The New Netflix series Jupiter’s Legacy is based on the graphic novels by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely. It is a superhero drama that spans decades and navigates the complex dynamics of family, power, and loyalty. The show also explores the complexities of policing and what happens when the old way of doing things isn’t working anymore.
The show comes from executive producers Mark Millar, Frank Quitely, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, Dan McDermott, Steven S. DeKnight, James Middleton, Sang Kyu Kim. Jupiter’s Legacy stars Josh Duhamel, Leslie Bibb, Ben Daniels, Elena Kampouris, Andrew Horton, Mike Wade, Matt Lanter, and Ian Quinlan.
When the old ways don’t work anymore
The premise of the show is that after nearly a century of keeping mankind safe, the world’s first generation of superheroes must look to their children to continue the legacy. However, tensions rise as the young superheroes aren’t living up to the ideals of their parents. They are dealing with world problems that are more complex and nuanced than the issues their parents dealt with. The world is getting more technologically advanced and the villains crueler.
The show goes back and forth between the 1930s and the modern day. Making the original heroes of the show over 100 years old and their children, the next generation of heroes, in their mid to late 20s. The flashbacks explore the reason that the first generation of heroes, mainly Sheldon aka “The Utopian” (Josh Duhamel), holds on so tightly to his moral code of never killing anyone, even the bad guys who really deserve it. He pushes through the belief that there is always another way: the moral high ground comes above all else.
His children and the children of his allies and enemies explore and put that moral code to the test. The show looks at the different costs of always trying to do the right thing and the ideas that popular opinions may not always be what is right, and vice versa. There are even discussions on whether or not superheroes should hold office and at what point is policing violating a person’s free will.
Matt Lanter and Josh Duhamel shine in Jupiter’s Legacy
Matt Lanter’s and Josh Duhamel’s acting shine in the 1930s era flashbacks of the show. Not only do they look like they belong in that era, Lanter especially, but that is when most of their best performances take place. Duhamel’s journey takes him through a variety of acting ranges, from dutiful and loving son, fiancé and friend, to a man in pain and struggling with the demons in his mind. The looks across Lanter’s facial expressions tell so much with even just a glance.
Jupiter’s Legacy works for streaming services
The show’s pacing works for streaming services like Netflix because you have the benefit of getting to the next episode quickly. I don’t think this is a show that may have survived with a weekly distribution. Without context, it’s not immediately clear what the show is about. Also, the build-up to the premise of the show and the lessons it teaches get complicated.
At first watch, you might think that it is a show about the children in a superhero family trying to live up to their parent’s expectations. It is equally the origin story of their parents as well. At the same time, it is about the betrayals among friends and the journey of their enemies. It is a lot for the first season and its finale leaves us with more questions than answers.
But the moral complexities and the conversations around how to be good superheroes in a changing world are the best part of the show. The discussions around those gray areas and the examination of why we hold on to the old way of doing things are worth exploring not only in real life but in our fantasy shows.
Jupiter’s Legacy is available today, May 7th to stream on Netflix.
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