Nolan's Independence

Nolan's Independence recounts the coming-of-age trial that every Viltrumite must pass to be accepted into the Empire's military. When a youth reaches maturity, custom forces them into a lone stand against both parents at once. Those who survive move on to serve in the Empire's expansion campaigns, while any judged too weak are discarded and killed regardless. Presented as a flashback within Invincible, the event follows Nolan, later known as Omni-Man, clearing this violent milestone at Argall's Fortress.

The morning opens with Nolan lecturing a small class before a statue of the departed Emperor Argall, drilling into them that strength and domination define their people. He grips one child's skull after she stumbles over the meaning of the Great Purge, then clarifies that the culling let the Empire strip away weakness and protect its culture. Once the students scatter to fend for themselves, his mother and father emerge to begin the test.

Both parents attack, and Nolan holds firm even as his mother slashes his chest and fights with feral rage. He briefly blinds her by driving debris into her eye, leaving only his father to face, and his composure earns the older warrior's approval. When his mother resumes a savage assault and pins him to the ground, the father steps in, declaring that his son has fought well enough. Disgusted, the mother tears the fragment from her eye, renounces both of them, and departs for good.

With the trial finished, Nolan's father orders him to rise, report to the central station for debriefing and fresh clothing, and ready himself to join the Empire's expansionary forces in Argall's name. The entire custom is original to the television series, since the comics never established how Viltrumites raised their young. It also remains unclear whether siblings who reach adulthood would have to face their parents together or separately.