The father. A universal constant. But, what if your dad was not what he seems? What if he was… an alien. Weird what if, I know, but bear with me. What if you inherited his super-human power with that? All that pressure to live up to that… it can make a man… angry. These two know that more than anyone. Invincible, son of Omni-Man and protector of Earth from… well, Invincible. And Son Gohan, half-Saiyan kin of Son Goku and Z-warrior from Dragon Ball. Let’s begin.
Invincible is… well… y’know… in VS Universe!
The Guardians of the Globe. The Teen Team. The Fight Force. Surely you’ve heard of them (or their DC counterparts). But two men stand above these teams in terms of their capabilities as a superhero – Omni-Man, Nolan Grayson, and his son, Mark Grayson, more commonly known as- *Invincible title screen thing, you know the one*. Ugh, goddammit, I hate that. Mark was merely a child when he learned the truth of his father, that his travel-book business was nothing more than a front for the greater work of being a Superhero. Understandably a little excited that his dad was essentially Superman, he was looking forward to the day where his powers would show themselves. He waited and waited and waited, until one day when he was 17 and working at a fast food restaurant, he accidentally sent a garbage bag careening across the pacific ocean. This led to the birth of the Superhero we know today as Invincible.
Mark’s superpowers come from his physiology. See, Omni-Man is actually an alien from the planet Viltrum, and all Viltrumites have supremely powerful bodies. These bodies are nearly impervious, and pretty much only another Viltrumite can take out a Viltrumite. With these powers, Mark has increased speed, strength, and agility, as well as the ability to fly. He can also survive in the vacuum of space by… holding his breath. For a long time. Along with this physiology comes invulnerability to disease and anything of the like, and has a pretty insane healing factor as well. He’s not Deadpool or anything, but he can heal a broken arm in a matter of days.
These abilities served him well when his father’s origins were not what they seemed. Instead of coming from a peaceful utopia filled with Ubermensch-es, Nolan came from a eugenics-based Darwinist kill-or-be-killed planet that valued strength above all else. And they are looking to conquer the greater Universe as a whole by force. Nolan was sent to Earth to do just that, to weaken their forces for a Viltrumite invasion, but Mark stood in his way. After some… arguing, Nolan and Mark reached an impasse – Mark ready to die to stop Nolan’s rampage, but Nolan clearly second guessing his viewpoint on the world thanks to his time on Earth. And so, Omni-Man left Earth after his very public show-down with Invincible that caused countless lives to be lost, leaving Mark beaten and confused beyond belief.
During the down-time he was now rewarded, Mark decided to try his hand at being a college student, but Superhero-ing and being a full time student don’t exactly go together. He also learned the hard way that maintaining a relationship is nigh impossible unless your significant other is a superhero as well. During all this, Mark met a character from a comic book he reads (don’t ask) and that led him to where his father went. Nolan, now residing on a planet where the creatures live a mere fraction of human lives, has procreated once again. Now Mark had another thing to take care of – a brother named Oliver.
But things wouldn’t be quiet for long. Now a known defecter of the Viltrumite people, Nolan found himself fighting against their forces on the planet where Oliver was born. With Mark’s help, he defeated the two Viltrumites that were sent to kill him, but still managed to get captured by them – underestimating any Viltrumite’s drive is a big mistake. Now without a father yet again, Mark went back to Earth with Oliver in tow to meet his mother, and be raised there. After a fair amount of time and villain’s fought, one of Mark’s primary antagonists, Angstrom Levy, sent in alternate universe versions of himself to fight and take over the main reality we see in the story. Many lives were lost in this Invincible War, but the worst to come still hadn’t quite yet.
Mark now had to fight his first Viltrumite by himself. Conquest, a bloodthirsty Viltrumite who only values combat, had shown up to Earth to check if Mark was allied with the Viltrumites or the planet. Mark, as he did with his father, sided with Earth, and prepared himself for battle. The ensuing onslaught from both sides caused massive damage to both combatants, Conquest toying with the young adult, but Invincible still holding his own. Then, his girlfriend, Atom Eve, decided to interfere and died in his arms (don’t worry, she got better). Now enraged with the fury of 1,000 suns, Mark headbutted Conquest into the pavement, killing the Viltrumite. Thus, proving that he could kill a full blooded Viltrumite, even if he broke his arm in the process. After recovering from that, he started to cut his ties from the government officials he was working with.
