How Blue Bolt From Jupiter's Legacy Should Have Really Looked
A live-action "Jupiter's Legacy" might have recently premiered on Netflix, but the TV series was based on a comic book series of the same name by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely. Fans of the comic quickly noticed numerous differences between the show and source material, including the story of Dr. Richard Conrad (played by David Julian Hirsh) — also known as Blue Bolt, even though that moniker is never spoken. While Richard's storyline on the TV show was a small one, giving away few details, the comic book's fans know he is a very important member of the story's six original heroes.
In the source material from Image Comics, Richard is a friend of Sheldon (played by Josh Duhamel) who agrees to accompany him after Sheldon experiences a vision of the island. On the Netflix show, the doctor is found in the ocean after a shipwreck by Sheldon and four of his friends on their expedition. The six of them then receive superpowers after navigating the dangerous island. Richard inherits super speed and strength, the ability to fly, and a "power rod" that allows him to teleport. He is one of the six founding members of the Union of Justice as shown in the past timeline, but the hero's costume looked a bit different on the show than it did in the comic.
The TV show left out elements of Blue Bolt's costume
In "Jupiter's Legacy" on Netflix, Richard's costume is represented by a blue and silver ensemble, but the comic book version of Blue Bolt is different. In Mark Millar and Frank Quitely's books, Blue Bolt's costume features white tights and gloves, a white emblem on his chest, and a blue headpiece that only exposes Richard's eyes, mouth, chin, and ears. In addition, the comic book character often has a blue tint to his hair.
While the character's role on the show was limited to a handful of appearances in the first season, it's likely he would have played a bigger part of the story if the series had gotten renewed. Richard's homosexuality played a key role in the comic book storyline, which was set in the 1930s, and even earned the character a spinoff series titled "Jupiter's Circle." As of this article's publication, Netflix has canceled the series, so fans may never get answers to several of the show's major cliffhangers.