Dark Matter cast can extend the arcs of the original characters.

Although the general story remained the same throughout, Dark Matter season 1 did flesh out the book of the same name. However, Dark Matter season 1's ending made the surprising decision to tease another run of episodes, even though the events of the lone novel have now been exhausted. Interestingly, Dark Matter's multiversal premise, paired with the show's tasteful book changes, means the Apple TV+ sci-fi show can run for far longer than Blake Crouch's original version of the story, and use the pre-existing lore as a vast sandbox.

Dark Matter's "Main" Ryan Holder Can Meet Leighton Vance In Season 2

Leighton fled into the multiverse in Dark Matter season 1 (unlike his book counterpart)

Jimmi Simpson and Dayo Okeniyi each play at least two versions of Ryan Holder and Leighton Vance respectively. While Ryan and Leighton do feature in the book, the Apple TV+ adaptation gives them both far more prominent roles. That being said, the "main" version of Ryan in both the book and the show is the one from Jason's original reality, and there is only one Leighton in the source material - the one who runs Velocity Laboratories. These two characters never interact in the book, but Dark Matter season 1 lays the groundwork for that to happen when the show returns.

Leighton also enters the Box in Dark Matter season 1, and the show reveals a couple of times just how disastrous his travels have been.

In the 2016 novel, Leighton doesn't appear again after Jason and Amanda escape into the Box and leave that universe behind. Also acting as the Dark Matter showrunner, author Blake Crouch clearly wasn't satisfied with giving Okeniyi's iteration of the character so little to do. So, Leighton also enters the Box in Dark Matter season 1, and the show reveals a couple of times just how disastrous his travels have been. With Ryan left stranded in the Futuristic Chicago universe - somewhere his literary counterpart never visits, Dark Matter season 2 is set up for him to cross paths with Leighton.

How Apple TV+ Changed Ryan & Leighton's Stories In Dark Matter Season 1

Blake Crouch added new versions of both characters to the live-action adaptation

Simpson plays three versions of Ryan in Dark Matter season 1, with the abducted mechanic iteration being original to the show. Although Ryan2's storyline is almost identical to the book, the Ryan Holder from Jason's universe is in the adaptation far more than he is in the novel and is a much more substantial part of the larger narrative. For example, the job in San Francisco that Ryan offers to Jason doesn't feature in the source material, nor does he ever find out about the Box and Jason2's research. He's used as little more than a narrative baseline for Ryan2.

Leighton Vance is an even more minor part of the Dark Matter book than Ryan is. By extension, he has received an even larger overhaul in the adaptation. As well as the aforementioned extension of his arc by following Jason and Amanda into the Box, Dark Matter season 1 reveals that a version of Leighton Vance also exists in Jason's universe, and he has a pre-existing relationship with Jason - although the pair hadn't interacted for a long time. This isn't true in the book, as Jason has no idea who Leighton is when he arrives in Jason2's reality.

The other Leighton is living the good life on a trust fund without contributing to scientific fields like his interdimensional doppelgänger.

The other Leighton is living the good life on a trust fund without contributing to scientific fields like his interdimensional doppelgänger. However, Jason2 picks up on the other man's lack of fulfillment and manages to convince him to part with his entire fortune, and in return, Leighton gets a one-way ticket into the multiverse. As such, Apple TV+s original version of Leighton ends up reality-hopping by the end of season 1. Therefore, there are more versions of Ryan and Leighton than ever who could cross paths in Dark Matter season 2.

Dark Matter Season 1's Finale Already Proved New Book Character Pairings Are Possible

Blake Crouch has already been shaking things up

Although Amanda does have a brief run-in with Ryan2 in the novel, the story's "main" Ryan never interacts with her. So, their meeting at the end of Dark Matter season 1 is a first for the saga. Although it's unclear how Ryan knows Amanda, their collaboration when the show returns has already been strongly suggested to be the case. Therefore, Apple TV+ has shown its willingness to shake things up even further than it already has by writing new team-ups into the show.

Of course, any character teaming up with any version of Amanda Brugel's Blair Caplain is always new, as Blair isn't in the book at all and is a completely original figure. With at least two established versions of Blair floating around the multiverse by the end of Dark Matter season 1, there appears to be even more wiggle room when it comes to which characters can meet each other and interact in compelling ways. In short, character deaths and other storylines that would usually limit other shows don't apply to Dark Matter, as an identical copy can just replace them.