Invincible season 4 has finally reached the Viltrumite War arc from the comics with its fifth episode.
Mark reluctantly joins the Coalition of Planets in their war against the Viltrumites, but he isn’t the only Earth-based hero recruited for the cause.
The episode also introduces viewers to Tech Jacket, a fan-favorite superhero from the source material. One key aspect of the character has been drastically changed in the adaptation, sparking a wave of backlash on social media.
Highlights
- Invincible season 4 introduces Tech Jacket, but a major change sparks backlash online.
- After Tech Jacket’s episode 5 debut, fans criticized the character’s deviation from the source material.
- Showrunners defended the gender-swap, teasing more “exciting” changes in the adaptation.
“Downgrade of the fu*king century,” one viewer wrote on X.
Who voices Tech Jacket in Invincible season 4?
Image credits: Mat Hayward/Getty Images
Zoey Deutch voices Tech Jacket in season 4, while LeVar Burton plays the suit’s AI companion.
Fans will recognize Deutch as Madison in the 2019 comedy Zombieland: Double Tap. She also played Infinity Jackson in Netflix’s The Politician.
Meanwhile, Burton is best known for portraying Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
In the comics, Tech Jacket is a high school student like Mark, named Zack Thompson. He gains superpowers after coming into contact with an extraterrestrial object.
However, the animated series gender-swaps the character, with Deutch’s iteration named Zoe Thompson.
Fans react to Tech Jacket’s gender-swap in Invincible
Image credits: Prime Video
Tech Jacket’s introduction in the fourth season received mixed reactions from fans.
Following episode 5’s release, X was flooded with negative comments from viewers, who criticized the decision to gender-swap the character.
“Noooo..What did they do to my goat?” one user wrote.
A second said, “I’m crying, he went from super badass and cool to a cute girl.”
“Lame,” a third added.
Image credits: Prime Video
While some fans did not mind a female version, they were displeased with Tech Jacket’s look, especially the suit’s design.
“She looks cool, but that armour is absolute garbage compared to the comics,” one viewer commented.
Some fans also speculated that the character was gender-swapped to make Zoe a love interest for Mark’s younger brother, Oliver.
Invincible showrunners explain controversial change
Image credits: Prime Video
During an interview with Den of Geek, showrunners Robert Kirkman and Simon Racioppa discussed changing Zack Thompson to Zoe Thompson.
Kirkman explained that the decision to gender-swap Tech Jacket was made very early during the production of season 4.
Image credits: Prime Video
Since Mark and Zack are both high school students with extraterrestrial powers, he feared they would feel very similar.
“When it came time to introduce Tech Jacket, I realized that if we had brought him straight to comics, he’d be very similar to Mark,” he said.
Kirkman created the original character with penciler E. J. Su in 2002. The character’s solo series was canceled after just eight issues, and Tech Jacket later became a regular feature in Invincible.
Image credits: Image Comics/Skybound
The co-showrunner also teased that gender-swapping the character allowed him to make “exciting” changes to the source material.
Meanwhile, Racioppa praised Deutch’s performance, crediting the actress with adding “vibrancy” to the role.
“We could not be more delighted when we cast her for the show,” he said.
Episode 6 of season 4 will premiere on April 8, 2026, continuing the Viltrumite War arc.
Invincible is streaming on Prime Video.