Summary
- Outside the Marvel and DC bubble, there are plenty of superhero stories to watch, with genres ranging from coming-of-age comedies to criminal mysteries.
- Smaller groups and other publishers are releasing projects that are gaining more attention, offering unique and diverse superhero content.
- Shows like "I Am Not Okay With This," "The Nevers," and "Extraordinary" have received positive for their outstanding acting, quality storytelling, and comedic elements.
The superhero genre has exploded in the last couple of decades, and this wave of popularity has resulted in a growing library of superhero movies and TV shows from outside Marvel and DC. DC has long held a leading position when it comes to TV shows with franchises like the Arrowverse, Gotham, and more recent projects like Peacemaker that quickly gained a substantial following. Marvel has recently dedicated a considerable budget and effort to producing TV shows connected to the wider MCU and filling out the Disney+ release slate. In addition, both studios have been releasing popular animated serials for decades for audiences young and old.
While DC and Marvel may have a significant market share in this space, there are several smaller groups releasing projects that are beginning to get more attention too. With some based on comics and graphic novels from other publishers and others being developed from original concepts, there is a lot of superhero content to watch outside the Marvel and DC bubble. With genres ranging from coming-of-age comedies to criminal mysteries, stories where people gain powers and have to deal with the consequences, are plentiful across streaming platforms. With that in mind, here are some of the best superhero stories not from Marvel or DC.
12 I Am Not Okay With This
I Am Not Okay With This is a re-imagined coming-of-age story where a young woman, Sophia Lillis, faces the challenges of high school life, romantic endeavors, exploring sexuality, and family struggles. The series is based on a graphic novel by Charles Forsman and published by Faber & Faber. While many of her struggles are common, she has also discovered that she possesses superpowers. The series was canceled after its first season due to COVID according to Netflix, but the series received glowing with an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes from both viewers and critics due to the outstanding acting and the quality of the storytelling overall.
11 The Nevers
The Nevers is one of the latest projects by Buffy creator Joss Whedon and focuses on a group of powerful young women in Victorian London. The original concept from Whedon immediately garnered a lot of attention due to the creator's former success in creating supernatural female-led stories. The Touched, as they are called, develop a variety of powers and begin to form an alliance to fend off evil forces. The series initially aired in 2021 on HBO Max with a further 6 episodes released in 2023. Unfortunately, despite positive audience reactions, this series was also canceled in order to cut costs, perhaps due to the special effects. Even with the short run, The Nevers is a unique super story thanks to the setting and a variety of unusual powers that stand out from the usual repetitive stable of strength, speed, flying, and the like.
10 Extraordinary
In a world where superpowers are entirely normal, Jen finds herself the rare exception. While many people develop their powers sometime after their 18th birthday, Jen is proving to be an exceptionally late bloomer at the ripe old age of 25. Extraordinary is another original story, and an exceptional British comedy full of unexpected misadventures and a quirky cast. The series features a range of powers from the extremely useful, flight, or strength, to the incredibly useless like sometimes being magnetic, or summoning fish, but having no ability to control them.
The beauty of the series is how human everyone is despite having powers. Most people don't really know how to use their powers and even the ones that do, usually use them to improve at performing their regular nine to five instead of choosing to save the world. With a 100% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and a second season due to release in early 2024, Extraordinary is the perfect show for superhero fans looking for a great new comedy show to binge.
9 She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
A retelling of the 80s cartoon, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power follows Adora on her quest to overthrow the forces of evil and save her home planet Etheria. She-Ra is an animated series suitable for the whole family with nostalgic elements for older audiences and comedy and adventure for younger viewers. Set in a world where magic flows and different species coexist peacefully, Adora stumbles across a magic sword that grants her the power she needs to lead a rebellion against the Horde. The series also deals with more advanced themes as the protagonist, Adora, after discovering the sword that gives her power is put at odds with her best friend and the community she was a part of.
8 Power Rangers
Power Rangers have been going since the 90s and have built up their own interconnected universe of movies and shows. The series is also based on and uses scenes from an original Japanese series called Super Sentai. The American adaptation follows a group of young people, usually in their late teens or early twenties, who have been gifted powers by a mysterious force in order to defend and protect the Earth from evil threats. The original series is similar in that it has a costumed hero team fighting against wild monsters and using large mechs to save the day. For the most part, both TV shows are aimed at younger audiences, but the 2017 Power Rangers movie did have a PG-13 rating which could indicate that the series could start looking to more mature audiences in the future.
7 Spawn
Todd McFarlane's Spawn follows the story of a specially trained assassin who died, went to hell, and was brought back as a vengeful demon to wage war alongside Hell's army. This animated series was created for adults and released only a few months prior to the live-action film in 1997. Todd McFarlane, who has since written for films like Venom, was a writer on both the live-action film and the animated series due to Spawn being his own original story published by Image Comics from 1992 and many appearances since. The series tells a dark story which unlike many other animated shows has a core thread running throughout the show and a satisfying conclusion that shouldn't be missed.
6 The Tick
The Tick is a story based on a comic book series from Ben Edlund and has since been adapted into an animated series and two separate TV serials with the most recent airing two seasons on Amazon Prime. The Tick follows a non-super ant as he teams up with a strange blue superhero to take down the villain running their city. A comical parody of traditional hero stories, The Tick is an entertaining alternative take on the superhero genre. The comic timing in the series as well as the genuine friendship that blossoms between the two protagonists throughout the series is well worth diving into.
5 The Boys
Perhaps the most popular series in this list, The Boys has garnered huge success as it prepares to release its fourth season. In a world where superheroes exist, but instead of noble intentions and hopeful arcs, they are pursuing greed, lust, and power, the ordinary people suffer the consequences, while supers grow in popularity. A small group of non-powered people who have been negatively affected by the actions of supers band together to make a stand. The show was adapted from a comic series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson and adapted for TV by Supernatural creator Eric Kripke. With incredible talent both behind the camera and in front, as well as a terrifying dystopian version of superhero stories, The Boys rivals any Marvel or DC show.
4 Invincible
Mark Grayson has always wanted to be a superhero, that's perfectly normal when your dad is the greatest hero the world has ever seen, Omni-Man. But when he finally does grow into his powers, everything else starts to fall apart. Created for Skybound Comics, a branch of Image by Robert Kirkman, co-creator of The Walking Dead, Invincible is full of twists and turns as Mark learns what it means to be a hero and protect the world from evil, wherever it may hide. Season 2 will begin streaming on Amazon Prime in late 2023 and the series has already been confirmed for a third season. The story that unfolds in just the first season is gripping and jarring as young Mark learns terrible hidden truths and needs to redefine what it means to be a hero.
3 Heroes
Heroes ran from 2006 to 2010 before it was canceled due to audience interest dying down. The series follows several random people from around the world who suddenly begin to develop powers. From the invincible cheerleader to the time-traveling Japanese office worker, they are drawn together by fate in order to stop a catastrophic event that could mean the end of the world. Heroes is packed with an incredible cast and a genuinely thrilling story of people thrust into being super and the choices they make. An original series that was ahead of its time, the tension and drama in this series, as well as the gritty realism make Heroes a must-watch.