But that’s not all that was happening. The leader of the Viltrumite empire, the Grand Regent Thragg, was hellbent on finding and destroying both Nolan and Mark. Allying himself with other aliens that want to end the Viltrumite empire, Mark found himself in what would be known as the Viltrumite war. This battle took place actually near the planet Viltrum, and with the help of his father and the leader of the Coalition of Planets leader (who was a secret Viltrumite defectee), they blew up the planet. All of the people there did not have the strength necessary to take out Thragg quite yet, but they made him and his forces retreat for now. Considering it a win, and with his father released from Viltrumite prison, Mark returned to Earth to reunite his father and mother. Only to find Thragg waiting there for them. He proposed a deal – in exchange for not ending their lives and the lives of everyone on the planet, the remaining Viltrumites would stay on Earth and reproduce with the locals, without bringing any attention to their superhuman physiology. Backed into a corner, Mark agreed. Hoping that his father wasn’t an outlier and that the other Viltrumites could be changed.
But, despite their appearance and power, Viltrumites are not invincible. Oh hey, I said the thing. Since they have the natural ability of flight, their ears are super sensitive. This can be taken advantage of with the right tech, and causes Viltrumites immense pain. Another weakness they have is something known as the Scourge Virus, a bio-weapon specifically designed to kill Viltrumites. This virus actually wiped out most full-blooded Viltrumites, and led to their only being around 50 when the series proper starts. Although Mark was exposed to this virus and survived, he suffered temporary power loss.
Unbeknownst to both Mark and Nolan, Thragg uncovered the truth of their heritage; they were the successors to Argall, the previous Grand Regent of the Viltrumite people. This would make Nolan the proper next in line for the throne, and when the remaining Viltrumites found out about what Thragg refused to tell them, they immediately sided with Nolan and by extension Mark. Now on a quest of revenge against the Grayson family, Thragg started reproducing more soldiers to aid his cause on the planet where Oliver was born. In the meantime between Nolan’s takeover and Thragg’s next attack, Mark managed to settle down with Eve and have a child named Terra. But in secret, Oliver was telling Thragg about the exploits of the Graysons. He then showed up to where Mark, Eve, and Terra were situated and began to do battle with all three. Oliver, with a heavy conscience, tried to intervene at the cost of his life.
More enraged than ever, Mark took the fight to Thragg, and another epic battle ensued. The forces of Earth and the newly reformed Viltrumites fought against Thragg and his forces. Unfortunately, the battle would not be fought unscathed – Nolan was the first to try fighting Thragg, but the former Grand Regent made short work of the new ruler. Comatose from the attack and defenseless, Mark then started his assault on Thragg. For his brother and father, he took the fight into the Earth’s sun. And through a mix of tenacity and help from Earth, Mark managed to best Thragg once and for all.
Nolan took Mark aside on his deathbed to tell Mark that the Viltrumites were now under his rule. Initially reluctant, he took the leadership role quite well. He started touring the stars, attempting to reign in a new era of peace across the galaxy. And, given that Viltrumites barely age and his wife turned out to be immortal, he had the time. His spirit found a way to manifest into his passion for peace, making himself and his people truly… Invincible.
Son Gohan rocks the dragon into VS Universe!
The Saiyan race was once one of the biggest and most threatening forces in the galaxy, until one day their leader, King Vegeta, met another ruler – King Cold. Cold thought to leave the ruling of this particular planet to his son, Freeza, and a few years after using the Saiyans for his own gain he decided to destroy the planet so that they would not one day be an uprising against their unlawful leader. Not to say the Saiyans themselves weren’t perfect, they were by no means saints. They clearly enjoyed the conquering of planets, and seem to delight in Freeza’s rule until he started to show signs of betrayal. Bardock, one of many Saiyan warriors, sensed Freeza’s looming plan and decided to send one of his sons, Kakarot, out into space to eventually land on Earth. This was Son Goku, newly named by his adoptive grandfather Gohan.
