Netflix's Dungeons & Dragons Show Must Feature Some Version Of Honor Among Thieves' Best Comic Relief Character

Netflix’s upcoming Dungeons & Dragons series needs to feature some version of the best comic relief character from Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Netflix’s Forgotten Realms TV show has been a source of excitement for those of us who love the tabletop, especially after we assumed that Honor Among Thieves‘ box office would have put the franchise on hold for years. Even so, the Netflix series should not completely focus on just adapting the Forgotten Realm’s lore, as there is a lot from the film that could be transferred over.

While the show should predominantly feature the aspects of the Forgotten Realms that make it such an iconic Dungeons & Dragons setting, this project could also be a great opportunity for Netflix to fulfill Honor Among Thieves‘ promises and bring back certain characters. Bringing in some elements from the film would showcase how interconnected the D&D universe truly is, even if it is only in small ways. One particular connection I am hoping the Netflix series includes is Honor Among Thieve‘s best joke, Chancellor Jarnathan (Clayton Grover).

Netflix’s Dungeons & Dragons Show Needs To Include Some Version Of Jarnathan

Having Jarnathan Would Be A Fun Connection To The Film

Netflix’s Dungeons & Dragons show needs to include Jarnathan in some form, as he was one of the best things about Honor Among Thieves. Jarnathan was the aarakocra member of the Absolution Council of Revel’s End prison who, during the film, was consistently late, causing the characters some stress. Their stress stemmed from the fact that they planned on using Jarnathan to escape the prison as he had wings, which worked successfully at the beginning of the film and failed quite comically for Forge (Hugh Grant) during Honor Among Thieves‘ ending.

Related

If Netflix Wants To Get Its New Dungeons & Dragons Show Right, It Must Include These 10 Things From The Forgotten Realms

A live-action Dungeons & Dragons TV series is in development at Netflix based on the Forgotten Realms, and it must hit certain notes to work.

Having Jarnathan would allow the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms show to adopt some of Honor Among Thieves’ humor as well as be a small homage to the film. As mentioned, Honor Among Thieves’ box office makes a sequel seem unlikely despite the strong reviews. If the Netflix series includes Jarnathan, then they would be honoring the film’s many strengths and allowing some piece of it to live on in another medium that does not take away from its overall story. That being said, getting Jarnathan in any form for the Dungeons & Dragons show may prove somewhat difficult.

Why Netflix’s D&D Show Can’t Use The Same Jarnathan From Honor Among Thieves

Paramount Would Deny Netflix The Rights To The Character

The cast of Honor Among Thieves with the Paramount Plus logo in the background

Unfortunately, Netflix would likely be unable to use the original version of Jarnathan in the Dungeons & Dragons show and would have a hard time getting a new version due to potential rights issues with Paramount. Paramount was the studio that made Honor Among Thieves and has its own streaming service in direct competition with Netflix in the form of Paramount+. We can assume that the Netflix D&D series will have no connections to the movie apart from the fact that they are both based on the same IP.

Jarnathan is not a major member of Honor Among Thieves‘ cast, but simply having another version of him would also likely not be an option for Netflix. While aarakocras have been a playable race in the tabletop since the 1980s, using any of Jarnathan’s specific backstory from the film would be impossible. Though having Jarnathan himself is not a fully viable option, Netflix’s Dungeons & Dragons show should still try to capture a part of the essence of what he represented, as it is the heart of what makes the tabletop so compelling.

It May Be Hard To Top Honor Among Thieves’ Take On Jarnathan, But Netflix’s Show Has To Try

Jarnathan’s Joke Represented Player’s Tenacity In D&D

The party battling a Gelatinous Cube in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

It may be difficult for Netflix’s Dungeons & Dragons TV show to capture the spirit of Honor Among Thieves, but it must try. The joke surrounding Jarnathan was just one of various examples of how players in the tabletop problem-solve when faced with a seemingly impossible scenario like the protagonists in fantasy movies like Honor Among Thieves. More often than not, Dungeons & Dragons players will find the most unconventional solution. Using Jarnathan, the film was able to embrace that aspect of the game, something the Netflix series must achieve too.

Ultimately, Netflix’s Dungeons & Dragons series should use Jarnathan as a template for how to inject that truly unique comedy that is only found in a tabletop game into their narrative.

By having a comedic beat like Jarnathan’s, the Netflix series would capture the same fun essence the film did, drawing audiences further in. That way, even though we’ll never get a sequel to what was arguably a pith-perfect Dungeons & Dragons movie, the next live-action project can still be as fun and exciting as Honor Among Thieves​​​​​​. Netflix’s Dungeons & Dragons series should use Jarnathan as a template for how to inject that truly unique comedy that is only found in a tabletop game into their narrative.