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The 7 Greatest Superhero TV Hidden Gems of All Time, Ranked

Swamp Thing in the DC Universe TV ShowImage via Warner Bros. Television

By Eddie Possehl Published Jan 29, 2026, 7:25 PM EST Eddie Possehl is a dynamic and driven writer/director with a passion for the written word and all things film, television, comics, and games. His passion for storytelling led him to establish his own production company in hopes of achieving his dreams. His dedication to his craft has attracted renowned talent like Yuri Lowenthal to collaborate with him on his projects. As he grows and improves, Eddie is a shining example of a self-starter. Sign in to your Collider account Add Us On follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

There are dozens upon dozens of superhero shows that have debuted since the first one back in 1952, Adventures of Superman. Thus, there's bound to be shows over the decades that have fallen to the wayside, despite being great. After all, not every single series can be a gigantic hit and widely recognized for the quality it has. It's an unfortunate but inevitable truth that comes with such an oversaturation.

Even some of the biggest superheroes of all time, like Spider-Man and Batman, have had shows that never really got the attention they deserved. Hidden gem shows featuring these characters may feel like an impossible prospect, but the entries on this list prove that it is. What's even worse is when the main characters of these underappreciated shows aren't as famous as some of the genre's heavy hitters, killing any opportunity they could have had to be more recognized by the public.

7 'Runaways' (2017–2019)

Back when Marvel Studios wasn't producing television streaming epics for Disney+, they were dedicated to telling stories across network television. While shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. were relatively well-recognized, there's a series that fell beneath people's radars that definitely didn't deserve it: Runaways. This team has been active in the Marvel Comics universe since 2003, which makes them somewhat new compared to the company's other heavy hitters, but have also been around long enough to garner a good amount of attention from comic book fans. So, when they were announced to be getting a television show, one would think that it would do decently well. While some could say that it did, it really didn't — not to typical superhero series standards, that is.

Pretty much nobody watched this series. None of the first two seasons hit one million viewers in their first weeks, which is really, really rough for a Marvel TV project. Runaways, however, is still pretty good, handling team drama in a way that feels grounded and deals with parent-child relationships incredibly well. Unlike other teen shows, this one opted for a layered and, therefore, compelling approach, making for a great conflict across all three seasons that kept audiences who actually did watch it engaged.

6 'Spider-Man: The New Animated Series' (2003)

Close-up shot of Spider-Man getting Spider-Sense in Spider-Man: The New Animated SeriesImage via MTV

After the success of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man in 2002, Sony Pictures Entertainment jumped on making an animated television series that could link with the new film franchise. What was originally supposed to be a canon connective tissue between Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 was produced for MTV and, unlike Sony's expectations, didn't attract much attention compared to most Spider-Man series. This project, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, was eventually considered an alternate universe to the Raimi franchise, allowing it to really stand alone as its own thing and benefiting it over the years.

Spider-Man: The New Animated Series is widely considered an extremely underrated series to Spider-Man fans and has garnered a niche fanbase over the years. This cult classic status doesn't stop it from being pretty much unknown to the rest of the world, though. The 3D animated style wouldn't be touched on in Spider-Man television until the very recent Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, making it feel a bit ahead of its time. Another factor is that it has much more mature storytelling than other shows featuring the Wall-Crawler, hence its spot on MTV. It is also what attributed to it falling to the wayside a bit, as they didn't get the typical young audience they do with other, more kid-friendly shows (Spider-Man: The New Animated Series doesn't get too dark, though).

5 'Marvel's Cloak & Dagger' (2018–2019)

Tandy/Dagger, played by Olivia Holt uses her powers to heal Cloak (Aubrey Joseph) in Cloak and Dagger.Image via ABC

Another series that pretty much nobody watched from Marvel Studios' network television era is Marvel's Cloak & Dagger. Much like Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, this series was far ahead of its time, primarily because the characters are wildly more popular now, thanks to their inclusion in the video game, Marvel Rivals. It's a well-written series that handles its character work very well, making both Cloak (Aubrey Joseph) and Dagger (Olivia Holt) compelling. Speaking of those two, Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph have some wonderful chemistry on screen together. They are genuinely a joy to watch interact, because they bounce off each other perfectly and make the two characters and their relationship very believable.

