WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 1 of Jupiter’s Legacy, now streaming on Netflix.
In Netflix’s Jupiter’s Legacy, Sheldon aka the Utopian, has a hard time coming to grips with the evolution of the Union, his family and what younger superheroes need. He’s punishing his son, Brandon/Paragon, for most of the season for killing Blackstar in battle, as he didn’t want them breaking the no-kill rule he’s set down with the Code. As a result of the ensuing tension, he attends a few therapy sessions with a mysterious individual, and as the season ends, it expands his relationship with a unique villain from the books.
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The therapist dissects Sheldon not being able to let go of the past, sticking to an archaic set of rules that really hasn’t progressed with the times. He reveals that this ties into the Utopian’s ego, as he wants people to remember him when they do good. It’s his way of staying immortal even after he’s gone, but the therapist realizes it’s still coming from a good place, as he wants to protect their integrity.
The kicker is the person listening and dispensing advice is actually Jack Hobbs, a villain Sheldon fought years ago. As Sheldon gets up following a knock on the door, he heads out, passing a newspaper clipping about Jack’s arrest on the wall. As the door opens, audiences see the Supermax prison, confirming the room was a cell all this time. The session takes a toll on Jack, but it’s left vague if he wants revenge or is genuinely interested in helping the hero.
Meanwhile in the comics, Jack created a weapon that stole the Union’s powers and tossed them into an antimatter dimension. They were rescued by George/Skyfox, and Jack went to prison. He would then become Sheldon’s therapist in Jupiter’s Circle Vol. 2, a prequel about Sheldon’s past, helping him figure out what he wanted to do in life. Jack would also seek to end cancer and such with his genius.
The Utopian would eventually spend his fortune giving kids Christmas gifts as Jack helped him realize that, despite offers from the elite for his DNA, Utopian’s real legacy was kindness. The show gets more cerebral and digs into the guilt Sheldon’s feeling after his dad’s suicide. Jack helps Sheldon realize the Code is also to ensure he and other heroes don’t become corrupt like Chester, who used the family’s steel company, swindled workers and lost it all during the 1929 Wall Street Crash.
In that sense, Jack’s a moral compass and a confidant who tells Sheldon the things his wife, Grace, and brother, Walter, are too afraid to say. He moves from being a Lex Luthor-type figure to someone who breaks through and plants the first seed for Utopian to listen to Brandon and realize he was abandoning his family and the Union by being so stubborn.
Netflix’s Jupiter’s Legacy stars Josh Duhamel as The Utopian, Ben Daniels as Brainwave, Leslie Bibb as Lady Liberty, Elena Kampouris as Chloe Sampson, Andrew Horton as Brandon Sampson, Mike Wade as The Flare, Anna Akana as Raikou and Matt Lanter as Skyfox. Season 1 is available on Netflix now.
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