Netflix is swiftly becoming the home of modern Sherlock Holmes reinventions such as Enola Holmes and The Irregulars - but why is the streaming giant not signing off on a straight adaptation? Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes became one of the greatest fictional figures in history. The Great Detective has been brought to life countless times on big and small screens, by talented actors ranging from Jeremy Brett to Robert Downey, Jr.

There's a sense in which Holmes' current popularity is tied to the flourishing of the superhero genre. He embodies the Victorian ideal of the superman, not a physical powerhouse but rather an intellectual one, an Englishman whose deductive genius tames the savage world around him. You could even argue he set the pattern for the "comic book death," in which a superhero is killed and then brought back by a writer years later in order to get a sales boost. And it's no coincidence modern portrayals of Sherlock Holmes have often been performed by actors either already established as superheroes, or who go on to become superhero actors; think of Benedict Cumberbatch, Robert Downey, Jr., or Henry Cavill.

Related: Enola Holmes Modernizes Sherlock Better Than The Show (Despite Its Setting)

There are two ways of bringing such a superhero to life in a visual medium; the mythological method, exemplified by the works of Zack Snyder, or the Marvel method that celebrates the flaws of their humanity. Countless TV shows and movies have approached Sherlock Holmes according to the pattern of the mythological method, with the most iconic being the unforgettable portrayal by Jeremy Brett, so it's simply been done before. The Marvel method, which interprets him as a flawed human being and views his intellectual prowess as a weakness as much as a strength, is much more fresh and new in the context of Sherlock Holmes. It works best when Holmes is reinvented through the lens of his relationships, with Enola Holmes stressing Sherlock's interactions with a little sister who doesn't exist in the canon and The Irregulars mining a concept straight from Conan Doyle's own works, the idea he had a group of children who worked for him, scouting the streets of London for clues.

Enola Holmes Henry Cavill Sherlock Illustration

A more sophisticated reinvention also allows a TV show or movie to incorporate elements that aren't traditionally viewed as part of Sherlock Holmes' canon. Adaptations often seem obsessed with the suffragettes, allowing them to challenge Conan Doyle's own prejudices and opinions when done well. Questions of race are significant too; it's interesting to note that, at a time when 98.9 percent people in British jails were in fact British, a full 40 percent of Holmes' criminal opponents were from overseas, and the rest had usually been corrupted due to their time abroad or exposed to foreign worldviews. Thus concepts such as Enola Holmes and The Irregulars allow interrogation of some of the more problematic themes and concepts that underpin Sherlock Holmes, exposing them to the light, giving the shows and movies much more value from an artistic viewpoint. The trailer for The Irregulars even teases Sherlock Holmes and Watson are villains in this story, promising to depart substantially from tradition.

There is one final benefit of a reinvention, one that The Irregulars appears to be embracing. Sherlock Holmes was the epitome of logic, cold and aloof, convinced there was nothing in life that could not be explained away. His creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, did not actually share his views; rather, he was one of the world's best-known and most outspoken proponents of spiritualism, describing this cause as "the most important thing in the world." A reinvention allows a Sherlock Holmes film or TV show to explore this apparent contradiction, placing the Great Detective in opposition to mystical or supernatural threats, exploring the limits of the rational mind. Thus the most creative Sherlock Holmes reinventions essentially explore the paradox at the heart of his creator, offering a nuanced interpretation of both the character and, by proxy, Conan Doyle himself.

More: How Sherlock Returned After The Reichenbach Fall