Raising Dion Season 2 is now out on Netflix, but not every fan of the show will know that it's actually based on a recent comic book of the same name.
Dennis Liu published a 24-page story in 2015, which turned into a short film, which Netflix then turned into a successful television series. Liu still contributes to the series as an executive producer alongside occasional star Michael B. Jordan and the creator Carol Barbee.
As Season 2 progresses on Netflix, fans may be interested in looking deeper into the origins of the Raising Dion story, and discovering what has stayed the same and what has changed since it was brought to the screen.
The changes Netflix made to Raising Dion
Early on, Liu claims he decided to bring the comic book series to an end after just one episode so as not to muddy the waters of the "canon."
During an interview with IGN upon the launch of Season 1 of Raising Dion on Netflix in 2019, Liu noted that the comic book had a heavier focus on "designer babies and CAS-9 technology," the nature vs. nurture debate.
The character of Nicole had a different backstory in the comics too, as she was previously an illustrator at BIONA.
Largely though, Liu says he made an effort to keep the comics and the series the same. He said: "I made the decision early to never release more comics so that the canon didn't get mixed up with the TV version. I always thought that was super confusing in comics, with multiple storylines of the same idea, and I didn't want to hurt the show.
"Sometimes fans get super upset when things are different, and compromises have to be made to keep the aircraft carrier moving. So I'll be happy to finish going back to the comics at some point!"
Differences between the short film and the Netflix series
Accompanying the release of his one-issue comic, Liu also produced a short two-minute video which is available to watch on YouTube.
The story here lays the foundations for the story of Raising Dion, including a single mother raising a superpowered boy, and some unidentified suits hunting the child.
Each character within the short film of Raising Dion was recast in the Netflix series.
While Alisha Wainwright plays the mother Nicole on Netflix, Upenda Morton played the role first. Dion was portrayed by Nyri Haywood in the short film but newcomer Ja'Siah Young landed the role in the series. The character of Pat also appeared briefly in the short film, played by James Clark, while Jason Ritter plays him on Netflix.
Find out what the comic book and short film developed into by watching Raising Dion Season 2 on Netflix now.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jamie Burton is a Newsweek Senior TV and Film Reporter (Interviews) based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
