Netflix may have lost Marvel, but its superhero aspirations are still strong. While it’s delivered a few super-powered movies recently, its first big superhero show will be Jupiter’s Legacy, based on Mark Millar’s comic book, and it will be the kick-off of an entire Millarworld universe on the streamer after Netflix bought the rights to nearly all his comics. This Jupiter’s Legacy first look video shares artwork by Frank Quitely morphing into the live-action series and gives fans their first look at the plethora of heroes and villains appearing in the show.
The show tells a kind of superhero coming-of-age story, featuring an aging cast of superheroes attempting to hand their legacy down to their children, who are struggling to fill their parents’ shoes. In the Jupiter’s Legacy first look video, the first image we see villain Blackstar (Tyler Mane) seemingly struggling free from a police escort. That’s followed by images of Hutch (Ian Quinlan), son of one of the world’s greatest supervillains, punching people and Chloe Sampson (Elena Kampouris), daughter of the world’s greatest superheroes, looking at something serious. Then it’s a jump back in time to see a young Sheldon Sampson (Josh Duhamel) in 1929 before a shot of his future son, Paragon / Brandon Sampson (Andrew Horton), pops up. Finally, we get the old-folks team shot as Lady Liberty / Grace Sampson (Leslie Bibb), The Utopian / Sheldon Sampson (Duhamel), and Brainwave / Walter Sampson (Ben Daniels) stand together looking like they’re about to do some serious superhero stuff. There’s plenty of other hidden stuff in there for fans to pick out as well.
The official synopsis for the show reads: “After nearly a century of keeping mankind safe, the world’s first generation of superheroes must look to their children to continue the legacy. But tensions rise as the young superheroes, hungry to prove their worth, struggle to live up to their parents’ legendary public reputations — and exacting personal standards.”
Mark Millar’s comics give Netflix a low-key powerhouse stable of superheroes and great stories to work with. While Millarworld doesn’t have the clout or recognition of Marvel or DC characters, shows like The Boys show that less mainstream comics can deliver just as much success.
Jupiter’s Legacy will land on May 7, 2021.
