Image via K. Horikoshi / Shueisha, My Hero Academia
Published Oct 22, 2026, 5:52 PM EDT
Eddie Possehl is a dynamic and driven writer/director with a passion for the written word and all things film, television, comics, and games. His passion for storytelling led him to establish his own production company in hopes of achieving his dreams.
His dedication to his craft has attracted renowned talent like Yuri Lowenthal to collaborate with him on his projects. As he grows and improves, Eddie is a shining example of a self-starter.
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It would sound like a broken record to say that television is one of the most effective mediums for superhero storytelling—animated and live-action alike. Countless television shows across the decades have more than proven this, but some of the best have come in the last 20 years. They've been keeping viewers sitting in front of their silver screens for quite some time.
Whether they come from the likes of Marvel, DC Comics, or another brand altogether, these shows from the last 20 years are about as close to perfect as one can get. They've got a healthy blend of great plot, pacing, character arcs, and action. There's a reason that these projects have been talked about for as long as they have—continuing to be so to this day—and that's because the quality speaks for itself.
8 'X-Men '97' (2024–Present)
Image via Disney+There's no question that X-Men: The Animated Series is one of the most popular and beloved animated superhero shows ever made. But it's been so long since it was released that nobody expected the announcement of the sequel series, X-Men '97. The question on everyone's minds, however, was whether they could capture the same quality as the 1992 series. With a cult following as big as X-Men: The Animated Series has, the battle for the new show to be a successful follow-up was going to be uphill. However, when the release came about, fans were more than pleased to see that this was more than just a good continuation.
What X-Men '97 does so well is the fact that it is a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series, while also being something that can be watched by anyone—regardless of if they've seen the old show. This was extremely effective on the creative team's part, as they were able to acknowledge that a lot of viewers may not have seen the classic show and accounted for that. The sequel's character work continues to be superb, and the commentary given through the story is just as impactful as it was back in X-Men: The Animated Series.
7 'Watchmen' (2019)
Image via HBOWatchmen may be one of the most notable superhero movies out there—being one of the best in Zack Snyder's directorial catalog—but the show has an extremely similar reputation on television. Watchmen the show is very underrated and deserves far more love than it initially received, due to how genuinely well-executed and thought-provoking the miniseries is. In a world where vigilantes are treated as outlaws, Watchmen's story tackles some important topics—akin to X-Men '97, actually—like racism.
What makes it special compared to other superhero shows, as well, is the fact that this isn't a new adaptation of the comic; it's actually a continuation of the comic book, not the movie. Few pieces of superhero film or television media have done something like this, helping Watchmen stand apart from the others. The new characters introduced are compelling, thanks to the great writing by the various writers on the show. They fuse raw human emotion with science fiction concepts and worldbuilding—a feat that is not easy to pull off successfully.
6 'Invincible' (2021–Present)
Image via Prime VideoThe Invincible (2003) comic book is one of the most popular non-Marvel or DC Comics franchises in the comic industry. Written by The Walking Dead's own creator, Robert Kirkman, this book redefined independent superhero comics. With the success of The Walking Dead (2003)'s television adaptation, it was hard to be surprised that Kirkman eventually got one for Invincible (2003). Unlike The Walking Dead, though, this 2021 series manages to be far more accurate to the source material it's based on.
Invincible does a very good job at making changes to the original book that don't completely shift everything from the original story—still following it closely—but improve it tenfold. Great examples are how Kirkman and the new writers' room managed to make Amber Bennett (Zazie Beetz) an actual character in the show—having absolutely zero character in the original story. Invincible (2003) was already an amazing story, but the addition of the new writers—meaning new, fresh ideas—means that the plot is far stronger than it had ever been. Invincible is the perfect example of how to make a great adaptation that improves on what came before.
5 'My Hero Academia' (2016–2026)
Image via BonesMy Hero Academia is the perfect blend of classic shōnen anime and Western superhero stories. With the recent final season garnering a plethora of awards—Anime of the Year at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, Action or Adventure Anime of The Year at the Anime Trending Awards, and many more—the proof is in the pudding when it comes to My Hero Academia.
With thrilling action, great animation to bring it to life, and compelling characters to participate in said action, My Hero Academia is wonderful. The story of young Izuku Midoriya (Daiki Yamashita and Justin Briner)—a once powerless kid now gaining massive power—is super exciting to witness. Not to mention, his supporting cast is thoroughly developed and fleshes out this world wonderfully. Mangaka Kohei Horikoshi, simply put, didn't just develop one of the most popular anime shows of the 2010s and 2020s, but one of the best animated superhero shows of said era as well.
Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes Which Superhero Team Should You Join? Avengers · X-Men · Teen Titans · The Boys
Every team is a personality test with a uniform. One saves the world and argues about it the whole way home. One has been fighting for the right to exist since the day it formed. One is still working out who it is while the fighting happens. And one has no powers at all, plus no intention of playing fair. Eight questions decide where you actually belong.
🛡️Avengers(Marvel Studios)
🧬X-Men(Marvel)
🐦Teen Titans(DC)
💊The Boys(Prime Video)
FIND YOUR TEAM →
01
What kind of power would you actually want? The power matters less than what you would be willing to do with it.
ASomething enormous and obvious. I would not hide it. BSomething I was born with, whether I wanted it or not. CSomething still growing that I cannot quite control. DNone at all. I would rather nobody sees me coming.
NEXT QUESTION →
02
Why join a team at all? Nobody puts on the suit for the reason they say out loud.
ABecause some threats are too big for anyone alone. BBecause people like me are safer together than apart. CBecause I did not want to do any of this alone. DBecause somebody has to hold these people accountable.
NEXT QUESTION →
03
How do you feel about the people in charge? Every team has a chain of command. Very few of them survive contact.
AI will follow a good leader and argue with a bad one. BThey have never protected people like me. I expect nothing. CI am still learning who to trust, and getting it wrong. DThey are the problem. That is the entire point.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
What is your role inside a group? Every roster needs the same handful of people to function.
AThe big personality. I take up room and I earn it. BThe one who protects whoever arrived most recently. CThe heart. I keep everybody talking to each other. DThe one who says the uncomfortable thing out loud.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
How do you win a fight you should lose? This is the scene the entire film gets built around.
AOverwhelming force, and a very good landing. BWorking together in a way nobody saw coming. CRefusing to give up long after I should have. DPreparation, leverage, and one extremely dirty trick.
NEXT QUESTION →
06
What is this work costing you? Nobody does this for free. The bill just arrives differently for everyone.
AMy private life. Everybody knows my face now. BMy safety. The world is frightened of me. CMy childhood. I grew up faster than I should have. DMy peace. I cannot stop now that I know.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
How should the world see your team? Half of this job is public relations, and everybody knows it.
AAs icons. The team everyone is relieved to see arrive. BAs people. Just people, which is all we ever asked. CAs proof the next generation is going to be fine. DThey should not see us at all until it is done.
NEXT QUESTION →
08
The offer arrives. What makes you say yes? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides your team.
AThe scale. If the world is ending, I want to be there. BThe promise that I would not have to hide anymore. CThe people. I would be joining friends, not an employer. DThe chance to take down somebody who deserves it.
REVEAL MY TEAM →
Recruitment Is Complete Your Team Is…
Four teams, four completely different reasons to put yourself in danger for strangers. This is the roster you actually belong on, what they would want from you, and what it would cost you to stay.
The Avengers
You belong where the stakes are largest and the personalities are loudest. This is a team of people who are all used to being the most important person in the room, which is exactly why it works and exactly why it keeps nearly falling apart.
- The Avengers are not friends who became a team. They are a team that slowly and reluctantly became friends, and you would recognise every stage of that process.
- You can hold your own among big egos without needing to win every exchange, which is the real entry requirement here.
- The arguing is part of the method. This group does its best thinking mid-disagreement, usually at volume, usually in a very expensive building.
- When the sky opens, they are who shows up. You would want to be standing in that line.
The X-Men
You have never had the luxury of being thanked for this. The X-Men protect a world that has never once been comfortable with them existing, and something in you understands exactly why they keep doing it anyway.
- This is the only team on the list whose central conflict is not a villain. It is being wanted gone by the same people they keep saving.
- You know what it is to be the outsider in a room and to decide, anyway, that you will not make yourself smaller so everyone else is comfortable.
- The X-Men are the most genuine found family in comics. People arrive with nowhere else to go and are never once asked to explain themselves.
- You would not be joining for the glory. There has never been any.
The Teen Titans
You do not want colleagues, you want your people. The Titans are the team where the friendship came first and the world-saving turned up afterwards as an inconvenient side effect.
- Every Titan is somebody's sidekick who decided to stop being one. That decision, not the villain of the week, is what the team is actually about.
