Invincible VS has been teasing fans for months with playtests, individual character drops and news beats that have kept Invincible fans on the edge of their seats. Big surprise, they are back with another HUGE announcement! Invincible VS didn’t just reveal a new character to the game, but a new character to the entire Invincible Universe: Ella Mental! Not only that, but they announced how many characters will be in the roster to start, details about a Season Pass AND the official release date!
Skybound Games—with the initial design and backstory from Invincible creators Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley—has been given the green light to bring their very own original character to Invincible VS. At The Game Awards 2025, Ella Mental was revealed live during the show, and she comes with not only a big presence, but a big name voicing her.
Music artist Tierra Whack has been brought on to join the incredible voice cast of Invincible, and judging from the trailer, she has carved out her very own space in the Invincible universe. From a press release, she commented on how she felt when she learned about the character, “When I was reading the role for Ella Mental, it just felt like I was reading about myself; it felt divine. We’re so alike. She’s powerful, she’s strong, and she knows what she wants. She’s a trailblazer, and as an Invincible fan, I’m so excited to get to voice her.”
Though much of her story is still under wraps, I was able to sit down with Invincible VS Executive Producer, Mike Willette, Narrative Director, Mike Rogers and Art Director Dan Eder. Having just seconds to wrap my head around the trailer they showed me right before the interview, I was able to pick their brains on what it means to be bringing an original character like Ella Mental to a long-standing IP like Invincible, and even tried to score some juicy details on what she brings to the table in Invincible VS.
You just showed me a brand-new character in Invincible VS, Ella Mental! What does she bring to the table in terms of gameplay, but also in rounding out the roster?
Mike Willette: I’ll start with gameplay, and then I’ll hand off to some other folks. Gameplay-wise, it’s really funny because we’re like, “Hey, we need more crazy and strange characters thrown in the game. We want some more gameplay diversity of things that we can do. We want more people who can zone and use projectiles and do all this crazy stuff.”
We talked about this earlier together. Dan, one of the first things he did when he jumped on board, he goes, “Mike, can we do some original characters?” And I had to go, well, let’s pump the brakes. Let’s make these ones great. And we can talk about original characters. And then we’re like, “Why don’t we just ask Robert [Kirkman] if they’re open to creating some original characters?” So we asked the creators, and they’re like, “You know what? Yeah, let’s do that!”
So they went off, and Robert and Cory [Walker] came back to us with this awesome concept and a brief little blurb on her backstory and then handed it off to us. And then we had the awesome task of translating a 2D image back into 3D, but something that wasn’t originally in the comics or the show. So, creating something holistically new. And so that was a process of writing and redefining through art as we took it into 3D
Then, from a gameplay perspective, now we have this awesome palette of things where we have fire, we have water, we have the elements of earth and air. How do we construct a gameplay kit using all these things that’s really evocative of her personality, but then also feels very Invincible at the same time?
So our process was digging deep into each one of those facets and thinking what’s interesting within our combo structure and our play styles that really separates us and gives us this cool mid-range character that can really manipulate space, but then get in your face and has defensive options, has these other things that you can do manipulating the elements. Lots of charged attacks, she can create shield barriers with Earth that you can also destroy and use as attacks, and she can zip around the arena.
She’s got double jumping and air dashing, and she can use her projectiles in different arcs, whether it’s straight forward with this water jet that she can shoot out and charge to put people in a stun state or she can manipulate balls of fire which can also bounce off their opponent and come back down, causing them to have to block multiple times. She just has so many ways to manipulate the battlefield and become a really integral part of anybody’s team.
Because again, this being a team game, you want to assemble the best team of heroes and villains that are available to you. So there are all these different aspects of creativity that she adds to. So yes, hopefully that was a really long way of answering that this is how we think about it from a gameplay perspective. But I’ll hand off on Dan because there were a lot of things once we were kind of settling in on gameplay. How do we solve with art? It’s pretty intensive.
Dan Eder: Yeah, I think it was a unique challenge with this one for sure. It was, again, the only character who had no source material, essentially, aside from the one sketch that we got from Cory Walker. That was an amazing sketch. But still, there’s a long way between getting us an early sketch to a fully modelled 3D character that’s also functional in a fighting game scenario, right?
So we had a lot of hurdles we had to overcome, both in terms of what her shape language looks like, the colour palette, and how does it lead to good gameplay readability? I think initially the design was pretty simplified in a way that would work perfectly for the show, for example. But then in our kind of game, we have to think about certain breakups, right? Like material definition and variation and stuff like that, and how we can make it look appealing, but still keep the essence of what made the design so great to begin with.
That was the easy part. And then came the elements, right? Because we don’t have any other character with this sort of VFX, that’s this demanding. You know, you have a character like [Atom] Eve, who we had to solve the whole pink contrast thing. That was one thing. Now imagine that times four, right? So there was a lot that we had to go through in terms of “Is this too much? Is this too little? Is this readable? Do we want to double down or do we want to take a step back?”
