Superhero TV Show Power Rankings — DEC 2017
Gotham and the Arrowverse speed ahead, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns for its 5th (and likely final) go-around, while The Gifted plods on.
Late 2017 brought us new shows Marvel’s Runaways, Future Man, and The Punisher.
With so many super shows to watch, how do you which ones to watch?
That’s where this article comes in!
I’ve watched every episode of every season of every show listed below and have given the current season a brief analysis and a ranking out of 10.
For November’s article (the first installment), click here!
SPOILERS FOR ALL EPISODES OF Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow, Flash, Gifted, Gotham, Legends of Tomorrow, Runaways and Supergirl (up to 12/31/17).
SPOILERS for Episodes 1–6 for The Punisher & 1–7 for Future Man.
ARROW (CW)
Season: 6
Episodes Reviewed: 7-9
RENEWAL STATUS: TBA. Likely safe.
THE GOOD: (1) Reveal that most of this season’s villains are all working together was an interesting twist, although it may be a bit forced. Cayden James presents a fresh villain who battles Oliver via brains, not brawn. (2) The ARGUS break-in was pretty fun. (3) The less time spent with William the better.
THE BAD: (1) A little disappointed that they’re revisiting the “team doesn’t trust each other” storyline from the previous season. I thought that was resolved. (2) Thea’s sudden return from the brink of death doesn’t serve much of a purpose…unless the writers have bigger plans for her…perhaps on another show? (3) I wished the Diggle-as-GA arc lasted more than just a handful of episodes. I am curious what they have in mind for the future of that arc.
How to Make It Better: I’m not convinced Cayden James is dangerous. Let’s see him do something to show how powerful and dangerous he truly is.
Score: 7/10
DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW (CW)
Season: 3
Episodes Reviewed: 7-9
RENEWAL STATUS: TBA. Likely safe.
THE GOOD: (1) We knew the farewell to Stein was coming, but I was shocked that they killed him off, especially after they set up his desire to retire, a perfectly reasonable excuse to quit the team. (2) I’m even more happy that Jax called it quits as well; a one-person-Firestorm workaround would have been very difficult to accept (but a two-man-into-one flying fire superhero is I guess?) (3) My jaw dropped when Constantine showed up at the end of the mid-season finale. Constantine was a pretty good show and Matt Ryan as the titular hero is fantastic, so I’m glad he’s getting a chance to reprise that character. But is he Firestorm’s replacement? Not so fast. I have some other ideas on that…
THE BAD: (1) Zari is still useless and unlikable. (2) I know now that they’re going somewhere with Damien Darhk vs. Sara Lance, but I can’t imagine it leading to a satisfying conclusion. (3) It’s been half a season and we haven’t seen the main villain yet. Seems a bit late, no?
How to Make It Better: I want more conflict between the Legends. Everyone’s starting to get along…but it’s much more fun when they hate each other.
Score: 7/10
FUTURE MAN (HULU)
Season: 1
Episodes Reviewed: 1–7
RENEWAL STATUS: TBA.
THE GOOD: (1) Josh Hutcherson is perfect as janitor/gamer “Josh, playing him with a charming Michael Cera-like innocence. (2) The video game heroes from the future, Tiger & Wolf, are excellently casted. Eliza Coupe and Derek Wilson play two resistance fighters from a post-apocalyptic future completely straight-faced. (3) The concept is extremely fun and Evan Goldberg/Seth Rogen’s influence can definitely be felt.
THE BAD: (1) While Goldberg-Rogen humor is very smart and creative, it also comes with a penchant for “potty humor”. The show sometimes suffers from its need to make constant semen and herpes jokes. (2) The type of humor in the show varies, reflecting perhaps different voices of the different writers. It varies from the somewhat believable (Wolf is unfamiliar with babies) to the absurd (Wolf falls in love with a smart house.) Hopefully the show will find its voice by the end of the season. (3) There doesn’t seem to be much character development so far, but Tiger purchasing a DNA kit seems to be a step in the right direction.
How to Make It Better: The show would benefit from more time travel and less hanging around Josh’s house!
Score: 8/10
THE FLASH (CW)
Season: 4
Episodes Reviewed: 7-9
RENEWAL STATUS: TBA. Likely safe.
