10 Greatest Superhero Shows Even Diehards Haven’t Seen

4 days ago 17

Eric Johnson staring ahead and pointing a laser in Flash Gordon

Published Jun 20, 2026, 8:34 PM EDT

Michael John Petty is a Senior Author for Collider who spends his days writing, in fellowship with his local church, and enjoying each new day with his wife and daughters. At Collider, he writes features, reviews, recaps, and conducts interviews. In addition to writing about stories, Michael has told a few of his own. His novella, The Beast of Bear-tooth Mountain, was released in 2023. His Western short story, The Devil's Left Hand, received the Spur Award for "Best Western Short Fiction" from the Western Writers of America in 2025. Michael currently resides in North Idaho with his growing family.

Superhero television may be a dime a dozen these days, but there was a time when that wasn't the case. It wasn't so long ago that shows like the Adam West-led Batman series from the '60s or the 1977 The Incredible Hulk TV show were considered the most popular comic-to-screen programs, though that started to change come the 21st century. Now, we have everything from Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins to DC Comics prequels to comic book deconstructions like The Boys that have flooded the superhero-on-TV market, but that wasn't always the case.

Before the Arrowverse erupted on The CW in the 2010s and the MCU moved from the big screen to the small with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., it was slim-pickings for superhero fans. Smallville ruled (and still does) as the longest running live-action superhero series out there, but even that show wasn't fully committed to tights and flights until the very end. Along the way, you've probably forgotten about some of the more unique superhero shows that aired for a brief time on television, but that doesn't mean they didn't have potential on their own.

'Flash Gordon' (2007–2008)

Eric Johnson's Flash standing with Gina Holden's Dale in Flash Gordon

After he was killed off on Smallville, Eric Johnson bounced around for a few years before landing a superhero role of his own in the short-lived Flash Gordon reboot. Now, admittedly, Flash Gordon has a rough first few episodes. The show struggled to find an audience because the quality of this 21st-century take on the retro space opera failed to live up to the hype. It wasn't great at first, but as the show progressed, it actually grew into a capable superhero series with genuine potential — it's almost a shame it was canceled.

Flash Gordon follows its title hero as he's transported to the world of Mongo and pitted against the tyrannical ruler, Ming the Merciless (John Ralston). As Flash builds alliances with those on Mongo and the series slowly pivots from Earth to the alien homeworld, Flash Gordon eventually finds its voice. However, it was all too little, too late. Audiences stopped watching after a boring batch of initial episodes, and Flash Gordon was put down before it ever had the chance to soar.

The cast of Legends of the Superheroes pose for a promotional photo.

If you've never heard of Legends of the Superheroes, that's probably because DC has tried to bury the live-action debut of many of its superhero characters, including Green Lantern (Howard Murphy), The Flash (Rod Haase), Hawkman (Bill Nuckols), Black Canary (Danuta Wesley), and the Huntress (Barbara Joyce). This two-episode television special took place in the same world as Adam West's Batman, as the Dynamic Duo appeared alongside the rest of this "Justice League." And boy, is this a time capsule.

What makes Legends of the Superheroes "great" isn't that it's actually good, per se. It's really not. But in addition to being a Batman reunion special (alongside Adam West and Burt Ward, Frank Gorshin also returns as The Riddler), the second part is actually a celebrity roast. It's a superhero parody at its most strange, complete with the same flavor of humor that made Batman a national phenomenon — though perhaps not as grand as Batman's best TV heists. If that's your style of superhero television, you probably won't be disappointed.

'Black Scorpion' (2001)

Michelle Lintel as Darcy Walker/Black Scorpion on 'Black Scorpion'

Based on not one but two made-for-TV superhero comedy movies by Roger Corman (seriously), Black Scorpion was a single-season superhero series that briefly aired on Syfy (then Sci-Fi Channel) in 2001. As Angel City police detective Darcy Walker realizes that the badge isn't always enough, she moonlights as the Black Scorpion to fight crime after dark. Though Joan Severance played the character in the previous TV movies, Michelle Lintel took over the role for the 22-episode television series.