So there was a lot of back and forth, but I think because we had a lot of creative liberty, because we are part of Skybound and we have Robert, Cory and Ryan [Ottley] as a resource, that made it very easy for us to get that sign off and really feel confident about the direction. I think the results speak for themselves, both what you saw in the trailer and what you’re going to see in gameplay. It’s a character that feels very much part of the Invincible IP but still really, really unique and appealing.
Mike Rogers: And I think early on, I think before we even have a character name, Robert sent us an email that was something to the extent of “Would it be too hard to do earth, water, fire and air all in the same character?” And we were like, no. And then Dan was probably like, “How are we going to do that?!” And then they did it. And that’s just the coolest thing for me.
And can you tell us about the voice actor behind Invincible VS’ Ella Mental and a bit of how that came to be?
Mike Rogers: Ella Mental is being brought to life by Tierra Whack, who you know is a creative visionary in the music world and the world of hip hop, and she was just fantastic in this role. She’s known for her powerful and unusual vocal style in music. And I think she brought that into the world of voiceover and into the idea of bringing Ella Mental to life, too.
We had Tierra on our radar really early on; we knew we were looking for the right combination of talent and presence to embody the character that Ella represented. And we also knew that she was a fan of Invincible. You know, I never know who’s going to accept and who’s not, but we were thrilled when she decided to be a part of this project, especially because of how selective she is with her career and her projects and all of her partnerships.
She really brought something to the character that heightened all the writing that myself, and Helen Leigh, and Robert’s backstory came up with, and I feel like I just can’t imagine any scenario where Ella isn’t alive through this actress. I’m really in love with the performance, and I think it really heightened everything we had in mind for her.
I’m curious both from a developer standpoint, but also just from someone who is creating something. How does it feel to bring something whole and new into a franchise that already exists? Obviously, there’s pressure, but just personally, how does it feel to have your own piece of Invincible?
Mike Rogers: I think for all of us, it’s a dream come true. I’ve said before in interviews that I was reading the comics as I was growing up. My dad taught me to read on comic books. And Invincible was one of the first series that I was buying monthly. It’s really surreal to be able to add a piece to the mythos. For me, it’s just like an absolute delight. And sometimes I can’t believe that it’s even real. But it is, and that’s exciting.
Mike Willette: To get the trust of the creators to steward not just Ella, but the entirety of the game is amazing. So I always pinch myself weekly to make sure I’m not dreaming.
What was important to consider with Ella Mental joining Invincible VS? Whether that’s how she fits into the story, how you’re going to keep fans of the franchise happy, etc. What immediately came to mind when you were going to start working on your own character?
Mike Rogers: It really starts with authenticity, right? We wanted to make sure that Ella didn’t just feel like the video game character that’s also there, along with the Invincible ones, but that she really fit into the Invincible universe. We got the luxury of creating and coming up with this character, knowing she was going to premiere in a video game, but we wanted to make her authentic to everyone else in the world, too.
We wanted those character relationships to get established. We wanted her presence to make sense in the wider universe. And so when we were first starting out, we sort of anchored her to a couple of specific characters, figuring out how she would react to them. And, you know, she’s this sort of positive and energetic person, but she’s also got this kind of sardonic edge that Tierra really brought to the performance, too.
So, figuring out how she might talk to Mark [Grayson] and what she might think of someone like Rex Splode and how she might communicate with Robot, all of those things were things that started to help inform how she might talk to other characters too, and who she was fond of, who she maybe didn’t care for very much.
As we kept writing and the script coalesced, and we were seeing what Dan and his team were doing with the art on their side. It just started to feel more and more real, and I think what we ended up with at the end of the day is a character that is new and original to our game, but feels like she could have been created alongside all the rest of the Invincible universe because of how well she fits in with those characters and the world, and how workable she is on the roster too.
As of speaking, this isn’t out in the wild yet, so what kind of reaction do you think you’re going to get from Invincible VS fans, both just about how they want to play Ella Mental, but that she’s not from the show or comic?
Dan Eder: There’s going to be a lot of cautious optimism, if I had to guess, because just looking at the gameplay, you can’t help but immediately feel like this is a really cool character, right? I think, especially if you play the game, a lot of our characters are sort of close-range, melee-type characters, you have this character who has such an elaborate kit. I think if you play the game, it’s immediately going to get the wheels turning in your head. “What does that mean in terms of gameplay flexibility?” Or you know, just overall play style.
And I think if you don’t come from fighting games and you’re just an Invincible fan, you’re going to be like, “Holy shit, this is a brand-new Invincible character.” Some people who are excited about the game are diehard Invincible fans. They’ve read all the comics, they’ve watched the show multiple times, and then to get a new character for a game, I think it’s going to be a hype moment. But still, it doesn’t mean that we’re resting on our laurels.
At this point, we just have to justify the fact that we’re creating a character and make it feel unique to a point that even if you don’t know the source material, you would think that this is just a part of the source material, right? If you didn’t even know Invincible, that’s how integrated we want this character to feel.
So again, it comes down to both the visual design of the character, but also the way she interacts and just the overall believability of having this kind of character in the Invincible universe. I think it’s going to lead to a lot of initial excitement, that’s for sure.
