Rex Sloan was a major character in Invincible, debuting from Season 1 to 3.

He was the superhero Rex Splode, who had the ability to generate explosive energy. He was a former member of Teen Team before it disbanded and he became a member of the newly formed Guardians of the Globe. Following the revelation of Cecil's actions, he and several other members of the Guardians of the Globe left to reform the Teen Team, all the while entering into a romantic relationship with Shrinking Rae. During the Invincible War, he sacrificed himself, using his powers to turn his entire skeleton into an explosive, to defeat one of the invading Invincible variants. To pay tribute to his fallen friend's legacy, Rudy Connors/Robot took on his first name, officially christening himself as "Rex Connors".

Quick Answers

What is the nature of Rex Splode's superpower?

Rex Splode, a product of a government experiment, possesses the ability to charge molecules to an unstable level, turning any object into an explosive. He uses kinetic energy to accelerate molecules, creating explosives. He also demonstrates peak human durability and agility, allowing him to endure powerful strikes and minimize damage against superhuman opponents.

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How did Rex Splode become a member of the Guardians of the Globe?

Rex Splode, previously part of the Teen Team, was chosen for the new Guardians of the Globe following the demise of the original team by Omni-Man. His human identity and his special power to create explosives by accelerating molecules with kinetic energy contributed to his recruitment. His uncertainty about his real origins, known by the team, was also a factor in his inclusion.

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What is the backstory of Rex Splode's childhood and his recruitment by the government?

Rex Splode's origins trace back to a government experiment aimed at creating a superhero. Sold by his impoverished family to an enigmatic organization, he was endowed with the power to charge molecules, making any object explosive. Upon maturing, Rex escaped this organization and sought his family. His true origins were already known to his team when he joined the guardians, a fact disclosed by Cecil under pressure from Black Samson.

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How did Rex Splode survive in the Invincible series?

Rex Splode, a superhero in the Invincible series, survives through his unique abilities and tactical acumen. He once thwarted an attack by the Flaxans, identifying their wristbands as their Achilles heel. Upon their destruction, the Flaxans aged rapidly, forcing them to withdraw. Rex's survival is also linked to his power to create explosions using everyday objects like coins, fridge magnets, and iron bars, a trait reminiscent of Marvel's Gambit.

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Appearance

Physique

Rex was a tall adolescent male in excellent physical condition, with pronounced muscles, had olive colored skin, green eyes, and dark red hair, kept long on top and tied in a bun, while keeping his sides and the nape of his neck shaved.

Clothing

His only article of clothing so far had been his superhero outfit: a tight-fitting jacket with red shoulders, collar, sides and handcuffs, and a yellow front and arm necks. His trousers were also tight fitted and similarly colored. He also sported a pair of brown gloves with hook-and-loop fasteners and similarly colored boots, also hook-and-loop fastened, and a brown belt with several white cylinders hanging from his waist. The final piece of his costume was a red mask that covered his entire head and neck, minus his chin and mouth, and a pair of yellow goggles.

Personality

Initially, Rex was most of the time rude, sassy, sarcastic, immature, audacious, arrogant, argumentative, and abrasive, even and most of all to his teammates and supposed friends, often crudely joking about them. He very often displayed sardonicism and what may come off as outright antagonism to most, if not all, people he encountered, usually regardless of their status and reputation. Because of that and his distrustfulness of most people, he was somewhat disliked by the superhero community. His hard past may have had an impact on his current state.

As a boyfriend, he was very possessive of Eve, even though he ultimately cheated on her with Dupli-Kate (where it’s possibly implied that Rex lied to her that Eve was seeing Invincible), displaying great abrasiveness after she caught them in the shower, saying it didn't mean anything as he didn't have sex with the "real Kate", but her clones, further insulting her.

His arrogance and somewhat recklessness tended to backfire on him, as when he openly mocked Monster Girl for her age and size, he didn't consider the consequences of it at all, first being humiliated back by her, then being attacked and brutally beaten by her in monster form until Invincible interfered. With a similar mocking, he also won himself the contempt of Black Samson after joining the Guardians of the Globe.

Rex was not always as repugnant as he might have seemed at first glance. Despite their rough first encounter, Rex and Monster Girl started to break the ice between themselves right after their fight, which evolved to a friendship of sorts, which inspired Robot - secretly a puppet of a deformed genius - to transfer a copy of his mind to Rex’s cloned body. According to Eve, he wasn’t always as unpleasant as he was then. His stubbornness also occasionally came for the better, as while he may have been a boor, he wasn't a coward and fought until he dropped, wanting to defy Cecil's orders to not interfere with Invincible and Omni-Man's fight and being the first of the Guardians indicate the team is ready to wash the blood stain from the battle of the ill-fated original team with Omni-Man, to which even Samson agreed (after a brief altercation) "they earned it". While his joker attitude was usually to the annoyance of others, he may sometimes joke in a less provocative manner, simply to make the best of the situation. Overall, while he may have at times seemed like merely a toxic jerk, he was also occasionally capable of being more friendly and heroic than others might think.