THE GOOD: (1) Great mid-season twist. Barry finds himself outwitted and in a deep hole, framed for murder. Like his Dad. (2) The Thinker has proved himself to be a worthy adversary, and although I will miss Neil Sandilands’ version, it will be interesting Kendrick Sampson takes over the role. (3) Apparently Kid Flash fought Starro the Conqueror offscreen!?
THE BAD: (1) Ralph Dibny has been MIA. He’s not the best character, but I’m hoping he returns to the team soon. The more problems they have to juggle, the better. (2) I don’t really care for the Amunet/Killer Frost storyline, although I guess it will end with Caitlin coming to terms with her gift/curse. (3) DeVoe’s flashback wasn’t particularly interesting or surprising. Oh well, glad we got that over with.
How to Make It Better: Surprisingly the short straw (in terms of character development and screen time) has gone to Cisco. He is easily the best character on the show and needs to have something on his plate (besides making fancy suits.
Score: 7/10
THE GIFTED (FOX)
Season: 1
Episodes Reviewed: 8–10
RENEWAL STATUS: Renewed (HOW!?)
THE GOOD: Nothing. There is nothing good about this show. Fine, I’ll try to think of three. (1) They killed Dreamer! Something significant finally happened! Thunderbird’s going to be upset. But he’ll end up with Blink, don’t worry. (2) There was a surprise reveal that Grandpa is a mutant. Is it a surprise though? Mutations are genetic. (3) There are three Esmes? Okay, I’ll admit that was unexpected. Not sure why I should care, though.
THE BAD: Everything. Fine, I’ll pick only three. (1) I don’t care about any of these characters. Everyone is selfish and useless, except for Thunderbird. (2) There seems to be no overarching story. Every week, the writers come up with another reason that the mutants and government need to fight each other. (3) Dr.Campbell’s generic evil doctor is boring.
How to Make It Better: One word: Wolverine.
Score: 0/10
GOTHAM (FOX)
Season: 4
Episodes Reviewed: 7
RENEWAL STATUS: TBA. Leaning toward unlikely.
THE GOOD: (1) This show has become pure fun, as it should be. We’re finally seeing some fun villains, like Grundy and Scarecrow and Pyg. We also get to see Penguin at his craftiest and Riddler at his…kindest? And Sofia Falcone has proven to be a worthy opponent to all parties involved. (2) Victor Zsasz is becoming more and more of a significant character. He still has yet to make a significant transition to his tally-mark’d comic book counterpart, but here’s hoping this is the season it happens. (3) After seasons of teasing, it seems that Gotham (perhaps sensing the end is near) is ready to go all in with Jerome as a young Joker. This should be interesting.
THE BAD: (1) For the amount of characters it has, Gotham does an admirable job at balancing story arcs and screen time. But one can’t help notice that Selina has been almost demoted to a guest role at this point. (2) The Bruce storyline is always the weakest with this show. Doesn’t Bruce fire Alfred every season? Why is he suddenly being such a jerk? (3) I am sad that they killed off Pyg. He was an excellent creepy villain. But who’s to say that was really him…?
How to Make It Better: What happened to all those Indian Hill escapees? If they’re going all in on this season, Gotham should pull out all the stops. Let’s see Killer Croc! Bane! Calendar Man! And what about Two-Face???
Bonus Thought: Anyone else think that Mr.Penn, Penguin’s timid right-hand man, would make a perfect Ventriloquist?
Score: 9/10
MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Season: 5
Episodes Reviewed: 1–5
RENEWAL STATUS: TBA. Looks Unlikely.
THE GOOD: (1) Adding Lance Hunter back into the mix is a much-needed breath of fresh air. (2) Looks like they’re finally hinting that Coulson-May relationship will happen this year. (3) Fitz seems to finally be getting over his guilt, and his mission is his chance for redemption. (4) FERRETS.
THE BAD: (1) The drab, post-apocalyptic world of the future, where heroes and villains simply pace around the compound doesn’t exactly spell “exciting season to continue the series”. (2) I’m not impressed with the new allies or villains thus far, although I find that the power to essentially cause your victim to be in a constant state of ear-ringing to be pretty diabolical. (3) I feel like…nothing’s happening…
How to Make It Better: The show would benefit from a “ticking clock” — an urgency for our heroes to succeed by a certain deadline.
