Why Mark Grayson Wears A Blue Suit In Invincible Season 3

You can tell a lot about a comic book character by the kind of costume they wear. Capes, cowls, and color schemes all serve a purpose, and it's often more than just making the hero or villain look cool enough to warrant action figures. "Invincible" is a love letter to the whole genre of superhero comics in many ways, and as such, it pays tribute to many classic comic characters through its own costumes, like those for Darkwing (Lennie James), Red Rush (Michael Cudlitz), the various Guardians of the Globe, and Omni-Man (J. K. Simmons).

Invincible himself (Steven Yeun) gets a revamped look a few episodes into season 3, swapping out the yellow, black, and light blue for a simpler, starker outfit of dark blue and black only. Superhero costume designer extraordinaire Art Rosenbaum (Mark Hamill) gives the new suit to Mark after equipping his younger brother Oliver (Christian Convery) with a Robin-esque look for fighting crime. In the moment, Mark remarks that the blue and black costume might be a bit too serious for his taste, but that's all the reflection we get from him at the time.

In the original "Invincible" comics, Mark shows a bit more remorse about losing his original color scheme, to which Art responds by stating that he was bored of the old yellow suit and some of its more vestigial features. Mechanically, the blue and black suit doesn't offer anything different, but it does signal a shift for both Mark and the story as a whole.

As hinted at by Mark's "serious" comment, his new suit heralds some changes. He's no longer an up-and-comer. At this point, he is decidedly the strongest superhero on Earth, and he's actively stepped into that larger responsibility. This extra maturity and intensity is reflected in his darker, more intimidating look.

If you've read the comics (or just been watching "Invincible" season 3), you'll know that the blue and black costume also signals some of the darkest "Invincible" story arcs. Some fans (and even Mark himself, in the comics) have commented on the suit almost feeling "cursed" as a result, and creator Robert Kirkman has discussed its larger significance himself on multiple occasions.

"Going into the third season, it seemed like a good time to bring a new Mark to the forefront after everything he's been through in season 2," Kirkman explained in a 2024 interview with Variety. "He's in a different headspace and that gets reflected in his costume." As for what's coming, Kirkman acknowledged that some pretty heavy storylines are on the way. "Anyone who has read the comic book series knows the blue suit era of 'Invincible' is the darkest and the most intense, and there's a lot of really big things that are around the blue suit," he noted.

In addition to its narrative symbolism, Invincible's new suit also evokes some famous costumes from comic book history. The most direct comparison, given its darker aura, is probably the legendary black Spider-Man suit that eventually begets Venom — one of several points of comparison between Spider-Man and Invincible. But while Mark's new costume doesn't physically corrupt him into some darker, crueler thing, his switch to the blue and black does coincide with more hard-edged storylines (like his season 3 feud with Cecil, as well as his shifting perspective on killing).

In general, there's a pretty long history of darker superhero costumes signaling darker storylines. Think about Robin turning into Nightwing — a hero whose blue and black color scheme is nearly identical to that of Mark's new suit. With Omni-Man gone and Oliver ready to start fighting crime on Earth, Mark is doing his own version of the Robin-to-Nightwing evolution, with a new kid sidekick taking his place. You can also look at recent superhero cinema for examples of the dark suit phenomenon, which drew special attention in the case of Superman's black suit in "Zack Snyder's Justice League."

New episodes of "Invincible" drop Thursdays on Prime Video.