Rex was someone who would never get back on a fight and fought until he couldn't with all his strength. Another trait of Rex was that he was able to be very brave and strong-willed fighting, and not showing any sign of fear to die, which was seen when confronting several members of the Lizard League by himself, despite being outnumbered and surrounded, he chose to face them instead of running and waiting for backup, even telling to the King Lizard to shoot him already when he had him gunpointed in the head.

Following his near-death experience at the hands of King Lizard, his personality had a significant change. He began to change for the better by acknowledging his past behaviours and going so far as to apologise on his comments at Monster Girl. His relationship with Shrinking Rae allows him to express his vulnerability, acknowledging how through their relationship he finally has a sense of normallcy after suffering countless tragedies across his life while having no personal attachments of a sense of self besides only having the name "Rex Splode," his only sense of identity. This allows him to improve most of his relations especially with Atom Eve and got closer to Invincible as a friend.

Amidst the Chaos of Cecil trying to restrain Invincible, Rex like most members of the Guardians was left shocked and angered at the actions of the GDA Director towards Invincible and feared like most that he'd be done the same for if Cecil sees him step out of line. While Dupli- Kate argued over the irony of how it all happened because of Invincible's actions while making the whole argument about herself whilst downplaying Red and Shrinking Rae's near death experiences. This causes Rex to finally snap at both her and the Immortal and walks out on the Guardians with the rest of the members of the Teen Team to start a new. During this change, Rex begins to get closer to Shrinking Rae who sympathised with her lack of childhood due to being constantly pushed to play the Hero she didn't want to all the time whilst reflecting on his own childhood and mistakes. Their relationship evolved into intimacy and the sense of wanting to live independently. Rex at first hesitates due to not having an identity outside his government assigned name but then is reassured by Rae. Their final moments has Rex beginning to move in with Rae and express his first time sense of happiness in a long time but is quickly interrupted after hearing an explanation a few blocks away. With no time to waste, Rex quickly suits up and promises to come back to Rae after promising to quickly take care of the situation. Unfortunately, this would become their final conversation.

During his last standoff against Gogglesvincible, Rex buys time for Bulletproof to escape with Robot and Monster Girl, reassuring them that he had a plan but in reality he had none. In his final moments, Gogglesvincible mocks Rex for being weak and pathetic like the one from his timeline and sarcastically asks him if he had anything else he could've exploded, Rex then uses his last bit of strength to blow up his entire Skeleton, sacrificing himself and successfully killing another Invincible Variant but at the cost of his life. His death left a deep impact on the members of the Guardians of the Globe, with Robot taking on his name as a way to honour his heroic deeds, Atom Eve acknowledged both goods and bads of their relationship but always saw him as one of her closest friends, Shrinking Rae, while being left crushed during the funeral and never being seen again, was able to let go of her super hero life and finally live the normal life she and Rex always dreamt of.

Power and Abilities

Powers

• Surgically Enhanced Physiology/Kinetic Charging: Rex Splode possesses the power to make any object he touches explode. This ability works on inorganic material and some organic material, with the force of the explosion being determined by his level of focus and intensity. His explosions are precise, allowing him to target specific objects or areas without affecting his surroundings as much. However, the more objects he touches or manipulates, the more energy he expends, limiting how frequently he can use this power in quick succession. Rex is also capable of enhancing the size of his explosions by increasing his physical exertion, but this comes at the cost of draining his stamina quickly. While powerful, Rex’s ability requires careful control and concentration to avoid collateral damage. His strongest explosion was able to completely incinerate an evil Invincible variant, albeit at the cost of his life.^[1]
  • Molecular Acceleration: Due to special devising's implanted in Rex's forearms, Rex has the power to accelerate molecules to an unstable level with potential energy, causing them to explode with kinetic energy (throwing, flicking or even touching the charged object).
  • Enhanced Agility: Rex possessed great agility which he used in battle. He had demonstrated these abilities in battles against the Flaxans and Machine Head’s mercenaries. His agility is also shown able to skillfully navigate through various terrains unimepeded.
  • Enhanced Durability: Rex could withstand powerful strikes and sustain relatively less damage when facing opponents of superhuman strength, such as formidable fighters like Monster Girl and Battle Beast.
  • Enhanced Endurance: Rex possessed remarkable endurance, able to withstand and survive severe amounts of punishment. Against the Lizard League, he not only survived through multiple lacerations, a hand bitten off, and even a bullet through the brain, but he retained consciousness throughout the battle. He even managed to beat King Lizard to death in this state, surprising and shocking G.D.A soldiers with his durability.
  • Enhanced Strength: Rex possessed remarkable strength, managing to tackle ReAnimen to the ground.

