Invincible Season 3 Answers A Cecil Question We've All Been Wondering Since Episode 1

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Invincible season 3, episodes 1-3.

Despite his lack of superpowers, Cecil Stedman has easily been one of Invincible's most interesting characters, and the show has finally answered one question that viewers have been asking since episode 1. The Global Defense Agency Director has had a big role in the story since the first season, and with Cecil being one of Invincible season 3's main villains so far, he's never been more important. He is far from a typical antagonist, as he still wants the same things as Mark, but Cecil's experience with protecting Earth means he's willing to be morally flexible to achieve his goals.

Although he tried to avoid conflict with the protagonist, his contingency plans proved how cold he could be, even when trying to do the right thing. Additionally, his willingness to give criminals the chance to reform is what ticked Mark off in the first place, but Cecil's backstory helped explain why he is so harsh on heroes, while simultaneously revealing one of the biggest mysteries surrounding him. "A Deal With The Devil" not only saw Walton Goggins give a standout performance among Invincible season 3's cast, but it also helped audiences sympathize with Cecil and answered one huge question.

How Cecil Got His Facial Scars In Invincible Explained

The GDA Leader Suffered A Serious Injury Trying To Save Thousands Of People

Season 3's second episode offered an insight into Cecil's past, providing a bit of an origin story while continuing his dispute with Mark in the present, but one of the episode's biggest reveals was uncovering how Cecil got his facial scars. "A Deal With The Devil" starts by showing Cecil seemingly holding up a store, indicating the GDA agent was once a criminal; however, this isn't quite the case. Cecil clearing the store is actually part of a mission, as he has received a tip about some criminal activity, which he chooses to investigate alone.

After radioing that the tip was a bust, he is attacked by the Order of the Freeing Fist, who get the better of him in two-on-one combat. Just as it looks like the villains have won, sirens can be heard in the background, with Cecil explaining his "Tip was a bust message" was actually code for the GDA. Despite knowing they're beaten, the villainous duo opts to release the gas they were protecting anyway, but Cecil locks the two inside with their experiment and holds the doors shut. Unfortunately, the gas escapes through the door, burning Cecil's skin.

His severe injuries saved the lives of thousands, but it also meant Cecil had to get artificial skin in order to recover, something that barely concerned him. He is more worried about the 17 people who died before revealing that the scars were all that was left of his real skin, which he wanted to keep as a reminder of his mistakes. Therefore, his facial injuries are a demonstration of how committed he is to saving lives, and even though his heroism got him nominated for a medal, he still sees his mission as a failure.

"A Deal With The Devil" currently has a 9.3 rating on IMDb, the third-highest-rated episode of Invincible on the site.

As a result, Cecil's complex background will make his feud with Mark all the more interesting, and he will remain one of the show's most unique characters heading into Invincible season 4, assuming he's still alive. Luckily, we now know a lot more about him and how the mission changed his mentality, while finally getting the long-awaited answer to how he sustained his injuries.

Cecil's Artificial Skin Makes Him More Like Donald

Both Cecil & Donald Have Lost Parts Of Their Original Selves

Cecil typing on a computer with Donald behind him in Invincible season 2 ep 7

Cecil losing most of his original skin makes him far more like his right-hand man than fans could've imagined. Invincible season 2 revealed that Donald was a cyborg, explaining how he came back from the dead, which added a lot more depth to his character. Being killed by Omni-Man wasn't the first time the GDA agent had died, but his memory had been reset every time until he eventually found out the truth. Despite knowing he was more machine than man, Donald wanted to retain the knowledge of his past, as it helped him understand who he really was.

Cecil opting to keep his scars makes them both similar, not just in terms of their artificial nature, but also their desire to hold onto their humanity. Both characters are essentially alive because of GDA inventions, meaning they've lost parts of their original selves. However, this only increases their desire to cling to their more human aspects. In Cecil's case, it's the small bit of skin that survived his encounter with the Order of the Freeing Fist, and for Donald, it's remembering all the times he has died while serving the GDA.

Although neither character is 100% organic anymore, their history doesn't define them, and having this tragic connection only makes their commitment to protecting Earth more admirable.

Cecil's Backstory Reveals A Lot About His Character

"A Deal With The Devil" Helped Explain Why Cecil Is So Hard On Invincible's Heroes

Cecil being surrounded by Sinclair's robots in Invincible season 3

Throughout Invincible's first two seasons, Cecil comes across as a pretty stubborn and divisive figure who has Earth's best intentions at heart, but his backstory makes him even more complicated. Despite treating the Guardians of the Globe pretty harshly and keeping a tight leash on Mark, his reasons aren't completely unjustified, as he knows exactly how to keep people safe while understanding the consequences of failure. Having known about Omni-Man's potential dark side and failing to stop it, he doesn't want to repeat history with Mark, hence his desperation to keep him close.

His willingness to sacrifice himself in his origin story shows what he's willing to lose for the greater good, and while he's lucky to be alive, Cecil's bravery didn't come without consequences, which his injuries prove.

Unfortunately, this only pushes the protagonist away, but despite Mark's threats, Cecil hasn't held a grudge so far. His willingness to sacrifice himself in his origin story shows what he's willing to lose for the greater good, and while he's lucky to be alive, Cecil's bravery didn't come without consequences, which his injuries prove. Even his choice to reform criminals came as a result of going to prison for the exact opposite, proving he was willing to make the tough calls for the greater good.

New episodes of Invincible season 3 are available every Thursday on Prime Video.

"A Deal With The Devil" perfectly summed up his mentality in one line, as he claimed "We can be the good guys, or we can be the guys that save the world. We can't be both." His mentor told him the same thing, and it's clear being the GDA Director involves making some impossibly hard decisions, something Cecil has embraced, even if he doesn't like it. Therefore, he may often come across as the bad guy and a borderline villain in Invincible, but very few are willing to give up more than Cecil to protect people, which his backstory confirms.