The 5 Best Netflix Superhero Shows To Watch When You Get Sick Of Marvel & DC
Contrary to what Hollywood and box office results over the last decade may have shown, not every comic book story worth watching has to kick off with a Marvel or DC logo on the front of it. Sure, the MCU and (ahem) some of the DCEU entries have their golden nuggets, but what about the underdog comic book adaptations that deserve just as much attention, or other stories that have the same energy as some of the massive MCU events we've seen unfold? On the small screen, some of the best moments of intense comic book vibes didn't have an Avenger or a member of the Justice League in sight, and they all warrant a binge now and again.
Over on Netflix are some of the best superhero-tinted stories to get through if you've capped at Captain America or are tired of watching the Wayne family walking down Crime Alley. Consisting of a splash of swordplay and time-twisting adventures, they all do the job of competing with the comic book greats and manage to hold their own. From revenge stories to talking monkeys at the core of family conspiracies, here are five non-DC or Marvel shows you can watch right now that will scratch the comic book story itch.
The Umbrella Academy is a different class of hero
Beginning on Netflix in 2019, "The Umbrella Academy" is adapted from the comic book series of the same name that follows a band of former child heroes who were all adopted by an eccentric and mysterious industrialist. After years of being apart following a family tragedy, the group reunites following the death of their father and finds out the mystery behind his passing. In doing so, they become hunted by time-traveling bounty hunters and conspiracy-fuelled obsessives, and end up dueling with doppelgangers after averting world-ending events, changing timelines in the process.
Initially written by Gerard Way, the show gained favor among critics and broke numerous records for the streaming service. Becoming one of the most-watched shows of 2020 (via Forbes), "The Umbrella Academy" is crammed with superhero spectacle while delivering its own kooky and ridiculously cool characters. After three seasons, it's hard not to enjoy this cast, who gel with one another just as well as any Avengers roster ever has. Watch this group bicker and bond over grief and growing up together, or dance to "I Think We're Alone Now" in one of the many highlights of this brilliant series. Also, "The Umbrella Academy" Season 3 has a talking monkey dressed in homage to Bruce Lee. How can you not enjoy this?
Avatar: The Last Airbender is in its own superhero element
Imagine if Steve Rogers didn't have the super soldier serum, was still frozen in ice, and awoke to be a hero who could control all the natural elements against an oppressive force that the Red Skull would dig. That's the core story of "Avatar: The Last Airbender," the universally beloved iconic animated series that's so good that Netflix has recently tried its hand at a live-action version. Originally airing on Nickelodeon between 2005 and 2008, "Avatar: The Last Airbender" follows Aang, the last member of a fallen nation that could control air itself. During his time out of action, the Fire Nation has become the dominant power to neighboring nations of Earth and Water, threatened by this reawakened hero who can unite and save the world.
A hero journey told through the eyes of a kid but delicately addressing serious subject matter, "Avatar: The Last Airbender" delivers an epic story through stunning animation and heavy Eastern influences. The result is a gorgeous tale with incredible set pieces and heart-pounding twists and turns. If "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" had you hungry for excellent fight sequences interlaced with mythical elements and brilliantly articulated power sets, "Avatar: The Last Airbender" is a great story to provide an alternative comic book series kick. It will also make for a helpful warm-up, given that there's a chance it will take over the world once more with another live-action iteration.
Arcane hits with a dark heroic punch
As Chris Hemsworth's Thor once said, "Your ancestors called it Magic, but you call it Science." In the stunning animated series "Arcane," audiences are dropped into a land where they are one and the same. Wedged in the world of the video game franchise "League of Legends," "Arcane" follows two sisters, Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Ella Purnell), who, through unfortunate circumstances, find themselves on opposing sides of a conflict in a gorgeously grafted steampunk world. Lives are lost, and alliances are broken and bolted together again in one of the many incredible animated shows on the streaming service.
Boasting a level of animation on par with "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," "Arcane" might not be a comic book adaptation, but it has enough bam, pow, and wallop throughout its series to hold its own with some of the best comic book capers on television. With a second season set to arrive in November 2024, there's plenty of time to get caught up in potions, time manipulation, and steampunk-fuelled sibling rivalry. If anything, you owe it to yourself to stop the clock and watch one of the first season's most incredible fight scenes between Ekko and Jinx. It will not disappoint.
Blue Eye Samurai brings a sharp and epic edge to its hero
Heroes are often born out of monsters that make them, and one that sliced and diced her way through Netflix is "Blue Eye Samurai." Also known as Mizu (Maya Erksine), this revenge-fuelled fighter is trying to tear through feudal Japan to find her father (Kenneth Branagh) and take his head. Cut from the same cloth as "Logan" and "Echo," "Blue Eye Samurai," echoes the epic films of Kurosawa with comic-book-like storytelling. Sure, this could be deemed an animated samurai movie, but Mizu's actions send ripples across all of Japan, not only cementing her destiny but changing the trajectory of an entire nation in the process. That's the kind of everyday hero stuff that day-savers, super-powered or not, deal with regularly, and Mizu isn't even trying.
Gruesome and gory but gorgeous in its visuals, "Blue Eye Samurai" is one of the best shows that Netflix has delivered in years, bearing the same kind of spectacle that even some of the best comic book adaptations can't compete with. Wielding a compelling story that branches off from the blood-soaked path Mizu is walking, the first season will leave enough to have audiences hungry for whatever Netflix has planned for our hero in the next season.
Lockwood and Co. was a super team cut short
One thing that comic books and Netflix series have in common is that, unfortunately, sometimes their runs don't last as long as some would like. Joe Cornish's "Lockwood and Co." was granted only one season after being canceled, but is still worth a watch for fans of paranormal heroes and secret organizations. Adapted from the book series of the same name, "Lockwood and Co." is set in an alternate Britain that has been haunted by ghosts for the past 50 years, ghosts who can kill people simply by touching them. With youngsters being more susceptible to apparitions, ghost-hunting organizations are run like law firms, enlisting teens to rid locations of specters, one of which is Lockwood and Co., run by the cavalier Anthony Lockwood (Cameron Chapman).
Riddled with a pulpy comic book feel that deserved a bigger audience and maybe even a more extensive screen platform than a TV series for it to be told, "Lockwood and Co." boasts the kind of fantastic world that Marvel or DC fans would lap up. It makes sense, really, given that Cornish had already contributed to bringing comic book worlds to life, not only with Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn," but also the initial draft of "Ant-Man" before he and Edgar Wright abandoned the project. Fingers crossed that like other shows on Netflix, it returns from the dead eventually.