Black Scorpion is a bit of a fever dream. It's like if WB's likewise short-lived Birds of Prey (a near-perfect DC show few remember) had an older cousin to learn from her poor choices. The titular heroine had a rogues' gallery that included villains played by none other than Adam West and Frank Gorshin of Batman fame, as well as Cobra Kai antagonist Martin Kove. The bulk of the episodes were written by co-creator Craig J. Nevius, and serve as a largely enjoyable mix between the '60s Batman series and Tim Burton's '80s Batman movie, albeit with a female protagonist.

'My Secret Identity' (1988–1991)

Promotional image of the cast of 'My Secret Identity'

Perhaps the most beloved entry on this list, My Secret Identity has been all but forgotten by everyone except those who watched the original program back when it aired on syndication (or the later Sci-Fi Channel reruns). Starring Jerry O'Connell as teenage comic book enthusiast Andrew Clements, the show follows his adventures after he suddenly gets superpowers from a beam shot by his friend Dr. Benjamin Jeffcoate (Derek McGrath). Knowing what he must do, Andrew chooses the responsibility of a hero.

As the title suggests, Andrew hides his secret identity from everyone in his life, save Dr. Jeffcoate. A fun blend of adventure, science fiction, and comedy, My Secret Identity ran for three seasons and 72 episodes. With a killer theme song that will stay in your head for hours (trust us), this show is the perfect binge for those looking for some superhero-lite superhero TV. Funny enough, O'Connell would later voice Superman in his career, and it all started back in '88.

Collider Exclusive · Action Hero Quiz Which Action Hero Would Be
Your Perfect Partner? Rambo · James Bond · Indiana Jones · John McClane · Ethan Hunt

Five legends. Five completely different ways of getting out alive — with style, with muscle, with charm, with luck, or with a plan so intricate it probably shouldn't work. Ten questions will reveal which action hero was built to have your back.

🎖️Rambo

🍸James Bond

🏺Indiana Jones

🔧John McClane

🎭Ethan Hunt

FIND YOUR PARTNER →

You're dropped into a dangerous situation with no warning. What do you need most from a partner? The first few seconds tell you everything about who belongs beside you.

ASomeone who already has three contingency plans running and is calmly working through all of them. BSomeone who reads the terrain instinctively and knows exactly how to use it against the enemy. CSomeone who keeps their nerve and their sense of humour when everything is falling apart. DSomeone who knows the history of wherever we are and what we're walking into. ESomeone with the right contact, the right cover identity, and the right exit already arranged.

NEXT QUESTION →

You have to get somewhere dangerous, fast. How do you travel? How you get there is half the mission.

AOn foot through terrain no one else would attempt — I move where vehicles can't follow. BOn a motorcycle, a cargo plane, or anything else that gets me there before I think too hard about it. CIn something that belongs to someone else — borrowed, stolen, or improvised under fire. DFirst class, with a cover identity and a gadget that does something I won't explain until it's needed. EBy whatever means are available — I've driven, flown, and once arrived by camel. The destination matters, not the method.

NEXT QUESTION →

You're pinned down and outnumbered. What does your ideal partner do? This is when you find out what someone is really made of.

ADisappears into the environment, flanks them silently, and ends it before I've reloaded. BCracks a one-liner, grabs a fire extinguisher or a chair, and improvises something that somehow works. CProduces a gadget specifically designed for this exact scenario and uses it with infuriating precision. DPulls out a whip, a pistol, and an archaeological insight that somehow gets us out alive. ENeutralises the threat with maximum efficiency and minimum words — they were already three moves ahead.

NEXT QUESTION →

The mission is paused. You have one evening to decompress. What does your partner suggest? Who someone is when the pressure drops is who they actually are.

AA bar with terrible lighting, cold beer, and absolutely no questions about feelings. BThe finest restaurant in the city, a bottle of something expensive, and a conversation that is equal parts brilliant and exhausting. CA local dig site, a museum after hours, or a long story about why that particular artefact matters to human civilisation. DPizza. Bad TV. Falling asleep halfway through a movie neither of you were watching anyway. EA debrief that turns into three hours of contingency planning that somehow becomes the most fun you've had all week.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you prefer your partner to communicate mid-mission? Good communication is the difference between partners and a liability.

