Comic book crime-fighters are all the rage these days. Audiences can’t go five minutes withoutDCorMarvelputting out a movie, TV show, or video game about these costumed exploits. Some people talk about superhero fatigue, wondering when consumers will tire of these colorful adventures, but that doesn’t seem to have set in yet.
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For some TV shows, however, superhero fatigue was there from the start. Even if they managed to stay on the air, these series faced an uphill battle in the public consciousness. For whatever reason, they faded from memory more rapidly than their peers, which is never healthy in a crowded market. So many successful superhero products are out there, but this makes it that much harder for failures to stand out.
Updated on June 30, 2025, by Michael Llewellyn:With all the TV networks, streaming services, and movies trying to capitalize on superheroes and comic book adaptations, it is surprising how many great shows from that past have gone forgotten and underappreciated. Over the years even once-iconic prime time TV shows have become underrated gems in the way they brought something different to the usual content that aired on TV. many shows were canceled before their time and as a result, many fans didn’t get the resolution they wanted. Whether it was a premature network cancelation, corporation takeovers, or a series simply coming to a natural conclusion, this list has been updated to include moreforgotten, underrated, and underappreciated superhero shows.
13The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
Before Disney purchased Marvel Studios and all its properties,The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroeswas Marvel’s main animated show. It was almost immediately replaced by the inferiorAvenger’s Assemble, a series aimed at a younger audience with a more simplistic art style. Despite running for 52 episodes it was canceled after two seasons and is often considered aforgotten superhero showas it was so quickly replaced.
Earth’s Mightiest Heroeshad great writing with mature characters that were in line with the successful animated Marvel films likeThor: Sword of AsgardandHulk vs Wolverine. It had a great running story arc that wasn’t afraid to kill off major characters but unfortunately for fans, it was never finished as it ended on a cliffhanger.
12G-Force Guardians Of Space
AfterBattle of the Planetsended its run on TBS the production studio Sandy Frank Entertainment still wanted to make use of the JapaneseGatchamanlicense. So in 1986, Sandy Frank and TBS decided to reboot the franchise and air the English dubbed version, and call itG-Force Guardians of Space.
This version was much darker and more violent than theBattle of the Planetsand was more superhero-based instead of usingStar Warsas an inspiration. The series only lasted 85 episodes but it wasn’t until 2005 that fans got the unedited and complete 105-episode English dub distributed by ADV Films.
11The Defenders Of The Earth
Before The Avengers and the Justice League made superhero team-ups cool in quality movies and cartoon shows,Defenders of the Earthwas considered one of the best. It was a surprisingly dark and mature team up consisting of Flash Gordon, The Phantom, and Mandrake the Magician as they team up to stop Ming The Merciless and prevent his invasion of Earth.
Despite the characters coming from King Features comic strip line, the company teamed up with Marvel to produce the show. The production values still hold up well and the narrative was geared toward mature long-form storytelling. Despite being a Marvel production and featuring iconic characters like Flash Gordon it’s very much aforgotten and underappreciated superhero series. Rewatching this series it’s even more apparent that Flash Gordon and The Phantom require a comeback.
10Shazam!
Even after the surprisingly successful film,Shazam(formerlyCaptain Marvel) is considered something of aforgotten superherocompared to mainstream DC heroes like Superman and Batman. This makes it all the more shocking that 1974’sShazam!was a hit forCBS. It went on for three seasons and birthed another show about an Egyptian-themed heroine named Isis. So, why isn’t it remembered?
Well, despite its admirable production values, it’s one of those series that’s insanely corny, complete with episodic lessons for kids. Sadly, though, it never attained the staying power of similarly cheesy works like the 1960s Batman show. In addition, the studio’s classless treatment of the lead actor (and the ensuing lawsuit) caused a few financial struggles that might have motivated its cancellation. If it had gone on longer, then it could have stayed in the cultural zeitgeist.
9The Incredible Hulk
Many modern audiences know the Hulk as the musclebound goof with a temper in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s also one of the onlyAvengersto not get a slew of solo sequels. Despite that, he was among the first of these heroes to get his live-action TV show. Despite being a somewhatunderappreciated superhero showby today’s standards was also the most culturally significant and successful Marvel live-action project for many years to come. It set a dramatic and dark tone that separated it from shows like Wonder Woman and Batman.
It’s funny to think that this 1977 series went on for five seasons, infinitely more successful than similar attempts withThorandSpider-Manat the time. This led bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno to become synonymous with the character for decades; he even voiced the green rage monster in several animated projects afterward and made cameo appearances in the Hulk movies.
8The Zeta Project
This spinoff of a spinoff was so insignificant in the greater DC Animated Universe that even hardcore fans may not know it exists. Originating inBatman Beyond, Zeta was a government robot who went against his infiltration and assassination programming. He eventually left Gotham and pursued heroics in another city with the help of a street-smart sidekick.
Considering that cliched setup, it’s not surprising thatthe interest simply wasn’t there forThe Zeta Project. The creators tried to salvage it with anotherBatman Beyondcrossover, but it did little good. The higher-ups whacked this bot after one season.
7Avengers: United They Stand
Before they were the biggest money-makers in the superhero business, the Avengers were the poor man’sJustice League. Characters like Falcon and Vision aren’t A-tier superheroes even now. Try making a show about these C-listers back in 1999.
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This makes it all the more ironic that the creators' main goal was to sell toys. Yes, these Avengers have high-tech power armor to promote a line of action figures, making them look more designed than theInjusticecharacters. Tragically, their costumes are the most interesting thing about them, as these Avengers' personalities are five flavors of bland. If kids didn’t care before, this didn’t change their minds. In the end, they neither watched the show nor bought the toys.
6Spider-Man: The New Animated Series
Shaky foundations rarely bode well. Though the creators initially conceived this MTV effort as anUltimate Spider-Manshow, the studio ordered them to retrofit it into a sequel to the recent Sam Raimi film. The result was a series that, while accomplished in its own right, didn’t meet either goal.
This presents a darker vision for theSpider-Manmythos, almost neo-noir in its atmosphere. Unfortunately, that means it wasn’t as marketable to kids. On the other hand, it still adhered to the quirky everyman charm of the characters, so it didn’t havethe weird, cynical appeal of other MTV shows at the time, leading to its inevitable cancellation after one season. Look at the long history ofSpider-Manmovies and TV shows, and it’s easy to forget such a short-lived attempt.
5Dial M For Monkey & The Justice Friends
These segments were originally part ofDexter’s Laboratory. The show would cut away from its titular boy genius and focus on either his experimental monkey or a pack of Avengers-Esque roommates. These were satirical, poking fun at superhero teams and spoofing spy flicks.
Sadly, the later seasons axed these segments. In addition, said seasons were more commercialized than previous ones. Anyone who tuned intoDexter’s Labwould likely see its central characters and no one else. These extra adventures — once central to the show’s identity —were effectively excised from its legacy.
4Birds Of Prey
These antiheroines can’t catch a break. Not only did their movie flop, but their TV series only lasted for thirteen episodes. It’s easy to see why, though. Everything about 2002’sBirds of Preyreeks of that early-2000s “edginess” that permeated entertainment back then. It even has the black leather trench coats,Matrix-style fight scenes, and a mopey rock song as its theme.
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The series comes off as a relic. It’s consumed by these trite elements, and neither the story nor the characters are engaging enough to rise above these clichés. The show never gives audiences a reason to look back, so why should they?
