Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Invincible season 3’s finale, “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up”.Jeffrey Dean Morgan played a vital role in Invincible season 3’s finale, and his supervillain appears to be even more sinister than the actor’s iconic Walking Dead antagonist. Despite the character turning over a new leaf and finding redemption, The Walking Dead has teased the return of evil Negan, who was one of the franchise’s most ruthless villains. His memorable introduction saw him kill one of the show’s most beloved characters, and he continued to torment and hinder the main group until finally being imprisoned, where he eventually took some accountability before joining the main group as a new man.
Whether he will return to his villainous ways is yet to be seen, but despite how terrifying and brutal Negan was during his run as The Walking Dead‘s main villain, Morgan’s newest character may be even worse. Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s casting as Conquest in Invincible season 3 was kept a secret, but his arrival in episode 7 set up a big role in the finale that didn’t disappoint. Conquest went toe-to-toe with Mark shortly after the Invincible War concluded, and despite ultimately losing the fight, his lack of remorse and desire for blood suggest he’s more evil than Negan.
Invincible’s Conquest Is Less Redeemable Than Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan
Conquest’s Only Real Motivation Is Hurting Other People & Finding A Worthy Challenge
Although Negan seemed far from redeemable upon his introduction, he ultimately managed to change his ways, but it’s hard to picture Conquest doing the same. Throughout season 3’s finale, Conquest proved he thrives in punishing others and takes joy in breaking down his opponents. Not only was he thankful that Mark gave him somewhat of a challenge, but he also used the suffering of others to motivate the protagonist. He nearly killed Oliver, came even closer to killing Eve, and used Mark to murder hundreds if not thousands of civilians, just like Omni-Man did in season 1.
Conquest’s disregard for human life is completely different from Negan’s outlook, and their overall motivation is what sets them apart. While Conquest’s role in Invincible is to conquer planets for the Viltrum Empire – hence his name – it’s not the reason he commits such atrocities. He explained to Mark that it’s the challenge and the violence that really makes him tick. Taking over planets that submit easily or lack strong fighters is almost worthless to Conquest, whereas Mark’s power and desire to protect his people inspire the villain, giving him a true reason to get excited.
In contrast, Negan does take innocent lives, but not for the thrill of it. His Savior persona was more of a performance, as he used fear and intimidation to control people so that he could create his own warped version of peace. This doesn’t dismiss the terrible acts he carried out, but Negan often tried to keep people alive and discipline them, rather than wasting human lives. As a result, a path to redemption still felt possible, but for Conquest, it doesn’t seem like anything other than destruction will truly give him satisfaction, making him definitively more sinister than Negan.
Conquest Surprisingly Shares Negan’s Vulnerability
The Viltrumite Revealed He Is Actually Incredibly Lonely
Despite how menacing Conquest has been in his short time on Invincible, he unexpectedly has a vulnerable side, just like Negan. After learning from his mistakes and turning his life around, Negan’s humanity started to show, as The Walking Dead explored his past and proved he does possess some admirable traits. Shockingly, Conquest also has a sensitive side, as he reveals to Mark that he is incredibly lonely. Believing he was about to kill the protagonist, Conquest shared arguably his biggest secret, explaining how all the other Viltrumites were afraid of him, leaving the villain to feel isolated.
Both Morgan’s Walking Dead and Invincible villains had several instances of being extremely cruel and ruthless, but it’s clear there is more to them than first meets the eye, even if Conquest never finds redemption.
As much as he enjoys brutalizing entire planets, Conquest mentioned that no one talks to him or wants to be his friend, even claiming “Some days I feel so alone I could cry.” He is far from Invincible season 3’s most tragic villain and his loneliness certainly doesn’t justify the countless lives he has taken, but getting this insight into his mentality is eye-opening. Both Morgan’s Walking Dead and Invincible villains had several instances of being extremely cruel and ruthless, but it’s clear there is more to them than first meets the eye, even if Conquest never finds redemption.
Invincible Will Have A Hard Time Topping Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s TWD Performance
The Walking Dead’s Negan Is The Most Iconic Role Of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Career
Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s addition to the Invincible cast has been a game-changer as he made instant headlines and has already done an excellent job of portraying one of Viltrum’s most intimidating warriors. However, despite such a positive start, Invincible will have a hard time topping Morgan’s outstanding performance in The Walking Dead. Negan has arguably been the most recognizable role of Morgan’s career, as he excelled as the charismatic villain, managing to perfectly balance his ruthless leadership with hilarious and sometimes sympathetic undertones. His performance helped create one of the franchise’s most complex characters, and he’s still around today.
Every episode of Invincible season 3 is available now on Prime Video.
Morgan’s portrayal has been so good that he has even gotten his own spinoff, and despite his comic book counterpart being killed off much earlier, the TV series couldn’t resist keeping Negan around and making him one of the universe’s most crucial characters. While the actor stole the show in Invincible season 3’s finale, Conquest simply won’t get the same amount of time to shine as Negan has in TWD. The Viltrumite almost died during his first full episode in the series, and even if the GDA manages to keep him alive, his Invincible screen time will still be limited.
Negan had years in The Walking Dead to be fleshed out, and given there were over 16 episodes every season, it allowed Morgan to really thrive as the character and connect with the audience. On the other hand, Conquest will still likely leave a lasting impression, but with other Viltrumites still to appear alongside Invincible‘s use of secondary villains, the villain simply won’t get the same spotlight as Negan. Therefore, regardless of how good of a job he does with one of Invincible‘s biggest antagonists, it’s hard to see Morgan bettering his unforgettable role in The Walking Dead.
