J. K. Simmons Almost Didn't Play Omni-Man, Says Invincible Actor

J. K. Simmons voices Nolan Grayson, a.k.a. Omni-Man, in Invincible, but almost didn’t get the part. According to the show’s creator, the veteran actor was not the original choice for the role. In a recent podcast appearance, the screenwriter and producer revealed that Simmons was offered a different part before being cast as Mark Grayson’s powerful father.

Robert Kirkman reveals J. K. Simmons wasn’t originally supposed to play Omni-Man

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.

The producer further remembered how he and the team agreed to Simmons’ wish. “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 of Cecil was eventually given to Fallout star Walton Goggins.

Simmons earlier confirmed he was approached for another part in Invincible in a 2024 GQ interview. 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.

The Academy Award winner 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.”

All episodes of Invincible Season 4 are currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Season 5 is expected to arrive sometime in 2027.

Originally reported by Abdul Azim Naushad onSuperHeroHype.