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Spoilers for “Invincible” season 3 to follow.

Robert Kirkman first worked with Steven Yeun when the latter played Glenn on “The Walking Dead” (a series based on Kirkman’s long-running zombie comic). Then, when Prime Video turned Kirkman’s superhero comic book “Invincible” into an animated show, Yeun got the series’ leading role.

The cast of “Invincible” has since included a handful of other “Walking Dead” alums. The latest of them came the end of season 3 when Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who played the baseball bat-wielding apocalypse warlord Negan, arrived as the Viltrumite warrior Conquest. (“The Boys” isn’t the only superhero show out there with Mr. Morgan in its cast.)

Conquest is one of the oldest, most powerful, and most monstrous Viltrumites. In the season 3 finale, “I Thought You’d Never Shut Up,” Conquest gives Invincible the fight of his life. But there’s one Viltrumite out there who leaves even Conquest trembling in his boots: the leader of the empire, Grand Regent Thragg.

Based on where the “Invincible” cartoon is relative to the comic, Thragg will be debuting in season 4. That season will probably adapt the “Viltrumite War” arc. But who will voice the Regent? Before season 3, many had speculated that Morgan would play Thragg, not Conquest. That’s obviously off the table now, but there’s still plenty of great actors the show could call on for its ultimate villain. 

Kirkman recently confirmed to Variety that Thragg has been cast, but stopped short of saying who the actor is. So, let’s pull out our thinking caps and brainstorm who it could be.

Patrick Seitz is a prolific voice actor; his aggressive performing style and regal voice means he’s often typecast as either violent brutes or arrogant villains. Thragg is both. Seitz performs in English anime dubs and local American productions. His most famous voiceover roles are probably the vengeful vampire Dio Brando in “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” and Scorpion in the “Mortal Kombat” series. I’m also a fan of his work as the jolly but bloodthirsty Viking Thorkell the Tall in “Vinland Saga.”

Dio, Scorpion, and Thorkell all act and speak as proudly as they fight, the same way that Thragg does. As much as the Grand Regent savors battle, he’s crafty, not a raging beast like Conquest. Seitz’s powerful voice is intimidating; he doesn’t need to yell or growl to hold your attention and get your heart pumping fear through your veins. It’s the exact timbre an emperor like Thragg should have.

I know that “Invincible” usually prefers to get celebrity voice actors for its major characters (as opposed to professional voice actors like Seitz), which makes this choice a bit of a long shot. But ever since I read Seitz suggested as Thragg, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about how it would fit like a glove.

The Viltrumites are close to Kryptonians. No heat vision or weakness to green glowing rocks a la Kryptonite, but they’re flying, super-strong aliens who look suspiciously human. Omni-Man was clearly designed in the vein of Superman, ensuring that audiences would be extra-surprised when he turned out to be a conqueror.

So, for the leader of the Viltrumites, why not a former Superman actor? The best pick there would without a doubt be Henry Cavill, who played Superman in Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel,” “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” and “Justice League” (both cuts). Of course, Cavill’s days wearing the cape are behind him as David Corenswet is taking flight in James Gunn’s “Superman.” 

Again, “Invincible” likes to get celebrity voice actors, and Cavill fits that mold. I always found he was a bit too arrogant for Superman, but that same quality would make him perfect for Thragg. Keep in mind that his best performance so far was as a bad guy; August Walker aka John Lark in “Mission: Impossible –  Fallout.” As Thragg, Cavill could either affect an American accent or let his natural British accent loose. Speaking of which …

Scottish actor Graham McTavish has a long resume when it comes to both onscreen and voiceover roles. His most recent acclaimed part, though, was as Vlad Dracula Țepeș in Netflix’s “Castlevania” animated series. Lord of Wallachia and the vampires, the “Castlevania” Dracula splits the differences between the monstrous and romantic interpretations of the character. He once fell for a human woman, Lisa, but her brutal murder made him want to burn the human world down.

As Dracula, McTavish buries his brogue with a cavernous and aristocratic British accent. He’s scary and yet seductive, the exact way any good Dracula should sound. If a vampire has that voice, you’d definitely let him bite open your neck! Now, Thragg does not need to be alluring like that; he’s a stern and imperious leader. But “Castlevania” Dracula is not just a predator in the night like most others; he’s a warlord that leads an army the size of the one he commanded as Vlad the Impaler, only this army is filled with the undead and monsters.

There’s a side to Dracula that’s romantic, sure, but most of the time he’s a cruel and commanding king with a short temper. McTavish’s deep voice means that any time Dracula is angry, whether he’s whispering or yelling, he sounds terrifying enough to freeze you in place. That is how the Grand Regent should sound.

British actor Jason Isaacs is one of the greatest and most prolific heels in modern Hollywood. It goes back to his role in “The Patriot” as Colonel William Tavington, an utterly ruthless British army officer during the Revolutionary War. Tavington is evil and proud of it; it’s rare for anyone to perform a smug grin as well as Issacs’ does.

