Jupiter’s Legacy Season 1 Ending Explained

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Jupiter’s Legacy season 1.

Jupiter’s Legacy wrapped up season 1 with a cliffhanger, a few major reveals, and a surprising death. The series, which is based on the comic book by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, establishes a sprawling world filled with intriguing characters, multigenerational storytelling, and conflicts that center the superheroes in their interactions with the world at large. 

The Union of Justice was not in a great place by the end of Jupiter’s Legacy season 1. Grace (aka, Lady Liberty) was starting to doubt the code — which stipulated first and foremost that no Union member could kill — as was her and Sheldon Sampson’s (aka, The Utopian) son Brandon. Walter Sampson (aka, Brainwave) was up to no good. Not only did he plan to break up the Union to establish his own policies and vision, but he killed his daughter Raikou to make sure no one got in his way. His actions were brutal and that’s an understatement. 

Of course, there was a whole lot more going on in the season 1 finale of Jupiter’s Legacy and much of it sets up the future of the show (which hasn’t officially been renewed for season 2 yet). Will Brandon become The Utopian’s enemy? Will Walter succeed in breaking up the Union for good? Will Hutch find Skyfox? With so much plot and character developments bubbling to the surface, there is much to explore. Here’s an explainer breaking down every major thing that happened in the season 1 finale.

Walter Twist & Blackstar Clone Explained

The fact that Walter Sampson was the big bad all along was quite shocking. While he and Sheldon weren’t always on the same page, that he would betray his brother completely was quite the twist. Throughout Jupiter’s Legacy season 1, Brandon’s murder of Blackstar’s clone plagued the Union. However, it’s exactly what Walter planned all along. He knowingly created the clone to distract from his scheming and to pit the Utopian against Brandon and the Union against Skyfox once more. Divide and conquer was essentially what Walter was going for. He knew the Union would attempt to get to the bottom of who created the clone, which would lead them to send Walter into the villain’s mind. 

Additionally, Walter brought Skyfox into the clone’s mind, engaging him in battle that Grace later joined. Unbeknownst to Skyfox, Walter was using him so that he could pin the blame on his old teammate and thereafter lie to Grace about Skyfox’s vision for the future. Can’t have anyone thinking Walter is the bad guy after all this time. The setup was clever and only worked because Brainwave knew his brother and teammates so well. This distraction gave Brainwave time to further the wedge between The Utopian and Brandon, whose relationship was already strained. Walter knew that breaking the real Blackstar out of prison would be the final straw for Sheldon and Brandon, who was being primed as the next leader of the Union. 

What Walter’s Villain Plan Is

Walter Sampson has long lived in the shadow of his brother Sheldon, someone others listened to and whose advice they heeded. Walter’s bitterness towards his brother didn’t crop up after the Union got their powers in the 1930s, though. It was something that was brewing between them like a storm for far longer. Attaining their powers only exacerbated Walter’s negative feelings toward Sheldon. Ultimately, Brainwave wanted to overthrow Sheldon as the leader of the Union, throw away the strict moral code governing their actions, and implement his own rules regarding how the Union can improve the world. 

Walter also wants to put a wedge between Sheldon and Brandon in Jupiter’s Legacy season 1, which would effectively split the Union apart from the inside. Walter doesn’t want to sit on the sidelines or just protect humanity; he wants to use his power to lead, to meddle in affairs that go well beyond their current roles. Walter thinks they could and should do better and the only person standing in the way of progress is Sheldon and his code. While the team was busy with Walter’s foray into the clone’s mind, Walter let the real Blackstar go, effectively ensuring the rift between father and son would hold. Blaming Skyfox, who was already considered a villain who held a grudge against Brainwave, was simply the icing on top of the cake. 

How The Union Got Their Powers Explained

Following his dad’s funeral, Sheldon begins hearing and seeing visions of his dead father and of the future — the six founding members of the Union seated together at the table in suits and capes. These visions ultimately see Sheldon recruiting Walter, George, Grace, Fitz, and Richard to drop their lives and head to a remote and mysterious island in search for answers. The implication is that the group must work together to attain the powers they have in the future, with the island essentially designed to break them apart to test them. They argue and struggle to survive the island’s brutal conditions. 

Their responsibilities, however, were to work together as a united front, which effectively proved their worth to the mysterious aliens of the island. The aliens don’t seem to care whether they live or die, waiting for whether they’ll pass the test or not. Many came before and failed to acquire powers, dying before they could get them. Once completing the “ordeal” set forth by aliens, the six emerge through a portal to another planet where they are gifted superpowers and new suits to go along with them, each of which is etched with a specific design. The team’s trial culminates with each member seeing a loved one, solidifying their worthiness and futures as superheroes. The island itself remains an enigma. 

Would Utopian Have Broken The Code To Save Brandon?

