In an alternate universe, J. K. Simmons is not the voice of Omni-Man in Prime Video’s Invincible.
The fan-favorite actor recently sat down with GQ for its Iconic Characters video series, where he revisited some of the more well-known characters he has played, including Omni-Man. During the discussion about Omni-Man, Simmons revealed that he was initially offered a different role on the adult animated series. It was only months after he passed on playing the mystery role that he was offered Omni-Man.
“Invincible came to me out of the blue, and I read, I think the one script that was available and thought it was really good,” Simmons told GQ. “They actually had first approached me about playing a different character, and I read it, and I thought, ‘Wow, this is, like, really smart and weird and cool.’ This sounds silly, because it’s animated, but I just kind of didn’t see myself as the character that they were saying they would want me to play, and I passed on it. Then, I don’t know how many months later, they came back and asked me to play Nolan, Omni-Man.”
With Simmons receiving praise from both critics and fans for his vocal performance, it’s hard to imagine that the actor could have voiced an entirely different character in the show, meaning that somebody else would have voiced Omni-Man.
“I don’t think I knew how twisted it was at the time,” Simmons continued in the video. “I was just reading the first script, the first two. So, to me, it was another interesting dad character. Steven Yeun and Sandra Oh, I think were already attached, and I thought, ‘They’re both fantastic, and I would love to work with them, even if it’s on a recording studio doing animation.'”
Simmons has so far appeared in both seasons of Invincible as Nowl-Ahn/Nolan Grayson/Omni-Man, the father of the series’ protagonist, Mark Grayson/Invincible. Although audiences are initially led to believe that Omni-Man is the world’s most powerful superhero, the series quickly pulls the rug from under their feet, revealing a villainous persona that has been dormant for two decades.
J. K. Simmons is no stranger to comic book roles
Fans of Simmons’ work will be aware that Invincible is not the first comic book project to feature the acclaimed actor. As discussed by the actor in the GQ video, Simmons portrayed Daily Bugle editor-in-chief J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, and then again in Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home, both of which are set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He also voiced the character in several Marvel animated series, including Ultimate Spider-Man.
The actor also played Commissioner James Gordon in both the theatrical and director cuts of the DC Extended Universe movie, Justice League. He also voiced General Wade Eiling in five episodes of the animated series, Justice League Unlimited.
The first two seasons of Invincible are available to stream on Prime Video.
