10 Worst Superhero TV Shows Of All Time, Ranked

When it comes to superhero TV shows, not all that glitters is gold — or is Dazzler from the X-Men. The allure of capes, cowls, and courage excites the audience, but there are times when the final execution leaves a feeling of “meh” more than marvel (or Marvel, as it were). It might sound like an exaggeration to say this, but a less-than-average superhero property holds the potential to damage acting careers and end further adaptations of that character or group for a sustained period of time. Look at how long it took John Henry Irons to return to the live-action world after 1997’s “Steel,” starring Shaquille O’Neal, melted down at the box office, for example.

So, what constitutes a bad superhero TV show? It depends. It could be the lack of faithfulness to the source material, questionable casting, poor special effects, network interference, or below-par writing. The point is that it doesn’t work, and the consensus among critics and fans alike is that the series remains regarded as one of the worst in its genre.

With the recent news that “Daily Planet” photographer Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) may be getting his own TV spinoff in the DC Universe, it’s got us thinking not only about superhero shows that have met our expectations, but also the ones that really, really haven’t. Keep scrolling for our ranking of the 10 worst superhero TV shows of all time, then drop a comment with your own picks.

It isn’t outrageous to say that 2004’s “Blade: Trinity” is the weakest entry in the trilogy. So much so that everyone’s favorite sunglasses-wearing Daywalker probably needed a good break from the public eye afterward. But no, that wasn’t about to happen, as Blade resurrected in 2006’s “Blade: The Series.” Here, he isn’t played by Wesley Snipes anymore, but by rapper Sticky Fingaz.

Airing for one sole season, the series follows Krista Starr (Jill Wagner), who returns from military service and discovers her twin brother, Zack (David Kopp), is dead. This leads her to discovering the underworld of vampires — and Blade, of course — as Krista seeks answers and justice for what happened to Zack. At the same time, “Blade: The Series” explores more about Blade’s history as Eric Brooks.

First off, it’s a little jarring to see Blade’s new hairstyle here — yes, the character has shaved off all his hair in the comics, too, but after Snipes sported such a fresh cut in the movies, this catches you off guard upon initial viewing. Then, it’s the reality check that Sticky Fingaz isn’t Snipes in the acting department. Like Snipes’ Blade said in “Deadpool & Wolverine”: “There’s only been one Blade, and there’s only ever gonna be one Blade.” The story and action aren’t bad, but the show always feels like a low-budget pale imitation of the movies. It lacks the commitment — or should we say bite? — to take a risk and stand out on its own.

In 2023, The CW’s “Gotham Knights” arrived a few months after the release of the video game of the same name. However, this show isn’t about Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, or the Red Hood. Instead, it takes place after Bruce Wayne dies, and his adopted son, Turner Hayes (Oscar Morgan), Harper Row (Fallon Smythe), Cullen Row (Tyler DiChiara), and Duela (Olivia Rose Keegan) are blamed for the billionaire’s murder. Now, it’s up to them and a few close friends to prove their innocence.

“Gotham Knights” mixes and matches elements of the Batman lore to tell its own unique story, but its execution crumbles under its ambition. The choice to create a brand-new character in Turner Hayes as Bruce’s adopted son is a bizarre decision when Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne all exist and would have been better received by fans. Maybe there were rights issues or no-go zones for the showrunners, since this was a strange time in the world of DC TV and movies, where nothing seemed certain.

Critics and fans weren’t too forgiving of the shortcomings of “Gotham Knights,” though, with the show hanging onto a 27% critical approval rating and a 44% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Unsurprisingly, The CW canceled “Gotham Knights” after a single season. On a positive note, Misha Collins’ turn as Harvey Dent deserves praise because he smashes the role out of the park, and it would have been interesting to see how far he could have taken Two-Face.

In the comic books, the Birds of Prey team varies, but Huntress, Black Canary, and Batgirl have all featured as members at some point. So, in this instance, The WB’s “Birds of Prey” didn’t stray too far from canon in terms of the characters utilized. The issue with the 2002 show is everything else around it.