- You would be joining people who are all working themselves out at the same time as you, which is far less lonely than being the only one.
- The Titans lose regularly. Then they eat together and come back better, which is a more honest model of growing up than any other team here manages.
- The tower would be loud, chaotic, and the first place that ever felt like yours.
The Boys
You are not asking who to trust. You worked out the answer a while ago and it was nobody in a cape. This is where you go once you have decided the people in charge need watching, and that nobody else is going to do it.
- The Boys have no powers, no mandate and no funding. What they have is leverage, patience, and a very high tolerance for consequences.
- You are the person in the room who notices the thing everybody else has quietly agreed not to mention.
- This is not a heroic team and it has never pretended otherwise. It is a group of damaged people doing necessary work in ways nobody would call clean.
- You would not sleep well. You would keep going anyway.
↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ
4 'Superman & Lois' (2021–2024)
Image via The CWWhen speaking of Superman as a character overall, one might assume that the hero is borderline impossible to achieve on television in live-action—thanks to typical television budgets. Superman & Lois proves this completely wrong, though. Outside the creative prowess at play, the way the team behind this show managed to handle their budget with skill and precision to execute the story as best they can. Surprisingly, budget balancing is not something that many shows can pull off to this extent.
The character work done in Superman & Lois is stellar, but the cast themselves bring the story and character arcs to life better than anyone else ever could have. Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch are considered by many as some of the best actors to portray Clark and Lois of all time. The visual effects are great for television because, as stated, they knew how to utilize their budget very well. The stories are bombastic and have spectacle, but also have some truly grounded and raw emotional plots that are far more unforgettable than any action could be.
3 'The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes' (2010–2012)
Image via Disney XDAnimated superhero shows are often the best of the best, and for very good reason. One of Marvel Comics' pillars of animated content comes in the form of the 2010 series, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Much like another incredible Marvel show, this project was canceled not because of quality in the slightest, but because of synergy after the 2012 release of The Avengers. When asked, most people would say that The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes could and should have gone on for far longer than it did.
This show has one of the best adaptations of the grand Marvel Comics universe as a whole. The showrunners managed to make an Avengers show that also features a gigantic portion of the Marvel world of characters, while still managing to keep a consistent cast of protagonists. This feels like an Avengers comic book come to life, for all the right reasons. The characters are well-written, and the pacing is excellent for a show with so many people participating in each episode's plot.
2 'The Spectacular Spider-Man' (2008–2009)
Image via Disney XDThe Spectacular Spider-Man is truly one of the most heavily discussed Marvel shows of all time. 17 years after the show's conclusion, people still petition for the show's revival—#savethespectacularspiderman being huge—and he's even been featured in a speaking role in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. A reputation like this doesn't come from nowhere; it comes from authentic quality.
Brought to life by the creator of shows like Young Justice and Gargoyles, Greg Weisman, and Victor Cook, this show has some of the best writing in a superhero series. The character arcs are natural and flow well from episode to episode. Each episode's plot manages to stand on its own while adding to the overarching story as well. The pacing is absurdly well-executed, keeping the flow of the plot feeling not forced whatsoever.
1 'Daredevil' (2015–2018)
Image via NetflixLong story short, Daredevil is a genuine work of art. It's highly considered as not just one of the best superhero shows of all time, but one of the best modern television shows, period. Charlie Cox was so beloved as the titular character that fans begged for him to come back—getting what they wanted just a few years later in Daredevil: Born Again.
Both the writing and directing behind Daredevil are nothing less than masterful, with sequences such as the classic "oners" and action scenes that are choreographed excellently. One really has to search to find true detriments to the quality of Daredevil. There's a clear reason that people weren't fully satisfied with Daredevil: Born Again—not that it's not good—because how on Earth does one recreate such lightning in a bottle?
Daredevil
Release Date 2015 - 2018-00-00
Network Netflix
Showrunner Steven S. DeKnight
Directors Phil Abraham, Stephen Surjik, Peter Hoar, Euros Lyn, Ken Girotti, Farren Blackburn, Alex Garcia Lopez, Marc Jobst, Adam Kane, Alex Zakrzewski, Andy Goddard, Brad Turner, Floria Sigismondi, Guy Ferland, Jennifer Getzinger, Jennifer Lynch, Julian Holmes, Lukas Ettlin, Michael Uppendahl, Nick Gomez, Sam Miller, Nelson McCormick, Toa Fraser
English (US) ·