Warning! This article contains minor spoilers for Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 1.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 1 includes the terrifying monster of the Minotaur, though dresses him in a humorously confusing pair of white underpants. This naturally raises the question of why this is the case, stemming from the depiction of Percy Jackson‘s mythological creatures from the books. Concerning the Minotaur, the monster appears after Percy Jackson episode 1’s story reveals that the titular character is a half-blood, the son of a human mother and godly father.
The Minotaur appears to attack Percy as one of the many ancient Greek monsters who threaten the demigods of the Percy Jackson universe. This follows almost identically to the story of The Lightning Thief – the first book in Percy Jackson’s reading order – showcasing the Disney+ show’s fidelity to the source material. In another show of faithfulness, Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 1’s terrifying Minotaur is strangely wearing a pair of underwear. This naturally leads to the question of why, something that stems from the tongue-in-cheek way that Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan has always depicted the world of Greek gods, monsters, and creatures.
The Minotaur’s Fruit Of The Loom Underwear Is One Of Percy Jackson’s Most Memorable GreekMythology Gags
In the original book series, Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan went to great lengths to blend the world of ancient Greece with the modern United States. In doing so, Riordan included several humorous modernized gags, from Mount Olympus being positioned at the top of the Empire State Building to the entrance to the Underworld being located in Los Angeles. One of the more memorable of these gags, however, was the Minotaur wearing Fruit of the Loom underwear during his battle with Percy Jackson.
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur is often depicted as entirely naked, aside from a small loincloth covering her lower half. As such, Riordan took this opportunity to have some fun, depicting the Minotaur in the same way only with the suitably modern twist that he is wearing a popular brand of American underwear. This explains why the Minotaur is wearing these clothes in Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 1, linking to the sarcastically funny nature of the original books.
The Minotaur’s Underwear Fixes Another Mistake From The Percy Jackson Movies
While the Minotaur’s underwear will seem insignificant to those not familiar with Riordan’s books, the showcase of faithfulness is welcome. The reason for this stems from the unnecessary changes made to the Percy Jackson story in the movie starring Logan Lerman. Some aspects of the 2010 Percy Jackson film – the cast included – were excellent, though its biggest issue was the lack of fidelity to the original books by Riordan.
10 Biggest Changes Percy Jackson Movies Made To Rick Riordan’s Original Books
All book-to-film adaptations undergo changes to better fit the new medium, but the Percy Jackson movies take huge liberties with Rick Riordan’s books.
This was something that Riordan and Percy Jackson and the Olympians creator Jonathan E. Steinberg wanted to rectify with the Disney+ show. As a result of this concerted effort to faithfulness, the Minotaur wearing a pair of white underwear strangely becomes significant. If Percy Jackson and the Olympians episodes 1 and 2 are anything to go by, this increased effort at fidelity was successful, proving the Disney+ show to be the adaptation Percy Jackson fans have dreamed of for decades.
New episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians release every Tuesday on Disney+.