Mike Rogers: Yeah. And I always try to think—because I’m a huge fan of Invincible before I was ever working on it—I always try to think like, how would I react to this, and would this excite me? And like, I’d be stoked. So I really hope that the fans are, too.
Now, from my perspective, Invincible has some badass characters, but you guys opted to create another badass woman, so thank you! We like that. Was there any pressure in that department not to make her just another girl, but to add some depth to her character, some backstory there?
Mike Rogers: Yeah, I think depth is something we think about with all of our characters, but definitely with Ella Mental. And I’m lucky enough to be working with Helen Leigh, who is one of the writers from the show who has just an amazing sense of not only story in general, but also character work and what characters in the Invincible universe feel like.
We definitely put a lot of love and care into making sure that Ella felt like a fully fleshed-out character and a character that was exciting and fun to play, but also had some depth to her, too. I’m thrilled that we got the opportunity to bring specifically this character to life. I really have fallen in love with Ella Mental. I think she’s just so cool.
Awesome. Um, and for anybody that’s going to be reading this, is there anything you can tell us about Ella Mental in Invincible VS or her backstory yet?
Mike Rogers: Oh, we’re leaving some to mystery. It’s good to discover things, but she’s the heiress to her family’s fortune, and she was this studious and hardworking person and became her grandfather’s favourite. And that gave her access to this ancient totem, which actually gave her superpowers. And as a result of that, she can command earth and wind and fire and water. And that’s all we’re going to really reveal about her details now.
I think I mentioned before, she’s always the first to step up with the suggestion of how to fix a problem, but we knew we didn’t want her to just be, sort of, a generic, chipper person. We wanted to give her a little bit of that sardonic nature to her, too. And I think Tierra actually really helped that shine through with how she played the performance and her approach to the character. I feel like because Tierra connected to the material also, we really got someone that feels real.
How early on was Tierra Whack involved in the character? Was it right at the beginning or after Ella Mental was already designed?
Mike Rogers: We were talking about it pretty early on, and we had to make sure that she would do it, really. That’s what I wanted out of it all. She was definitely in the conversations very early on, and when we were ready to go, we were ready to go and pull the trigger on it all. So I’m super excited to get to work with her.
And just for fun, can you each tell me—of what you’re allowed to share—one little favourite bit about Ella Mental in Invincible VS, whether it’s a skill, a design choice, a line, etc?
Dan Eder: I think for me, it’s definitely her Ultimate. Ultimates are a big moment in our game. If you’ve pulled off an Ultimate, you’re dishing out some damage, right? And it’s very hard to time. But I think with her, it was both from an art, but also a technical standpoint, getting all four elements to fit in, what, a 10 to 15 second sequence in a way that feels believable was a huge challenge, but the animation team actually absolutely killed it. And then our VFX team, who is also immensely talented, really put all the missing pieces in.
You saw that in the trailer as well. You got that initial burst of water, and then she just propels outward through the tornado, and then she slams the rocks onto her opponent. So it’s really cool. I think it’s probably my favourite Ult—Ult is short for Ultimate. And it’s just a really satisfying moment. And it really kind of encompasses everything I love about Ella, visually.
Mike Rogers: For me, it’s actually a simpler one that you see in the trailer. She’s got this line with one of her water attacks where she says, “Here’s a solution: Wash it all the way.” I like that line because it’s so Silver Age, and it feels like something that a superhero just starting out or just sort of being presented to the world might say. Like Mark might have said in season one when he was just starting out his journey.
That’s a really simple thing that I think will get lost to some people. But for me, it makes me smile that we get to have these nods to and homages to classic superhero lore and fare. I just think it’s super fun.
Mike Willette: For me, it’s really that I can’t wait til people get to play her because I think they’re going to find some stuff in her kit that is amazing when it comes to mixing people up and continuing combos and just setups, just because her range plays differently than other characters. She’s got a lot of charge attacks. She has a lot of utility that other characters don’t have. And if the Alpha told me anything, it’s that I’m expecting a lot of cool shit to come out of the community once they get their hands on it.
So for me, it’s the possibilities of integrating jump cancels into certain specials and supers that she has. And when they tag, when they don’t tag, and just utility out of certain boosted versions of her specials are really good and really cheap in my opinion. So I can’t wait to see people, I’m not going to say exploit, but maximize the potential that she has.
Is there anything else we should know about Invincible VS?
Dan Eder: Two exciting announcements! A. We can finally say that we are releasing with 18 characters at launch, and the release date of our game is April 30th! And, Mike, you wanted to talk about after launch.
Mike Willette: Yeah, so we’ll have a year Pass, as well, it’ll be part of our Deluxe Edition, too. A year pass—it’ll be four additional characters, and two of those characters will come “soon” after launch. So a lot more content on the way!
Thank you very much. I know you guys are busy, but that was a lot of fun. And I’m really excited to get my hands on Ella Mental and do some murders in Invincible VS.
Dan Eder: That’s what you do in our game! Just do some murders!
Awesome. That’s really exciting! I can’t wait to hear what our readers have to say about Ella Mental and the new Invincible VS details, too, because I think this is going to be huge!
Invincible VS releases on April 20, 2026, with an 18-character roster to start! Stay tuned to their official website for more announcements.
