4 Best Superhero TV Show Series Finales & The 3 Most Disappointing

This week saw one of the most highly anticipated series finales for a major genre TV show in…well, at least six months, as Prime Video rolled out the last episode for the hit adaptation of the superhero comic series The Boys. Though Season 5 of the show has been met with a slightly mixed reception in the initial episodes, the response to the show has shifted slightly more positive ahead of the last episode. That said, some fans found the last episode of The Boys to be pretty satisfying despite low expectations, while others found the ending a disappointment. In short, reception at this moment is mixed, but time may tell a different story.

The Boys is just the latest superhero TV show to come to an end, part of a long line of adaptations and shows featuring caped, superpowered characters that have either made fans cheer with their ending or boo in disgust. As the arguments continue to develop over the ending of the show, it’s worth looking back to what came before it. Some shows may have had a good ending that audiences have soured on over time, while others may have been perfect and aged like a fine wine. Where will The Boys land in comparison to these finales that range from “Perfect” to “Absymal”?

7) Best: Loki

Between seasons of Loki, the Marvel Cinematic Universe went through major fluctuations, as Kang actor Jonathan Majors was fired from the franchise and plans for the character were completely thrown out the window. As a result, it would have been easy for Season 2, which featured Majors in a prominent role and continued the thread of the threats of Kang variants, to be unsatisfying. What fans couldn’t have accounted for, and which they should have predicted, is that the series would not only give Loki his most heroic moment ever but hinge the conclusion of his story on his own terms. By taking the strands of every timeline in the multiverse in his hands, Loki Season 2 not only gave the God of Mischief a great conclusion but also saw fit to let all its new characters get their day as well.

6) Most Disappointing: Umbrella Academy

Having run out of comics to pull from, the final season of The Umbrella Academy had almost no steam to run on from the beginning, leading to a narrative that limped along until its wholly unsatisfying conclusion. Not only does the last season of the show cut down on the episode count, leaving many storylines little time to breathe or characters to develop, but by the time the show does reach its final moment, the conclusion (that could have been interpreted as a heroic resolution) largely feels like a “what was the point” shrug for the entire concept, ending with a world where the team never existed at all.

5) Best: Spider-Man: The Animated Series

Though animated adaptations of superheroes often just…end, without a proper send-off, one of the most popular in the ’90s actually got the chance to end on its own terms. Spider-Man: The Animated Series was a staple of the decade, which was not short on masterpiece superhero cartoons. Unlike Batman and X-Men, though, Spider-Man: The Animated Series was able to tell a story that put a complete bow on the entire series (plus, set the stage for the Spider-Verse) while also leaving its hero in a place where fans wouldn’t question whether he was still out there saving the day. On top of that, it allowed the character to meet his co-creator as he shared the screen with Stan Lee long before his MCU cameos.

4) Most Disappointing: I Am Not Okay With This

Unlike other shows on this list that were disappointing purely due to quality issues, the final episode of I Am Not Okay With This is actually a really compelling piece of the narrative and a great piece of television to watch. The reason it’s a disappointing last episode is exactly that, it’s the last episode. I Am Not Okay With This ends on a massive cliffhanger, and even though it was renewed for a second season, this adaptation of Charles Forsman’s graphic novel, Netflix cancelled it, and the conclusion to the story never arrived. As a result, I Am Not Okay With This has a major dissapointment of a final episode.

3) Best: Watchmen

Delivering a television sequel to one of the greatest comic books of all time was always going to have a high bar to clear, but not only did Damon Lindelof’s series manage to do it, but it also stuck the landing. Watchmen is already a sprawling text, and with its final episode, the HBO miniseries manages to not only weave in intricate details from the source material but also properly wrap up its sprawling storylines by putting them on a collision course. Furthermore, the final moment of the series still has us questioning what comes next seven years later.

2) Most Disappointing: Secret Invasion

The bar for Secret Invasion was in the toilet by the end of the first episode, leading Marvel’s adaptation-in-name-only of an epic crossover event to quickly become one of the worst entries across the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. That said, the last episode of the series fully embodies the ethos of Dewey from Malcom in the Middle and his iconic line, “I expect nothing, and I’m still let down.” Not only does the final episode completely rewrite the continuity of the MCU by implying a major Avenger has been a Skrull for years, but it makes a character one of the most singularly powerful heroes in the entire franchise, only to never have them appear ever again.

1) Best: Batman: The Brave and the Bold

The last episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold might be one of the most perfect pieces of superhero media of all-time. Not only does the episode fully utilize the “love-letter to silver age comics” that embodied every episode to that point, but it gets incredibly meta about not only the show’s place in Batman canon but the online reception to a show with a lighter tone. Featuring the late and impeccable Paul Reubens as Bat-Mite, the episode not only acts as a love letter to multiple eras of Batman but to fans of all ages and even the medium of television. It doesn’t get much better than this.

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