Spoilers are ahead for Invincible season 2, episode 3 as well as the Invincible comics.
Summary
- Thaedus’ introduction to the Invincible series completely changes his role from the comics, leaving fans wondering about his larger role in the show.
- Thaedus is not the mole in the Coalition of Planets in the comics, but the show’s twist suggests he could be working against the alliance.
- Thaedus being the mole raises questions about his true motives, including the possibility of using the Coalition to eliminate powerful heroes and help the Viltrum Empire expand.
Thaedus’ big twist in Invincible season 2, episode 3 completely changes the comic-book story, leading viewers to wonder about the character’s larger role in the series. The adult animated show, which is based on Robert Kirkman’s Image Comics series of the same name, centers on teenager Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) — the super-powered son of the Earth’s most powerful being, Nolan Grayson/Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons). After Omni-Man reveals his true, planet-conquering intentions in Invincible season 1’s ending, Mark is faced with a choice: join his father or be a hero.
As viewers learn in Invincible season 2, there’s a whole multiverse of Marks who choose to join Omni-Man in his Viltrumite-sanctioned quest. In fact, the show’s primary Mark Grayson is the only one who doubles down on his heroism, making him a special variant. In its third episode, Invincible season 2 introduces the Coalition of Planets — an important comics thread — and Thaedus, one of the coalition’s founders who betrayed the Viltrum Empire. In a shocking twist, the plot point diverges from its comic-book source material, prompting fans to wonder how everything will play out in Amazon Prime Video’s Invincible adaptation.
Thaedus Is Not The Coalition of Planets’ Viltrum Mole In The Comics
While the introduction of Invincible season 2’s multiverse really shook things up in the show’s first few episodes, the Coalition of Planets thread is another key addition to the series’ story. In the comics, Thaedus helps establish the Coalition of Planets in order to safeguard other worlds from the Viltrum Empire’s violent, unstoppable expansion. The idea, of course, is that a strength in numbers approach could thwart the Viltrum Empire’s universe-conquering schemes. Toward the end of episode 3, Invincible throws another wrench into the plot by introducing a mole into the Coalition’s ranks.
This plot point exists in the comics too, with the source material’s Viltrum Empire mole being Thaedus’ right-hand alien assistant. Unlike the comics, however, Thaedus is not in the dark about the person feeding Invincible‘s Viltrumites information. In fact, he proceeds to tell Allen the Alien that there’s a mole in the Coalition of Planets, prompting Allen to investigate further. After being beaten to near death by a trio of Viltrumites, Allen is placed into one of the Coalition’s high-tech healing pods. In a truly distressing turn of events, Thaedus unplugs Allen’s pod — a move that seems to suggest he’s the mole in the Coalition of Planets.
Thaedus’ Viltrumite Connection Makes Him Being The Mole Much Bigger
In turning off Allen’s pod, Thaedus seemingly kills the super-powered character, which marks a huge shift from his role in the comics. The source-material version of Thaedus stands against the Viltrum Empire, and his dedication to the Coalition of Planets’ goal is genuine. In both versions of Invincible, Thaedus is a known Viltrumite. While this only strengthens his anti-empire resolve in the comics, it seems to be serving a different purpose in Amazon Prime Video’s adaptation. With Invincible season 2, episode 3 teasing his status as the Viltrumite mole, it seems like Thaedus could be a full-blown villain who’s still working with his alliance of origin.
How Thaedus Being The Coalition of Planets’ Mole Completely Changes His Invincible Future
Peter Cullen, who voices Thaedus in Invincible season 2 (and is best known for playing Transformers‘ Optimus Prime), would be playing against type as a series antagonist. Of course, that’s not the only shocking thing to come of Thaedus’ potential betrayal. For starters, Thaedus could be using the Coalition of Planets for much more nefarious purposes. If the supposed goal is to unite the universe’s superheroes against the Viltrumite threat, Thaedus could reverse-engineer that scheme. That is, he could be using the Coalition’s mission as a front to hunt down the galaxy’s strongest heroes.
In identifying and gathering the strongest beings in the universe under the guise of the Coalition of Planets, Thaedus would be able to ascertain all those who pose a threat to the Viltrum Empire’s expansion and, in turn, exterminate them. The seeming betrayal — and Thaedus’ potential villain arc — also opens up other interesting possibilities. For starters, an antagonistic Thaedus who’s secretly aiding the Viltrum Empire would be the least likely to develop the Scourge Virus — a disease that targets Viltrumites. While it’s not yet clear how Thaedus’ Invincible season 2 story will unfold, the series does seem bold enough to cleverly shift away from its source material.
