The enormous popularity of Marvel and DC has helped other lesser-known superhero comics get adapted to the screen. The past couple of months, for instance, have seen Image Comics take their moment in the spotlight, as just recently, Amazon Prime released the Invincible animated series and, this Friday, Netflix has premiered Jupiter’s Legacy, based on the original comic books by Mark Millar and Frank Quietly.
If you’ve already binged Invincible and are craving more intergenerational superhero drama, then Jupiter’s Legacy is definitely for you. It follows Sheldon Sampson AKA The Utopian (Josh Duhamel), a Superman analogue, and his wife Grace AKA Lady Liberty (Leslie Bibb), the world’s first superheroes – who gained their powers during the Great Depression – and the leaders of the Union of Justice super team. That’s a lot for the couple’s kids – Brandon (Andrew Horton), who wants to follow in his dad’s footsteps, and the rebellious Chloe (Elena Kampouris) – to live up to.
The high-octane series follows the Sampson family in the present, as well as flashing back to the 1920s to explore the origins of the first generation of supers, effectively blending multiple story arcs from the comics together. Remember, this is just the opening salvo of Netflix’s ambitious plans to bring the so-called Millarworld universe to the screen, as the streamer purchased the rights to the comic book creator’s works for a cool $25 million back in 2017.
Those who are expecting another Kick-Ass or Kingsman should be aware that Jupiter’s Legacy is much more straight-faced than those two properties, and is less of a spoof of the superhero genre than a respectful homage to the mainstream Marvel and DC franchises. It’s pretty mature, but is also not as adult-oriented as something like The Boys. If you like the sounds of that, make sure to catch all eight episodes of the show’s first season on Netflix when you can.