Why Thaedus In Invincible Season 2 Episode 3 Sounds So Familiar To '80s Kids

This week on "Invincible" saw us break away from Earth's atmosphere and alone time with Mark (Steve Yeun) and Amber (Zazie Beetz) to catch up with our old Unopan pal, Allen the Alien (Seth Rogen). We got to see just what a day's work looks like for the super-stacked space alien and champion for the Coalition of Planets. While it didn't end that well (he's not dead, surely?), it did give us a greater view of the off-world goings-on and some of the key characters involved with them — specifically, the Coalition of Planets' top-bearded boss, Thaedus.

A man of great respect within the council Allen works for, Thaedus looks to be calling all the essential shots to keep the COP safe from the looming Viltrumite threat. It's a tough job that demands a strong presence. Who better to breathe life into that epic facial hair and stoic leader figure than Peter Cullen, a staple of '80s animation who has voiced a host of beloved characters and even an iconic movie monster?

Before "Dungeons & Dragons" gained more prominence in the public spotlight thanks to "Stranger Things" and Chris Pine playing the lute, the 1983 animated series of "Dungeons & Dragons" saw Peter Cullen pester a group of kids trapped in another dimension as the evil sorcerer, Venger. Riding around on a black steed with glowing red eyes and baring that one random horn as he cursed our heroes to the heavens, Venger really was borderline nightmare fuel that was only put to bed with the help of the welcoming aide, the Dungeon Master.

Interestingly, while he was feared by our heroes in the show, it was in the unaired finale that he had a chance at redemption. In the final cliffhanger episode of "Dungeons & Dragons," titled "Requiem," it was revealed that Venger was actually the Dungeon Master's son who was corrupted by dark magic. He even gave the kids the chance to get home finally. Thanks to some devoted fans who dared to roll the dice, the episode was actually completed using original music from the show, as well as original cast member Katie Leigh returning as Shelia. Cullen might've been absent, but his terrifying original tone can't ever be forgotten. 

For anyone running on a fresh batch of Energon cubes, it'll take only a few words from Peter Cullen to hear the unmistakable rasp of Optimus Prime from "Transformers." Taking on the title of leader of the Autobots in 1984, Cullen has been voicing the character for almost 40 years, with his latest stint as the Cybertronian-born brute in "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts." What's so impressive about his run at the character, however, is that it was actually inspired by Cullen's brother when he first tried for the part of Prime.

In an interview with Collider, Cullen recalled how he asked to bother his brother's car to get to the audition, inadvertently setting the wheels of Optimus Prime in motion. When Cullen explained that he'd be trying out for a heroic truck, his brother advised, "If you're gonna be a hero, be a real hero. Don't be one of those Hollywood pretenders; don't go yelling and screaming and pretending you're a tough guy. Be strong enough to be gentle.' And that hung in my brain." The rest, as they say, is history, with Peter Cullen nailing the part of Optimus by applying a straightforward tactic. "[I] drove home [and] said, 'Larry, it really went well, and I thank you.' He said, 'What for?' I said, 'I just impersonated you.' [Laughs] Three weeks later, I found out I got the job."

Besides helping the Autobots battle the Decepticons, Peter Cullen also spent some chill-out time in The 100 Acre Wood as Eeyore. Spending almost as much time being a semi-truck as a donkey with a stick-on tail, Cullen's last term as Eeyore was in 2017 in Disney's "Doc McStuffins." Incredibly, among Cullen's lengthy repertoire of work, while Optimus Prime still stands as the voice actor's favorite role, Eeyore is in a solid second place.

Speaking to NPR about his history with the part and where it ranked, Cullen admitted, "Optimus Prime, number one. He's my, above all, favorite. The second one was Eeyore. I enjoyed doing Eeyore because he was simply charming." The perks of the part came from the audience that he never got tired of entertaining, as Cullen revealed, "I get an awful lot of reactions from especially young kids when I come up and just say, 'hello, thanks for noticing me.' And to see their faces light up. That, to me, is one of the great joys." 

Well, there's something for Eeyore to be happy about, at least.

Besides bringing a down-in-the-dumps donkey to life, another role that Peter Cullen tried his hand at was a mouse that was prone to the occasional cheese attack in "Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers." As Monterey Jack, he voiced the Australian heavy of the beloved team with a spritely little sidekick named Zipper. Surprisingly, though, this was one of the few occasions Cullen had a character that ended up going to someone else after a short space of time.

Initially voicing the character in the first season of "Chip & Dale," Monterey Jack was passed over to Jim Cummings, a voice talent with just as much history in the recording booth as Cullen. It was in 2022, however, that the part was handed over to Hollywood star Eric Bana in the feature-length legacy sequel, "Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers," which saw the two titular heroes get back together to rescue Jack and be reunited with him one last time. Stripe me starkers, that mouse sure can get around.

While it might be one of his roles that had the least bit of dialog, there's no doubt that Peter Cullen playing the titular creature in "The Predator" might be one of the coolest entries in his career that doesn't involve him saying the word "transform" repeatedly. It also led him to create one of the most iconic sound effects for an alien in cinema history, which was initially met with some issues given that Cullen wasn't even allowed to see the creature.

Speaking at TFcon Toronto (via YouTube), Cullen recalled how he was initially not allowed to see Space Hunter, but after getting a glimpse at the ugly you-know-what from the franchise, it led to his lightbulb moment. Seeing the pivotal moment when The Predator removes its helmet, Cullen said, "It reminded me of an upside-down horseshoe crab dying in the sun on a beach when I was a kid. Nasty, but from that horseshoe crab was coming all these crackling sounds, bubbles coming out that were bursting, you know, I could remember it." From there, Cullen and the jungle's lethal killer just clicked, making for one of the most identifiable bits of audio ever to cross Arnie's path and our eardrums.