Score: 4/10
MARVEL’S RUNAWAYS (HULU)
Season: 1
Episodes Reviewed: 1-8
RENEWAL STATUS: Reportedly Renewed
THE GOOD: (1) The young leads are very good in their roles and really carry the show. Ariela Barer’s “Gert” is particularly fun to watch. (2) I do like that the show doesn’t make the parents particularly good or evil. It’s makes the audience wonder if they‘re innocent or guilty (much like their kids).(3) They’ve set up a really interesting love triangle (involving 5 of the 6 main characters), which will (hopefully) soon blow up, as not everyone is going to get what they want.
THE BAD: (1) This show takes 6 episodes to really get started. Much like Marvel’s Netflix series, this is a slow burn. Almost no questions have been answered by the end of episode 8. (2) There are way too many characters, most of whom are half-developed. (3)
How to Make It Better: Honestly, I’d rather just follow these kids’ social lives at school than watch them wait for their parents to murder more people.
Score: 4/10
SUPERGIRL (CW)
Season: 3
Episodes Reviewed: 7-9
RENEWAL STATUS: TBA. Likely safe.
THE GOOD: (1) The Legion of Superheroes is coming! The Legion, a super-team from the future, will hopefully spice things up on Supergirl. But hopefully it won’t last too long, as Mon-El’s been super awkward these days. (2) Supergirl gets her first real defeat. Sure, she’s been near-death before, but not from being physically out-fought by an opponent. She has some work cut out for her. (3) Glad that Thomas Coville is still in the mix, even in prison. He’s a super creepy dude and has the added advantage of knowing Kara’s secret.
THE BAD: (1) Samantha is a bland, one-dimensional character who is only a super-villain because she’s been brainwashed to be one. That’s not a compelling villain. Morgan Edge is a better villain — he, at least, has motives. (2) The show still doesn’t know what to do with Winn. (3) My’Rann J’onnes not understanding how Earth works is not funny. Can’t we give J’onn’s dad something better to do? Sign him up for a golf lessons. Or have him disappear for episodes at a time, like Ralph Dibny.
How to Make It Better: Bring back the Cadmus storyline!
Score: 5/10
THE PUNISHER (NETFLIX)
Season: 1
Episodes Reviewed: 1–6
RENEWAL STATUS: Renewed
The Good: (1) Jon Bernthal is the Punisher. He is perfect. Ebon Moss-Bachrach as David Lieberman/Mico is great too. They make a wonderful odd couple. (2) Great reveal that Ben Barnes’ character is actually in cahoots with Agent Orange. (3) Interesting that much of the season has been about veterans and their experiences post-war.
The Bad: (1) I’m not wild about Punisher visiting Micro’s family every day. Seems a bit creepy, no? (2) Like all Marvel Netflix shows, this is a slow burn and takes time to get exciting. (3) What were Madani and Punisher planning to accomplish by driving their fancy cars at each other head-on? Seemed like a weird plot point.
How to Make It Better: More bad guys gettin’ punish’d!
Score: 6/10
CRISIS ON EARTH X (CW)
Episodes Reviewed: 4
THE GOOD: The heroes. It’s always great fun to see all our heroes working together, especially with the addition of Citizen Cold and The Ray. The Alex Danvers-Sara Lance storyline was unique and interesting as well.
THE BAD: The villains. Surprise! The villains were doppelgängers of Arrow and Supergirl. Duplicates from other Earths have been done to death. Speaking of “done to death”, the OG Reverse Flash too? Eobard Thawne has been defeated multiple times over the years, most notably being wiped from existence in both Flash Season 1 and Legends Season 2. Why do we still need him here? At least Red Tornado and Earth-X Tommy Merlyn made welcome (yet brief) returns.
How to Make It Better Next Year: What if the Legends brought everyone back in time? Or to the future?
Score: 6/10
On next month’s Superhero TV Show Power Rankings!
- The second halves of THE PUNISHER and FUTURE MAN!
- THE FLASH’s verdict and SUPERGIRL’s internal damage!
- The finale of RUNAWAYS 1
- The arrival of newest Arrowverse member BLACK LIGHTNING!
- And further analysis of the other above-mentioned shows!
What do you think? Was I too harsh on some on these shows? Too gentle? Comment with your rankings!
