Invincible vs The Boys vs Jupiter’s Legacy: 3 Super Series, 1 Showdown

Three deviant superhero series: Invincible vs The Boys vs Jupiter’s Legacy.

One movie reviewer.

The biggest showdown of the century.

I watched the first season only of three novel superhero series: Invincible, The Boys, and Jupiter’s Legacy. There’s so much to compare and contrast concerning these three shows so with no further ado – let’s get into it!

Series Overviews

Invincible

Invincible is an Amazon Prime hidden gem. A superhero animation based on a comic book, the story involves a superhero dad with secrets and a newly empowered son discovering his dad is not who he thought he was.

The Boys

The next series is another highly recommended superhero series from Amazon Prime, The Boys.

The Boys is about a superhero group that politicizes the superhero genre. It takes the righteousness that is usually bestowed upon superheroes and flips it on its head.

Jupiter’s Legacy

The third superhero series is a Netflix original called Jupiter’s Legacy. I saw promos beforehand and determined that I had zero expectations for this show. And let me just tell you, Jupiter’s Legacy really lived up to the lack of expectations.

Jupiter’s Legacy is about a superhero team that tries to train up their superhero children to live by an upright code although the righteousness of the code is questionable.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s break down different elements of the three superhero series and compare, shall we?

Round 1: Visuals

Invincible

The first thing I noticed about Invincible was the animation style. The stiff movements felt a bit like anime. It felt a bit retro in a good way though. And the colors were so pleasantly vibrant.

The Boys

The Boys was grungy and very gory. I had to squint through several scenes. There were very graphic visuals and I felt like there was just a dark cloud covering the whole atmosphere of the show.

Jupiter’s Legacy

Jupiter’s Legacy was like, ok.

Winner: INVINCIBLE

Round 2: Costumes

Invincible

Invincible looked immaculate. Everyone’s body was on point and the costumes were snatched, skin tight. Makes sense because it’s animation. You can draw people to perfection rather than have to rely on perfect people who never skip a day in the gym.

The Boys

The Boys had the cheapest-looking costumes. The Deep’s costume most especially just looked like a Halloween get-up to me but Homelander’s costume looked the most expensive. You got to do the best with what you got.

Jupiter’s Legacy

Jupiter’s Legacy was alright. Some costumes looked a bit bulky. The body shapes were definitely manufactured.

Winner: INVINCIBLE

Round 3: Fight Scenes

Invincible

Invincible’s fight scenes were so intricately done and they did not skimp out on the gory details. I was so grateful that all the blood and gore were animated because otherwise, it might’ve been too painful to watch.

The Boys

As I’ve mentioned before, The Boys also did not skimp on the gory, raw details. All the money that should have gone into getting better quality costumes went into getting the most disgusting blood and guts for their fight scenes.

The Boys mostly focused on saving lives for publicity purposes and ending lives due to reckless behavior. There weren’t really any monsters to fight. The superheroes themselves and the Vought company were the monsters. Because of this, there weren’t many fight scenes.

Jupiter’s Legacy

Jupiter’s Legacy’s fight scenes were underwhelming and fake-looking. Nothing impressive there really. There weren’t even that many fight scenes honestly.

Winner: INVINCIBLE

Round 4: Superhero Capability

Invincible

All of the superheroes truly did feel invincible and skilled, like they were capable. You could see when they met their match but for the most part, they still held a greater advantage over their adversaries which actually made them feel super. You would feel somewhat protected by their presence.

The Boys

The superheroes in The Boys felt even more invincible than the superheroes in Invincible. If you’re up against Homelander, you have already been declared deceased. Your death certificate has already been written and signed. And all the Vought superheroes truly leave fights without a scratch. Despite how physically powerful they are though, they’re still vulnerable to the wit and the ploys of The Boys and public approval.

Jupiter’s Legacy

The superheroes in Jupiter’s Legacy never really displayed their strength. They felt too weak to defeat anything or anyone. I would not feel safe in a world where Jupiter’s Legacy was the main source of protection. Their team was dropping like flies and had some vague skills.

Winner: THE BOYS

Round 5: Acting/Characters

Invincible

The acting in Invincible was phenomenal. They cast top-notch actors and the voices flowed and fit so seamlessly. However, voice acting seems to be a different ball game than having to physically embody the character. I assume there are fewer moving pieces to be aware of when voice acting so it seems unfair to give Invincible this round…

The Boys

The Boys acting in the pilot episode was horrendous. I could not get past how incredibly FAKE and forced everything felt. But somehow, it gets tremendously better after the pilot.

