superhero Stories
Kirkman’s remarks are not necessarily against Marvel or DC; it’s about what he enjoys making. After all, the largest publishers in the industry have always used iconic characters that are identifiable across decades and generations. They want readers to be able to join without having to fill in decades of irrevocable continuity.
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Yet, ‘Invincible’ has proven that there is a market for superhero stories with actual development. Rather than stretching endlessly into the future, the series was allowed to tell a complete story with a clear beginning, middle, and end, a rarity in the superhero genre.
‘Invincible’ has been a success in both comic books and its celebrated animated adaptation because of that creative freedom, and it’s clear audiences are willing to spend their money on heroes whose lives actually move forward.
Ultimately, there’s a place for both styles of storytelling. There are timeless icons that are still going strong at Marvel and DC. But there are also creators, like Robert Kirkman, who still want characters to feel real. ‘Invincible’s success proves that sometimes, it’s as riveting to watch a superhero change as it is to watch him save the world.
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