J.K. Simmons Reveals He Initially Passed on His Iconic Comic Book Role

Despite his villainous role as Omni-Man in Prime Video’s Invincible becoming one of the most iconic superhero villains of the 21st century, J.K. Simmons actually passed on appearing in the show before being convinced to come back for the (now) smash hit series. Nolan Grayson, a.k.a. Omni-Man was Earth’s most powerful hero, before he began murdering the other superheroes to make way for his species’ eventual invasion and enslavement of the planet, that is. A hyper-violent and authoritarian take on DC Comics’ Superman, Omni-Man has become one of the most popular characters from Prime Video’s Emmy-nominated animated series.

J.K. Simmons sat down with GQ to discuss his most iconic roles throughout his illustrious career. Whilst discussing his voice acting role in Invincible, Simmons revealed that he was first asked to play a different character in the series. While Simmons didn’t name the character, he believed that he wasn’t the right fit for the part, and rejected the role. However, he was convinced when the studio returned to him, asking Simmons to read for Omni-Man. He said:

“I read the one script that was available, and thought it was really good. They actually had first approached me about playing a different character. And this sounds silly because it’s animated, but I just didn’t see myself as the character that they were saying they would want me to play. And I passed on it. And then, I don’t know how much later, they came back and asked me to play Nolan, Omni-Man.”

Omni-Man Is One of J.K. Simmons’ Most Popular Characters

First debuting on Prime Video in 2021, Invincible is adapted from the graphic novels of the same name by Robert Kirkman (the creator of The Walking Dead). Across two seasons, the series has received nearly flawless reviews, with Season 1 holding 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, while Season 2 boasts a perfect 100%. As is the norm in the age of social media, Invincible isn’t just an incredible show, it’s also become a pop-culture phenomenon thanks to the litany of online memes… most of which feature Omni-Man. “Think Mark, think,” Omni-Man’s quote from Season 1 has ingrained its way into pop-culture, and is still referenced by fans across the world. And, really, it’s hard to imagine anyone else selling the line as well as Simmons did.

When Simmons signed on to play Omni-Man, he had no idea how popular the show would become. Simmons has appeared as some incredibly popular characters throughout his career, including J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, the terrifying Fletcher in Whiplash, and the one and only Yellow M&M across 30 years of commercials. However, Simmons revealed that he gets approached by fans of Invincible a lot, demonstrating the impact the series has had. The actor said:

“[I had] no idea that it would become the hit- I mean, it’s iconic. It’s completely blown up. And I get comments from strangers on the street about Invincible and Omni-Man, as much as I do for any of the other things we’re talking about here today. It’s had such an impact. And especially with animation, where there’s literally no boundaries. And it’s really been a fun journey to be on and to be continuing.”

J.K. Simmons, along with the rest of Invincible‘s impressive cast — which includes Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh, Gillian Jacobs, Zazie Beetz, Walton Goggins, Jason Mantzoukas, Zachary Quinto, and many more — are all returning for the show’s upcoming third season. No official footage or trailer has been released for Season 3, but Robert Kirkman has teased fans with Invincible’s new suit in the show’s anticipated return.