Superhero TV shows are some of the biggest projects releasing right now, with 2026 being dominated by programs like Daredevil: Born Again, Lanterns, X-Men ’97, and more. Both DC and Marvel have heavily invested in live-action and animated TV shows throughout the decades, with DC having an extensive animated TV universe and the MCU containing multiple Disney+ shows that are essential to the franchise’s overarching story. However, everything is a product of what came before it, and before the superhero shows of today, there were the superhero shows of the 1990s.
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The 1990s were the era where superhero shows exploded, with new TV series focusing on masked vigilantes and superpowered beings being around every corner. Marvel shows like Spider-Man: The Animated Series, DC shows like Superman: The Animated Series, and original shows like Captain Planet, Darkwing Duck, The Powerpuff Girls, and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers defined the era. However, these five superhero shows stand out as the most important.
5) The Tick
One of the most prevalent trends in superhero shows today is superhero satire. Series like The Boys, Invincible, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law poke fun at comic book tropes and familiar superhero aesthetics. These shows only work because of the oversaturation of superhero media that exists today, as viewers are constantly being exposed to the things that these shows are making fun of. However, all of these shows owe thanks to the father of superhero satire TV: The Tick.
Running for 36 episodes from 1994 to 1996, The Tick tells the story of the bug-themed superhero as he becomes the defender of The City after his superhero tryout. The show is a direct parody of popular superhero characters and tropes, with its own take on characters like Batman and Captain America. The Tick is absolutely hilarious, and not only did it inspire later satirical shows, but it also inspired two live-action sequel series in 2001 and 2016.
4) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one of the biggest non-Marvel or DC superhero brands today, and while it originated as a comic, its popularity is mostly due to the original TV show. Running from 1987 to 1996, the show was quintessential ’90s, with it following four radical martial artists from the sewers as they face off with a variety of wacky villains. The franchise is absolutely massive now, and while it started in the ’80s, it will forever be defined by its ’90s catchphrases, attitude, and massive mainstream success.
3) Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Before the 2010s, live-action superhero shows were few and far between. While there were programs like The Greatest American Hero, one of the earliest and most important successes was Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. The series ran for 88 episodes from 1993 to 1997, with it adapting the world of DC’s Superman to the small screen.
Lois & Clark proved that live-action superhero stories could work on television, even with a much smaller budget than what superhero movies of the era were receiving. Importantly, the show gave a heavier focus to Lois and Clark’s romantic relationship, highlighting how the television format allows for more in-depth exploration of stories that can’t be featured in the comparatively limited movie runtimes. Since Lois & Clark, countless long-form live-action superhero shows have utilized this formula successfully, including later Superman shows like Smallville and Superman & Lois.
2) X-Men: The Animated Series
X-Men: The Animated Series was the first of many X-Men shows, but it was by far the most important. The series follows Marvel’s iconic band of mutants, including characters like Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey, as they face threats to mutantkind. The series ran from 1992 to 1997 and featured 76 episodes, many of which adapted iconic X-Men stories from the comics.
This show massively increased the popularity of the X-Men in the ’90s, an era in which Marvel Comics was struggling. Thus, the path for FOX’s X-Men movies was paved, leading to the first superhero cinematic universe. It is likely that the MCU or the DCU wouldn’t exist without the X-Men movies proving that this is a viable business model, meaning that X-Men: The Animated Series changed movie history forever.
1) Batman: The Animated Series
Running from 1992 to 1995, Batman: The Animated Series is the definitive superhero show, with it exploring the world of Gotham for its 85-episode run. This is undoubtedly the greatest superhero show of all time, with it perfectly capturing the tone of Batman through its art, storytelling, and characters. The show features multiple best-of-all-time superhero castings, redefined many elements of DC Comics, and has some of the best episodes of television ever.
Essentially every superhero show that has come since has attempted to be as good as Batman: The Animated Series, but none have succeeded. Batman kicked off the DCAU, paved the way for all kinds of successors, and helped popularize DC even further. However, in the years since the show ended, no superhero program has been able to surpass Batman: The Animated Series.
