J.K. Simmons Almost Played a Different Character in INVINCIBLE Before Choosing Omni-Man
It’s hard to imagine anyone other than J.K. Simmons voicing Nolan Grayson in Invincible, but as it turns out, that casting almost went in a very different direction. According to series creator Robert Kirkman, Simmons wasn’t originally lined up to play Omni-Man at all, and the story behind how he landed the role makes the final result even cooler.
During a recent appearance on The Escape Pod, Kirkman pulled back the curtain on the early casting process for the hit animated series. When asked if Simmons had initially been considered for another character, Kirkman confirmed that the team had something else in mind before things shifted.
Robert Kirkman shared that J.K. Simmons was given another character in Invincible, likely Cecil Stedman, before being cast as the voice of Omni-Man.
On The Escape Pod, the host asked the showrunner if he originally wanted Simmons to play a different role. Kirkman clarified that he and the creative team offered the actor another part.
Before the comic book writer could elaborate, one of the hosts shared that they had been fan-casting Simmons as other characters, including Cecil.
“It might’ve been Cecil,” Kirkman replied as he lightly chuckled, prompting the hosts to laugh. “It was fun ’cause we sent him the script,” he added. “And he was like, ‘I would rather play Omni-Man,'” Kirkman recalled.
That instinct ended up steering everything in the right direction. Kirkman went on to explain that the team was completely on board with Simmons’ preference.
“I think that’s a great thing for an actor to be like, ‘Mmm… not that role,'” he noted, with the hosts agreeing that everything worked out for the best.
The role Simmons passed on didn’t go to waste. Cecil Stedman was ultimately brought to life by Walton Goggins, who delivered his own standout performance in the series.
Interestingly, Simmons himself had already hinted at this behind-the-scenes shuffle. In a 2024 interview with GQ, he confirmed that he was first approached for a different role but didn’t connect with it.
He shared that he didn’t “see [himself] as the character” he was offered, because of which he passed on the role. He added that after an unspecified number of months, he was approached again to play Omni-Man.
What makes this even more interesting is how Simmons initially interpreted the character. When he first read the early scripts, he didn’t fully grasp where Nolan’s story was heading.
The actor also recalled that he initially didn’t realize the “twisted” nature when he was cast. He said that this was because he was reading the first two scripts, which led him to think Nolan was “another interesting dad character.”
Omni-Man’s arc is one of the most intense and emotionally charged elements of the show, and Simmons’ performance plays a huge role in making it hit as hard as it does.
Right now, all episodes of Invincible Season 4 are streaming on Amazon Prime Video, with Season 5 expected to arrive sometime in 2027.