'Conquest Behind Oliver' Explained: the Full Guide to 'Invincible's Most Unsettling Meme
By Robert Thorne
The infamous visual takes place during the first Viltrumite invasion offensive directed specifically at Mark Grayson. After Mark repeatedly rejects his inherited imperial duty, the Viltrumite high command sends Conquest, an aged, battle-scarred veteran who views genocide as recreation. Unlike Omni-Man, who harbored internal conflict regarding his human family, Conquest exists entirely for blood sport. He possesses a cybernetic left eye, heavily scarred shoulders, and a sadistic demeanor honed through thousands of planetary subjugations.
When Conquest lands on Earth in issue #61, Mark confronts him alone over the outskirts of a populated city. The power gap becomes immediately obvious. Conquest toys with Mark, shrugging off full-force punches with mockery. Sensing his brother's imminent demise, Oliver Grayson, then operating under the superhero moniker Kid Omni-Man, flies directly into the fray to assist. Oliver's half-Thraxan physiology caused him to age rapidly into physical adolescence, but his combat skills lagged far behind his confidence.
Oliver attempts to blitz Conquest from the flank. In an instant captured across the double-page spreads of issue #62, Conquest effortlessly counters the charge, moves at speeds the boy cannot register, and materializes directly behind Oliver's shoulder. Artist Ryan Ottley frames Conquest's hulking silhouette against the slender frame of the purple-skinned teenager. The frame captured a terrifying reality: Oliver was not an opponent; he was a hostage waiting to be broken.
Robert Thorne covers electric vehicle innovations, autonomous driving systems, global mobility trends, and automotive engineering developments.