Isaacs has acted plenty since “The Patriot,” but his most famous roles tend to be cut from the same cloth as Tavington. Such is the case in both live-action, like Lucius Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” films, and in animation, like Admiral Zhao in “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” Isaacs’ villains are generally not only vile and hateful, but also snobs; whether the Death Eaters or the Fire Nation, his antagonists are usually part of a group whose members believes themselves superior to others. The Viltrumites, a galaxy-spanning empire of eugenicist Supermen, absolutely fit in with that.

The major difference, though, is that Isaacs’ villains are often middle-management: Tavington, Malfoy, and Zhao were all just cogs in a larger machine. As Thragg, however, Isaacs would finally play the biggest fish in the pond himself.

Not every actor on “Invincible” also appeared on “The Walking Dead,” of course. But knowing Kirkman likes to cast from his previous show can be useful for knowing where to look. Case in point: After Yeun and Morgan, there’s still plenty of room for a third Viltrumite voiced by a “Walking Dead” alum.

Of the “Walking Dead” cast members who (a) fit Thragg and (b) aren’t already playing another character, the obvious pick is Ryan Hurst. Hurst joined “The Walking Dead” in season 9 as Beta, a leader of the Whisperers (living humans that wear zombie skins to blend in). Beta is one of the most memorable of the human villains in “The Walking Dead” next to Negan and the Governor (David Morrissesy). How would Hurst take to voice acting, though? Based on his performance as Thor in the video game “God of War: Ragnarök,” extremely well.

For those who only know Thor as a Marvel superhero, Hurst’s God of Thunder is a whole other beast. This Thor is the one from the original Norse myths; a savage, drunken warrior who Vikings fought and bled in the image of. Hurst sounds about 10 years older than he is (48 years old), but that only enhances his performance as an ageless God like Thor. He sounds like a warrior made stronger by age, not weaker.

Hurst’s roaring performance as Thor had made him a popular pick for Conquest, but with that out of the way, he could just as easily pull off Thragg.

Hurst isn’t the only “Walking Dead” actor who could fit as the Grand Regent.

The main star of “The Walking Dead” was Andrew Lincoln, who played series’ protagonist Sheriff Rick Grimes. Shot during a robbery, Rick falls into a coma right before the dead start rising, and he wakes up much later into a world turned upside-down. Lincoln has yet to show up on “Invincible” — perhaps Kirkman is saving his previous series’ hero to play the greatest villain of his next one?

Keep in mind that while he’s been playing Rick Grimes (Southern accent included) for a decade and a half, Lincoln is not truly a Georgian good ol’ boy. He’s English: born in London, raised in Yorkshire, then Bath, and a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. That education served him well as his performance was consistently one of the best parts of “The Walking Dead.” A British accent is Hollywood code for “bad guy,” so Lincoln could use his normal voice as Thragg.

Lincoln is not usually an obvious choice for a villain, and his voiceover experience is admittedly limited. (He’s played Rick as a DLC character in “Fortnite” and “Call of Duty.”) But the irony of him going from Rick to Thragg might be too good to pass up. That sort of meta text definitely seemed like it influenced Kirkman’s choice of Morgan as Conquest (i.e. Glenn paying back Negan by bashing his head in), so it might happen again.

Morgan being fancast as Thragg, only to actually play Conquest, shows how he could’ve fit either role. The same could be said for many other fan picks for these two characters, especially Ron Perlman. Mr. Perlman had been a popular pick for Conquest, but his deep and stern voice would make for a chilling Thragg.

Perlman, who splits himself between live-action acting and voiceover, tends to play gruffer characters when he’s physically on screen. These range from both heroic, like the paranormal investigator Hellboy, to evil, like biker gang leader Clay Morrow in “Sons of Anarchy.” That made many think he should play the older Conquest with a ferocious growl.

But that’s only one side of Perlman. In fact, his most memorable villain roles tend to be the calmer ones. Take Slade in “Teen Titans” — the show reimagined Deathstroke from a ferocious mercenary to a creepy master planner who hid in the shadows and never raised his voice. Taking an interest in Robin, and then the new Titan recruit Terra, Perlman’s Slade voice was like the purr of a lion eyeing prey.

Perlman used a similar voice as the Lich in “Adventure Time,” a dark wizard and the living embodiment of a nuclear apocalypse. The only difference is that, unlike Slade, the Lich would sometimes let loose an evil laugh so scary and powerful you’d feel like even the screen couldn’t hold it back from you. The quieter that a Perlman villain whispers, the more sinister he sounds, and you can’t hear even a trace of compassion.

There’s no question Perlman could have pulled off Conquest on par with Morgan, but I think his deep and smooth voice would be even better for Thragg. If there’s anyone on this list with a voice to match the power of J.K. Simmons as Thragg’s rival Nolan, it’s Perlman.

“Invincible” is streaming on Prime Video. Season 4 is expected to debut early in 2026.