Netflix's The Irregulars presents a very different vision of Sherlock Holmes - and here are all the key character changes. In a sense, Sherlock Holmes was the world's first superhero, a man with abilities beyond those of ordinary human beings. But he was also the Victorian ideal of a superhero; no physical powerhouse but instead a genius whose intellect tamed the world around him.

Sherlock Holmes is seemingly more popular than ever. Partly that's because the character is largely in the public domain, with only some stories from his later years still protected by the Conan Doyle Estate - and that copyright protection only lasts until the end of next year. That said, it's also because there have also been several tremendous adaptations in recent years, ranging from Sherlock to Elementary, and the character has been played by actors as notable as Robert Downey, Jr., and Henry Cavill. The Great Detective appears to have been something of a hit for Netflix too, who signed off on The Irregulars season 2 before the first season was even released.

Related: The Irregulars Season 1 Ending Explained

But the Sherlock Holmes of The Irregulars is unlike anything viewers have ever seen before. Henry Lloyd-Hughes gives us a Holmes who would be unrecognizable even to his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; ironically, though, he's probably a character Doyle would have appreciated a lot more. Here are all the major changes Netflix made to Sherlock.

Sherlock Holmes Embraces The Supernatural In The Irregulars

Sherlock Holmes The Irregulars

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels and short stories brought Holmes face-to-face with many apparently supernatural threats, but time and again he proved they had their basis in human evil. "This agency stands flat-footed upon the ground, and there it must remain," he insisted. "No ghosts need apply." Indeed, Holmes' ability to find an earthly origin for apparently supernatural events - from a vampire in Sussex to the infamous Hound of the Baskervilles - was one major reason for his popularity. The Victorians wanted to believe logic could tame the world, and Holmes was their natural hero. Ironically, this was not a view Doyle himself shared. He considered himself an evangelist for spiritualism, writing books and essays on the subject such as The History of Spiritualism and The Coming of the Fairies, and he spent the last 14 years of his life arguing it was possible to communicate with the dead.

The Sherlock Holmes of The Irregulars is frankly much closer to Conan Doyle in beliefs than he is to his literary counterpart. This Sherlock is no stranger to mysticism, as comfortable discussing supernatural threats as he is catching criminals, and he has spent enough time studying the matter to put his thoughts down in a grimoire. No doubt Conan Doyle himself would approve.

Sherlock Holmes Loves Deeply In The Irregulars

Sherlock and Watson The Irregulars

In another remarkable departure from Sherlock Holmes lore, the character depicted in The Irregulars is capable of a deep and abiding love. This is very different from the Great Detective characterized by the author, who was described as utterly disinterested in love. "All emotions, and that one particularly, were abhorrent to his cold, precise but admirably balanced mind," Conan Doyle wrote in "A Scandal in Bohemia." "He was, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen, but as a lover he would have placed himself in a false position...  Grit in a sensitive instrument, or a crack in one of his own high-power lenses, would not be more disturbing than a strong emotion in a nature such as his." This was no accident, but rather part of his attraction to the masses, for he was not subject to the passions of mere men.

Related: Why Netflix Has Another Show Reinventing Sherlock Holmes

The Irregulars' version of Sherlock is indeed a lover, and he has most certainly not placed himself in a false position by it. He is clearly absolutely devoted to his beloved Alice, to the extent that he actually considered quitting London and his detective business to leave with her and the children. Naturally, of course, it was no ordinary woman who had captured Holmes' interest; Alice is an Ipsissimus, essentially another superhero in her own right and possessed of remarkable psychic powers. The two are perfectly suited to one another.

The Irregulars' Sherlock Holmes Is A Broken Man

Sherlock Holmes 221B Baker Street The Irregulars

And yet, in a fascinating twist, The Irregulars presents a version of Sherlock Holmes whose love is indeed his greatest weakness. Alice's death broke him, and for 15 years he has slumbered in a drug-addled stupor, often falling asleep on her graveside. All the efficiency and ability that characterized Holmes has been destroyed by his grief, and he is painfully aware he is nothing but a shadow of his former self. All this is compounded by Holmes' guilt because he knows Alice trusted him to bring up her daughters, but he could not bring himself to do so. These strong emotions have proved far more destructive than a crack in one of his high-power lenses, instead shattering him completely.

The Irregulars' Sherlock Holmes Realizes He Is Not The Hero Any More

The Irregulars Bea hugging her sister Jessie after she's had a night terror

Ultimately, The Irregulars forces it's Sherlock Holmes to accept the truth he is not the hero of the story anymore. The Sherlock of Conan Doyle's stories is something of a show-off; for all he complained at the constant requests to explain himself, he clearly rather enjoyed dazzling those around him with his deductive genius. He feels like a force of nature as much as a person, effortlessly dominating every crisis he inserts himself into, unshakeable in his self-confidence. Flashbacks in The Irregulars confirm the same was true in this world as well - but all that changed 15 years prior, when Alice died.

The Irregulars' Sherlock Holmes remained selfish, obsessed with his own grief and trying not to think of the two girls he was failing. But little by little Bea and Jessie draw him out until, in the end, he realizes what every father must; that when you have children, you are no longer the star of your own story. Rather than dominate, with the Baker Street Irregulars serving as secondary characters in Holmes' story, this Sherlock accepts they are the ones who matter most. And so, in the end, he consigns himself to irrelevance, recognizing his tale has come to an end - and entering Purgatory to live forever with his beloved Alice.

More: What To Expect From The Irregulars Season 2