Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Alternate Designs For Zeus’s Master Bolt Revealed (Exclusive)

The King of the Olympians has made his mark. The season finale of Percy Jackson and the Olympians saw the late Lance Reddick make his debut as Zeus, waiting for the titular demigod as he made his way to Mount Olympus. Percy Jackson met the god of the skies at his Olympian throne, returning his stolen master bolt. Fans got their first look at Zeus’s signature weapon in Percy Jackson‘s penultimate episode, as Percy and Grover discovered that the bolt was hidden in the backpack that Ares gave them. It wasn’t until Zeus took back the bolt in the finale that its true form was revealed, as the pinstripe suit-wearing god activated his golden symbol of power to reveal its full electric glory.

Exclusive Alternate Master Bolt Designs Revealed

Zeus’s master bolt went through many phases before landing on its final form.

As shown in exclusive artwork shared with ComicBook.com, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians team went through various iterations of the Season 1 MacGuffin, both in its handle and its eventual lightning illumination.

“We went through so many different layers of this with our prop department of how this thing looks,” showrunner Dan Shotz told ComicBook.com. “There was moments where the pieces extended. There were moments where we had early on where you could click a button and it would fling out, but that just was over the top and silly.”

Master bolt handle variations include a lightsaber-esque hilt, two columned and engraved options, and an eagle-head version. This part was led by property masters Dean Goodine and Michelle Hendricksen.

“Part of it was just aesthetic. You wanted to make this feel and be powerful. How it really looked in his hand was terrifying,” Shotz added. “This thing’s got weight and it’s got muscle to it, but at the same time we wanted it to be very, very simple. Not too ornate. Not too over the top. But by the time that Zeus really uses it for all its power, it’s got a lot of character to it.”

Lightning at one point shot outward of the handle as opposed to illuminating it like the show’s final version. The visual effects aspect was fronted by VFX supervisors Jeff White and Erik Henry.

“We had our practical lightning bolt that Percy held throughout, and then by the time Zeus had it where it needed to light up, we had a very special lightning bolt where both sides of it were all lit up with actually lighting tools,” Shotz revealed. “That gave a lot of effect on Lance’s face and on Toby’s face, but at the same time it is all replaced digitally. You need to have those practical lights that are on the bolt that move as they’re holding each other and as it’s shaking in their hand. You see the fluctuation of light on their face.”

The visual of the bolt was just half the battle. The master bolt’s aura carried into its audible presentation, as composer Bear McCreary underscored the handle alone with subtle electricity before dialing up the voltage to 11 when it was fully illuminated.

“Bear and his team had been thinking about some of those moments at the end of the season from the sketching stage, before we even really started scoring episodes,” showrunner Jonathan E. Steinberg noted. “You want for these thematic ideas to get launched early on and then start landing as you get closer to the ending. I think that’s one of those moments where you want to feel that sense of completion.”

While Walker Scobell’s Percy is the first to hold the bolt on screen, it eventually lands in the hands of its rightful owner.

“I think from the first time we met Lance and he sort of fully understood what this was going to be, it’s fun to watch a guy like that, who had really done almost everything, light up like a kid,” Steinberg said of Reddick’s reaction to wielding the bolt. “He fell into the sense of adventure and fun that everybody else was having. It was pretty special.”

Zeus may have ownership over the master bolt on screen, but its author Rick Riordan who watches over it in the mortal world.

“There are two. One we had to keep in the prop shop just for hopefully for future purposes. And then the other one, I believe Rick has it,” Shotz said.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1 is now streaming in full on Disney+. For exclusive interviews with the cast and reviews of all of the episodes, check out ComicBook Nation’s Riptide Radio – A Percy Jackson Aftershow.