The following contains spoilers for how Donald is alive in Invincible.
Season 2 of Invincible features the unexpected return of Donald, Cecil’s right-hand man and government agent. Why unexpected? Well, he died at the end of Season 1. So, if you’re wondering what’s going on, here’s how Donald is alive in Invincible.
How Donald Is Alive in Invincible, Answered
Donald, Cecil’s nondescript but surprisingly badass right-hand man, was killed by Omni-Man during Invincible Season 1’s final episode. He was running surveillance on Invincible’s house when Omni-Man figured he was being watched. He burst in, and Donald bravely got Omni-Man’s attention so that others could escape.
It wasn’t a pleasant, death, either. Omni-Man dismissed Donald’s attempts to blast him and stuck his hand in Donald’s back as if he was going for a Predator 2-style spine removal. But before Omni-Man could inflict any more damage, Donald activated a bomb hidden inside the house.
It seemingly killed him, though it did absolutely nothing to Omni-Man. Cecil hoped the bomb would knock Omni-Man out for at least an hour, but it was completely useless – it didn’t even knock him off his feet.
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Was Donald’s sacrifice for nothing? Not entirely, as his death saved lives, but Cecil should have had a better contingency plan. So how, then, is he back?
Invincible has yet to reveal precisely how he’s alive, but given that it’s sticking pretty closely to the comic, the answer is surprisingly simple. Donald is a cyborg.
Donald was originally killed during a field mission, and his brain, or what was left of it, was installed into a robot body. He lost the ability to feel, and, while he eventually regained it, it was too late to prevent his wife from divorcing him.
In the comics, he’s also shown to be able to turn his hands into firearms, though he retains his human form. The reveal of his nature is a surprise to all, and Cecil keeps it mostly under wraps. However, that does leave one question unanswered by the series – whether Donald is a robot/cyborg when Omni-Man kills him.
In the comic, Omni-Man doesn’t kill Donald. So, it could be that, in the Invincible series, he becomes a cyborg after being “killed.” But it’s not as if there’s a lot to put back together, so it could also be that he’s already a robot, and he just backs his memory up. So, this “new” Donald has just been restored from pre-Omni-Man Donald’s memories. We saw blood, but that could have been camouflage to hide Donald’s true nature.
