‘Invincible’: Why Did Nolan Tell Mark To Read His Books? What’s in Them?

If there’s something that has always been clear about Nolan “Omni-Man” Grayson in ‘Invincible,’ it’s that he is a complex character who was supposed to be evil but eventually turned to the side of good to protect the people he loves. This was clear in episode 4 of season 2 when he fought for the Thraxans and brutalized three Viltrumites for the sake of his family. Of course, he got defeated but told Mark to read his books before the Viltrumites took him away. So, why did Nolan tell Mark to read his books?

Nolan wrote “secrets” in his books

We all know that Nolan “Omni-Man” Grayson was living on Earth as a normal human being but was a Viltrumite. His day job involved writing books, some of which were sci-fi novels. However, he eventually started writing travel books. Of course, his job allowed him to hide the fact that he was a superhero.

Nevertheless, it eventually became public knowledge that Omni-Man was a sham and that he was looking to take over the planet for the glory of the Viltrum Empire. He tried to convince his son, Mark Grayson, to join him in this conquest, only for Mark to reject the offer. Eventually, at the end of season 1 of the series, Nolan realized that he loved his son and that life on Earth had changed him.

As shown in episode 4 of season 2, Nolan left Earth and journeyed through the stars while contemplating his life and its purpose. Eventually, he became the leader of the Thraxans and started a new family on Thraxa, where he ruled as a benevolent monarch.

This was when he called Mark from Earth in the hopes that his first son could help him keep the Thraxans safe from the wrath of the Viltrumites, who were going to attack Thraxa due to Nolan’s betrayal. Nolan and Mark fought valiantly against three Viltrumites, only for them to get injured severely at the end of the fight.

While they were down, a Viltrumite ship arrived to bring Nolan back to Viltrum, where he was going to get executed. As Omni-Man was getting taken away by the Viltrumites, he told his son these words:

“Mark, don’t forget the good I did. My work, my deeds, my books. Read my books, Mark.”

Of course, there was a good reason why Nolan wanted Mark to read his books. He was not telling his son to remember him and his work by reading his books. Instead, there was something important in Nolan’s books, especially the ones that belong in the sci-fi genre.

Nolan’s sci-fi books were not necessarily sci-fi but were actually about his journeys in space decades or even centuries before he came to Earth. As a Viltrumite who could live for thousands of years, Nolan encountered a lot of different beings on different planets, and that was when he discovered certain people and creatures who could pose a threat to Viltrumites.

As you can see on the covers of two of the books Nolan wrote, they have interesting titles. The first is ‘The Man with the Invincible Gun,’ and the other is ‘Savage Planet, Savage Beasts.’ Those who have read the comics or know what happened in the comics would understand that these books were talking about some of the few things in the galaxy that can hurt or kill a Viltrumite.

‘The Man with the Invincible Gun’ was talking about an alien named Space Racer, who possessed a gun that could hurt or even kill Viltrumites. Nolan encountered and defeated him 100 years ago and buried him under a pile of rocks. 

Meanwhile, the book entitled ‘Savage Planet, Savage Beasts’ talks about the Rognarr, which are powerful but savage alien creatures that come from a savage planet. Rognarrs are strong enough to overpower Viltrumites but aren’t as smart or as fast as Viltrumites because these are merely savage creatures. It’s like comparing a human being to a bear in that bears will always overpower a human being but aren’t smart enough to defeat a well-armed and well-prepared human.

Nolan was telling Mark to read his books so that Invincible would know how to defeat the Viltrumites. Nolan understood that neither he nor Mark would be enough to defeat the entire Viltrum Empire, and that was why he asked him to read his books so that his son could find a way to tip the scales in their favor. Space Racer and the Rognarrs are merely two of the different things that can hurt Viltrumites, and it is clear that Nolan knew that Mark needed all the help he needed to defeat the Viltrum Empire.

Omni-Man changed a long time ago

The fact that Omni-Man wrote about his travels in space and passed them off as sci-fi books may be a clever way for him to make money on Earth. Of course, we don’t believe he wrote these books merely to make a living on the side. Instead, he knew what he was doing and wrote these books so that Mark or whoever on Earth was reading them would know how to defeat Viltrumites.

So, if that’s the case, it is possible that Nolan realized a long time ago that he had already changed and that his time on Earth made him less of a Viltrumite in terms of his brutal mindset. He became a better man while he was on Earth, and a part of him probably wrote those books intending to let people know that Viltrumites were not unbeatable.

Of course, as mentioned, Nolan eventually wrote travel books about the different places he has been on Earth. His writing about traveling on Earth suggests that he loves the planet and the different places and people he encounters along the way. 

He probably didn’t want to admit it in season 1, but he was already a changed man. Only his stubborn Viltrumite side kept him from admitting that he was no longer the world-conquering alien he was supposed to be. His son’s words allowed Nolan to admit to himself that he had changed. This is why the books he wrote were very important in telling a story about Nolan’s character and his intentions.

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