Warning: This list contains spoilers for Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 and the Percy Jackson book series.
Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 introduces differences and changes to Luke’s character that improve him from the book. Luke Castellan, played by Charlie Bushnell, first appears as part of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians cast in episode 2 when Percy wakes up at Camp Half-Blood. As Hermes’ son, Luke is a big part of many demigods’ first exposures to the Olympian world, since the camp cabin for his father’s children houses unclaimed demigods too.
While the Disney+ show has been praised for being a faithful adaptation, Percy Jackson and the Olympians has changes from the books. These extend from missing characters, like Argus, to altered story beats, like the Nereid giving Percy four pearls instead of three. Notably, Percy Jackson and the Olympians also makes changes to many characters that shift the tone and perception of some story aspects, including Luke’s character.
10 Biggest Book Details That Percy Jackson & The Olympians Season 1 Leaves Out
Following Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1, it’s worth exploring which major book details the Disney+ adaptation left out & the effect it has.
Hermes Is Introduced Much Earlier in Percy Jackson And The Olympians
As Luke’s father, Hermes’ season 1 involvement adds to Luke’s motivations to work with Kronos.
The Greek god Hermes makes his first appearance on the Disney+ show at the end of episode 3 very briefly and then more extensively in episode 6. While his character, portrayed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, displays traits that align with some of his book counterpart’s, his appearance is much earlier. Hermes first appears in the second Rick Riordan Percy Jackson book – Sea of Monsters. Here, he expresses hope for Percy to bring his son Luke back from Kronos’ side.
In the Percy Jackson show, Hermes’ early presence mirrors this concern for this son and his supposed pain and feelings of powerlessness that come with being a godly parent who can’t intervene in their kids’ lives. By including this moment before the reveal of Luke’s allegiance to Kronos, the Disney+ show complicates Luke’s hate for the gods and his father for abandoning him. While the theme of the gods keeping their kids at a distance isn’t remedied by including a more vulnerable side to Hermes, the set-up makes Luke’s villainy more complex.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s First Percy Jackson Scene Makes Hermes’ Book Story Even Better (But Complicates The Villain Twist)
Percy Jackson season 1, episode 3 concludes with the first appearance of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hermes, which has big implications for his character.
Percy Jackson And The Olympians Season 1 Includes The Tragedies With Luke’s Mom
Luke leaves home after his mother’s devastating Oracle side effects worsen, adding to his hate for the gods.
Luke’s mother – May Castellan – is directly mentioned in Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 6 when Annabeth reveals that she is a Seer who experiences horrible traumatic visions, which split her mind between the mortal and Olympian worlds. This unfortunate change in May is what ignites Luke’s hatred for his father, who he blames for it. While this is not explained in the first book, introducing May’s story in season 1 adds weight to Luke’s main motivation to side with the series’ big villain, Kronos.
Since many of May’s visions involve the tragic fate for her son because of his work with Kronos, mentioning her in conjunction with Hermes’ sadness about not being able to help her makes Luke’s family story even more painful. Although Hermes intervened despite Poseidon’s warning for him to leave his family to avoid making things worse, Luke still ran away from home as May’s state worsened. Thus, the subtle insight into May’s tragedy and how it impacts Luke sets up his demise to be sadder.
Annabeth’s Crush On Luke Is Erased In Percy Jackson And The Olympians
Luke and Percy’s friendship is a bigger focus, making the finale more impactful.
Throughout the Percy Jackson book series, Percy displays jealousy over Annabeth’s crush on Luke. This is introduced fairly early in the first book, but the Disney+ show omits it. While this is seemingly a major character dynamic that’s erased, it allows more time to focus on Luke’s journey without unnecessary elements that don’t add to his story. The show, however, does maintain his connection to Annabeth when he mentions she’s like family and through the backstory about him, Annabeth, and Thalia.
Why a more platonic connection between Annabeth and Luke is better for his character is that it allows focus on other character relationships, such as Annabeth’s and Percy’s. Additionally, it eliminates the jealousy from Percy’s side, which helps make Luke and Percy’s friendship a lot stronger in the show. Luke and Percy’s friendship ultimately affects the reveal of the former’s involvement with Kronos by making it more devastating for the latter.
Disney’s Percy Jackson Show Perfectly Captured Percy & Annabeth’s Relationship With 1 Scene
Disney’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians show perfectly captured Percy (Walker Scobell) and Annabeth’s (Leah Jeffries) relationship with this scene.
Luke Is Much More Of A Mentor For Percy In The Disney+ Show
Percy Jackson and the Olympians explores a more helpful side of Luke.
Although Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief describes scenes where Luke explains some mythology and camp rules to Percy, the TV show leans into his influence as a trustworthy friend. From Percy’s first day at Camp Half-Blood, Luke shows him around to help him find what he’s good at, reassures him about his feelings of uncertainty, and teaches him about Greek ideologies, such as kleos/glory.
