What Only Comic Fans Know About Raikou's Death In Jupiter's Legacy
Contains spoilers for Netflix's "Jupiter's Legacy" and the "Jupiter's Legacy" comics
With a slew of superhero-based films and shows still dominating much of pop culture, Netflix's "Jupiter's Legacy" is a refreshing take on the genre. That's thanks in large part to the source material, which pulled from the Image Comics Millarworld line of comic books instead of well-known characters from the Marvel or DC Universe. It also doesn't hurt that "Jupiter's Legacy" definitely doesn't skimp on spectacular super-combat. But on top of the incredible fights, the series also offers up a unique battle of beliefs and ideals between generations.
"Jupiter's Legacy" centers on the first generation of superheroes and the looming legacy their super-powered children struggle to deal with. The series mostly follows Mark Millar and Frank Quitely's comics closely, but there were a few instances where Netflix's version differs significantly — especially concerning the psychic assassin Raikou Sampson (Anna Akana). During the final episode of Season 1, Raikou is dealt a grizzly end thanks to her father Walter Sampson, aka Brain-Wave (Ben Daniels). By contrast, in the comics, Raikou isn't quite murdered in cold blood — although given what happens to her, she's still anything but comfortable.
In the comics, Raikou's mind is trapped in a psychic construct
In Netflix's "Jupiter's Legacy," Raikou discovers Walter's scheme for the Utopian and the Union. She then decides to try to blackmail him over what she knows, but this proves to be a fatal mistake. Like her father, Raikou has incredible psychic abilities, but Walter makes it known that the two are still on different levels, as their final conversation is ultimately nothing but a mental construct created by the elder psychic. Walter kills Raikou inside the construct, then murders her in the real world.
In "Jupiter's Legacy Vol. 2" #2, Raikou is still ultimately brought down — but not by her father. In the issue, the former super criminal Repro has been busted out and is tasked with using his ability of power mimicry to take Raikou's psychic powers. He does just that by mentally incapacitating her after trapping her mind in a psychic construct. The comic implies that Raikou is left alive, but in a coma-like status.
Raikou's appearance in the Netflix series was already a shock since she doesn't appear in the comics until much later. Her surprising death seemed final in the show, but if we've learned anything from comic books, death is rarely ever the end for a character.