Time passed and Goku one night transformed into a gigantic monkey. This is actually an innate ability all Saiyans possess, entitled the “Oozaru” transformation (which literally translates to “Great Ape”). In this form Goku accidentally killed his father figure, but while it made him sad, it only strengthened his resolve to get stronger so that he wouldn’t have to resolve to the Great Ape form. And so, for years, Goku got stronger, fighting more and more powerful foes, culminating in the fearsome Piccolo Jr. Along with that, he also met a girl by the name of Chi-Chi, and they eventually married and had a child unbeknownst to their friend group for a while. This child was Son Gohan, named after Goku’s own father figure.
As a child Gohan was already shaping up to be a fierce warrior, as he demonstrated impeccable combat abilities against a foe nearly ten times his size. Able to make a dent where not even his father could, the soon to be reformed Piccolo Jr., now just going by Piccolo, adopted Gohan while Goku was dead (don’t worry, this is Dragon Ball, nobody’s ever really gone) so that he could train him to harness his anger. This didn’t really go so well – Gohan, for all intents and purposes, is not your traditional fighter. He, thanks to influence from his mother, instead focuses on studying to become… smart. However, when you live in the world of Dragon Ball, you kinda need to be strong. Unable to tap into the rage that dented Raditz all that time ago, Gohan was nearing death’s door. When, all of a sudden… Piccolo jumped in front of him, and sacrificed his own life for the well being of a child he barely knew. Now, with his father alive and plenty of rage built up, Gohan and the other alive Z-warriors defeated the invasion hinted at so long ago, but now they had a new problem – they need to wish their friends back, but how will they do so? Why, by going to the very source of the Dragon Balls, Namek, of course!
Gohan, not wanting to be outdone, offered to be one of the first humans (well, half-human hybrids) to go to Namek. Along the way he trained with Krillin, honing his abilites even further. But still, the rage inside him was not something he unleashed on a whim. Now’s a good a time as any to talk about how Gohan can even do the things he does with his attacks – this is Ki. Ki, or chi, or qi, or even just energy, is the life-force we all carry within ourselves. However, only with masterful training or talent will one be able to pull their ki from their body into the external world around them and create devastating attacks with it. Gohan is one with such prowess. There are many, many ways to manipulate ki, such as flight – one of the more easier concepts to grasp. However, the big daddy of it all is beam attacks. Y’know, your classic Kamehameha’s. His signature version of this attack is the Masenko, a bright yellow beam of energy that starts with him raising his hands over his forehead and using the space in between them to fire a huge projectile. He does also know the kamehameha, like every other Dragon Ball character, so there’s that. But Ki isn’t just good for that as well – since it’s your life force, Gohan can locate whomever he so desires, as long as they aren’t hiding their aura from him (something you need to be aware of Ki to even attempt to do).
But perhaps his greatest ability is one given to him from his father. After a long stay on Namek and several of their friends and loved ones murdered, Goku couldn’t take it anymore, and transformed into the Legendary Super Saiyan! Super Saiyans are like normal Saiyans, but they get a huge increase in power – enough so that Goku could turn the pummeling Freeza was giving him around on the space tyrant – and gives their hair a golden coloring, not unlike that of a crown. There are many forms that the Super Saiyan transformation has taken, but Gohan only has access to two – Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 2. While in these forms, his Ki reserves grow exponentially, allowing for planet sized explosions and ones that can travel off-world and maintain their shape for way longer than they should. But this form does not come without sacrifice. For each step into the Super Saiyan form you gain, you first must lose something. Whether that be something material, like a friend or a mentor, or something entirely different, like the peeling of a layer of pride. Gohan, instead, gave up the pretense of his academic life, instead fully letting the raging demon inside consume his mind while in that state.
But, it wasn’t enough. After Goku had defeated Freeza and two more Saiyans he knew went Super Saiyan before him, Gohan made it his mission to stop the new threat to the Earth – Cell. Well, it’s more like Goku MADE him take on Cell but it’s- whatever it’s fine. In their fight, Cell was utterly destroying him, beating Gohan senselessly just for the fun of it. And, after murdering another one of their friends, Gohan couldn’t take it anymore. The beast that was caged for so long, since he was a little boy trapped in that Saiyan pod, emerged triumphantly. That was Cell’s biggest mistake he made in his life – letting Gohan get mad. And get mad he did. Cell never stood a chance, but Goku did have to step in and save the day when Gohan’s hubris showed Cell a weakness Gohan didn’t even know about. Upon his apparently permanent death, Gohan cried – he is still just a child. But, from beyond the grave, Goku gave him the words of encouragement he needed, and he put down Cell once and for all with one final push from his father.