I don’t know what kind of mindset I was in for the pilot that made me look at it so negatively. Maybe because I read the reviews first. Perhaps it was because it was the most explicit episode out of the whole series. Or potentially because the plot felt messy and unfocused. But when it comes to the acting, just make it through the pilot and it’s uphill from there.

But anyways, after finishing the first season of The Boys, I actually really grew fond of the characters. Homelander has got to be one of my favorite villains ever. He’s up there with Thanos. His acting is phenomenal, his ruthlessness, his cunning ways, his inability to give a fudge, it’s just so intriguing.

I also really love Mother’s Milk. He’s just hilarious to me and probably the most level-headed.

Jupiter’s Legacy

Jupiter’s Legacy’s acting was… ok, I guess. My favorite actor was the wayward daughter. She just felt so believable and I loved that.

Winner: tie between INVINCIBLE & THE BOYS

Round 6: Content

One element that I really admired about all three superhero series was how they contorted the average superhero narrative. They set themselves apart from the Marvel/DC classic narrative and made the superheroes not so super after all.

Another element of all three shows that contrasted Marvel and DC was that the superhero lifestyle wasn’t this big secret thing. The superheroes being super was not a huge concealed secret like they are in Superman or Spiderman. People know that superheroes go to their high school and it’s not a big deal.

Invincible

Invincible was the most “out of this world” of the superhero series and involved other galaxies often which was really cool. The superhero narratives were intricate yet relatable to the average human life. Philosophically, the plot didn’t go that deep but rather the story felt like a large 5,000-piece puzzle where you only get a small piece of the big picture at a time. A lot of recurring colors and a few surprises but overall, there is still so much of the Invincible plot yet to discover in season two.

The Boys

I’d have to say that The Boys wins in terms of the plot and content because they truly showed the reality of superherodom. The Boys realistically brought the concept of superheroes into the real world. It parallels the power the public gives superheroes to the real-world power we give celebrities who we believe harness super qualities like beauty, skill, or intelligence.

In most superhero narratives, superhuman power is automatically paired with superhuman character, pristine morality, and humility but in reality, human nature is not that clean and simple.

So although Invincible was broad and intricate, the philosophical, creative perspective of The Boys really got my mental wheels turning a little more.

Jupiter’s Legacy

Jupiter’s Legacy… I mean, I guess they tried to be complex and interesting. The plot was a bit messy and underwhelming. There was a “twist” at the end of the series that really was not shocking or exciting for some reason. Honestly, I would sleep happy whether there’s a season two or not. I’m very indifferent toward the series. *UPDATE* There will not be a season two. Smart move. Save your money.

Winner: THE BOYS

Round 7: Script

Invincible

Invincible was so hilarious. It somehow mixes goriness, seriousness, sadness, and humor all into one show effortlessly like a delicious burrito. I was not expecting to laugh as much as I did during this series. It was just a good time.

The Boys

The Boys script makes you think that it will be predictable at first but it ends up throwing curveball after curveball. The ending of season one had my jaw on the floor. Like, WHAT?!? I did not expect the story to lead where it did and it was a wild and wonderful journey.

Jupiter’s Legacy

Jupiter’s Legacy was like… ok, I guess.

Winner: tie between INVINCIBLE & THE BOYS

AND THE WINNER IS…

wait for it…

INVINCIBLE!!

Scores

Invincible: 5
The Boys: 4
Jupiter’s Legacy: 0

It was a close fight but for me, Invincible was definitely my favorite series out of the three options. All the series fought hard for the title (and by “all” I mean everyone but Jupiter’s Legacy…) but Invincible won it fair and square.

In Conclusion…

If you only have time for one deviant superhero series, definitely go for Invincible. If you still want more action, go for The Boys, but be wary that it gets really graphic. And if you really just don’t want to feel much of anything, go for Jupiter’s Legacy.

And that’s my take on that.

Invincible S1: 8/10

The Boys S1: 7.8/10

Jupiter’s Legacy S1: 5/10

What are your thoughts on these three superhero series? Have more superhero series to compare? Let me know in the comments below!

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Peace, love, and lots of popcorn,

IMO