It's unlike other superhero series in the sense that it's a much slower burn narratively and a bit grittier in tone, which separates it a lot from other Marvel Studios network shows — especially Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It also took on the commentary of societal issues with grace and in a way that makes it feel natural and not forced for the sake of having it. All of these elements may have made it less popular in the past, but they are the main reasons that the show is as good as it is.

4 'Beware the Batman' (2013–2014)

Batman in a fighting stance in Beware the BatmanImage via Warner Bros. Animation

Much like Spider-Man, Batman also has a 3D animated television series that, unfortunately, never really picked up any steam. In the case of Beware the Batman, it feels even more hurtful, given that critics actually praised it for its more mature storytelling (also like Spidey's 3D outing) and excellent animation, which helped the action flow very well. However, not many people gave it a chance, and it was canceled after one season, deemed an overall disappointment.

Had Beware the Batman been given more of a chance by the network, there's potential that they could have won more audiences over. Sadly, though, they pulled the plug right at the first sign of potential failure, which has led to this show being forgotten quite easily. It doesn't help that the far more popular Gotham first started airing right as Season 1 of Beware the Batman ended. Also, many more, far more popular, Batman shows and projects have been released since, which only added more rubble to bury this show.

3 'X-Men: Evolution' (2000–2003)

X-Men: Evolution team standing together in X-Men: EvolutionImage via Marvel Animation

X-Men has always been a popular Marvel property, especially because of the popularity of the classic X-Men: The Animated Series. Thus, shows based on the team do relatively well with critics and audiences. However, not every single project they've starred in has been a gigantic success that people look back on like they do with X-Men: The Animated Series. One of these products is X-Men: Evolution. At the time, it was well-liked, but it has fallen to the wayside over the years, and almost nobody talks about it anymore, which is a shame because it is genuinely incredible.

X-Men: Evolution is a series that takes what made the original animated series so great, and evolves it and flips it on its head. It brings the characters' ages down and makes them high school students, so they can fit better as part of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. This approach helped it stand apart from what came before, which enticed fans at the time, but nowadays, only hardcore fans are found mentioning it online and in general superhero discussions.

2 'Swamp Thing' (2019)

Swamp Thing and Abby Arcane kneel on the ground in the woods in Swamp Thing TV series.Image via DC

Nothing can kill audiences' potential interest in a show like the network canceling it immediately after the first episode drops. Yes, we're talking about Swamp Thing. It is incredibly sad, given the amount of effort put in by the team behind it and the overall quality of the series. To make matters even worse, Swamp Thing wasn't even canceled due to poor quality, but because of rumored monetary struggles. Indeed, this project may have struggled thanks to shooting in North Carolina and being promised more money for their budget than what they ended up getting, thanks to a taxation error from the state. Others think it may have just been due to low viewership.

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Regardless of the reasons behind its unfortunate ending, Swamp Thing got the short end of the stick when it comes to superhero television. Despite a positive reception, it never got to fully develop its ideas, and not many people tuned in, most likely because they knew it'd come to an end anyway. There's absolutely nothing that could have been done after that point; it even got three episodes cut from its season, just to rub salt in the wound.

1 'The Batman' (2004–2008)

Batman drops down into camera view in The Batman 2004 Season 2, Episode 10 The Butler Did It.Image via Warner Bros. Animation

While it's the more popular of the "hidden gems" category, The Batman still has the same fate as X-Men: Evolution, being well-received at the time of release, but almost totally lost to time, especially with so many shows revolving around the Caped Crusader. This underappreciated show happens to feature a fan favorite iteration of the character for a smaller group of hardcore fans, but the general audience really doesn't know about or remember it.

This adaptation of the character is really interesting and is truthful to the source material when necessary, but it makes changes and takes risks where it matters, and makes them work. The Batman's adaptations of characters like Clayface (Steve Harris) (depicting a new origin) and Joker (Kevin Michael Richardson) are all-new and make for an interesting, different universe that brings new ideas to a well-known formula.

The Batman TV-Y7 Animation Mystery Action Science Fiction Release Date 2004 - 2008-00-00

Cast rino romano, Ming-Na Wen, Alastair Duncan, Robert Englund, Kevin Michael Richardson Seasons 5 Powered by

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