Invincible Season 4 Has Chosen An Unexpected But Perfect Actor For Its Ultimate Villain

"Invincible" season 4 will be arriving in March 2026, living up to creator (and writer of the original comic) Robert Kirkman's stated goal of one season a year. The premiere date arrived with a new teaser trailer. As with the teasers of season 2 and 3, it's a fourth wall-breaking scene of Mark (Steven Yeun), in costume as Invincible, sitting in a booth at a Burger Mart restaurant, talking with one of his friends — this time his girlfriend, Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs) — recapping the last season and hyping up the new one.

After the explosive ending of season 3, where Earth was invaded by several alternate Invincibles and then the Viltrumite Conquest (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the restaurant and the surrounding city have been reduced to rubble. But hey, gotta follow tradition.

The teaser doesn't just come with a release date, but the first look at a new character who "Invincible" comic fans know and fear. When Eve mentions the "Invincible" team has been hard at work "writing, designing, storyboard," the teaser shows a character model sheet of a new Viltrumite in regal red robes. 

Prime Video

That's Grand Regent Thragg, leader of the Viltrum Empire and likely the most dangerous being in the universe.

Thragg looks about what fans expected, but what's more surprising is who's voicing him. The casting of Thragg had been intensely speculated about, including by us at /Film. Before Morgan played Conquest, many "Invincible" fans assumed he'd play Thragg. Kirkman's choice for Thragg is someone I hadn't even considered: Lee Pace.

At New York Comic-Con, Pace took the stage with Kirkman, Yeun, and Jacobs. Before revealing himself, Pace recited a monologue in character as Thragg to hype up his performance. Mission accomplished.

If the Viltrumites are the Kryptonians, Thragg is General Zod; he combines the style and presence of Terence Stamp's Zod with the ferocity and determination of Michael Shannon's. Thragg was bred and trained to be the strongest of all Viltrumites, and in a Darwinian society, of course, that means he's their leader. 

I'm always going to first think of Pace as Ned the Piemaker, the sweet but awkward hero of morbid fairy tale procedural, "Pushing Daisies." Since that show's brief run, though, he's largely played characters closer to Thragg. He even has prior experience playing alien warlords, like Ronan the Accuser in "Guardians of the Galaxy" and Brother Day in "Foundation." Thragg should sound commanding, imperious, and regal, but also quick to anger. Pace, who has a natural baritone, nailed those qualities in that NYCC monologue (where you can also hear him calling on his performance as Ronan). 

Thragg debuts in the "Viltrumite War" storyline, which occurs about halfway through the comic's 144-issue run, and remains the primary villain for the rest of the series. This news suggests "Invincible" season 4 will be adapting "Viltrumite War," which is a pace on track with Kirkman previously saying he expects "roughly" eight seasons of "Invincible."

Then again, "Invincible" season 4 is going to have an original storyline with the character Damien Darkblood (Clancy Brown) and his home Hell dimension. Kirkman and "Invincible" artist Ryan Ottley have also jumped back into the comic universe with a spin-off about previously untold stories of the character Battle Beast. I think the broad beats of "Invincible" will stay the same until the show ends, but it might take us longer to get there this time.

"Invincible" season 4 premieres on Prime Video in March 2026.