Top 10 Marvel TV Shows You Didn't Know Existed
#10: “Blade: The Series” (2006)
After 2004’s hated “Blade: Trinity,” Marvel thought it was prime time for a TV show based on the Daywalker. David Goyer, who wrote the Blade film trilogy, was brought in to lead the show and continue the events after the 2004 film. Taking the title role was rapper Sticky Fingaz. But that’s where most of the criticism comes from. Most people wanted Wesley Snipes and only him as Blade. But the series did receive some praise for pushing Krista to the forefront. Played by Hallmark channel veteran Jill Wagner, she was the one that announced the cancellation of the series on MySpace after just one season. Which is a surprise considering the pilot broke the Spike network’s records with 2.5 million viewers.
#9: “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.” (2013-15)
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With a cast featuring actors Seth Green and Eliza Dushku mixed with voice-over pros in Fred Tatasciore and Benjamin Diskin, it’s really surprising that this series flew under the radar the way it did. The story features the Hulk family working for the Supreme Military Agency of Super Humans…they really wanted the acronym to be SMASH. Anyway, playing on reality TV and internet celebrity, the team is documented as they take on missions that other heroes couldn’t tackle. The show tended to lean heavily on slapstick comedy, which annoyed critics. After two seasons and 52 episodes, Stephen Wacker, then-Vice President of Marvel Animation, stated in a 2015 Tumblr message that the show had run its course.
#8: “Powers” (2015-16)
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In 2000, Brian Michael Bendis released his creator-owned comic “Powers” through Image. By 2004, it relocated to Icon, an imprint of Marvel. While there, the PlayStation Network snapped it up as they made their first scripted original show. The story was about a former hero, or “Power,” Christian Walker, who’s working as a detective and investigating superhuman crimes. And some big names were cast in it like Sharlto Copley, Eddie Izzard, and Michelle Forbes. While the audience mostly liked “Powers,” the critics had a mixed reaction. Mostly, they loved the world-building, but had issues with the relationships between the characters. In 2016, after two seasons, Bendis announced on Twitter that “Powers” had been canceled.
#7: “Black Panther” (2010)
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At one point, Marvel wanted to produce content that was a hybrid between a comic and a TV show. So, they came up with a line of motion comics, one of which being “Black Panther.” Produced by the Marvel Knights Animation line, it featured voice acting from several Marvel regulars like Djimon Hounsou as T'Challa and Alfre Woodard in several roles. It also had Kerry Washington as Shuri and the iconic Stan Lee as General Wallace. Heavily following the comics, the story was about T'Challa becoming Black Panther and featured a plot by a group of villains like Juggernaut, Radioactive Man, Black Knight, Batroc the Leaper, and Klaw. After debuting in Australia in 2010, the 6-episode series was featured on the BET Network in 2011.
#6: “Marvel Anime” (2010-11)
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Combine the more mature aspects of anime with the world of Marvel, and you’ll have this series! Created with the Japanese animation studio Madhouse and Sony, each series contained 12 episodes and revolved around different Marvel characters. Up first was “Iron Man,” then “Wolverine,” “X-Men,” and finally “Blade.” Each storyline involved the Marvel characters going to Japan for one reason or another. For “X-Men,” for example, that meant rescuing Armor from the U-Men from their Japanese base. The series even featured some big acting names like Milo Ventimiglia, Harold Perrineau, Jennifer Hale, Adrian Pasdar, and Troy Baker. Originally released in Japan in 2010, the series came to the US through the G4 Network in 2011.
#5: “Spider-Woman” (1979-80)
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With the announcement of a Spider-Woman film in 2020, some fans were excited about Jessica Drew’s first time leading a production. But that’s not the case, as this series was her first leading screen role. Voiced by “Dallas” legend Joan Van Ark, this animated show made Drew very similar to Spider-Man as she had spider-sense and used webbing to get around. For some reason, they took away her super-strength and, at one point, gave her the ability to communicate with spiders. The show even had her spin around in a TV’s Wonder Woman-esque way to change her costume. Several big characters appeared in the show, like Spider-Man, Kingpin, Dormammu, and creatures that look a lot like Wookies…“Spider-Woman” was a strange show.
#4: “The Avengers: United They Stand” (1999-2000)
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When you think of an animated series involving the Avengers, you expect either Captain America, Iron Man, or Thor to be heavily featured. But no, not for this series. Instead, Cap and Stark appear in one episode, while Thor is only in the intro. This Avengers team featured Ant-Man Hank Pym, Wasp, Vision, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Tigra, Falcon, and Scarlet Witch. The Avengers didn’t really look like they did in the comics. Instead, they were given a tech-heavy battle armor redesign that was popular in the ‘90s. Mixed with poor reception and Marvel’s financial issues coming to light, “United They Stand” only made it to one season with 13 episodes before it was canned.
#3: “Night Man” (1997-99)
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“Night Man” might not sound familiar to Marvel fans. And there’s a good reason for that. They didn’t invent the character. Instead, he was developed at Malibu Comics in the Ultraverse line. When Marvel bought the company in 1994, they got the rights to the character. So, they decided to make a live-action show for some reason. Johnny Domino is a saxophonist who develops the power to interpret mental frequencies when he’s struck by lighting. So, he becomes Night Man and fights baddies. The show did have cameos by surprising names like David Hasselhoff, Jerry Springer, Donald Trump, and Little Richard. It also featured Kim Coates, who would later star in “Sons of Anarchy.” But after two seasons, “Night Man” was canceled.
#2: “Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers” (2014-15)
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Imagine a mix between Pokémon and the Marvel universe, and you’ll have an idea of what this series is. But instead of releasing Pikachu to fire out a thunderbolt, you have the god of thunder Thor pop out. This anime series had the story that Digital Identity Securement Kits, or DISKs, were created as a sort of prison for villains. Only for Loki to mess things up and cause the heroes to be trapped within. Produced by Japan’s Toei Animation, this show even had a Nintendo 3DS game made called “Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers - Ultimate Heroes.” It was also heavily marketed in the toy department. But still, the series didn’t get much publicity in the West. So, it finished after 51 episodes. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
“Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes” (2006-10)
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“Iron Man” (1994-96)
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“Fred and Barney meet The Thing” (1979)
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“Hit Monkey” (2021-)
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#1: “The Amazing Spider-Man” (1977-79)
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This forgotten series was the first live-action show of Spidey in the States! Well, beyond the inclusion of the character in the skits “Spidey Super Stories” with “The Electric Company.” With Nicholas Hammond in the title role, best known for being in “The Sound of Music,” the show only had two seasons with 13 episodes before it was canceled, even though it did well in the ratings. However, budget problems meant big villains like Doctor Octopus and Green Goblin weren’t included in the show. Instead, Peter Parker battled generic criminals time and time again. Regardless, there were plans to revive the series into a film over the years with a crossover with Lou Ferrigno’s Hulk, but nothing came of it.
