Dr. Singh from the critically acclaimed show Sweet Tooth is not the same character portrayed in the comics he is based on. Netflix revamped his backstory, giving him a completely different set of morals and motivations from his former self. Though, on the surface, this change appears to ignore the source material, showing Dr. Singh’s altered narrative was very intentional.
In the show, Dr. Aditya Singh (Adeel Akhtar) is introduced as a loving husband who cares deeply for his sick wife, Rani Singh (Aliza Vellani). He is so devoted to her that he is even willing to compromise on his principles in order to save Rani from a deadly virus commonly referred to as “the Sick.” However, Dr. Singh’s comic counterpart doesn’t choose to experiment on part-animal, part-human hybrids out of love. In the comic, Dr. Singh’s wife has already passed. His motives for dissecting hybrid children are purely egotistical, making him a very unlikeable individual.
Having Dr. Singh reluctantly experiment on hybrids for the sake of his wife portrays him as a more sympathetic character, justifying the character change. He knows his actions are wrong and unethical, but he also knows that Rani needs a cure to stay alive. Dr. Singh’s wavering determination starkly contrasts with his character’s attitude in the comic, who shows no remorse for murdering hybrids. The Sweet Tooth comic version of Dr. Singh believes that his destiny is to find the cure and become humanity’s savior. Since Netflix’s Dr. Singh not only feels guilt for his actions but also is doing so for someone other than himself, his situation evokes feelings of pity instead of hate. His moral struggle allows fans to understand his actions, even if they can’t condone them.
Though Dr. Singh’s change in motivation diverges from the source material, the change was necessary for Netflix’s adaptation of Sweet Tooth to work. Instead of following the adventures of a single character, Netflix explores this post-apocalyptic setting through the lens of multiple inhabitants to better depict the fantastical world’s breadth. While human-deer hybrid Gus (Christian Convery) and protector Jepperd’s (Nonso Anozie) journey answers questions about “the Sick’s” origin on their quest to find Gus’ mom Birdie (Amy Seimetz), Netflix-original character Aimee (Dania Ramirez) has created a sanctuary for the variety of other hybrid children that exist. Dr. Singh completes the main character trifecta by representing the anxiety and cruelty that have taken over human communities due to “the Sick.” Keeping Dr. Singh’s original backstory would make his story much harder to watch in comparison to the naive Gus and the philanthropic Aimee. His new backstory provides brief moments where fans can root for his happy ending with Rani, just like they would for Gus and Aimee.
Dr. Singh’s rewritten backstory makes his development in Sweet Tooth season 2 all the more enigmatic. Netflix could continue to change the source material by following Dr. Singh’s moral conflict as the experimentation proceeds. However, Netflix could also flip the script and have Dr. Singh slowly grow a savior complex to closely resemble his counterpart in the comics. Perhaps Netflix could even merge both ideas to form some type of hybrid. Whatever the case may be, Dr. Singh’s journey is sure to be a major element of season 2.
