Superhero movies have been dominating the box office for well over a decade, and even if costumed crimefighters aren’t quite as popular as they were when the genre was at its height, there are still tons of superheroes on the big screen. But, every good superhero needs a sidekick. Enter television, because there are tons of superhero TV shows, too.
Some superhero TV shows are part of a shared universe with those blockbuster movies, while others are standalone iterations of classic characters. Some shows are wholly original, offering audiences thrilling tales of superpowers and supervillains that didn’t originate in a comic book but made their debut on TV. We’ve rounded up 25 of the best superhero shows ever, including both animated and live-action series. For variety’s sake, you won’t see too many entries from the same franchise—only two shows apiece from the Arrowverse, DC Animated Universe, and Marvel Cinematic Universe have been included, for example. Read on to learn more and see if your favorite made the list.
RELATED: The 25 Best Sci-Fi TV Shows That Ever Aired.
Arrow deserves credit as the show that started CW’s Arrowverse, an interconnected franchise that also includes The Flash, Supergirl, Black Lightning, Batwoman, and Legends of Tomorrow (more on that last one in a bit). But the series, which stars Stephen Amell as the archer superhero Green Arrow, is a fun, long-running superhero series on its own merits in addition to being the foundation of one of the most joyful comic book franchises.
For a long time, the Adam West-led Batman from the ’60s was seen as an embarrassment, and critics thought it was cheap, corny, and made superhero comics look juvenile. This view totally misses the point, because Batman is a superhero comedy that knows exactly what it is. That Batman is cheesy wasn’t an accident; it was part of the charm. There’s room for all sorts of superhero stories, and if grim, dark, or overly serious superheroes have got you down, Cesar Romero’s Joker will make you laugh.
Batman: The Animated Series might just be the best superhero adaptation of all time, full stop. The stylish, Art Deco-inspired take on the Dark Knight is iconic for a reason, offering smart, complex tales of Batman’s heroism and defining iterations of his Rogues Gallery. (Mister Freeze’s tragic backstory comes from B:TAS, as does Harley Quinn as a character). The show also holds the distinction of starting the DC Animated Universe, which would go on to feature other great shows, such as Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited.
Amazon Prime Video’s ongoing superhero satire could have so easily been exhausting boundary-pushing. It’s proudly crass, explicit, and violent, and the premise of “what if superheroes were evil?” is the type of conceit that could get really tiresome really fast. But, far from being an edgelord’s dream, The Boys is in fact a very smart, very cutting look at celebrity culture, corporate dominance, and fascism, featuring tons of incredible performances—especially Antony Starr’s turn as the psychotic main superhero Homelander.
The first of Netflix’s live-action Marvel shows may or may not be considered part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Its canonical status is ever-changing and unclear. What is apparent is that Daredevil, about a blind superhero with enhanced senses, is a thrilling bit of action TV. Each of the show’s three seasons features an elaborate, one-take fight sequence that ranks up there with some of the best action ever filmed on the big or small screens. A revival series, Daredevil: Born Again, is coming soon to Disney+.
RELATED: 22 TV Plot Twists That Completely Blew Our Minds.
The most irreverent of the Arrowverse shows is also one of the best. Legends of Tomorrow took a bunch of B- and C-list characters from the other Arrowverse shows and the comic books and sent them traveling through time to right historical wrongs and fix a kooky timeline. Consistently funny and willing to cut loose and get weird in a way that few superhero shows ever allowed themselves to do, Legends of Tomorrow is a hoot and a holler. The episode where a giant Furby-like toy becomes a God of War and faces off with a primordial demon is probably not even the show’s weirdest season finale.
If Legends of Tomorrow is weird, Doom Patrol might be even weirder, and that’s a compliment to this series, which began its life on the now-defunct DC Universe streaming service before getting third and fourth seasons on what was then called HBO Max. Featuring the eponymous team of oddball superheroes from the comics, Doom Patrol is a trippy, goofy, and ultimately earnest exploration (and occasionally deconstruction) of the superhero genre.
Kaley Cuoco stars as the Joker’s ex-girlfriend in Max’s acclaimed adult animated comedy, which follows Harley and her girlfriend Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) as they find exactly where on the hero-antihero-villain scale they want to be. Extremely funny and meta with a deft understanding of superhero tropes, Harley Quinn is one of the fresher takes on Batman that there’s ever been.
Given that we’re only including two shows per shared universe on this list, you might be surprised to see Hawkeye rather than more ambitious Marvel Studios shows such as Loki or the extremely charming Ms. Marvel. What makes Hawkeye so good, though, is that it doesn’t feel burdened with importance or a high-concept execution. It’s just a fun, street-level superhero adventure set in New York City during Christmas time, and it introduces Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop, the successor to Jeremy Renner’s mantle.
The first season of Heroes is an incredible feat of television: a wholly original superhero universe full of mystery, memorable characters, and memorable moments. (“Save the cheerleader, save the world.”) It’s a masterpiece. Unfortunately, after this near-perfect first season, the show went off the rails in an increasingly catastrophic way, making the series as a whole somewhat hard to recommend. That first season is so good, though, that any fan of superheroes—or even just good TV, generally—can’t miss it.
RELATED: 21 Cult TV Shows With the Most Passionate Fans.
It’s hard to talk about Invincible, Amazon Prime Video’s animated adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s comic series, without spoiling the big twist that elevates it from a standard superhero coming-of-age story to something much more interesting. Let’s just say that there’s a lot more to young rookie superhero Mark Grayson’s relationship with his father, Omni-Man, than immediately meets the eye.
