The Biggest Differences Between the ‘Preacher’ Comics and the TV Show (2024)

Netflix recently updated its catalog with a curated collection of series from AMC, and Preacher is on the list. Based on the DC/Vertigo comic book from Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, Preacher is the story of Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), a priest who is bestowed with the supernatural power to compel others to do his bidding. With his gun-wielding ex Tulip O'Hare (Ruth Negga) and vampire Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun), Jesse embarks on a quest to find God — dealing with threats both supernatural and human.

Preacher marked the first comic book adaptation frim Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's Point Grey; the duo would go on to produce other hard-edged comic book shows, including The Boys (also by Ennis) and Invincible. Like those shows, Preacher keeps the core of its source material while also making some changes to canon, including introducing certain characters early into the story and taking twists and turns that comic fans didn't expect.

'Preacher's Inciting Incident in the Comics Is Built Up Over Season 1

The Preacher comic kicks off when Jesse is possessed by a force called Genesis, which ravages his hometown of Annville and sends him on his journey to find God. The TV show takes a different route, saving Annville's destruction for the Season 1 finale "Call and Response". By that point, Jesse had already been possessed by Genesis, and he'd experienced the more frightening aspects of its power. By delaying Annville's destruction, showrunner Sam Catlin lets the audience get to know its citizens while also showcasing how Jesse's actions have a negative impact on their lives. It also changes the cause of Annville's destruction by changing the source of destruction to methane emissions from a packing plant, though the result is no less destructive.

Jesse Isn’t the Only Person To Be Possessed by Genesis in the ‘Preacher’ Show

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Jesse is the only person possessed by Genesis in the Preacher comic, but Rogen, Goldberg & Catlin took a far different approach. The pilot episode reveals that Genesis possesses multiple people, including a pastor in Africa who literally explodes after being possessed. Fittingly enough, he was preaching from the Book of Revelations as this happened. This change actually leads to one of the most darkly hilarious jokes in Preacher: in the Season 1 episode "The Possiblities", it's revealed that Tom Cruise spontaneously combusted, which Catlin reveals was his idea. “We wanted to have this entity try out a lot of different hosts. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter following Preacher's premiere, Catlin said, "We went with a devout preacher in Africa, then we went to a Satanist and then we were like … well, what else do we do? And I said, ‘What if it’s Tom Cruise?’ We immediately realized that we had to do that.'"

An Iconic Antagonist Arrives Earlier Than Expected in ‘Preacher’

Preacher wasn't opposed to switching up the appearance of its antagonists, especially in the first season. One antagonist who doesn't appear until a third of the way through the Preacher comic is a pivotal figure in Season 1: Odin Quincannon (Jackie Earl Haley), who owns a massive slaughterhouse business. Jesse uses his powers to convince Quincannon to believe in God to stop him from getting the deed to his church, but this backfires as the God Quincannon believes in is "the god of meat." Quincannon is also partly responsible for Annville's destruction since it was his slaughterhouse that provided the gas necessary for the explosion.

Season 1 of Preacher also crafts a different fate for one of the most pathetic characters in the comic: Eugene "Arseface" Root (Ian Colletti), who earns his name after a horribly botched suicide attempt leaves him with a caved-in face. Early in Season 1, Jesse uses his powers to send Eugene to Hell and is horrified by the result. Eugene ends up surviving his ordeal, and by the end of the show, he's taken up street performing — even singing in his own unique way.

The End of ‘Preacher’ Is Far Bleaker Than the Comics

While Ennis is known for a streak of black humor in his comics work, more often than not his comics tend to end on a lighter note than they began. That's the case with Preacher, as Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy reunite after confronting God; Cassidy is even transformed into a human following a deal he brokered with God. The Preacher series finale "End of the World" takes a different approach. Even though Jesse confronts God and rids himself of Genesis' powers, "End of the World" puts a damper on that journey as Cassidy is shown at Tulip and Jesse's graves. After talking with their daughter, he strides out into the sun and burns alive, not willing to live in a world where his friends aren't alive.

"End of the World" also features a different ending for Herr Klaus Starr (Pip Torren), the immensely racist leader of the religious organization known as the Grail. In the Preacher comics, Starr suffers a number of humiliating injuries before Tulip shoots him in the head; in "End of the World" he survives and is on the run, though he takes the time to enjoy a simple golf game. This is probably the strangest departure from the comics, but not as much as what happens with the Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish). The Saint is tasked to hunt down and kill whoever God commands, never having the chance to rest until he finally turns on the Almighty and kills Him by the end of the comics. The show has Jesse killing him, denying him his rest.

Preacher made several changes to its source material, for better or worse. But its formula proved to be a winning one for Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and became a road map for their future comic adaptations.

Preacher is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

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Preacher

Sci-Fi

Action

Adventure

Drama

Superhero

Release Date

May 22, 2016

Cast

Dominic Cooper , Ruth Negga , Graham McTavish , Pip Torrens

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Seasons

4