APrecise and minimal — tell me what I need to know and nothing else. Every word has a cost. BDeadpan and dry — keeping it light keeps me sharp, even when everything is on fire. CEnthusiastic and slightly chaotic — but always with useful information buried somewhere in the noise. DCalm and controlled through an earpiece, with a plan that covers every variable I haven't thought of yet. EBarely at all — silence is a language and they speak it fluently.

NEXT QUESTION →

Your enemy is powerful, well-resourced, and has the upper hand. How should your partner approach them? The approach to the enemy defines the partnership.

AInfiltrate their inner circle, learn everything, and dismantle them from inside out before they know we're there. BStudy the historical pattern — every villain of this type has a weakness written somewhere in the past. CGet them talking. The more they monologue, the more time I have to figure out how to beat them. DGo through them. Directly. With as much force as the terrain allows. EFind the one thing they haven't accounted for — there's always one thing — and make sure we're holding it.

NEXT QUESTION →

Things go badly wrong and you're captured. What do you trust your partner to do? Who someone is when you need them most is the only thing that matters.

ACome in alone, quietly, and get me out before anyone knows they were there. BHave already been working on the extraction since the moment I disappeared — the plan is already running. CCome in loud, come in fast, and worry about the collateral damage later — I'd do the same for them. DUse every resource, every contact, and bend every rule until I'm out — they don't leave people behind. ECharm their way in somehow, bluff through the hard part, and still manage to look good doing it.

NEXT QUESTION →

What does your ideal partner bring to the table that you couldn't replace? A great partner fills the gap you didn't know you had.

ATechnology that shouldn't exist yet and the training to use it under any conditions. BSurvival instinct so refined it borders on supernatural — and the scars to prove it's been tested. CKnowledge of history, language, and culture that makes them invaluable in places where force is useless. DThe ability to walk into any room in the world and immediately become the most trusted person in it. EStubbornness that refuses to accept a situation is hopeless — and the improvisational skill to back it up.

NEXT QUESTION →

Every partnership has a cost. Which of these can you live with? No one comes without baggage. The question is whether you can carry it together.

AA partner who never fully switches off — always watching exits, always calculating threats, even at dinner. BA partner who gets the job done brilliantly but has the emotional availability of a locked filing cabinet. CA partner who makes everything ten times more complicated than it needs to be — but who always comes through. DA partner who gets personally attached to every relic, ruin, and artefact we encounter, which slows everything down. EA partner who was not built for this and knows it — but shows up anyway, every time, without being asked.

NEXT QUESTION →

It's the final moment. Everything is on the line. What do you need from your partner right now? The last question is the most honest one.

AOne line. Absolutely dry. Delivered like the world isn't ending. Then we move. BNothing said at all — just a look that means we both already know what has to happen. CA plan I don't fully understand that somehow accounts for everything, delivered in thirty seconds flat. DA piece of historical context that reframes the entire situation and tells us exactly what to do next. ESomeone who steps forward instead of back — because that's who they've always been.

REVEAL MY PARTNER →

Your Partner Has Been Assigned Your Perfect Partner Is…

Your answers have pointed to one action hero above all others. This is the person built to have your back — for better or considerably, spectacularly worse.

Rambo

Your partner doesn't talk much, doesn't need to, and will have assessed every threat in your immediate environment before you've finished your first sentence. John Rambo is not a man of plans or politics — he is a force of nature shaped by survival, loyalty, and a capacity for endurance that goes beyond anything training can produce. He will not leave you behind. He has never left anyone behind who deserved to come home. What you get with Rambo is the most capable, most quietly ferocious partner imaginable — one who has been through things that would have broken anyone else, and who chose to keep going anyway. You'll never need to ask if he has your back. You'll just know.

