It’s the question that’s been on everyone’s minds for months now, and it seems to be without an answer:
Why did Omni-Man kill the Guardians?
We have some theories. And we have some facts too. Without further ado, follow along with us as we take you on a trip through time to examine all of the clues that have been dropped about this question. What you find might surprise you!
It has long been theorized that Omni-Man did not kill the Guardians of The Globe out of hatred for them, but rather because he felt like he owed them a debt. In the very first episode of Invincible, we see that Omni-Man prays to them in secret while they were still alive. In Invincible #11, when Invincible questioned his father about it, he said “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.” And then later in the same issue: “I didn’t do it for them or for me. I did it for you.” So there is a strong feeling among readers that Omni-Man killed the Guardians not because he hated them, but because he felt beholden to them for raising him and giving him all of the powers he uses today.
Another theory is that Omni-Man killed the Guardians of The Globe because he was jealous of them. A case can be made for this theory by looking at his treatment of the Guardians’ son, Travis Brand. In Invincible #9, when Travis told Omni-Man that he had been abducted by the Germans, Omni-Man responded with “They didn’t do so well [to you], did they?” This response right here implies that the Germans did a good job raising Travis. By killing the Guardians as a group rather than individually, this theory would explain why Omni-Man kills everyone at once rather than picking off one by one.
Then there is the theory that Omni-Man killed the Guardians out of necessity. If he had not done so, then Invincible would still be a secret and civilization would have collapsed. This theory makes sense for a number of different reasons. For one thing, it explains why Omni-Man was willing to kill despite his moral objections to killing. However, the problems with this theory are these: 1) Omni-Man has plenty of powers beyond invulnerability and flight, but he chooses not to use them.
