Invincible was an enormous success for Prime Video and the streaming service renewed it for two more seasons at least, as well as set the streaming service out looking for more shows like it. With the success of the comic book adaptation, it has proven there is an audience for these adult-oriented animated shows outside just Adult Swim, where they have lived for years. As time goes on, there are more and more options for fans of these adult animated shows like Invincible. This is both for the mature themes, violence, and more complex comedic jokes thrown at viewers that prove animation can be just as hard-hitting and fun as live-action shows.
For years now, adult animated series have been just as popular as the ones designed for children. From crass humor or bloody imagery, these mature series have consistently gotten more and more brutal over the years, with the new superhero coming-of-age series Invincible serving as another addition to the genre. With a strong mix of classic shows and some new series that line up great with Invincible, the options are bigger and better than ever. Full of graphic violence, sensual imagery, and mature language, Invincible set the bar for all adult shows. As the series continues to progress, fans saw similarities in both the story elements, violence, and even animation in other shows that give off the same feel as Amazon’s graphic comic book animated series.
Archer (2009- )
One of the most popular adult animated series of the last decade is Archer, a show that continuously redefined itself throughout its run. It is different from shows like Invincible in several ways, as Sterling Archer is a secret agent and the entire series plays as a comedy. However, what they do share in common is smart writing, as well as an often violent storyline. While Invincible is harsher violence, and Archer has a lot of death and killing played for laughs, the two shows should find similar audiences looking for a fun animated series geared not made for kids.
The Boys Presents: Diabolical (2022)
- Stream now on Prime Video
The Prime Video series The Boys shares a lot in common with shows like Invincible, with both geared toward adult comic book fans. Both are violent and have superheroes who actually were villains. With the success of TV shows like Invincible on Prime Video, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see The Boys go animated as well. The Boys Presents: Diabolical was an animated anthology series that had eight 14-minute episodes. Not every episode is tied to the main The Boys storyline, but the hilariously dark world remains the same.
Hit-Monkey (2021- )
Invincible was unique for a comic book series, with a group of heroes betrayed by an alien who has been scouting Earth for his race eventually to conquer the planet. That story seems normal compared to the Hulu Marvel series Hit-Monkey. This series featured a hitman who went on the run after his employer betrayed him. He hid in the jungle with a group of Japanese snow monkeys. When assassins show up and slaughter the hitman and the entire group of monkeys, one surviving monkey sets out, using what he learned from the hitman to seek vengeance.
The Venture Bros. (2003-2018)
Invincible is an animated series based on a comic book that shows a true love of classic superhero stories, but with a twist. The Guardians were clearly an homage to the Justice League with Omni-Man as this world’s version of Superman, with a twist. In a very similar situation to shows like Invincible, The Venture Bros. clearly paid homage to classic cartoons of the 1960s as well as comic books. Much like Invincible, both feature unconventional family units involved in world-altering adventures.
M.O.D.O.K. (2021)
Fans of Invincible watched a mature series about a young man who became a hero in order to save the Earth. Along the way, he was involved in violent encounters with a heartfelt family dynamic added to the mix. For fans of shows like Invincible who want similar adult themes, but a completely different feel, the easter egg-filled M.O.D.O.K. is a great option. This is another Marvel Comics adaptation on Hulu, with Seth Green and the team behind Robot Chicken as showrunners. This Marvel adult animated series has the same sensibilities as Robot Chicken while putting the classic Marvel villain into a situation where he loses his beloved AIM and struggles to keep his family together.
Samurai Jack (2001-2017)
Not all series start in a mature fashion. Invincible begins lightly, with the main character coming into their powers. It’s only by the end of the first episode that everything kicks off and, in a way, Samurai Jack is the same. For four seasons, the series is about a samurai trying to get back to the past after being stranded in the future was lightish. Then, season 5 let loose with a graphic and amazingly well-told revival that embraced a mature feel after a light start. When it comes to shows like Invincible, this one gets it right more often than not.
Rick And Morty (2013- )
Truthfully, Rick And Morty is a beast of its own. The bizarre adventures of a genius grandfather and his naive grandson became a large phenomenon for many. The question is though, how is the comedy series similar to shows like Invincible? Although different in genre, the two series share a great sense of dark comedy between them. From slicing people in half to beating down heroes without mercy in strangely humorous fashions, these shows blend together and feel similar in that nature even while the genres are worlds apart.
