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When Omni-Man executed the Guardians of the Globe in Invincible #7, he was hoping to doom the Earth. In reality, he was saving the series from early cancellation. It turns out that Omni-Man’s betrayal was supposed to happen nearly two years later in the series, but the timeline was moved up for one important reason – sales.

 “What happened with Invincible was it was starting to go down. And [Image Comics executive director Eric Stephenson] and I were talking about it. We both liked the book,” former Image Comics publisher Jim Valentino says during an episode of Robservations with Rob Liefeld.

“I had [Kirkman] on speakerphone. I’m sitting behind the desk. Eric Stephenson is sitting in front of it. And we go, ‘We’re looking at the numbers, and they’re not looking good. Do you have anything that could goose the book? And he says, ‘Well, I got something for issue 25.’ And I go, ‘Robert, we’re not going to make it to issue 25. What is it? What have you got?’”

“He told us about Omni-Man being actually the bad guy. He was the front man for an invasion force. Before this, he was Superman. Eric and my jaws dropped. And I said, ‘How fast can you do that?’ And he says, ‘Uh, it’s for issue 25.’ ‘No, no, Robert. How fast can you do that? How fast can you make this happen?’ ‘Well, maybe issue 8.’ ‘Do it.’ And Eric is echoing me, ‘Do it.’ He did it in issue 8, and it just skyrocketed that book.”

It’s worth noting that Valentino’s memory is slightly off, as the betrayal happened in issue 7, not issue 8. The Invincible television series moved the timeline up further, putting Omni-Man’s betrayal at the end of the first episode. The experience may have been unpleasant for the Guardians, but it allowed Invincible to soar.

From the self-proclaimed "best superhero comic in the univrse" Invincible to the hit animated series Invincible on Prime Video, here's everything you need to enjoy it more:

• How to watch Invincible in release and chronological order
• Invincible ending explained: What happens to Invincible, Omni-Man, the Viltrum Empire, and everyone else in Robert Kirkman’s original comic series
• The biggest differences between the Invincible comic and the Prime Video animated series
• Watch Prime Video's official Invincible panel from NYCC 2025, with Steven Yeun, Gillian Jacobs, Robert Kirkman, and Lee Pace
• Prime Video's Invincible season 4 will include "a few bits" not from the comics, and co-creator Robert Kirkman is excited about it
• Invincible, the TV show, won't repeat the Spawn cameo from Invincible, the comic - here's why
• Popverse Picks: The best Invincible characters (according to me!)