Jessica Jones, like all those Netflix Marvel shows, could probably stand to cut three episodes from each season to tighten things up a little bit. Even so, it’s is fantastic, starring Krysten Ritter as the titular superhero-turned-private eye who is forced to reckon with a terrible character from her past: David Tennant’s abusive, mind-manipulating villain Kilgrave.
If Batman: The Animated Series is a perfect adaptation of the Caped Crusader, Justice League is a near-perfect adaptation of the wider, weirder DC universe as a whole. Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, which expands the scope of the DCAU even further, make for epic superhero storytelling with a willingness to celebrate everything the comics have to offer.
The FX series Legion is ostensibly an X-Men show, but if you’re looking for Wolverine slicing and dicing, this isn’t the program for you. Instead, it stars Dan Stevens as Professor X’s highly powerful mutant son who also has schizophrenia, which leads to him being committed to a psychiatric ward. As you might expect from this premise, the show is heady, mind-warping, and wonderfully unique. It’s about as cerebral as superhero shows get.
The anime-inspired My Adventures With Superman makes the Man of Steel fun again, presenting a younger, happier take on the iconic character and spending as much (if not more) time on Clark Kent’s personal relationships as it does on Superman’s city-saving exploits. It’s a super-charming superhero show.
RELATED: The 25 Best Animated TV Shows Ever Made.
This wildly popular shōnen anime series takes place in a school for up-and-coming superheroes in a world where superpowers, known as “quirks” are commonplace. My Hero Academia, based on Kōhei Horikoshi’s manga of the same name, applies superheroes and superpower tropes typically thought of as being Western to the shōnen genre, with all its memorable characters and elaborate fight sequences. It should be no surprise that the resulting blend has as many fans across the world as it does.
The central conceit of One-Punch Man, an anime based on a webcomic-turned-manga of the same name, is brilliant. The titular superhero in a world full of them has become so powerful that he can defeat anybody and anything with a single punch. And, as a result, he’s very, very bored. So what does he do next? From this, One-Punch Man finds tons of clever humor and twists, offering a truly unique spin on the superhero genre.
Sugar, spice, everything nice, and Chemical X combine to make Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, three kindergarten superheroes in this classic Cartoon Network show. Highly stylized and full of references to all sorts of media, superhero or otherwise (there’s an episode-long homage to the Beatles packed with more Easter eggs than you’d believe), The PowerPuff Girls is smart, accessible, and entertaining superheroes in a different flavor than your traditional comic book crimefighter.
Smallville, an origin story for Superman that follows Clark Kent’s (Tom Welling) superpowered upbringing in the titular Kansas town where he was raised, premiered in 2001, at the very beginning of the current superhero boom. For that reason, it has aspects that feel dated or out-of-step with more modern superhero adaptations, but that uniqueness adds characters, as Smallville is best appreciated as a soapy teen drama with superpowered stylings.
There’s a bit of animosity for this one from fans of the original Teen Titans show from the ’00s, which borrows anime tropes and has a clear sense of humor but is ultimately a show about superheroes doing typical superhero stuff. Teen Titans Go!, a reimagining of sorts that features the same characters with modified designs, is a straight comedy. And while Teen Titans is also a great show, Teen Titans Go! is so clever and purely enjoyable that you have to give it the edge. There’s a bit where Robin explains the housing crisis to his puzzled teammates? And it kills?
RELATED: The 25 Best Mystery TV Shows That Will Keep You Guessing.
Amazon Prime Video’s sadly short-lived iteration of the titular cult favorite superhero manages to be a legitimately funny comedy and an exciting superhero action romp at the same time—no easy feat. Peter Serafinowicz stars as The Tick, an aloof superhero who may or may not actually exist, much to the consternation of his anxious sidekick Arthur (Griffin Newman).
The Venture Bros., Adult Swim’s epic, complex comedy, is primarily a parody of old adventure serials and shows such as Johnny Quest, but it also spoofs all things genre, including superheroes. Colorful costumed villains, including the Monarch, professionally “arch” heroes—some costumed, some not. As with all of The Venture Bros. sharp, side-stitching parodies, when it skewers Batman, the Green Hornet, or Spider-Man with pastiche characters, it’s clear that it’s coming from a knowing place of love.
Before WandaVision, Marvel TV shows had a tenuous relationship with the MCU because they were created by a different part of the company. Starting with WandaVision, though, Marvel Studios proper took the reins, allowing for much more integration with the main series and for movie characters (and movie stars) to grace Disney+. And yet the best parts of WandaVision are the parts that aren’t like a normal superhero show, as Scarlet Witch’s (Elizabeth Olsen) grief causes her to create a tour of sitcom styles and tropes through the decades. It’s a genre-blending exercise that shows how versatile the superhero format is.
Recently continued in the acclaimed X-Men ’97 Disney+ series, the ’90s animated X-Men is very much like the comic books it’s based on: complex, full of characters, and willing to take big, ambitious swings. Plus, it boasts one of the best theme songs that’s ever graced the small screen. Come on —you’re probably humming it in your head right now.
Young Justice initially presents itself as a cartoon about sidekicks. However, the next generation of heroes—whose ranks include Robin, Miss Martian, Kid Flash, and Superboy—are actually allowed to grow and become heroes (and people) in their own right. Perhaps no other superhero adaptation has captured the power of long-form, complex worldbuilding the way Young Justice has, and it’s a thrill to watch these characters change and evolve as circumstances change and the stakes get raised.