“Birds of Prey” takes place in a world where Batman is no longer the protector of Gotham City. He’s A.W.O.L. Now, the guardians of New Gotham City are Barbara Gordon/Oracle (Dina Meyer), Helena Kyle/Huntress (Ashley Scott), and Dinah Redmond (Rachel Skarsten). Their big nemesis? Dr. Harleen Quinzel (Mia Sara), aka Harley Quinn.

The casting turns out to be on point, but the problem arrives in the form of the writing and a deliberate attempt to be cute in forcing unnecessary links and changing the history of characters. For example, why Dinah needs to be a telepath when the Black Canary character has always used an ultrasonic scream is still a mystery. Maybe someone watched “X-Men” and wanted to create their own Jean Grey here. In addition, it’s clear that Joker and Batman were never going to be major parts of the story, since DC and Warner Bros. were protective of the usage of the characters, so it always felt like a tease that would lead to nothing in the end. Despite the show only lasting a single season, Ashley Scott reprised her role as Huntress in the Arrowverse crossover.

One of the best installments in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe is “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” which isn’t afraid to be a mature and absorbing political thriller that takes a stand for and against something. The Disney+ espionage miniseries “Secret Invasion” appeared to be heading in a similar direction, as Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) learn about the Skrulls’ master plan to take over Earth. Yet, this isn’t a clear-cut case of good versus bad, as there’s a deeper history about the Skrulls’ time on Earth and promises not kept, making you question who’s truly the villain of this story here.

The first episode of the show ends on a shocking note with the death of an established MCU character. Unfortunately, “Secret Invasion” fails to take off after that, dragging along at a snail’s pace and forgetting what it’s trying to say. It’s criminally boring. When comparing it to the comic book series from which it’s loosely adapted, it’s like night and day. Nah, it isn’t a good adaptation at all.

With such big stars leading the show and the muscle of Marvel Studios behind it, you would have expected “Secret Invasion” to be better than this. Unfortunately, it’s nothing more than content for content’s sake, feeling like a filler to tide people over until the next big MCU movie. However, even “The Marvels” totally ignored what happened on “Secret Invasion,” so what was the point of this show?

In Marvel Comics, Iron Fist demonstrates that he’s one of the best martial artists in the entire universe. You don’t want to go toe-to-toe with Danny Rand because he’ll put the hurt on most people who step up to him. That’s why the two-season “Iron Fist” series is such a tragic disappointment. It’s clear that star Finn Jones didn’t have much martial arts training prior to or during the show, and it comes across in his weak action scenes on the series. Compounding the disappointment is the fact that Lewis Tan — an actual martial artist who appears as Zhou Cheng in the first season of the show — auditioned to play Danny but didn’t receive the role.

The lead’s poor action credentials aside, the story and characterization of Danny don’t do anyone any favors here. Nothing about Danny feels interesting. Instead, the most compelling character on “Iron Fist” is Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick). You want to find out more about her and see more of her arc; however, it becomes a bummer when Danny needs to be in the picture.

Considering that Marvel Studios incorporated Daredevil and other characters from the Netflix shows into the MCU, there’s a chance that Iron Fist could also follow. If he does, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to redeem this character, because his show was certainly the poorest out of all the Defenders’ series. In fact, TVLine previously named it one of the worst shows of 2017.

Created by Jimmy Palmiotti and Joe Quesada, “Painkiller Jane” isn’t the most well-known comic book property around. The premise is simple, though: Police officer Jane Vasco discovers she has superhuman healing powers after she’s presumed to be dead following a tragedy. She leaves behind the police force and embraces the vigilante way of life as Painkiller Jane. The 2007 TV show follows something of a similar premise, as Kristanna Loken plays Jane, who joins a secret government organization to find genetically altered humans with powers.

The biggest issue with “Painkiller Jane” is that it grabs the attention with a compelling setup, but it doesn’t know where it wants to go afterward. Instead, it stumbles around in the dark for an extremely grueling and laborious 22-episode single-season run. Coupled with this is clunky dialogue, generic supporting characters, and a missing spark of chemistry among the cast members.

Then, there’s the other problem: The 2005 “Painkiller Jane” TV movie. In this version, Jane is portrayed by Emmanuelle Vaugier. While the film differs significantly from the show and comic book source material, it’s infinitely more interesting than the series. Furthermore, it lends credence to the belief that maybe the concept of “Painkiller Jane” is best suited for a standalone movie rather than an ongoing superhero TV show.