The Utopian is the most loyal to the Union’s code, which makes sense since he was the one who implemented the rules and expected everyone else to follow them. Anyone who chooses to debate him over the code ends up in a heated argument, since the the code was set up to ensure the Union never robs the people of their free will. While Sheldon spends most of Jupiter’s Legacy season 1 upset about Brandon killing Blackstar, the Utopian does come very close to killing the villain in the second round battle (with the real version of Blackstar) and breaking his own code. However, the fight is interrupted before Sheldon could use his heat vision on Blackstar. He reveals he wouldn’t have let Brandon die and his words at the moment seemed genuine and true, though he hesitated. 

Between the code and his family, Sheldon probably would’ve chosen Brandon over Blackstar in the end, however, especially since he was gearing up to use his heat vision on the villain. It’s hard to imagine Sheldon would have gone against the very code he went to such great lengths to uphold for nearly a century. However, his kids were never in harm’s way the way Brandon obviously was in the season 1 finale. What’s more, the moment of Sheldon nearly breaking the Union’s code comes directly after his confrontation with Grace about the code holding Brandon, Chloe, and the new generation of superheroes back. Prior to this particular conversation, the Utopian was a lot less lenient about it, but it seems that’s changed. 

Skyfox & Richard’s Whereabouts In Jupiter’s Legacy

Skyfox has been missing for a long time, with his disappearance presumably happening at some point after his falling out with the Union of Justice 40 years prior. Skyfox finally appears in the present day inside the mind of Blackstar’s clone, where he battles Brainwave. There’s a sense of betrayal in their heated exchange and it seems Skyfox may have been framed for his turn against the Union. Knowing Brainwave created Blackstar’s clone, it’s likely Skyfox was called to meet with him inside the villain’s mind so that Walter could blame Skyfox for the whole thing. 

It’s unlikely Skyfox was inside Blackstar’s mind for that long and his true whereabouts remain unknown. Jupiter’s Legacy teases that Hutch will find Skyfox in a potential season 2, so fans will have to wait and see where Skyfox will emerge in the present day. Richard is more of the enigma of the six founding Union members. In the season 1 finale, he’s seen for a final time with the group after getting their powers in the past. However, he’s completely absent in the present day and it’s unclear where he is — that is, assuming he’s still alive. 

How Jupiter’s Legacy’s Ending Sets Up Season 2

Jupiter’s Legacy’s season 1 finale reveals most everything about Walter’s plan, which essentially sets up the crux of the story for season 2. With The Utopian now worried that he could lose Brandon the same way he lost Chloe, Walter is holding all of the cards in his hands. He’s now successfully manipulated not just his brother, but all of his teammates in the Union of Justice. No one knows he’s behind Blackstar’s clone and Walter has killed the only person — daughter Raikou — who knows about his schemes. With Walter putting his chess pieces in their final position by the end of the season 1 finale, it confirms Walter will be Jupiter’s Legacy season 2’s primary villain. 

He’s more than ready to go all-out with his plans and has already gone so far as to point the blame of season 1’s events on Skyfox, which will keep the Union distracted and keeps him in the clear for a while. Brainwave’s next steps will probably include recruiting Brandon, who’s disillusioned about the Union’s rules and sounded very unconvinced that his dad would have actually saved him. Elsewhere, Hutch has the final device needed to find Skyfox and that could set up a future confrontation between the absent villain and his former teammates. 

Biggest Comic Differences In Jupiter’s Legacy Season 1’s Ending

Jupiter’s Legacy season 1 ends with hints that the superhero series is only just getting started. However, certain things play out differently in the comics. While Chloe and Hutch have only just begun their relationship on the show and end in a place where it’s clear they’ll be working together in future, the comics see Chloe and Hutch already dating, with Chloe pregnant with the couple’s first child and the couple on the run. Walter is still working on his evil plan in secret in the series, but he is more openly pushing the new generation of superheroes and his teammates to overthrow The Utopian as leader in the comics. 

What’s more, it isn’t until the season 1 finale that Brandon begins to truly distrust his father and becomes disillusioned with the Union, whereas he’s already at that point in the comics’ timeline. Raikou’s death in the series is also very different from what happens to her in the comics. Walter kills her in the season 1 finale of Jupiter’s Legacy after she uncovers his plans for The Utopian and the Union’s future. However, in the comics, she’s still very much alive. Blackstar also has a much bigger role to play in the show than he does in the comics (where he’s only a minor villain), which changes the trajectory of Jupiter’s Legacy and its characters. 

About The Author

Mae Abdulbaki
(1078 Articles Published)

Mae Abdulbaki is a movie reviews editor with Screen Rant. She previously wrote about a variety of movies and TV shows for Inverse, CinemaBlend, Pajiba, and The Young Folks, where she wrote reviews, features, news pieces. Her other work can be found at The Mary Sue, Film School Rejects, UPROXX, Heroic Hollywood, Looper, The List, and Bam Smack Pow, among others. Mae has also appeared on television segments, podcasts, and panels to discuss all things entertainment.

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