The deconstruction of the superhero genre, and of heroes in general, has gained a lot of traction these days, with shows like Invincible and The Boys becoming huge successes. However, the industry seems to have overlooked one of the strongest examples of the concept: Brandon Sanderson’s The Reckoners series.
These young adult novels imagine a world in which select members of humanity are given superpowers and are called Epics. Instead of becoming heroes, these superpowered individuals become tyrants who rule over ordinary people. Humanity must then rely on its ingenuity to rebel against the Epics. This is an animated show waiting to happen.
The Reckoners Is a Revisionist Superhero Story Like Invincible and The Boys
The Reckoners opens with Calamity, a mysterious celestial event that grants a small number of people extraordinary abilities. Rather than becoming protectors, these newly empowered Epics use their powers to dominate, terrorize, and rule over the powerless masses.
In the ruins of Chicago, an Epic named Steelheart crowns himself emperor, and the only resistance comes from a scrappy band of non-powered humans known as the Reckoners, who study Epics’ weaknesses and assassinate them one by one.
The premise places the novels in the same vein as Invincible and The Boys, exploring the dark side of absolute power and how it corrupts. The Epics, especially Steelheart, are similar to Homelander and Omni-Man in their violence toward humanity and sense of superiority. The Reckoners must rely on increasingly clever and calculated plans to defeat them.
This blend of fantasy and superhero genres with grounded realism would make a great addition to the gory world of Invincible and The Boys. With three main novels, plus sequels that expand the universe, there is more than enough serialized story to sustain a multi-season adult animated series in the vein of Prime Video’s genre hits.
Shawn Levy Was Attached to an Early Adaptation of The Reckoners
Brandon Sanderson’s novel series began in 2013. By now, Hollywood would normally have jumped at the chance to adapt it, but nothing has happened yet. That said, it is not as if no one tried. Sanderson’s The Reckoners trilogy came close to an adaptation when Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps became involved alongside 20th Century Fox.
Fox reportedly acquired the rights, and Levy’s production company was set to produce the project (via Deadline). However, there have been no updates since then. The reported deal covered the first two books in the trilogy, Steelheart and Firefight. The project never made it as far as casting, so we do not know who might have played the roles.
Sanderson’s novels have all the potential to become the next big thing in the superhero genre. Now that The Boys has ended, there is a void for offbeat superhero shows that offer a postmodern deconstruction of the genre.
Who do you think is the best filmmaker to adapt The Reckoners? Comment below.
