There are so many heroes on Earth in the Invincible world, but none of them are as powerful as Omni-Man. It seemed like Omni-Man was the greatest hero on Earth, and yet, another key Invincible character, Cecil Stedman, knew that he was lying. He knew years ahead of time that Omni-Man wasn't who he said he was, and yet, Cecil never exposed him, and now readers finally know why.

When Omni-Man showed up on Earth, he stated that he was sent from a federation of planets to help bring peace throughout the galaxy and help planets that were less developed to catch up with the rest of the galaxy. While this all seemed perfectly nice, not everything was as it seemed.

While Omni-Man certainly seemed eager to help around the planet, Cecil knew something wasn't right with him, as confirmed in Invincible #50 by Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley. Cecil quickly figured out that Omni-Man's entire reason for being on Earth was a complete lie, but he wasn't sure why Omni-Man was lying. Still, that begs the question of why Cecil didn't do something about Omni-Man sooner.

Omni-Man Was Always a Villain, and Cecil Knew All Along

Invincible #50 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Bill Crabtree, and Rus Wooton

The thing about Cecil is that he's always pragmatic. Cecil will do whatever it takes to keep Earth safe. If Cecil had to work with known supervillains or violent criminals to keep at bay an even bigger threat, he'd do it without a second thought. Cecil firmly falls under the philosophy of "the ends justify the means." As long as the world exists for people to wake up to the next day, then Cecil has done his job. That's ultimately why Cecil never brought his suspicions about Omni-Man to the Guardians of the Globe or anyone else who could have made a difference.

While Omni-Man claimed to be a messenger of peace and someone who just wanted to help, he was actually a forward scout of the Viltrumite Empire, which was looking for a suitable planet to restart their race. Omni-Man was meant to find out if the human race was compatible with Viltrumite DNA, and if they were, he was to weaken the planet enough that Viltrumites would be able to easily take over the planet when they arrived. If Cecil had warned people earlier, things might have been different, but they also might not have been.

If Cecil Had Exposed Omni-Man, Would It Have Mattered for the Larger Invincible Story?

What Could Anyone Have Really Done?

Omni-Man is a Viltrumite, and as such, he is incredibly powerful. Viltrumites have consistently been shown to be some of the strongest characters in the Invincible universe. If Cecil had exposed Omni-Man, humanity would just have an alien with a massive physical advantage that they'd just made an enemy of. It's possible that the Guardians of the Globe could have taken Omni-Man if they had time to plan. But they might still have lost, and that's not a gamble that Cecil would be willing to take; that's not how his mind works.

Cecil could spend his time studying and watching Omni-Man, to try and find any potential weaknesses.

Instead of immediately exposing Omni-Man, it's much more Cecil's style to let Omni-Man do what he claims he wants to do. If Omni-Man says he wants to be a hero and protect Earth, then by all means, let him. Humanity can only benefit from it, and all the while, Cecil could spend his time studying and watching Omni-Man to try and find any potential weaknesses. That is significantly more in line with what Cecil would want to do instead of just immediately exposing Omni-Man as a liar, since Cecil would have nothing he could do after that move.

Omni-Man Was Certainly a Villain at First in Early Invincible Stories

But He Also Protected the Planet for Nearly Two Decades

Protecting the world is a very difficult task, and it requires making some very hard decisions. Cecil has always been a morally complex character, willing to work with supervillains and other criminals for the greater good. With that in mind, it makes perfect sense that Cecil kept his suspicions about Omni-Man to his inner circle. Likely, Cecil wouldn't want to risk telling a member of the Guardians of the Globe only to have them repeat it to Omni-Man. Still, once Omni-Man killed the Guardians of the Globe, Cecil probably should have seen the writing on the wall.

Overall, Cecil isn't perfect. He makes a lot of mistakes both in the TV show and in the comic, but he ultimately just wanted to keep the planet safe. If letting Omni-Man play hero meant the world had a new massively powerful asset, that's certainly a benefit. While Cecil likely always suspected that he would need to take down Omni-Man someday, it's a lot better to try and win that battle in the future, as opposed to letting Earth be conquered by a different alien race much sooner. Still, a lot of lives might have been saved if Cecil had discovered and revealed sooner that Omni-Man wasn't Invincible.

Invincible #50 is available now from Image Comics, and Invincible is now airing on Amazon!