Top 10 WORST Superhero Shows EVER

This Netflix show had to be tough as actual iron to withstand a knuckle-sandwich of bad press. All before a single episode aired, too. Although main character Danny Rand was white in the comics, audiences thought a person of color should lead a series that is focused on East Asian martial arts. Unfortunately, the first season of the show couldn’t be saved with different casting choices. The thin characters and lame action made the show an even easier punching bag. Without any real redeeming qualities to speak of, Danny Rand was hit with a clean K.O. of fan hate, no count-out needed. A stint with the “Defenders” paved the way to a much-improved second season, but by then, it was too little, too late.

This title pretty much says it all. Dr. Jonathan Chase is a man… who can turn into animals. No, the show doesn’t get any more clever than that. Instead, its bark is constantly louder than its bite. Any attempt at drama, pathos, or wit is lost in the series’ inability to embrace the campiness of its concept. That, when paired with subpar acting and a nauseously cheesy script, create a series that’s better left in the kennel. Admittedly, the transformation scenes are genuinely impressive, especially for a TV program of its time. It’s just a shame all that work was wasted on a show like “Manimal.”

For someone who’s supposed to be the smartest man alive, Reed Richards sure didn’t think this one through. The so-called “new” take on the brand had animation stiffer than the Thing, downright eye-rolling dialogue, and a tone that made it easier to laugh at the show than with it. It had no charm, no wit, and certainly no fun. The fact the series didn’t even secure the rights to all of the “Fantastic Four” is the perfect illustration of its shortcomings. That’s right, instead of Human Torch, there’s the robotic H.E.R.B.I.E.. But, much like the show overall, this soulless experiment is better left powered off.

If not all heroes wear capes, then the opposite is also true. Like, Vince Faraday, for example, a former cop who vows to take on a corrupt organization through the power of rudimentary cape illusions. Seriously. The concept sounds like a parody, and not even a very good one. Unfortunately, the show refuses to indulge in any bit of fun, even as the story veers off into the absurd. Suffice it to say, it didn’t get to six seasons and a movie - in fact, it didn’t even get to finish its original production order. “The Cape” was hung up on NBC’s website for its final episode, ensuring a quick and merciful retirement into obscurity.

Giving this iconic vampire hunter his own show isn’t a bad idea. Instead, this project went wrong by way of its network, Spike TV, who had never made a scripted program before. That presumably explains why the show indulges every single superhero cliche under the sun - or, in this case, the moon. It didn’t help matters that the show tried to play it straight, which just didn’t work when the dialogue was this corny. The tonal inconsistency ruined any attempts at continuity with the films, especially since no actor could match Wesley Snipes in the title role. After the cult-hit success of the movie franchise, it’s safe to say this wasn’t what anyone wanted from “Blade.

After just one episode, it’s all-too-obvious why this is, so far, the only live-action “Turtles” series ever. Without even mentioning how cheesy it is, there’s simply no excuse for replacing the gang’s iconic supporting cast. Especially since, instead, they introduced a new female turtle with no discernable personality at all. Really, the only thing Venus does is make April and Casey’s absence all the more apparent. Even Shredder himself gets pushed to the side in favor of the overly silly Dragon Lord. But, perhaps the show’s most damning sin is that the turtles barely use their signature weapons. Clearly, this misfire fundamentally misunderstood the brand, and the result is a series as slow as actual turtles.

It’s hard to think of any franchise that could recover from a reboot this bad. But, almost impressively, it wasn’t just hardcore fans who were disappointed with this modern interpretation. Almost every single review across the board agreed that the first few episodes were downright toxic. To put that into perspective, it was considered one of the worst shows of the year, period. Even its most ardent supporters couldn’t defend it from that much vitriol. It allegedly got much better as the season went on, but by then, “Flash Gordon” had already crash-landed in infamy. The only mercy is that it lived up to its name and was gone in a flash.

This takes the idea of a “faithful adaptation” a bit too far. After all, being comics-accurate is one thing, but putting comic panels into a soulless slideshow is something else entirely. Honestly, it’s a stretch to even call it animated, or a TV show at all. It’s lazy, it’s boring, and its rapid pace doesn’t even do its source material justice. Outside of some horrid voice acting and very limited quote-unquote animation, there’s nothing this show does that the original work doesn’t do better. If the plan was to make a half hour advertisement for comic books, then this was a resounding success.

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: a group of teenagers with attitude are chosen by a mystical entity to suit up and do battle with cheesy monsters. Except, for this one, you subtract the charm, strip away any likable characters, and you’re left with “Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters.” Its title is by far the most unique thing about it. But, it can’t even live up to those expectations, let alone the better shows it’s clearly trying to emulate. Instead, the “Power Rangers” ripoff serves as the absolute lowest common denominator of superhero stories. Its biggest offense is that it’s just not entertaining. At least, not in the way it was supposed to be.

The fact this series had the same showrunner as “Iron Fist” should tell you everything you need to know. There must’ve been a serious echo in the writer’s room, since this suffers from many of the same issues: dull storylines, weak characters, and a distinct lack of spectacle. Except, it’s all the worse here because “Inhumans” has the potential to be one of Marvel’s best properties. Clearly, someone understood that, since the first episodes were screened in theaters. Unfortunately, instead of an eight-hour blockbuster, this was obviously a budget program in desperate need of a few rewrites. As far as snoozefest’s go, precious few have as much wasted potential as “Inhumans.”