How The Flare From Jupiter's Legacy Should Have Really Looked

Old superheroes are inching toward retirement age in Netflix's "Jupiter's Legacy," but it doesn't necessarily mean that they're getting much weaker. Though heroes like the Utopian (Josh Duhamel), Brainwave (Ben Daniels), and Lady Liberty (Leslie Bibb) are all greying, they're still perfectly capable of doing their job — though the show makes clear that they're slowly making way to a newer generation. 

There are few things that can put down a first-generation superhero in the "Jupiter's Legacy" universe. However, as Fitz Small (Mike Wade) — aka The Flare — experienced at some point between the show's past and present timelines, it's still very much possible. He's now confined in a wheelchair, and acts in a support role while his similarly powered daughter, Petra (Tenika Davis), has taken up his mantle as the Flare II. 

The two Flares' relationship is arguably the healthiest of the show's several superpowered parent-child dynamics, but how well does it capture artist Frank Quitely and writer Mark Millar's original vision of the character? Let's take a look at how the Flare from "Jupiter's Legacy" should have really looked.

The comic book version of the Flare shares a few general characteristics with the Netflix one, but the two are also markedly different. In the comics, Fitz is also a powerful superhero who has a yellow uniform, and who eventually suffers a grievous injury. However, this version of the Flare is a white man whose costume is a simple bodysuit that lacks the accents, details and angular design of the live-action version. 

The character's backstory is explored with great detail in the "Jupiter's Legacy" prequel comic, "Jupiter's Circle." Unfortunately, the comic book Flare turns out to be a considerably less chivalrous character than, say, the Utopian. While the Netflix show portrays Fitz as a sympathetic mentor type who worries about his daughter, this version cheats on his long-suffering wife with his own, young sidekick, to the great and vocal disapproval of his fellow superheroes. In the end, he loses everything he has before he gains a measure of redemption. 

Because Season 1 of "Jupiter's Legacy" bombed on Netflix and essentially destroyed the possibility of further seasons, we may never find out whether Wade's likable live-action version of the Flare would have retained some of these elements.