What Darkwing From Invincible Looks Like In Real Life

"Invincible," the comics and animated series alike, is jam packed with homages to Marvel and DC superheroes. In the "Invincible" TV show's Season 2 finale, "I Thought You Were Stronger," Mark Grayson/Invincible (Steven Yeun) literally meets (a trademark friendly) Batman while hopping the multiverse.

Mark's universe has its own grim avenger of the night, though: Darkwing (Lennie James). While he lacks a bat motif, his costume has a cowl, utility belt, and triangular-edged cape like Batman does. Darkwing is also part of the Guardians of the Globe, thinly veiled stand-ins for the Justice League. The first big twist in "Invincible" is when Mark's superhero dad Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) kills the Guardians of the Globe at the end of Episode 1, "It's About Time."

"Invincible" later introduces a new Darkwing: Benjamin Taylor (Cleveland Berto), who had been the original Darkwing's sidekick as Nightboy. (Another obvious parody, this one of Batman's Boy Wonder sidekick Robin.) "Darkwing" is a name only slightly off from the Nightwing moniker that Robin I/Dick Grayson took after striking out on his own, and I doubt that's a coincidence.

Both Darkwings hail from Midnight City, which is where the Batman parody gets really blatant. In DC Comics, it's an aesthetic rule that in Gotham City, it always seems to be night time. The artists of "Batman: The Animated Series" even drew on black paper to make Gotham look darker, and that series often colored Gotham's sky red. Midnight City was cursed by a super-villain so that it is literally always night there, and fighting off criminals in that nightmarish metropolis turned Darkwing II into a brutal murderer. Both Darkwings are minor "Invincible" characters, but if you recognize their voices, that's with good reason.

Born and raised in England, Lennie James is a prolific actor in both the U.S. and his home country. He starred in the beloved but short lived post-apocalyptic series "Jericho" from 2006 to 2008 as Robert Hawkins, one of the survivors living in a small Kansas town after a nuclear war. 

Though "Jericho" didn't last, James soon booked a part in a new show about the apocalypse: He appeared in the pilot of "The Walking Dead," "Days Gone Bye," as Morgan Jones, the first man whom Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) meets after waking up in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. James returned as Morgan much later on in "The Walking Dead," after which he departed to play a lead role on the spin-off "Fear The Walking Dead."

If you don't know, "The Walking Dead" was based on a comic book written by Robert Kirkman, the same writer behind "Invincible." Kirkman likes to reuse "Walking Dead" actors in "Invincible." Steven Yeun himself first broke out playing Glenn on "The Walking Dead," remember.

This double casting habit is most apparent with the Guardians of the Globe; they were all voiced by actors who played main roles on "The Walking Dead," not just Darkwing. For "Invincible" watchers who hadn't read the comics, that made Omni-Man killing the Guardians even more shocking.

Outside of Kirkman shows, James has been the lead on the British medical drama "Critical," the thriller series "Save Me" (as a father searching for his disappeared daughter), and the short-lived AMC police drama "Low Winter Sun." His film roles include appearances in Guy Ritchie's "Snatch," "24 Hour Party People" as British actor Alan Erasmus, a small role in "Blade Runner 2049," and many more.

Cleveland Berto, who plays Darkwing II, is not as prolific an actor as Lennie James. His highest profile film role was in "Terminator: Dark Fate," where he plays a minor victim of the Rev-9 Terminator. Berto has been slightly more prolific in television. In 2021, he had a recurring role on "Chicago P.D." as probation officer Andre Cooper, who appeared in three episodes of the show's eighth season.

In "Invincible," Berto's Darkwing II has a small but pivotal role. In Season 2, Episode 2, "In About Six Hours, I Lose My Virginity to a Fish," Mark fights Darkwing, branding him a super-villain due to him killing criminals. But Global Defense Agency director Cecil Stedman (Walton Goggins) recruits Darkwing instead of imprisoning him. Learning that Cecil is using super-villains like this turns Mark against Cecil in Season 3.

Darkwing II was last seen in "Invincible" Season 3, Episode 7 ("What Have I Done?"), in which he dragged an evil Invincible variant into the Shadow-Verse dimension. Since Darkwing never returned, he was written off as KIA. The "Invincible" comics revealed in the very last issue that Darkwing had actually survived, but it was mostly a gag for long time and attentive fans.

But while Darkwing is out of the picture, Berto isn't necessarily off "Invincible." He's voiced several incidental characters on the show, not to mention the superhero Bolt. Bolt hails from Kirkman's comic "Capes," which is set in the same universe as "Invincible." If there's ever a "Capes" spin-off cartoon, Berto may have lucked into a lead role.

"Invincible" is streaming on Prime Video.