WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Jupiter's Legacy Season 1, which is available now on Netflix.

Jupiter's Legacy makes massive departures from its source material, but the one that eats up most of its runtime is the addition of flashbacks that tell how the Union got their powers. The original comic opened with a similar story, however, that origin is massively expanded and changed in the show. Instead of being a simple voyage to a mysterious island in the middle of nowhere, Sheldon and his friends embark on an odyssey, a perilous journey that pits them against each other and nearly claims several of their lives. These scenes are balanced evenly against the "real" story taking place in the present, to the point that it's hard to tell which should be given more weight.

This massive expansion necessitates plenty of changes to the island, which is barely a footnote in the comic. Sheldon, his brother and his college friends (several of whom aren't even named) travel to the island and uncover a door leading into a mysterious desert plane. There, they're met there by two aliens, who give them powers that make them superheroes. It's fairly straightforward, and there's no conflict or obstacles to overcome. In fact, there's no specific reason there even needs to be an island at all. The members of the Union could have magically woken up one day with superpowers, and it would have made little difference.

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Six figures stepping through a massive portal onto the surface of an alien world

It feels like the show's writer asked that same question about the island and came back with a far more satisfactory answer. It's a gauntlet, a crucible through which the Union of Justice must pass to prove themselves worthy of the gifts they receive. As such, even the journey to the island is strenuous, with Sheldon only starting to receive visions after his father commits suicide. He initially thinks he's going crazy and treks across America to find a windmill he sees in those visions. The farm with the windmill gives him another vision, this time with an image of his five companions and the coordinates he needs to sail to.

Arranging all six members is yet another difficulty. As the group is sailing, they're assaulted by a perilous thunderstorm, which they must sail straight through to reach the island. That's where their problems get even worse. The island's harsh conditions widen the already-existing rifts between Sheldon and his brother Walter and between Walter and George. The island's geography is abnormal, with natural chasms that form giant patterns reminiscent of Nazca Lines. It only gets stranger when they try to turn back, and fully-grown trees erupt from the Earth to bar their way.

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Chasms on the surface of an island that form strange, jagged patterns

Forced to carry onward, the six explorers continue deeper into the caves at the island's center, eventually finding themselves in a massive chamber filled with the remains of past voyages. With no clear way forward, they lapse into infighting, only saved when Grace speaks up and points out how all the previous groups killed each other. Setting aside their differences, they all touch the cavern wall and open a gate to what looks like one of Jupiter's moons, a massive and unearthly desert with a writhing maelstrom of iridescent color at its center. They're welcomed there by aliens, disguised as projections of their dead loved ones. The group is told by these projections that they are worthy of the powers they soon receive.

The island in the original Jupiter's Legacy is a contrivance, offering up a simple and straightforward explanation for how its heroes received their powers. The island in the Netflix adaptation is just one part of a greater journey, which tries to explain to the audience why its heroes deserve the powers they receive in the first place. Sheldon's journey across America puts him in touch with the people he needs to serve. The voyage across the Atlantic is a test of faith, requiring the six travelers to sail into immense peril with only the strength of their beliefs. The island itself is a test of unity, requiring all of them to set aside their differences. It's only by working together they become who they were truly meant to be -- The Union of Justice.

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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