Glenn's Revenge
Joseph Watkins Da Watcha
Glenn (from The Walking Dead), played by Steven Yeun, was at the time, Team Rick’s heart and soul. He was the “go-to” man when things got too hot for the team. Go into a sewer hog-tied and fight off a walker? Check. Evade capture and being eaten by walkers by hiding under a garbage dump for over eight hours? Check. Be cornered by walkers and sacrifice yourself by leading them away from the team? Check. Considered the first man in any zombie melee and supplies gathering, Glenn went from pizza delivery guy to Rambo—and he killed it in the zombie apocalypse. Along the way, he took the farmer’s daughter (shoutout to Maggie), got married, and had a baby.
Unlike other characters in the series, he miraculously survived the end of the world in the beginning and absolutely owned his role in it... until, tragically, Negan showed up (Played by Jefferey Dean Morgan).and ruined his life.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s portrayal of Negan was spectacular and psychotic. The way he ended Glenn’s run on Team Rick was so brutal, so violent, that I had no choice but to side with Maggie (played by Lauren Cohan) and hate this man for life. Although I accepted him as a necessary evil for the zombie apocalypse, I could never forgive him for what he did to The Walking Dead’s Main Man. Glenn Rhee, was a real one, without question, and when he died, it hit me so hard, I couldn’t continue the series.
And yes, Robert Kirkman (RK) did receive backlash for the imagery, but when a man is bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat laced with barbed wire, the expected outcome shouldn’t be pink roses and rainbows, it should conclude with brain matter and coagulated blood particles. Respect. After all it was the zombie apocalypse.
For Steven Yeun however, that iconic role paved the way for him to take on more unforgettable pop culture characters and cement his aura as one of the most remarkable actors of this generation. When an actor is truly great, their roles resonate deeply, leaving behind a legacy and at times a devoted cult following. For me, it’s was the cult of Glenn Rhee. For Steven, everything he touches turns to pop culture gold, and nowhere is that more evident than in his portrayal of Mark Grayson in the animated series INVINCIBLE.
Yes, Robert Fvcking Kirkman brought the Main Man back. And this time? Yuen is kicking ass and taking names.
The son of a Viltrumite and a human woman, Mark’s heroic journey over the last three seasons has been nothing short of memorable. He’s been to space, fought clones, survived heartbreak, gained a superhero baddie, gained a nemesis; he even gained a little brother. Yet, despite all his ups and downs, nothing was as special and as memorable as the Season 3 finale, where Glenn and Negan meet again. This time, as animated enemies.
The physical is erased, yet the voices of this dynamic duo created something even better. They’re both Viltrumites—one old and battle-worn, the other finally finding his footing in the superhero world. This was a fight night that could’ve drawn record numbers at Madison Square Garden, and we, the viewers, were offered a glimpse of the rematch between these two iconic actors, on Amazon Prime.
As the superpowered titans glanced at each other, they launched at the speed of light and with a sonic boom, fists collided and connected, sending shockwaves throughout the city. Cars flipped, People died and Dean Morgan, voicing the battle-worn Viltrumite Conquest, taunts Mark, pushing him to enhance his power level or die by his hands.....
“I want you to resist. I’m not here to spread the greatness of the Viltrum Empire. I’m here because I enjoy this. To me, there is no greater feeling than the warmth of my fists drenched in blood!”
With each taunt, and a blow of a heart-shaped blood kiss to Mark, we see, in cartoon form, the psychology of Negan come alive. A demon? Without question. But as one person from the MCU once said, “There are bad guys and there are worse guys.” And ladies and gentlemen, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is playing the absolute worst bad guy I’ve seen for 2025, Conquest: The Demonlord Viltrimite.
As the fight rages on, Mark, feeling confident, asks the famed intergalactic warrior, “You still sure this is going to go your way?” Conquest, without hesitation, responds, “Damn near certain.” You have to admire his confidence. And with a strong right, Conquest backs up his statement, making Mark’s jaw, confidence, and costume rip open, letting him know that when he says, “Damn near certain,” he means it.
During the fight however, Conquest continues to offer words of encouragement to the newbie superhero, “Don’t give up. You can do this. You still got a chance!” But this isn’t support therapy. It’s sadism. A predator savoring the chase, prolonging the inevitable, treating Mark like a brand-new Invincible action figure by Todd Macfarlane with him in control of his parts.
Exhausted and on the verge of death, his brother Oliver (voiced by Christian Convery) comes in and encourages Mark by saying, “We can beat him.” Famous last words.
But as Mark searches for Conquest’s weak spots, nothing changes, except the taunting. Conquest has turned up the heat saying, “If that’s all you got, this is not going to end well for you.” And as he surveys the surrounding damage they’ve been doing on Earth, Conquest starts to wonder if this was even necessary. Fun? For sure. But necessary? And when Oliver intervenes again, he realizes his strength and lack of experience are no match for a battle-ravaged psychopath. Yes, Conquest is old, but he’s far from weak.
