Why Aaron Paul Left Invincible

So far, "Invincible" creator Robert Kirkman has failed to convince "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston to appear on his show. But he has secured Cranston's former co-star, Aaron Paul, who played Scott Duvall/Powerplex in season 3 of the Prime Video series. Unfortunately, it seems Paul won't be returning for the fourth season of "Invincible," mainly due to the fact playing such a traumatized, haunted character seems to have taken a toll on the actor. In a recent interview, Paul confirmed he wouldn't be back, describing his experience of playing the tortured scientist turned supervillain as "too grueling on my psyche."

Scott Duvall was a scientist who blamed Invincible for the deaths of his sister and niece. In order to exact revenge, Duvall assumed his villainous Powerplex alter-ego, attempting to use his Kinetic-Electro Conversion powers to take out Invincible, only to accidentally kill his own wife and son in the process. After that, Powerplex took part in the Invincible War where he fought against the evil Invincible variants before helping with reconstruction efforts in the wake of the war, suggesting there was some humanity left in the vengeance-obsessed villain. Powerplex was last seen in the season 3 episode "What Have I Done?" in which he tried attacking Invincible after the variants had been defeated, only to be put down by the titular hero and Kid Omni-Man. He was then seen being taken away while ranting about how Invincible was responsible for the destruction wrought by the variants.

That character arc appears to have been a lot for Paul to portray, as the actor has now confirmed that, while he remains a fan of "Invincible," he won't be reprising his guest role on "Invincible" due to the tragic nature of the character's story and the effect it's had on him.

Paul's "Invincible" villain was a marvelous riff on a Spider-Man foe, but with a much more harrowing backstory. That traumatic origin tale clearly wasn't easy for Aaron Paul to portray, with the actor telling Kinda Funny Games that while he loves "Invincible" as a show, he didn't like the personal experience of playing such a troubled character. "I did a couple of episodes, and then they asked me to come back for next season," he said, "but I've got to tell you, that show, I'm such a fan of. I watch every episode. I love it. But it was just way too grueling on my psyche." The actor went on to describe his experience on "Invincible" as "emotional," adding, "I have such respect for what they're doing," before elaborating on how playing Powerplex affected him:

"Powerplex, man, he's not just messing around. He's going through, like, turmoil [...] I really put myself in that skin, and it was a skin I didn't feel comfortable in, to be honest. I didn't want to do it anymore [...] The thing is, everyone involved in that camp is amazing. But what it did to me, I didn't like, so I couldn't continue."

All of this raises the question of who might voice the villain moving forward. "Invincible" has been renewed for a fourth and fifth season, and Scott Duvall is still very much alive. In July 2025, Welsh actor Matthew Rhys was cast in the series in an undisclosed role, but series creator Robert Kirkman has since confirmed he'll be playing Dr. David Anders, aka Dinosaurus. For now, we'll have to wait to see how things play out, but in the meantime, there are plenty of shows like "Invincible" that you can watch right now.