In the ’90s, Showtime released two TV movies based on the character Black Scorpion. Did they change the course of the superhero genre? No, but they were a rollicking good time for what they were. Writer Craig J. Nevius and producer Roger Corman decided to revive the concept for a television show in 2001. This time, though, Joan Severance didn’t return for the role of Darcy Walker, aka the Black Scorpion. Instead, she was replaced by Michelle Lintel on the series.

“Black Scorpion” is an updated riff on 1966’s “Batman,” even bringing in Adam West as the villainous Breathtaker. Darcy works as a police officer, but after her father is shot, she decides that vengeance is a dish best served in costume. During the day, she works as a police officer, then at night she suits up as the vigilante Black Scorpion and takes on the criminal element of Angel City. She has no real superpowers to speak of, but she’s well-versed in the art of combat and uses technology to her advantage.

While the silliness and fun factor endear “Black Scorpion” at first, it becomes a bit too much after 22 episodes. This is another situation where a movie or two are fine, but an ongoing series becomes too tedious to sit through. Instead, the campy concept loses its initial appeal and magic.

Ever get the feeling that you’re watching a show that was meant to be something else? That’s the “Mutant X” experience. The 2001-04 show centers around Adam Kane (John Shea), who creates a safe haven for mutants to learn how to control their powers and find others like them. In this Mutant X team, there are mutants who are telepaths, can control electricity, have feral qualities, and possess the ability to bend light. Hmm … Isn’t this all sounding like, you know, the X-Men?

As it turns out, 20th Century Fox thought the same thing and sued the companies behind “Mutant X,” including Marvel, citing the show’s egregious similarities to the X-Men material, which Fox held the rights to at the time. The lawsuit was settled between the parties, but everyone can see right through “Mutant X”: It’s nothing more than an X-Men rip-off. Imitation might be the most sincere form of flattery, but it’s all too blatant here.

Who is Night Man? Good question. He’s a little-known superhero created by Steve Englehart and Rick Hoberg in the ’90s. Bizarrely, this character received his own live-action series that ran for two seasons between 1997 and 1999.

“Night Man” introduces jazz musician Johnny Domino (Matt McColm), who gets struck by lightning. He thus loses the ability to sleep, but he’s able to tap into a supernatural frequency in which he can sense evil thoughts. With no need to sleep, he puts on a special suit that gives him extra abilities and becomes Night Man, a superhero who stops the bad guys before they commit the crimes.

Let’s be real here for a second: The late ’90s weren’t a good time for comic book properties. No one took them too seriously, nor was there any serious investment in the properties from television networks. That much is evident on “Night Man.” The costume isn’t good, looking like it’s cobbled together from other superhero parts bought from Temu. And if there isn’t enough money to design a decent outfit, then you should know what to expect from the special effects. It would be nice to say the acting and story make up for the other areas that are lacking here, but nope. This is a major all-around dud that’s strictly for diehard “Night Man” fans.

In the 2010s, Marvel Comics invested a lot more time and effort into the Inhumans. There was a feeling that the group could become the next big thing in the MCU, especially after the “Inhumans vs. X-Men” series. Naturally, excitement built as Marvel Studios also announced an “Inhumans” movie. Since the X-Men were out of bounds at the time, there was the belief that the Inhumans could take their place as the superpowered team of the MCU. That film was quickly pulled and turned into a TV show, but no one saw this as bad news when they saw talent like Anson Mount, Serinda Swan, and Iwan Rheon attached to play members of the Inhuman Royal Family.

Then, the show hit the airwaves … Ouch. For one, the CGI and costumes look low-budget — a surprise considering how the characters in the comics possess incredible powers, so that aspect should have gotten a little more money allotted. To make matters worse, the focus of “Inhumans” is scattered. Remember, these characters were relatively unknown to the average audience, and the show introduces and tries to do too much before the viewer even understands who they are and why they do what they do.

Years later, it was revealed how “Inhumans” became a radioactive property in the MCU, and why it ended up as a series. Sadly, it also turned out to be the worst superhero TV show of all time.