And here, Mark starts to realize the grim truth, he can’t win. Every rage-fueled punch by Conquest shatters more of his body than his fist do to him. His right wrist and forearm? Shattered. His Left femur? Broken, lost in the melee.
SideNote: Along the way, Atom Eve also shows up, yet her matter changing abilities doesn’t do much to aid in the fight (1st round) and she too experiences Conquest’s psychotic rage.
Still, Mark gives it his all. Raging mad, Mark starts to embrace what being a Viltrumite means: being a killer. Cold-blooded. Calculating. Damning. And as Mark delivers some well deserved blows to Conquest, Conquest, for the first time, is on the defensive and bear-hugs him to slow him down and says, “Getting mad does not make you stronger. That’s not how it works.”
Mark, desperate and out of options, bites into Conquest’s collarbone, ripping out a chunk of flesh. For the first time, Conquest hesitates and says, “Damn,” realizing that he might have overstepped. Now he starts to realize that Mark might actually beat him.
Fueled by the image of his little brother nearly being torn apart and his love, Atom Eve, dangerously unconscious, Mark goes savage mode. The Viltrumite instincts kick in and he starts punching Conquest mercilessly. But as the quake-inducing punches pause, Mark hesitates and notices Atom Eve evolving. Conquest, noticing the pause, gets angry and physically urges Mark, to “Pay Attention.” with a neck grab and a slam to the soil.
In a split second, Mark goes from “I think I can do this” to “oh shyt.”
And as Mark lies on the floor, blood leaking, bones broken, being choked out by Conquest. Jeffrey Dean Morgan, father of the Winchester brothers on Supernatural, ghost lover, Denny Duquette from Grey’s Anatomy, and The Walking Dead’s Negan, delivers the most inhumane monologue of the Invincible series:
“I am so lonely. All the other Viltrumites are scared of me. No one talks to me. No one wants to be my friend. They think I am unstable. They send me from planet to planet, committing atrocities in their name. And as I get better at it, they fear me more and more. I am a victim of my own success. Conquest. I don't even get a real name—only a purpose. I am capable of so much more, and no one sees it. Some days I feel so alone I could cry. But I don’t. I never do. Because what would be the point? Not a single person in the entire universe would care.”
As Mark chokingly tries to respond, Conquest calmly ends the moment saying, “Take it to your grave.”
And it is here, in INVINCIBLE Season 3’s finale, that Glenn finally gets his lick back. And he does so in masterful form with the help of his evolving, re-energized girlfriend, Atom Eve. A pulsar blast, a massive third-degree burn later, Conquest stumbles. Trying to find the strength to continue the taunting, but it is too late. Mark finally understands the rules of his heritage: a Viltrumite shows no mercy, battles to the end, and kills without mercy, no matter what. And now, Mark starts to apply those lessons perfectly.
Mark throws a punch with his last working hand. Conquest catches it, crushes it, and delivers one final taunt, “I’ve still got enough to deal with you, boy.” Conquest is a real one. No question. Even when he’s on his back.
Mark, now out of answers, out of strength, understands Viltrumite law, Win by any means necessary. He uses the only weapon left in his arsenal......his head. Four headbutts to Conquest’s cranium he states, “Is this what you wanted... still having fun?”
Conquest, finally realizing he’s defeated, concedes and says, 'I take the good with the bad.' A true warrior to the end. Thirteen headbutts later, under rage and duress, Mark transforms into Glenn Rhee and finally gets his lick back. Each of those headbutts, echoing the bat that ended him in The Walking Dead universe, becomes the hope Glenn once had for his future. A butterfly effect? Possibly. These headbutts, to me, are symbolic—with each one representing Glenn’s trauma and the future he’s lost. It’s almost as if Mark is avenging Glenn in another universe. In the end, however, Conquest’s face looks just like Glenn’s after that brutal bat beating.
Final Thoughts
RK understands karma. His choice in casting Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Conquest was not only a full-circle moment, it was heaven-sent. The conflict between Glenn and Negan was never truly finished, and here, in an alternate animated universe, the energy of that unresolved tension is revisited and reborn. Only now, it’s Mark Grayson who carries the spirit of vengeance, and Conquest who embodies brutal dominance.
Watching this devastating finish, it no longer felt like two Viltrumites battling for control of Earth. For me, I saw Glenn seeking vengeance, using his head as a bat, applying 17 consecutive blows to Negan’s cranium, with each hit, healing a trauma that never got closure.It wasn’t just a fight between two characters from different worlds; it was a reckoning. A reckoning for Glenn, and for all the fans who never got the closure they needed, for the battle that was fought not just in the pages of comics or on screen, but in our hearts and on social media platforms.
Robert Fvcking Kirkman realized that the true power of storytelling lies not just in what’s told, but in how it’s revisited, reinterpreted, and redeemed. In the end, it wasn’t just about Mark’s victory over Conquest; it was about the long-overdue justice that transcends universes, bringing a sense of closure to a saga that never really ended between Glenn and Negan.
Respect.
