'The Eternaut': 4 Biggest Differences Between the Netflix Series and the Original Comic
The Eternaut has received praise from critics and fans of the original comic books. However, the adaptation does not always stick to the original story, and the most notable change is the characters.
In April, The Eternaut was released on Netflix – a screen adaptation of the cult Argentine comic by Héctor Germán Oesterheld that was first published in 1957.
The show differs from the original source. The authors carefully reproduced many scenes, but the story was transferred from the 1950s to the present.
Consequently, not only have the settings and the cars changed, but the characters themselves have also become different.
1. Juan Salvo Got Much Older And Became a War Veteran
Juan Salvo transformed from a young family man into a Falklands War veteran, a conflict that ended more than 40 years ago. The producers explained their decision to age Salvo by noting that he was a military man in the original source.
During World War II, Juan witnessed the fighting and experienced serious hardships. However, Argentina had not fought in any military operations for the last 30 years, so young citizens could not be veterans.
The authors did not want to portray Juan as a mercenary because it would greatly alter his character. Thus, Salvo became a participant in the Falklands War.
2. Elena Transformed From Young Housewife to Experienced Traumatologist
Salvo's wife has changed, too. Elena has gone from being a young housewife to an experienced traumatologist. Additionally, she and Juan divorced.
While Elena had a passive role in the comic, in the series she searches for her daughter first alone and then with her ex-husband's support.
Meanwhile, Elena continues her main job because there are few doctors left in the world and hostile aliens are killing and injuring many people.
3. Polsky Survived and Received an Important Mission
Polsky, Juan's friend who died in the comic's opening pages, survived in the adaptation and found a purpose.
Like in the original, he loves his grandchildren very much. So he leads a group of surviving children and takes care of their everyday and post-apocalyptic life support needs.
4. Salvo's Team Has Expanded
Salvo's team expanded to include Ana, Favalli's wife, and Omar, Polsky's son-in-law. Viewers noted that Favalli's relationship with his wife makes him more interesting and complex than the comic character, who represented the power of science more than a living person.
Like several new characters not directly connected to the Salvo family, Omar has a separate storyline. This allows the writers to depict events in different parts of the city that were either only mentioned or not discussed at all in the main comic.
