Why the Creator of ‘Invincible’ Changed Zoe’s Gender from the Comics

Following the Season 4 finale of Invincible, creator Robert Kirkman revealed a significant alteration made from the comic book series. The showrunner, who originally conceived the comic in 2002, transformed the character Zack Thompson from Tech Jacket into Zoe Thompson, aiming to address what he termed a “shortcoming” in his earlier work.

Kirkman explained that while Tech Jacket is a well-developed character with his own narrative, he recognized similarities between Zack and other protagonists in Invincible, particularly Oliver and Mark. “If Zack were to show up, there’s not a lot that you’re gonna get from that character that you’re not getting from Oliver or Mark,” he stated in an interview with The Wrap.

He elaborated on the issue, noting that both he and illustrator Cory Walker were quite young when they began writing. “Every time we introduce another character, ‘Oh look! It’s another white male! Who knew?’ It’s just a shortcoming that we hadn’t quite noticed and done our due diligence to correct,” Kirkman said.

In Season 4, Zoe Thompson is voiced by Zoey Deutch, with LeVar Burton voicing the AI connected to her alien suit. This character draws some inspiration from Kirkman’s own daughter. He humorously shared a personal anecdote: “I tell my daughter not to curse, and it doesn’t work,” paralleling a moment in the series between Zoe and her father.

With Invincible receiving an early renewal for Season 5 last July, all episodes from Seasons 1 through 4 are currently available for streaming on Prime Video.