James Bond

Your partner will arrive perfectly dressed, perfectly briefed, and with a cover story so convincing it'll take you a moment to remember what's actually true. James Bond is the most professionally dangerous person in any room he enters — and the most disarmingly charming, which is the point. He operates in a world of layers, where nothing is what it appears and every advantage is used without apology. You'll never be bored. You'll occasionally be furious. But when it matters — when the mission is genuinely on the line and the margin for error has collapsed to nothing — Bond is exactly the partner you want. He has survived things that have no business being survivable. He does it with style. That is not nothing.

Indiana Jones

Your partner will know the history, the language, the cultural context, and exactly why the thing everyone else is ignoring is actually the most important thing in the room. Indiana Jones is brilliant, reckless, and occasionally impossible — but he is also one of the most resourceful, most genuinely knowledgeable partners you could find yourself beside. He approaches every situation with a scholar's eye and a brawler's instinct, which is an unusual combination and a remarkably effective one. He hates snakes and gets personally attached to objects of historical significance, both of which will slow you down at least once. It doesn't matter. What Indy brings is irreplaceable — and the adventures you'll have together will be the kind people write books about. Assuming you survive them.

John McClane

Your partner was not supposed to be here. He does not have the right equipment, the right information, or anything approaching the right odds. He has a sarcastic remark and an absolute refusal to accept that the situation is as bad as it looks. John McClane is the greatest accidental hero in the history of action cinema — a man whose superpower is stubbornness, whose contingency plan is improvisation, and whose capacity to absorb punishment and keep moving would be alarming if it weren't so useful. He will complain the entire time. He will make it significantly more chaotic than it needed to be. And he will absolutely, unconditionally, without question come through when it counts. Yippee-ki-yay.

Ethan Hunt

Your partner has already run seventeen scenarios by the time you've finished reading the briefing, and the plan he's settled on involves at least two things that should be physically impossible. Ethan Hunt operates at the absolute edge of human capability — technically, physically, and intellectually — and he brings the same relentless precision to protecting his partners that he brings to dismantling organisations that shouldn't exist. He is not easy to know and he will never fully tell you everything. But he will carry the weight of the mission so completely, so absolutely, that your job is simply to trust him — and the remarkable thing is that trusting him always turns out to be the right call. The mission will be impossible. He will complete it anyway.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

'Who Wants to Be a Superhero?' (2006–2007)

Stan Lee stands beside some contestants on the poster for 'Who Wants to Be a Superhero?'

From the mind of Stan Lee, this superhero-centric reality television series is actually a competition show. Who Wants to Be a Superhero? pits several contestants against each other to discover whose idea for an original superhero character would win the heart of Stan "The Man" himself. The winner would not only get their character turned into a Stan Lee-penned Dark Horse comic book, but would also be included in live-action in a Sci-Fi Channel original movie — Mega Snake being the first.

Although Who Wants to Be a Superhero? only ran for two seasons, the concept itself was an ingenious way to capitalize on the growing mainstream superhero craze. Unfortunately, the show aired about a decade too early, with Matthew Atherton's Feedback and Jarret Crippen's The Defuser being the only superheroes created from this short-lived phenomenon. It may not deliver everything you want from the superhero genre, but it was a unique idea that could only come from the mind of Stan Lee. 'Nuff said!

'Automan' (1983–1984)

Desi Arnaz Jr. as Walter Nebicher and Chuck Wagner as Automan in 'Automan'

From Glen A. Larson, the mind behind the original Battlestar Galactica, came the Tron-inspired Automan. Somehow, this '80s sci-fi comedy still holds up as it follows an artificial superhero, "the Automatic Man" (Chuck Wagner), created by police programmer Walter Nebicher (Desi Arnaz Jr.) to fight the crime that the cops cannot. Long before AI is what we know it as today, the potential seemed limitless, and the idea of turning a computer program into a superhero just made sense.

If you can get past the basic Tron comparison, Automan was loads of fun. However, the show only lasted a dozen episodes on the air before it was unceremoniously axed by ABC. Evidently, the program was too far ahead of its time — perhaps it would have done better in today's market. (Call Ronald D. Moore, we have another Larson series he needs to update!)