Undone (2019- )
- Stream now on Prime Video
There seems to be a trend of kids getting superpowers and trying to understand them in a lot of recent shows. Undone follows a young girl who discovers she has reality-warping and time travel abilities and uses them to solve the mystery of her father’s death. Beyond the special power aspect, Undone and Invincible share a mystery aspect. While Undone explores a father’s death, Invincible dives into why Omni-Man killed the Guardians of the Globe. Not to mention both series share beautiful animation that lifts them to new and exciting heights.
Big Mouth (2017- )
Most coming-of-age stories try to be realistic takes on kids coming into themselves and discovering their identity. Of course, while they try, they don’t always end up being the most realistic, and some, like Big Mouth, lean into that. Big Mouth is a look at several kids going through puberty and coming into themselves while plagued by Hormone Monsters. Superpowers and creatures like a hormone monster add into that awkward phase everyone eventually goes through with plenty of fantastical elements folded into the almost real-world element of shows like Invincible.
Final Space (2018-2021)
Wild, out-of-this-world plots are what many fans live for in shows. Storylines that defy expectations with intriguing and weird characters of Invincible like Monster Girl, Rex Splode, or even the villainous Mauler Twins propel the series forward. Final Space has the same feel at its heart shown throughout its episodes. It follows an astronaut named Gary encountering aliens and interdimensional beings. From Mooncake, a universe-destroying green blob to Little Cato, a humanoid cat who’s voiced by Steven Yeun – just like shows like Invincible, the bizarre yet lovable characters make the series pop in their own way.
Primal (2019- )
Typically, brutal and vicious violence has defined what it means to be an adult cartoon series. Invincible more than happily took advantage of that by the end of the first episode. Other series did the same, such as Primal. Created by animation mastermind Genndy Tarkovsky, Primal is the story of a caveman and dinosaur roaming a prehistoric world and battling for survival. Chock-full of gore and brutal yet beautifully animated action, characters, and settings, Primal raised the stakes with in-depth and emotional storytelling against all that blood and viscera.
Castlevania (2017-2021)
Nothing says bloody or brutal, quite like vampires getting their heads lopped off or blown up. TV shows like Invincible deal with a fantastical world where heroes exist and literal mind-blowing action happens every day, Castlevania exudes the same attributes. In a world where Dracula has declared war on humanity, a sorceress, a monster hunter, and Dracula’s son rise to the occasion to take on the monster. Traversing the land of Wallachia and dispatching one monstrous horde after another, Castlevania works superbly as a Netflix adult animation series and stands out as one of the best video game adaptations.
The Awesomes (2013-2015)
If there’s one thing Invincible has done well, it’s show superheroes in a different light. Like a lot of Amazon series, it’s all about displaying heroes in new and almost realistic ways. While it’s done in a more serious tone in shows like Invincible, The Awesomes did the same on a more comedic scale. In the short-lived series of only three seasons, The Awesomes sees a new group of heroes trying to replace the old guard. Something only Adult Swim could create, The Awesomes was an irreverent yet enjoyable series and take on superheroes.
Harley Quinn (2019- )
While DC has rebooted its entire line, the animated side seems like it might keep one show around. This would be Harley Quinn, an animated show following the titular character as she sets out to discover who she is, as Mark Grayson does as Invincible. Although the two are incredibly different as Mark’s a hero, and Harley’s a villain/anti-hero, their journeys reflect. Both are trying to find out who they are and how they fit in the world and as they do, shenanigans unfold as both series progress. The surprisingly at times wholesome Harley Quinn characters only add to its intrigue.
Spawn The Animated Series (1997-1999)
Just because the live-action fails, it doesn’t mean a product or character can’t find new life. When the movie version of Spawn, a story about a soldier who dies and becomes an agent of Hell, flopped, no one thought the 1997 animated series could right the ship. However, through it all, the series thrived for three seasons. Garnering praise for its action, voice actors (especially Keith David), and dark and complex story, TV shows like Invincible are, in a lot of ways, the modern-day version of this series.
