Since Invincible came out in 2021, most fans have thought of Omni-Man as a purely evil character, especially when it was revealed that he lied about his intentions on his time on Earth. However, Invincible Season 4 Episode 2, reveals a whole lot more about what we know about Omni-Man’s past and the reason why he came to Earth.
Omni-Man’s backstory in this episode uncovers more about the Viltrum Empire and their true intentions with colonizing planets, and why Omni-Man made the decisions he did.
Omni-Man First Reveals Why He Came to Earth After Killing the Guardians of the Globe in Invincible Season 1
In Invincible Season 1, we find out that Omni-Man murders the Guardians of the Globe and turns against Earth as he attempts to conquer the planet for the Viltrum Empire’s invasion, revealing his initial intentions for coming to Earth. Viewers at the time believed this was a whole black-and-white motive for Omni-Man to subjugate humanity to the empire.
However, after a brutal confrontation between him and Invincible (Mark Grayson, his son), Omni-Man decides to abandon his mission and leave Earth, putting his story at a close for the meantime.
Omni-Man’s decision can seem simple, but it’s actually more complicated than we thought.
Omni-Man’s Origins: Inside the Viltrum Empire’s Brutal Culture
In a flashback in Invincible Season 4 Episode 2, we get a full story about the history of the Viltrum Empire and Omni-Man’s beginnings as Nolan.
The sequence begins with a line of young Viltrumite students learning about the history of their people from Nolan, who was a teacher then. He recounts “The Great Purge,” an act of the Viltrumites who slaughtered anyone they deemed weak to build the ultimate empire. Nolan also tells the students about Emperor Argall, the ruler of Viltrum, who was assassinated by “The Betrayer,” which led the empire to descend into chaos.
As the lesson wraps up, Nolan remains behind, and his parents suddenly arrive. To maintain Viltrumite tradition, Nolan’s parents then subject him to a brutal beating as part of a rite of passage for Viltrumites to test their strength, endurance, and resolve. Beaten to the extremities, Nolan then survives his parents’ beating and passes the “Day of Adulthood,” allowing him to begin serving the empire.
How the Scourge Virus Nearly Wiped Out Omni-Man’s Entire Race
Continuing the story, Nolan starts his first day as an official Viltrumite citizen. However, a mysterious virus begins spreading among his crew mates, and the virus ravages Viltrum, spreading very quickly and nearly wiping out the entire race.
The virus was then dubbed the “Scourge Virus,” and it left billions upon billions of corpses around the planet of Viltrum itself. It’s even said (and later revealed) that the virus was engineered by “The Betrayer,” who’s also Thaedeus, the Leader of the Coalition of planets.
Omni-Man Came to Earth to Repopulate the Viltrum Empire
With around 50 Viltrumites left from the virus’s onslaught, the Viltrum Empire believed that making any new offspring would deem them deficient, making them decide to find compatible species across the galaxy to rebuild their numbers, with Earth being one of those targets.
Back in the second season of Invincible, we also find that Nolan has had a child with another species, a Thraxan, who is an insectoid species. Nolan and Andressa had Oliver, who is now Mark Grayson’s younger brother.
Overall, the real reason Nolan came to Earth was for two purposes. The first one is to find out if Viltrumites can breed successfully with humans and if the human race is compatible enough to rebuild the Viltrumite race in general.
Funnily, Allen also quips at Nolan, saying, “Your real mission is to bang your way across the galaxy?” which pretty much sums up Omni-Man’s real intentions.
In a way, Nolan succeeds in his mission, which led to his murder of the Guardians of the Globe and Mark Grayson attaining his powers and becoming the hero, Invincible. However, Nolan does regret his decision to turn against humanity and decides to exile himself into space.
But Will Omni-Man Come Clean to His Family?
At some point, we can have a little bit of sympathy for Omni-Man, especially with his entire race being 99.9% wiped out. Who wouldn’t find a way to save their race when they’re brutally slaughtered by a mysterious virus? Still, however, it’s unfortunate to see the way the Viltrum Empire is aiming to restore the empire itself, by continuing to conquer and violently slaughter every other place weaker than them.
Ultimately, Invincible Season 4 reframes Omni-Man as a product of a brutal empire and impossible expectations. His past, marked with a lot of violence and loss, adds weight to his actions, even if it doesn’t excuse them. It’s possible that his mission on Earth was never just about conquest. It seems to be more about survival and legacy.
As the series moves forward, we’re curious to see if he can confront all the harm he has done not just to humanity but also to his family. He may be on the path of redemption with his team up with Allen and the Coalition of Planets. However, if he faces Debbie, Mark, and Oliver again, it’s a different story of how the family will take this new truth from Nolan.
Image Credit: Prime Video