'Electra Woman and Dyna Girl' (1976)

Dyna Girl (Judy Strangis) and Electra Woman (Deidre Hall) prepare for battle in 'Electra Woman and Dyna Girl'

If you've never heard of Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, that's not exactly a surprise. This superhero series was a part of the larger umbrella program The Krofft Supershow that was aimed specifically for kids. Deidre Hall played Electra Woman opposite Judy Strangis' Dyna Girl, as the pair of super-heroines fought crime when not working as newspaper journalists. Their bulky "ElectraComs" could do almost anything, and for 8 episodes (and 16 different 12-minute segments) they tackled some of the strangest villains.

The original Electra Woman and Dyna Girl series is a wholesome gem that has gone down in pop culture infamy. The WB even tried to make an "edgy" updated satirical superhero series in the style of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law (albeit, in live-action) in the early 2000s, though the pilot was so terrible that the network ultimately passed. Likewise, a web-series revival made its way to screens starring a pair of YouTubers, but nothing quite beats the earnestness of the original '70s program.

'M.A.N.T.I.S.' (1994–1997)

Dr. Miles Hawkins (Carl Lumbly) takes aim in M.A.N.T.I.S.

Before Carl Lumbly would voice Martian Manhunter in the Justice League animated series, he starred in M.A.N.T.I.S. as the first black superhero on television. After Dr. Miles Hawkins (Lumbly) is paralyzed and disheartened by a criminal conspiracy targeting the black community, he utilizes his company's superhuman M.A.N.T.I.S. exoskeleton to fight crime after dark, which grants him super-strength, speed, and paralytic darts. For a single 22-episode season, M.A.N.T.I.S. brought a new flavor of crime fighter to television screens.

Created by the combined efforts of Batman scribe Sam Hamm and future Spider-Man director Sam Raimi, it's kind of odd that this series didn't last more than a season on Fox. After a relatively grounded TV pilot film, M.A.N.T.I.S. goes a bit off the rails, but isn't that the case for really all superheroes when you think about it? The show is an odd duck, but it's a fun watch even now when looking back on it.

'Mutant X' (2001–2004)

Victoria Pratt, Lauren Lee Smith, John Shea, and Forbes March in 'Mutant X'

Despite the fact that it shares the same name with a '90s Marvel comic series, and it was made with Marvel's cooperation in mind, the Avi Arad-created Mutant X is only loosely connected to the X-Men franchise. Well, technically, it's not connected at all, as this team of "mutants" received their powers not because of an evolutionary mutant gene, but due to genetic experimentation conducted by a mysterious government entity. With an ensemble cast, this X-Men-lite series ran an impressive three seasons in syndication.

"Protecting a world that doesn't know they exist" was the Mutant X tagline, and under the leadership of Adam Kane (John Shea from Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman), that's exactly what this group of rag-tag not-quite-mutants did. Clearly inspired by a combination of the Fox-made X-Men movies and The Matrix, Mutant X is the second-longest-running series on this list after My Secret Identity with an impressive 66 episodes. If only it were an actual Mutant X adaptation...

'The Cape' (2011)

Vince Faraday/The Cape (David Lyons) looks over Palm City on 'The Cape'

Probably the most infamous show on this list, The Cape was set up by NBC to be the next big "comic book/superhero"-inspired show after the end of Heroes, but it never quite lived up to the hype. For one thing, the show was canceled before its first season even finished airing (with the finale being released online instead), with the failure of The Cape eventually becoming a recurring joke on Community. But there was something about the premise that was actually quite interesting and, as strange as it was, may deserve another look.

The Cape took the superhero concept back to its roots when "good cop" Vince Faraday (David Lyons) is framed and supposedly murdered by a supervillain, only to be taken in by a traveling circus who teach him the theatrical skills necessary to fight crime as "The Cape" (still considered by many to be among the worst TV superheroes) and win back his family. Superheroes themselves were often inspired by circus acts, and so tying the concept back to The Carnival of Crime was a unique way to update the idea. It may not have been able to carry "six seasons and a movie," but The Cape could have lasted at least a full network TV season.