Jupiter’s Legacy – Picture: Netflix
Millarworld has officially kicked off on Netflix with the release of Jupiter’s Legacy and while there’s a lot to look forward to from the Millarworld universe in the future, will we be heading back with Utopian and the gang for season 2? The answer to that question looks like no as Netflix is not moving forward with season 2 but isn’t ruling out returning to the franchise.
Early reviews suggest the show is getting off to a relatively mixed start which shouldn’t be all too surprising given that it was negatively affected by the pandemic. A change in showrunner and some reshoots which happened earlier this year made for a rather messy and inconsistent first season.
With that said, the 8-episode superhero series is out now and if you’re all done, let’s dig into season 2.
Has Netflix renewed Jupiter’s Legacy for season 2?
Official renewal status: Not moving forward (Last updated: 06/02/2021)
In the week leading up to the release of Jupiter’s Legacy season 1 we put out a report saying that the show has been given a renewal based on the comments of Mark Millar to the Scottish publication, Herald Scotland.
Speaking about the future of Millarworld on Netflix, Millar said: “Next year, there will be Jupiter season two. There will be The Magic Order, a horror show, and a big spy project,”
That told us that season 2 was planned for next year (whether that meant to be released or just in production is unclear); however, that turns out not to be the case. As we were corrected soon after publishing that post, it simply is the current intention for the show, assuming it gets a renewal; however, that is no longer the plan with the series effectively canceled.
Millar was hopeful in interviews in the days leading up to the release, saying:
“Season 2 is up to the audience. We don’t want to get too cocky. All I see is we’re going into this incredibly bullish. We feel great about it. I’ve watched, even over Covid, I sat in edits every day pretty much and I never tire of it. So, fingers crossed people love it as much as we do.”
Picture: Netflix
Despite doing relatively well on Netflix’s top 10 lists (although it fell out of the global top 50 on May 29th), we got word on June 2nd that the show would not be returning in its current form for season 2.
In a carefully worded exclusive on Deadline, Nellie Andreeva saying “Jupiter’s Legacy will not continue as an ongoing series” adding that “the streamer has opted to let [go] the high-profile cast”. That means the cast is free to pursue other projects with the show effectively on ice or canceled for the foreseeable. With a major cast like this, having them aligned for a return in the future seems to be unlikely.
Millar followed up with a statement saying: “We’re confident we’ll return to it later,” which can be found on Twitter. Although there’s lots of crossover potential for all of Millarworld’s properties in the future, this does mean that Jupiter’s Legacy as a standalone project is over but doesn’t mean we won’t see the return of the characters.
Some big news from us on what's coming up next in live-action from Millarworld, peeps! pic.twitter.com/usEuwVNHei
— Millarworld (@mrmarkmillar) June 2, 2021
This cancelation was probably not completely a surprise, but regardless, it is a disappointing start for Millarworld on Netflix.
What we expected from Jupiter’s Legacy Season 2
Warning: spoilers for the end of season 1 of Jupiter’s Legacy are below.
Although the series roughly follows the comics, using them as an exact guide isn’t particularly useful, given the show deviates wildly in many of the modern storylines.
Brandon, for instance, in the comics, leads a similar life to Chloe (ie, celebrity endorsements and living the high life) but doesn’t in the show. The comics also switch between 2013 and 2020 whereas the show only sticks to two timelines.
So, while we could speculate about some of the beats that could transition to the show from the comics, it’d be far better to speculate where the show heads next based on the events of the final episode.
In which case, we’ve just learned that Brainwave is behind much of the modern-day troubles the heroes face with him trying to take over The Union and was behind the cloning of Blackstar. He clearly has high ambitions, given he eventually kills his own daughter to progress his agenda.
Season 1 didn’t do enough, in our view anyway, to really tell us what happened to Blue Bolt and Skyfox so hopefully, their breakaway from The Union is a little more fleshed out in season 2.
With much of season 1 focusing on the origin of the original founding members of The Union with the kids mostly taking a back seat, we’re expecting the emphasis to shift storywise onto the kids in season 2. Hutch and Chloe are on a mission to find Hutch’s father, Bluefox. Brandon (Paragon) has seemingly patched his relationship with his father after having issues with the code but clearly has a strong relationship with Brainwave.
Where each of the three kids will ultimately fall (good or bad) is still up in the air, and the comics tell us that we should expect the unexpected on this front.
What’s next from Millarworld on Netflix?
There’s a whole host of upcoming Millarworld movies and TV shows in development outside of Jupiter’s Legacy.
Elsewhere, Mark Millar has also revealed:
- The next several years for Millarworld on Netflix are already mapped out with Millar saying: “We’ve got the next three of four years planned out. And that’s just the television side”
- Millar compares his role to Kevin Feige’s
- Millar is signed up to work on projects for “good few years” and plans to build out “20 franchises”
- In the previously mentioned Deadline article, it announced a live-action spin-off for Supercrooks which is getting an anime series later in 2021.
In the meantime, we suggest you pick up copies of Jupiter’s Legacy and spin-off Jupiter’s Circle as they’re excellent source material and it’s interesting to compare and contrast the show’s story to the original.
Now tell us what you think. Did you want to see season 2 of Jupiter’s Legacy? Let us know in the comments.
