Back in 2013, Netflix released its first original series, the political drama House of Cards. Ever since, they’ve become one of the world’s leading providers of original entertainment content, producing more and more of these self-proclaimed Netflix Originals each year.
It’s definitely hard to choose what to watch when confronted with so many options, and thus it’s often easiest for the casual binge-watcher to pick a specific genre they’d like to watch in order to narrow down their possible selections - for instance, the superhero genre. Wondering where all this is going? For this list, we’ll be taking a look at Netflix Originals based around superheroes (Marvel, DC, and others), comparing, contrasting, and deciding how they size up to each other in terms of quality and overall binge-ability.
Iron Fist
Iron Fist, a Netflix Original set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, represents a rare failure for Marvel’s creative team. It tells the story of Danny Rand, a martial arts expert who, as a child, survived a catastrophic plane crash against all odds. He was rescued and raised by a clan of magical warrior monks, albeit in a different dimension - this is where he obtains the Iron Fist, a strange, fantastic power that allows him to concentrate his chi, turning him into a mystical powerhouse. While the premise is pretty cool, the show isn’t really that great - the writing and character interactions are often off-putting, the acting is mediocre at best, and the fight scenes are devoid of any real creative substance - obviously, Marvel fans quickly caught onto this, leading to the series being canceled after just two seasons.
Super Drags
Super Drags follows three department store employees (Patrick, Ralph, and Donizete), who, in a spin on the “superheroes leading double lives” trope, also work as drag queen crimefighters, helping to bring down a homophobic criminal mastermind. That’s actually a pretty creative, original premise - unfortunately, the show faces two big problems - first, even the American dub’s cast (former RuPaul’s Drag Race stars) can’t land the jokes successfully, as most of the show’s “adult” humor seems more aimed at edgy teenagers - and second, although the series seems at its surface to be a groundbreaking portrayal of LGBTQ+ culture, it relies heavily on stereotypical portrayals of its leads, flippantly discarding any legitimate cultural impact it could have made.
Wu Assassins
Here’s where things start to get a little bit better - the Netflix Original Wu Assassins follows a chef in the heart of San Fransisco’s Chinatown who is chosen by spirits to become the next “Wu Assassin”, and is granted advanced martial arts skills - as he becomes entangled with a series of power-hungry villains misusing their stolen supernatural abilities.
While the acting, writing, and direction can all be hit-and-miss at times, the series’ fight scenes enjoy a unique brand of cinematography that sets it apart from traditional superhero fare.
The Defenders
Marvel tied together several of their pre-existing Netflix series with the crossover miniseries The Defenders, which follows Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist as they go to battle against a notorious organization of supervillains known as The Hand. The story hit a sour note with critics, while the acting was praised; reviews from fans of the series were also very mediocre, with no one seeming like they wanted to take sides in a “good-or-bad” debate. Perhaps, for a Marvel series, it just didn’t have enough energy, because it underperformed commercially - and, since we’re dealing with such a monumental crossover, we have to ask why the series didn’t go for a more flashy overall vibe.
The Punisher
The Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-in series The Punisher follows Francis Castle, the titular vigilante antihero, as he fights crime as a coping mechanism to deal with the tragedy that befell his family at the hands of a murderous mob. While most of his origin story plays out over season two of Netflix’s series Daredevil, The Punisher’s individual series expands on his origins in a variety of ways, some less impressive than others - overall, however, it is still pretty good, albeit just a teensy bit less well-executed than Netflix’s other attempts at giving Marvel superheroes small-screen solo stories.
Raising Dion
Headlined by Michael B. Jordan, the Netflix Original series Raising Dion was fairly successful with fans and audiences, as it tells a fun, engaging story about a boy who one day begins displaying signs of superhuman abilities - and his overworked single mom, who has to protect him from constant danger. While sometimes the plot relies too heavily on genre tropes, the diverse, creative series benefits from great direction and a slew of well-written side characters, and while it hasn’t been renewed for a second season yet, we’re sure that eventually, it will.
The Umbrella Academy
Based on the popular comic book series of the same name, Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy details the lives of six superheroes - part of a group of forty-nine anomalies, all of whom were born on the same day to women who hadn’t experienced the normal symptoms of pregnancy - as they work to solve the mysteries surrounding the death of their father, an eccentric billionaire who adopted the group with the belief they would one day save the world.
It’s proved one of Netflix’s most unexpected hits, with the visual effects, family dynamics, writing and acting all earning the series praise, and there’s a second season on the way.
Jessica Jones
The series Jessica Jones, another Netflix Original we have Marvel to thank for, follows the titular comic character after a traumatizing incident leads her to retire from hero-dom and become a private investigator. The series gets a lot darker than what you’d normally expect from the MCU, but its dark tone helps contrast it against other, similar series and allows it to create story paths that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. In the end, it’s a solid, professional-grade addition to Marvel’s killer lineup of Netflix series, with a universally talented cast and crew - and while we don’t always recognize the crew as one of the best parts of a series, this time they definitely put in the extra effort to create a shining production.
Lucifer
Based on the DC Comics character created by novelist Neil Gaiman, Lucifer follows the fallen angel as he departs the fires of Hell for Los Angeles, living the high life as a nightclub owner and a part-time LAPD consultant. While the first season had some problems deciding how certain elements would best be executed, the following seasons were well-received amalgamations of talented direction, acting, writing, and cinematography.
It can be argued that Netflix saved the series - after Fox (the series’ parent company) ended Lucifer’s run - after just three seasons! - Netflix picked up the popular comic adaptation for two more, breathing new life into the dormant production.
Luke Cage
Jessica Jones was so successful that another Netflix/Marvel collaboration - this time based on the popular comic character Luke Cage - was quickly greenlighted. Following the titular hero in his quest to rid the world of evil - aided by his superhuman abilities - Luke Cage quickly became one of Marvel’s most well-loved properties, attracting a noble fanbase and receiving praise for the performance of its ensemble cast (particularly Mike Colter in the lead role), its narrative elements, and its visuals - which remain on-par with Marvel’s best. It’s a really high-quality superhero story with just the right dose of fan service: an impressive feat on many levels.
Daredevil
Marvel’s first collaboration with Netflix, Daredevil was in many ways a risk for both parties involved - but thankfully, it paid off big-time. The series follows Matt Murdock, an attorney who, despite being blind, is relatively nonchalant - as he takes on the persona of a masked vigilante named Daredevil - stopping various evildoers from perpetrating nefarious acts. Packed with edge-of-your-seat drama, smart writing, and complex representations of theology (Daredevil’s Catholicism is an important part of his character), Daredevil, despite running for just three seasons, was an important step in the evolution of superhero television - and one that won’t soon be forgotten.
