One of the worst kept secrets on TV, Invincible Season 4 finally revealed the identity of the Robert Kirkman-created comic book character Tech Jacket in this week’s episode, “Give Us A Moment.” And yep — spoilers past this point — Invincible gender-swapped Tech Jacket, so Zack is now Zoe.
The episode doesn’t waste a lot of time revealing the gender swap, as Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) and Allen the Alien (Seth Rogen) are back on Earth to recruit the hero in their fight against the Viltrumite Empire. We cut in on Tech Jacket fighting a baddie, and when he takes off his helmet… Whoa, that dude’s a lady.
Or rather, she is Zoe, voiced by actress Zoey Deutch. You might know Deutch from her appearances on CW’s Ringer, or even as far back as The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, which is ironic because she’s taking over a role from “Zack” but I digress. Recently she starred in The Anniversary, and if you haven’t go check out her great rom-com Set It Up on Hulu.
By episode’s end, Zoe has struck up a friendship/possible flirtation with Oliver (Christian Convery) as they travel towards the Coalition of Planets, which is fighting against the Viltrumites. And she’s also found herself trapped on the hull of the Viltrumite ship, Millennium Falcon style, inside her suit with Allen as they try to figure out some way to get safely to the Coalition.
Who Is Tech Jacket In The Comics? What To Know About The Change From Zack To Zoe
Tech Jacket was created in 2002 by Robert Kirkman and E.J. Su, and is all about a teen named Zack Thompson who inherits a massively powerful battle-suit from a dying alien. Think Green Lantern meets Iron Man, with a tinge of the newer Blue Beetle, and you’ve got the gist.
While Tech Jacket was originally its own comic book title, Kirkman integrated the book into the larger Invincible Universe with the Viltrumite War storyline, which is what we’re watching on TV right now. And just like here, Tech Jacket is a key figure in the war, as the Geldarian armor Zack wears is a weak point for the Viltrumites.
As for what changing Zack to Zoe changes from the comics… Well, on the surface, not much, though there’s a pretty funny running joke about how the armor has cleaned Zack since he got it — including shaving him. So when Zack and Allen are hiding in the armor, as you see on TV, he gets teeny tiny teen whiskers for the first time, and is elated (Allen is less enthused). Then later when Zack gets back to Earth, his dad has grown a beard, and Zack has a “beard” as well. Zoe probably won’t do that, but who knows?
And as for why the show went this route? Kirkman has been pretty open about how he wrote these books back in the early 2000s and wasn’t as aware of issues of diversity as he is now. Hence instead of the all-male roster fighting the Viltrumites in the books, Zoe versus Zack shakes things up a little bit. It also maybe opens a romantic interest for Oliver, but we’ll see.
Thankfully, fans online have reacted extremely normally to this change, as fans always do! Hooray!
Where To Watch Invincible:
Invincible Season 4 Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
Season 4 of Invincible will premiere on Prime Video on Wednesday, March 18 at 3 am ET / 12 am PT with three new episodes. New episodes will then roll out one a week until the season finale on April 22, 2026.
Here’s the full list of episodes in Invincible Season 4:
- Wednesday, March 18, 2025: Invincible, Season 4, Episode 1
- Wednesday, March 18, 2025: Invincible, Season 4, Episode 2
- Wednesday, March 18, 2025: Invincible, Season 4, Episode 3
- Wednesday, March 25, 2025: Invincible, Season 4, Episode 4
- Wednesday, April 1, 2025: Invincible, Season 4, Episode 5
- Wednesday, April 8, 2025: Invincible, Season 4, Episode 6
- Wednesday, April 15, 2025: Invincible, Season 4, Episode 7
- Wednesday, April 22, 2025: Invincible, Season 4, Episode 8 *Season Finale*
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