Jupiter's Legacy: How Powerful The Utopian Is Compared To Superman
Sheldon Sampson a.k.a. The Utopian is the world's most powerful superhero in Jupiter's Legacy, but how do his powers compare to Superman's? Based on the comics by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, Jupiter's Legacy was adapted into a TV show for Netflix by Steven S. DeKnight and stars Josh Duhamel, Leslie Bibb, and Ben Daniels.
Jupiter's Legacy season 1 is split into two stories: one set in 1929, which reveals how The Utopian and the other members of the Union of Justice got their superpowers; the other set in the present day, as the children of the original superheroes struggle to maintain their parents' code of honor against an increasingly violent lineup of supervillains. Sheldon's daughter Chloe has rejected her legacy entirely and is leading a life as a drug-fuelled party girl and model, and his son Brandon is desperately trying to prove he has what it takes to be the next Utopian. The premise of Jupiter's Legacy, as summarized by Millar, is "What if Superman was your dad?" - and the two comic book superheroes certainly have a lot in common.
The Utopian's powers are fundamentally similar to Superman's: he has super-strength, super-speed, super-durability, can fly into space and shoot lasers out of his eyes. He also has extremely enhanced senses that allow him to hear disasters happening halfway around the planet, or a comet approaching Earth from space. In the modern storyline of Jupiter's Legacy Sheldon is 120 years old and his powers no longer seem to be in their prime, with Brandon starting to overtake his father in terms of sheer brute strength (though he hasn't managed to unlock his laser vision yet). But even when Sheldon was at his strongest, his powers seem to be considerable weaker than Superman's.
Where The Utopian really falters against Superman is his durability. Clark Kent's Kryptonian physiology makes him effectively invincible, to the point that he can survive the close proximity explosion of a nuclear bomb (though he does need a timeout and a dose of sunlight to recover). In his two battles with Blackstar in Jupiter's Legacy season 1, The Utopian survives blows that would have killed an ordinary man but nonetheless ends up bruised and bleeding from Blackstar's punches, so he's clearly not invulnerable in the same way Superman is. That being said, Superman can be severely weakened by Kryptonite, whereas The Utopian doesn't have any known equivalent.
In terms of sheer strength, Superman's abilities vary from one portrayal to the next, but on the whole he seems to outstrip The Utopian in this category as well. In one scene in Jupiter's Legacy season 1 Sheldon is seen dragging a large plough through his farmland - an incredible feat, certainly, but also something that leaves him straining and near the limits of his strength. He also gets beaten fairly easily by Blackstar in the episode 1 fight, even with the help of other members of the Union.
Finally, there's strength of character. Both Superman and The Utopian have convictions against killing, though Superman's are less formal and more driven by his inherently good nature, whereas The Utopian's are driven by his rigid adherence to the Code - a set of rules, checks and balances he created to keep superheroes in line. Superman has nonetheless killed his enemies on several occasions, including his controversial killing of Zod at the end of Man of Steel, which he did to prevent Zod from murdering a family. Jupiter's Legacy season 1 also sees The Utopian pushed to the verge of breaking his precious Code to save the life of a loved one, though he's spared from actually going through with the killing.
Overall, The Utopian can't measure up to Superman in terms of his basic strength and durability stats - but then again, neither could Batman, and he still managed to defeat the Man of Steel with the help of an exoskeleton and a little Kryptonite in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. The more likely reason that The Utopian would never beat Superman in a fight is that the two of them probably never would fight. The Utopian was designed in Superman's image, so if they ever met they'd probably just end up being great friends.
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