After that he kinda quit the whole warrior life, instead focusing on what his mother wanted for him in the first place. He even met a girl at his High School, Videl, that he eventually married and had a child with. That didn’t mean he doesn’t help to save the Earth from threats at all – in fact, he even created a persona to help him do just that. He even managed to maintain a state that can rival the powers of the Gods themselves! But deep inside, there will always be a sleeping giant in Gohan. And if that cage ever comes undone, just know that it’ll always be to protect his family and friends as his father did before him.
FIGHT
We open to a major metropolitan city during the daytime, cars bustling along the road with glaring spotlights, however – not all is right in this city. For in fact, this city is home to a crime syndicate unlike any other, their reach far enough to rival the government. In a dark alleyway, a shady deal is going on, involving some sort of flash drive. Invincible flies down in his black and blue garb to apprehend the criminals.
Invincible:
Hey boys! This where the fun at?
And with that we cut away from the fight, and instead focus on Gohan in his Great Saiyaman uniform looking to defend the people. He sees the same alley Mark was just at, but all the goons are lying on the floor unconscious. Mark is about to fly away with the flash drive in hand, but Gohan stops him.
Gohan:
Hey! Are you another superhero? I didn’t know there were more than me!
Stopping to address the half Saiyan, Mark says:
Invincible:
Yeah, I’m Invincible… who are you?
Gohan readies a frankly embarrassing pose as he blurts his next words.
Gohan:
I am the vanquisher of all evil, the defender of justice! I am the Great Saiyaman!
Mark, clearly disinterested, rolls his eyes and prepares to take off again.
Invincible:
Uh… sure. Well I gotta go… so… bye!
Gohan is frustrated by the sudden ejection of Mark from the conversation, so he takes to the sky to follow.
Gohan:
Wait up!
Mark notices Gohan moving up to him and says:
Invincible:
Wait you can fly? That’s pretty cool.
Gohan:
Sorry, I must ask for that drive. It contains vital information for the Capsule Corporation!
Mark furrows his brows and retorts:
Invincible:
…no. You’re not getting this.
Clearly distraught, Gohan mutters to himself:
Gohan:
*sigh*… I tried. Force it is then.
And with those words he charges on the half-Viltrumite, shoulder-checking him off balance. Invincible takes the moment to reflect.
Invincible:
Great. Just what I needed… more in-fighting.
He puts the drive in his back pocket and readies himself to fight Gohan in the sky. They both rush at each other at blinding speed and their fists collide, producing a shockwave that shatters a nearby skyscraper’s windows. They are oblivious to this, as they are entirely focused on the fight now. They fly all around the globe, colliding into each other at speeds incomprehensible, until eventually they end up above an ocean. The clash they make on this vast body of water creates a whirlpool that evenelops them both, but they both don’t pay it any attention. Instead, they take a moment to breathe as the fight dies down for a little bit. Gohan takes this time to calm himself before he starts talking.
Gohan:
Hey, you’re pretty powerful! I may actually need to go all out for this one… AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
And with that said, Gohan emerges from his Saiyaman costume in his traditional gi, with the signature golden hair of a Super Saiyan.
Invincible:
What the fu-
But before he can finish that thought, Mark is sent flying into the stratosphere at the new power wielded by Gohan. He rockets the superhero into the stratosphere, and with one-
Gohan:
Masenko Ha!
He temporarily blinds Invincible, which allows him to grab him by the head and rocket them both back towards the earth at great speed and crashing at the bottom of the ocean. A crack can be seen in the Earth’s crust, as the impact of that move is felt around the world.
Invincible, while Gohan is realizing the carnage he’s creating, takes the opportunity to fly away and hide on the moon. Gohan, noticing the absence of the person he just slammed into the Earth, tries to sense his energy and senses him on the moon. Gohan then flies into the atmosphere above the clouds,and screams as he transforms into Super Saiyan 2. And, he begins to lower his arms to his side in that iconic pose, as he begins to shout that famous attack.
