Summary TV rights prevented Spider-Man from appearing in Invincible season 2, leading to a fake character instead.
The use of a fake Spider-Man now makes a proper crossover difficult due to legal and storytelling reasons.
Alterations to classic Marvel characters could affect potential crossovers with other comics in the future.
Despite the fact that Spider-Man appeared in the comics, Invincible season 2 couldn’t use the character — and here’s why. Invincible season 2 has been teasing a major finale since the very beginning, with many fans speculating about the prospect of Invincible crossing over with Marvel’s Spider-Man at some point during the season. Sadly, this didn’t end up happening, with the finale taking things in a slightly different direction. This was a significant departure from the Invincible comic series, and here is why this major Spider-Man change had to be done.
Invincible season 2, part 2 is finally here, with the highly anticipated continuation of Amazon Prime Video’s critically acclaimed animated adaptation of the beloved superhero comic series of the same name now released in full on the streaming service. Invincible season 2, part 2 picks up right where Invincible season 2, part 1 ended, with Mark returning home from Thraxa after having spent some time with his father. The addition of Josh Keaton to Invincible season 2’s cast convinced many fans that Spider-Man would appear, and here’s why he didn’t despite his comic book appearance.
Spider-Man’s TV Rights Are Different From The Comic Books
It Gets Really Complicated
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The main reason that Spider-Man was able to appear in the Invincible comics and not in the Invincible TV show is that Spider-Man’s TV rights are different from his comic book rights. Marvel Comics owns the right to Spider-Man, meaning that it was fairly easy for Image Comics to strike a deal and pull off the crossover. However, Sony owns the TV rights for animated series featuring Spider-Man that run for over 44 minutes, which Invincible falls into. Making a deal with Sony would have been a lot harder for Invincible, leading them to simply use a Spider-Man parody character.
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On top of that, the story of Spider-Man’s crossover with Invincible actually took place in a Marvel-published comic, meaning that Marvel benefitted from the use of the Invincible character. The Invincible TV show would have still aired on Amazon Prime Video if Spider-Man appeared, meaning that Sony and Marvel probably wouldn’t have gotten much out of it. This comic deal would be equivalent to Invincible releasing one episode on Disney+ in order to pull off the crossover with Spider-Man, something that would have been more hassle than it was worth.
How Invincible’s Spider-Man Crossover Differs From The Comics
It Missed Out On Some Big Heroes
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Invincible’s big comics crossover is very different from the version seen in the TV show, with the series altering the Spider-Man comic story in some big ways. Firstly, Mark doesn’t meet the real Spider-Man in the show. While Mark talks to Spider-Man and Doc Ock in the Marvel Comics, he meets a parody of the characters in the TV show. They essentially look, sound, and act like the real Spider-Man and Doc Ock, but for legal reasons the names and designs couldn’t be used, meaning that some alterations had to be made.
On top of that, the story of Mark’s time in the Spider-Man universe differs a bit between the comics and TV show. In the comics, Invincible is stuck in the universe for a bit longer, with him helping Spider-Man track down Doc Ock after he escapes. Invincible goes on to meet the Avengers and several other prominent Spider-Man characters, with him sticking around until a portal opens, allowing Invincible to return home. These further appearances from Marvel characters didn’t happen in the Invincible show, making the crossover a little less impactful.
Invincible’s Fake Spider-Man Makes A Proper Crossover Very Difficult Now
It’s Too Late To Fix It
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Invincible using a fake Spider-Man for its big season 2 crossover is a shame, as it makes a proper Invincible crossover incredibly difficult now. Angstrom Levy’s multiversal abilities are what allowed Mark to travel to the Marvel Universe, and now that Angstrom is gone, there isn’t a way for him to get back there. Now that Invincible has used fake versions of some Marvel characters, it would be incredibly odd to use real versions if a deal is ever struck, meaning that it will probably never happen.
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Using a fake Spider-Man also sets a scary precedent for future Invincible crossovers, implying that they may not happen. Invincible crosses over with Image Comics characters at several points throughout the series, but varying TV rights would make this difficult. Since Invincible is willing to alter a character like Spider-Man, it wouldn’t be a stretch for them to alter characters like Savage Dragon, Spawn, and Tech Jacket. Thus, many of these important Image Comics characters may not crossover with Invincible at all.