Abilities

• Expert Martial Artist: While mostly relying on his kinetic powers. Rex was a capable fighter, able to fight against several enemies. Against Dropkick, a highly advanced fighter, Rex was able to overpower the foe while having a casual conversation with Invincible.
• Expert Acrobat: Rex has amazing acrobatic skills due to training at an early age.
• Stealth: Rex has experience in using stealth to gain an upper hand, even if injured from a brutal fight from the Lizard League.

Equipment

• Cybernetic Left Wrist: Following his brutal fight with the Lizard League, Rex was given a new hand. It looks completely organic and natural, retained the same range of movement and dexterity as the original hand, plus Rex could still channel his powers through it. In addition, underneath the robotic material, contained a power blast attack once charged by placing two index fingers onto the bullet hole area, could deal a heavy finish to enemies, this was shown when Rex used it on Octoboss.
• Objects: Rex Splode would often use small objects or projectiles in his pockets, or metal bars on his belt to create explosives.

Sightings

Trivia

• Rex Splode is based on Gambit from Marvel Comics. Likewise, both characters carry around with them light weight objects to be used as explosive material, Gambit carries around several decks of playing cards and Rex carries around change, fridge magnets and iron bars.
  • Some fans of the show like to compare Rex's suicide in season 3 to that of Gambit from X-Men '97 a year prior. It has been erroneously suggested that Rex's suicide in the show was modeled after Gambit's considering that Invincible #60, the issue featuring Rex's death, appeared in 2009, fifteen years before X-Men '97. Subsequently, Gambit was not part of the E is for Extinction comic from 2001 that inspired the '97 episode "Remember It", featuring Gambit's sacrifice. The comparisons between the two respective events ultimately boil down to simple coincidence.
  • Rex Splode is similar to Kid Flash from the Young Justice series, both having this immature child like personality at first, and later end up becoming mature role models, even having a super hero girlfriend (who like Shrinking Rae wears a similar green getup super hero uniform and wanted to retire from the super hero lifestyle), and like Rex, Kid Flash sacrifices himself to his friends and the world.
• Rex Splode has one of the saddest back stories in the Invincible Comics. As a child, Rex was sold to the government by his parents who were barely scrapping by as it is due to their poverty. During his time in the government, with his father being more selfishly interested in the offer of being able to eat and never starve again. Rex is heavily experimented on by having his body extensively modified to create explosions as well as recieving extensive hand to hand combat training. Rex then works as Radcliffe's personal assassin by killing targets under the assumption that he is doing the right thing. In his final task, Radcliffe orders Rex to assassinate Cecil after Radcliffe states that Cecil had lost his ways however, the night before his mission, Rex goes out on a stroll to reflect on his way of life and questions if he wanted to carry on living like a weapon. Just then he meets Atom Eve who was in the middle of stopping Kill Canon from robbing a bank. After spending the night at her house, Rex has a change of heart and decides to spare Cecil's life. Radcliffe finds out and has an argument with Rex which results in Rex accidentally killing Radcliffe and escaping by blowing up the facility as a distraction. Afterwards, Rex heads back to Atom Eve's house who after listening to his story decides to go with Rex and kill the remaining government agents and destroy all traces of Radcliffe's experiments on him so that he is never tracked down again. Eve makes up Rex's first Super Hero costume along with his iconic discs that he uses to make an explosive entrance which surprises the investigators under the leadership of Steven Erickson. The trio get into a fight with Rex exploding a Gas Main that kills all the agents and Erikson. This also marks the beginning of his relationship with Eve who later takes him to Art's office to get his commonly known Suit. Sometime later, Rex tracks down his family and decides to pay them a visit, but much to his horror, Rex finds out his parents have already moved on and have had two children. Rex initially tries to kill the family but stops after seeing how happy they are and due to his past actions he leaves crying believing they are better off without him.
• Rex had a love for home design magazines and Eve suspects that it is because he never had a home.
• Rex almost got scurvy after living on an unhealthy diet of pizza, ramen, and black coffee.
• Rex's suicide explosion to kill off one of the Invincible variants during the Invincible War mirrors a similar action done by Vegeta from the Dragon Ball franchise. Both used their powers to turn themselves into living explosives to take out an extremely powerful foe: Gogglesvincible for Rex Splode, and Majin Buu for Vegeta. However, whereas Rex was successful in killing his opponent, Vegeta's suicide explosion failed to kill his.
• Rex has some similarities with Katsuki Bakugo from the My Hero Academia Franchise.
  • Both have powers with the ability to create explosions.
  • Their powers, although very useful for combat, are also quite dangerous, capable of causing massive damage, and require full concentration in order to avoid collateral damage.
  • Both have an immature and child like personality, and act very arrogant causing them to be disliked by others. But with the course of time, they grow to be more mature and heroic.
  • Both at some point go through a near-death experience while facing an enemy who's threatening the lives of their friends.
  • Both choose to sacrifice their lives by causing a suicide explosion to kill of one the enemies during a war (although, unlike Rex, Katsuki's death was only temporary and was later brought back to life).