Gohan:
Kamehameha!
With that attack, the entire moon Invincible was on is shattered into 4 massive chunks, him in the center of them all. Gohan spots him and rushes towards him, causing Mark to defend himself, his goggles now shattered, while clearly exhausted from that last attack.
Invincible:
Enough!
That singular word catches Gohan off guard, allowing Mark to alter their roles, with Gohan now crossing his arms guarding himself from the Viltrumite’s rage.
Invincible:
I am a protector of the Earth! People like you aren’t allowed on my planet!
Strike after strike surgically precise in their movements, Invincible is destroying the body of the Saiyan. In his rage, Mark manages to completely shatter Gohan’s left arm, leaving him with only one to use.
INVINCIBLE’S ENDING
As he pummels into Gohan, Mark punches him closer to the shattered moon. He uses the gap he just created to start spinning on his axis, arms stretched out forward to create a sort of Viltrumite screwdriver. He then uses this to drive into Gohan, all the while twisting and turning until he eventually just passes through the half-Saiyan’s flesh. He then flies behind him, and punches Gohan’s already dying body into the sun to be incinerated.
Invincible:
Whew… I really went all out… at least the drive is safe.
A chunk of the broken moon nudges his back and he turns to face the destruction he caused.
Invincible:
I… better fix that. Now.
And he flies off to put the pieces of the moon back together, trying his best to come up with an excuse for when his father and brother come and see the wreckage he accidentally caused.
GOHAN’S ENDING
Gohan, down one arm, uses both of his feet to kick at Invincible to create some distance, and when they are separated the blood-lusted Viltrumite tries his hardest to lunge back at the Saiyan. However, before he can do that –
Gohan:
I won’t let my rage control me.
He transforms into his Mystic form, and brings up his one arm. He then starts to chant –
Gohan:
Ka…me…ha…me…HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
And knocks Invincible back into the broken moon, causing him to pass out. Gohan flies at blinding speeds towards where Invincible landed, and reaches into his back pocket to take the drive he fought so hard for.
Gohan:
Sorry about that fight! But you’re pretty strong. We could really use your help in defending the Earth sometime. Well, bye!
As he flies back, he notices that the flash drive is broken beyond recognition.
Gohan:
…Bulma’s gonna kill me.
POST ANALYSIS
Well, if you’re wondering what was on that drive, it’s a secret. NOw probably the most contentious thing I brought up was whether or not Mark would kill Gohan in his ending. I decided to lean into the more brutal side of the comics and allow Mark to kill Gohan in a really gory way, because, I mean, it’s not an Invincible fight if there isn’t some dismemberment. Gohan, on the other hand, I don’t think would kill anyone that is even on the side of neutrality. He struggled to put an end to Cell, an objectively terrible… person? Bug man? Bug man. An objectively terrible bug man, all because he was too afraid of his own power. But speaking of powers… let’s talk about them.
Mark doesn’t really have any notable powers aside from super strength and flight (and an indomitable will, but let’s be honest – most comic heroes have that). Gohan, on the other hand, had impressive ki attacks that could keep Mark on his toes. Energy blasts are not exactly common in Invincible’s home series, so even a basic kamehameha would leave Mark open due to shock.
But even then, Gohan had no way of capitalizing on Mark’s unique weaknesses. Sure, he’s a genius, but he’s not about to run away during a fight to invent a device to disrupt Invincible’s equilibrium. For one, he’d have no idea that it would be a weakness at all – in Dragon Ball, even the most basic amount of ki training allows you to fly. So, it’d make way more sense if Gohan just assumed Mark had some sort of ki training but couldn’t do powerful attacks, like Videl. And uh… I hate to break it to you, but Gohan doesn’t have the Scourge virus anywhere on his person. Shocking, I know.
So overall, both of them were extremely powerful and fast, but Gohan had no way of taking advantage of the more unique weaknesses that Mark has, and Mark had no way of truthfully inciting Gohan’s rage to make him vulnerable. Aside from blowing up the Earth but that would be extremely out of character for Invincible. So, ask me how my day is going, and we’ll see you next time on VS Universe!
Versus Universe 