Omni-Man
Encyclopedia
Omni-Man is a fictional character
, a superhero
, supervillain
and anti-hero
in the . Omni-Man is the father of Invincible
and a member of Viltrumite race, a humanoid species of extraterrestrial origin who possess superhuman strength
, super speed, virtual immortality, and flight. Unusually for a superhero, he sports a notable large moustache
. Moustaches are culturally mandatory for male Viltrumites.
In 2009, Omni-Man was ranked as IGN
's '93rd Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time'. The website cited his charismatic moustache in its ranking.
in the 1980s, where he eventually adopted the secret identity of a best-selling author named Nolan Grayson. He married a woman whose life he had saved named Debbie, and the two of them produced a son, Mark Grayson. It was later revealed that Nolan was sent to Earth as a conqueror for the Viltrumite Empire, a revelation that was in stark contrast to his previous claims that his presence was to advance human technology and protect the Earth from extraterrestrial dangers. In a confrontation shortly thereafter, Omni-Man beat Mark to within an inch of his life and then fled the planet.
It was further revealed that Nolan had found a new planet over which to rule, in the hopes offsetting some of the consequences of his earthly failure. Nolan's rise to power, however, was entirely peaceful. The custom of the native inhabitants, the Mantis Aliens (an insectoid people who live entirely within a nine month span) was to simply choose the oldest among them to act as their leader. Also, as on Earth, Nolan has taken yet another native wife, Andressa, and sired a second son. The genetic differences between Viltrumites and the mantis-people were more apparent, though, than they were with humans. This caused the child to age much more slowly than his mother's species, but much faster than his father's.
Omni-Man's attempts to appease the Viltrumite Empire ended in failure with his defeat and capture at the hands of his own people. He was held captive in a prison until the Empire was able to send the required Viltrumite executioners. His parting words to Mark were "Read my books, Mark. My books..." In a conversation with his tailor Art Rosenbaum, Mark learns that the books Nolan referred to were not his well-known travel books, but a series of failed science fiction
"novels". While Arthur suspected that the stories were Viltrumite folklore, Mark quickly realized that they were in fact first-person accounts of Nolan's own missions to destroy potential threats to the Viltrumite Empire, which could provide the secrets to defeating the Viltrumites.
He's later saved on the day of his execution by Allen the Alien
, to whom he agrees to reveal the "secret": Viltrumites are a near-extinct race, with less than fifty pure-blood able individuals left. Emboldened by the incredible strength shown by his ersatz ally, he begins a two-men campaign to eradicate Viltrum's supremacy
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
, supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
and anti-hero
Anti-hero
In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're...
in the . Omni-Man is the father of Invincible
Invincible (comics)
Invincible is a superhero in the . Created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Cory Walker, the character first appeared in Tech Jacket #1 , before graduating to his own self-titled regular series in 2003, as a title in Image's then-new superhero line.Invincible is the teenaged son of Omni-Man, an...
and a member of Viltrumite race, a humanoid species of extraterrestrial origin who possess superhuman strength
Superhuman strength
Superhuman strength, also called superstrength, super-strength, or super strength, is an ability commonly employed in fiction. It is the ability for a character to be stronger than humanly possible...
, super speed, virtual immortality, and flight. Unusually for a superhero, he sports a notable large moustache
Moustache
A moustache is facial hair grown on the outer surface of the upper lip. It may or may not be accompanied by a type of beard, a facial hair style grown and cropped to cover most of the lower half of the face.-Etymology:...
. Moustaches are culturally mandatory for male Viltrumites.
In 2009, Omni-Man was ranked as IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's '93rd Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time'. The website cited his charismatic moustache in its ranking.
Fictional character biography
Omni-Man arrived on EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
in the 1980s, where he eventually adopted the secret identity of a best-selling author named Nolan Grayson. He married a woman whose life he had saved named Debbie, and the two of them produced a son, Mark Grayson. It was later revealed that Nolan was sent to Earth as a conqueror for the Viltrumite Empire, a revelation that was in stark contrast to his previous claims that his presence was to advance human technology and protect the Earth from extraterrestrial dangers. In a confrontation shortly thereafter, Omni-Man beat Mark to within an inch of his life and then fled the planet.
It was further revealed that Nolan had found a new planet over which to rule, in the hopes offsetting some of the consequences of his earthly failure. Nolan's rise to power, however, was entirely peaceful. The custom of the native inhabitants, the Mantis Aliens (an insectoid people who live entirely within a nine month span) was to simply choose the oldest among them to act as their leader. Also, as on Earth, Nolan has taken yet another native wife, Andressa, and sired a second son. The genetic differences between Viltrumites and the mantis-people were more apparent, though, than they were with humans. This caused the child to age much more slowly than his mother's species, but much faster than his father's.
Omni-Man's attempts to appease the Viltrumite Empire ended in failure with his defeat and capture at the hands of his own people. He was held captive in a prison until the Empire was able to send the required Viltrumite executioners. His parting words to Mark were "Read my books, Mark. My books..." In a conversation with his tailor Art Rosenbaum, Mark learns that the books Nolan referred to were not his well-known travel books, but a series of failed science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
"novels". While Arthur suspected that the stories were Viltrumite folklore, Mark quickly realized that they were in fact first-person accounts of Nolan's own missions to destroy potential threats to the Viltrumite Empire, which could provide the secrets to defeating the Viltrumites.
He's later saved on the day of his execution by Allen the Alien
Allen the Alien
Allen the Alien is an Image Comics character who first appeared in the Invincible series.-History:He was an apparent alien aggressor, who Invincible's father, Omni-Man had fought several times in the past, all without talking with him...
, to whom he agrees to reveal the "secret": Viltrumites are a near-extinct race, with less than fifty pure-blood able individuals left. Emboldened by the incredible strength shown by his ersatz ally, he begins a two-men campaign to eradicate Viltrum's supremacy