During episode 2, Luke defends Percy’s clumsy adjustment to fighting and even says, “When it’s time, he’s going to be ready.” This amplifies Luke as a big brother figure who genuinely believes in what Percy could be capable of. A perspective like this paints Luke as a more integral part of Percy’s development as a hero, making him even more likable and sympathetic.
Luke’s Training Sessions With Percy Reframe Their Relationship In The Show
Percy’s battle strategy and tactical thinking is heavily influenced by Luke’s training.
In addition to Luke helping Percy acclimate to his demigod status, the training he provides is brief but fleshes out his impact much better than the books. For instance, Luke assures Percy that his training is invaluable and gives him advice about how to utilize it in warfare, which directly helps him in his fight against Ares. Luke also tells Percy that small and scary things get squished, preparing him for his first encounter with Zeus. Luke’s tactical and fighting training adds to his position as a mentor and friend to Percy more so than it did in the books.
All 8 Episodes In Percy Jackson Season 1, Ranked
Percy Jackson & the Olympians season 1 has a lot of great episodes, but some installments of the Disney+ series stand out more than others.
Percy Is More Distant Than Luke In The Percy Jackson And The Olympians Finale
Luke remains a friend to Percy even when the latter discovers the former’s betrayal.
In The Lightning Thief, Percy notices that Luke is much more distant after his triumphant return from Olympus. However, in the Percy Jackson TV show, Luke is the one who comments on Percy being somewhat distant when he says that the latter has barely said anything. This facilitates Percy’s realization that Luke is the one working with Kronos, which removes the need for Luke to divulge his villainous plan like he does in the book. Luke, therefore, maintains his role as a friend even at that moment when Percy feels most betrayed by him.
Percy Jackson And The Olympians’ Finale Explains Luke’s Plan To Recruit Percy
Luke explains how he and Percy can work together to destroy the gods by bringing back Kronos.
One of the biggest Luke changes happens in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 finale, where he reinforces how he views Percy. Luke explains that Percy is his friend and he doesn’t want to hurt him, but rather wants to recruit him to work against the gods with him and Kronos. This aligns with his more emotional reactions to Percy realizing the truth since he seems genuinely remorseful about Grover potentially getting hurt while wearing the magical flying sneakers from Hermes.
This gentler Percy Jackson villain twist compared to the book ties together all previous interactions between Luke and Percy. Luke’s training retrospectively indicates his gradual preparation for Percy to be a formidable recruit for Kronos. Equating Percy’s disdain for the gods with Luke’s hatred for them more sympathetically sets up the pair’s future interactions to be all the more challenging. In particular, Percy may struggle more to write off Luke as solely a villain because he can understand his motivations better, something even Chiron fears could sway Percy to Kronos’ side.
Percy Jackson Season 1’s Added Luke Scenes Show What Percy Could Have Become
Percy Jackson & the Olympians adds depth to Luke character with new scenes, and these moments demonstrate just how alike he and Percy are.
Luke Doesn’t Try To Kill Percy In The Percy Jackson And The Olympians Finale
Unlike the book’s ruthless attempt at killing Percy, Luke emphasizes how he views Percy as a friend.
Arguably the biggest alteration that makes Disney+’s Luke much more complex is his intentions in the finale. In the book, Luke intends to kill Percy without hesitation by summoning a poisonous pit scorpion. However, the show removes this element and has Luke ask Percy to join his cause. Luke also supports the idea of them being a team, suggesting they go on the run together to escape camp and take down the Olympian gods.
Where Did Luke Go? What Happens To Him After Going Into The Portal In Percy Jackson’s Season 1 Finale
One of the biggest questions coming out of Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ season 1 finale is where Luke went after going through his portal.
Explaining Luke’s intentions to recruit and exploring his pain more openly aligns with Kronos’ final words in the season, specifically when he shares that Percy’s survival is vital to his return. Luke’s surprise when Annabeth reveals herself after his and Percy’s fight perfectly showcases how isolated he must feel when Percy doesn’t agree to join him, especially since he’s now exposed. Overall, Percy Jackson and the Olympians strengthens Luke’s complexity and backstory, which encourages more sympathy for him, sets up his eventual demise to be more painful, and complicates Percy’s future personal challenges.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians
- Release Date
- December 20, 2023
- Cast
- Walker Scobell , Leah Sava Jeffries , Aryan Simhadri , Jason Mantzoukas , Megan Mullally , Glynn Turman , Adam Copeland , Virginia Kull , Lance Reddick
- Seasons
- 1
- Writers
- Rick Riordan , Jonathan E. Steinberg
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney Plus
- Franchise(s)
- Percy Jackson & The Olympians
- Directors
- James Bobin , Anders Engström
- Showrunner
- Jonathan E. Steinberg , Dan Shotz
