Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the Invincible Season 3 finale.Invincible is going to hell in future episodes — literally. In the closing moments of Season 3’s finale, “I’d Thought You’d Never Shut Up,” viewers are reunited with a character that hasn’t been seen since Season 1: Damien Darkblood (Clancy Brown). The infernal investigator tells a mysterious figure, voiced by Evil Dead‘s Bruce Campbell, that he plans to restore him to his former glory by ensnaring someone with a ‘blackened heart’. It’s an ominous way to close out the season, especially since this is a storyline that never made it to the original Invincible comics. It also means that Invincible could bring back another character who briefly showed up in Season 3: Gary Hampton, the Astounding Wolf-Man.
‘The Astounding Wolf-Man’ Put a Superheroic Spin on the Classic Werewolf Story
Created by Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard, The Astounding Wolf-Man kicks off when Gary Hampton is viciously mauled while on a camping trip with his wife Rebecca and daughter Chloe. Hampton miraculously survives…but eventually learns that the creature that attacked him was a werewolf. Having gotten the werewolf’s curse, he’s approached by a mysterious figure named Zechariah who offers to teach him how to control his lycanthropic powers — especially since Zechariah is a vampire! Hampton becomes the Astounding Wolf-Man, learning to use his transformations to help others But tragedy strikes when Zechariah, overcome by bloodlust, kills Rebecca and leaves Hampton to be framed for it; he works to clear his name and save Chloe from Zechariah’s thrall.
Wolf-Man possesses all the abilities of a werewolf, including superhuman strength, speed, and senses. Though he can be wounded, if he switches back to human form and then back to a werewolf, he’ll heal from any potentially fatal injuries. Unlike most werewolves, he can transform during the day due to the gauntlets he wears, which absorb moonlight. Wolf-Man also possesses the weakness of werewolves, including silver, and the full moon drives him into a feral state.
Wolf-Man Previously Appeared in ‘Invincible’
Invincible fans have already seen Wolf-Man in action; during “This Is All My Fault,” the lycanthrope is locked in battle with one of the evil Invincibles who laid waste to Earth during the Invincible War. Later, it’s shown that Wolf-Man was able to finish off his foe — only solidifying that he’s one of the more powerful figures in the Invincible Universe. Wolf-Man would wind up replacing another hero, since Invincible #60 — the issue where the Invincible War took place — featured that Invincible variant battling Spawn! Invincible showrunner Simon Racioppa told Entertainment Weekly that while he would have loved to have Todd McFarlane‘s hellish antihero and the other Image Comics characters show up in “This Is All My Fault,” rights issues got in the way:
“I don’t think anyone on the show would not want that to happen, but there’s just so many rights issues. It is a lot easier in comics than it is in television. When Robert was writing these books years ago, it was a lot easier. I think everything is now so controlled… It’s a bit of a nightmare.”
To Kirkman and Racioppa’s credit, they managed to use heroes that Kirkman had co-created. In addition to Wolf-Man, the armored hero Tech Jacket shows up to fight off an Invincible variant, while indestructible hero Brit coordinates rescue efforts and Bolt, Kid Thor, and Knockout — who are members of the Capes, Inc. organization – help the real Invincible battle one of his counterparts. All of these heroes play a major role in the Invincible comics: Brit, Kid Thor, and Knockout join the Guardians of the Globe, while Tech Jacket helps in the fight against the Viltrumite Empire. But it’s Wolf-Man who might have had the biggest impact.
‘Invincible’ Season 4 Can Explore the Supernatural Through Wolf-Man
If Invincible and Wolf-Man join forces to battle Hell’s armies, it could finally let the show explore a supernatural angle. Most characters have supernatural origins that were only briefly alluded to. Darkblood said that he solved cases on Earth to save his own soul, while the ghostly pharaoh Ka-Hor appears sporadically throughout Invincible and Monster Girl (Grey Griffin) received her powers as the result of a curse. Season 3 even had Invincible battling a mythical dragon! Wolf-Man, however, is knee-deep in the supernatural — and since Invincible hasn’t handled magic threats, he’ll need an ally with supernatural experience.
Bringing Wolf-Man into the fold in Invincible would also play off their dynamic in the comics. When Cecil Steadman asked Invincible to bring in Wolf-Man, Invincible — still on the outs with the GDA’s director — ended up saving the lycanthropic hero, and a bond formed between the two. When Wolf-Man was briefly in prison, he also helped keep inmates from fleeing during the Invincible War. With Darkblood seeking a “blackened heart” for his master, it’s quite possible he could select Cecil as revenge for banishing him to Hell, which means that Wolf-Man and Invincible could join forces like they did in the comics. Hell might be coming to Invincible Season 4, but it means that Wolf-Man could have a big role to play in the upcoming battle.
Seasons 1-3 of Invincible are available to stream on Prime Video.
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