Superhero media has been popular with viewers for decades, but it has grown exponentially over the past few years. With the growth of franchises like the MCU and the DCEU on the big screen, small screen superhero television series have also grown in viewership, garnering huge fandoms and airing for many successful seasons.
While Marvel has found success with their Disney+ series and The Defenders, the likes of DC’s Arrow and Supergirl have found passionate fanbases. However, other series, some of which have had massive potential, have slipped through the cracks with audiences, not being able to retain a committed viewership when pitted against other, more popular series.
10 Iron Fist Fell Flat
Marvel’s Iron Fist is not necessarily a terrible show, but it stands out as easily the worst show in the Defenders series, alongside other series which received brilliant reviews. Actor Finn Jones took on the role of Danny Rand, a talented martial artist who can call upon the power of the “Iron Fist.” While Jones’ performance has received mixed reviews, the shows unfavorable reviews highlight a lack of momentum and originality in the writing. Overall, following beloved series such as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage, Iron Fist did not stand a chance.
9 Legion Was Forgotten
FX’s Marvel drama Legion premiered in 2017 and ran for three critically acclaimed seasons. The show stars Dan Stevens as Charles Xavier’s mutant son who is committed to psychiatric hospitals from a young age due to a schizophrenia diagnosis. Its innovative narrative earned Legion critical and audience praise, but viewership declined dramatically in the second and third seasons. Legion‘s obscurity in the marvel on-screen universe and its lack of a direct link to any other texts, means that many have simply forgotten that the story exists.
8 Runaways Dragged On
Marvel’s Runaways was a Hulu original drama that ran for three seasons from 2017 to 2019. The show follows a group of teens, some with supernatural powers, as they unite against their parents after discovering they are part of a criminal organization known as PRIDE. Led by a talented ensemble of teenagers, Runaways should have been popular with a young demographic, but fell flat for many due to the poor pacing. One thing that fans did enjoy, as it stood out from other Marvel projects, was the positive LGBTQ+ representation, in the form of the relationship between Nico and Karolina.
7 Cloak & Dagger Couldn’t Find Its Viewership
Cloak & Dagger was a Freeform series set in the same universe as Runaways with the two shows crossing over in their second and third seasons respectively. The series followed Tandy Bowen and Tyrone Johnson, two very different teenagers, who acquire superpowers and team up to help people.
The series was favorably reviewed by both critics and audiences, even having the largest debut on the network ever. However, going into the second season, viewership dropped by almost half and the series was canceled after 20 episodes.
6 The Gifted Was Too Individual
The Gifted was a Marvel series, set in the X-Men universe, which debuted on Fox in 2017. Set in an alternate timeline where the X-Men are no longer the face of mutant identities, the series follows a family who go on the run after discovering that their children have mutant abilities.
Despite having an interesting premise, interesting characters, and favorable reviews, The Gifted‘s separation from other Marvel projects during a time when fans began enjoying the crossovers between texts, let the series down in terms of engagement. Fox canceled The Gifted after two seasons, to many fans’ dismay.
5 Agent Carter Had More Potential
British actress Hayley Atwell reprised her role from the MCU movies in the 2015 series Agent Carter. The show follows Peggy Carter after the war, and the supposed death of Steve Rogers, while she works for the SSR but also struggles to help clear Howard Stark’s name after he is accused of supplying weapons to enemies of the USA.
Despite overly positive reviews, Agent Carter never found a stable viewership and was canceled after just two seasons. The show’s cancelation is particularly sad, as the events of the 2019 movie Avengers: Endgame completely alters the events from Agent Carter, rendering the television series obsolete.
4 The Tick Was Too Obscure
The Tick is a 2016 comedy/drama by Ben Edlund, based on his 1986 comic book character of the same name. The series was created for Amazon Prime Video and ran for two seasons. Following an almost indestructible hero in a giant blue suit, The Tick stood out from other superhero media due to its heartfelt comedy and separation from the Marvel vs DC debate of comic book adaptations. However, despite favorable reviews, passionate fans, and an Emmy award nomination, Amazon canceled The Tick after two seasons and Edlund could not find another home for his beloved series.
3 Inhumans Wasted A Good Premise
Marvel’s Inhumans was an ABC series that debuted in 2017. The series followed a royal family of Inhumans, a species of superhumans introduced originally in Marvel’s more successful series, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Despite being in the pipeline for a long time, and getting a theatrical IMAX release before its television debut, Inhumans received overall unfavorable reviews from critics and viewers, due to its poor writing, bad characters, and unoriginal narrative. With bad press and terrible ratings, ABC had no choice but to cancel the show after just eight episodes.
2 Krypton Didn’t Stand Out
Krypton is a series that ran from 2018 t0 2019 on Syfy. The show, set hundreds of years before the birth of Superman, followed Kal-El’s grandfather Seg-El, and his life on the title planet of Krypton. Krypton received mixed reviews due to its more quirky plot and was canceled after just two seasons. Despite Krypton following characters not previously explored on-screen before, there has been so much media surrounding Superman in recent years, and Krypton faded into the background behind many better shows and movies.
1 Powerless Could Not Last
Powerless was a DC comedy series that began airing on NBC in February 2017. The show seemed to have an interesting premise, as instead of focusing on those with superpowers, it chose to focus on the lives of ‘normal’ people living in a world where superheroes are the norm. The show was set in an insurance company that specialized in protecting civilians from the damage caused by superheroes. Despite initial intrigue, viewership fell dramatically with NBC pulling the final few episodes from their schedule and canceling the series after one season.
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