6 Superhero Characters Who Work Best on TV

With how prevalent superheroes have become in movies and television over the decades, it’s become more and more clear that some heroes work better in one medium over another. This isn’t to say that because a hero works in one medium, they can’t work in another, but there are some that simply thrive more in television or movies, respectively.

Television has proven to be a great outlet for superhero storytelling, thanks to how much time a character gets to spend with the audience. Whether it be because their world is simply best executed on a smaller television budget, they have more day-to-day storytelling, or benefit from spending more time with an audience than the average bear, superhero TV is sometimes the best medium for some heroes. These characters prove exactly why that can be.

6

Moon Knight

Image via Marvel Studios

While the Disney+ television era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe had its fair share of complaints, there are still some series that people liked, and one of them is, without a doubt, Moon Knight. While—thanks to his mythology and power set—one might initially think that he would actually fit better on the big screen, Marvel’s white-clad superhero has already proven why he works better on television. When a character isn’t massively known by general audiences, sometimes they actually benefit more from being a show because audiences get to spend more time with them and can grow more attached to them than they could in just two hours.

Over the course of Disney+’s Moon Knight, viewers got to spend almost six hours with Oscar Isaac‘s iconic hero, getting them attached to him better than they ever could have before. It’s gotten to the point that people are begging to see him in other Marvel content now because of it. There’s also a hefty dose of mystery and lore to uncover in the hero’s mythological roots and the many unexplored corners of his mind, and the way it’s covered over the many hours of the series couldn’t have been done in a movie. It’s actually pretty safe to say that Moon Knight would not have worked as well as a movie, making the character genuinely better-suited for television.

5

Green Arrow

Image via DC Comics

Sometimes a lot of it comes down to budget management, and that is most definitely the case with Green Arrow. Because of the character not having superpowers and being a bow and arrow-wielding hero, far less budget is necessary for bringing the Emerald Archer to life than others—even the likes of other non-powered heroes like Batman. While they could make a Green Arrow movie and do some cool stuff within it because of the less budget needed for the hero, executing his stories on television ends up being the better move, with no question.

He’s already been a success on TV, actually, via the CW’s Arrow (despite being more of a Batman show than a Green Arrow show). Why use the extra budget leftover from not needing to execute superpowers for a 2-hour story, when one could use that extra budget across an entire season of a show? This would allow the studios to do more on a week-to-week basis, rather than a one-time go in theaters. Not to mention, the hero’s stories aren’t usually gigantic world-ending threats that require the kind of budget a typical superhero movie has. Again, it becomes a case of being able to simply do more on television than they could in a film.

4

Invincible

Image via Prime Video

If it isn’t already obvious, the one and only Invincible (Steven Yeun) has quickly become one of the most prominent television superheroes of all time. The show is already adapting the book very accurately, and people are adoring it. So . . . why is there a movie in development? This is a question that has rested on the minds of fans for quite some time, because everyone can agree that the show is pretty much the best medium for the series.

Invincible is already adapting the entire comic book run—so long as they go for the amount of seasons they want to—so the concept of doing him in a movie feels a bit redundant. There’s simply no question that Invincible is already the best of what an adaptation of the series could be, so it warrants the title of this character working best on television. Why even try to fix something that’s not broken?

3

Static

Image via Warner Bros. Animation

This character has already starred in an animated television show—Static Shock—and it was exceptional. This is primarily because the protagonist, Virgil Hawkins (Phil LaMarr), is a very grounded, street-level hero. He’s just a 16-year-old kid who’s trying to do his best—a Spider-Man-esque character, in a way. Coming-of-age stories are great, and there are plenty of coming-of-age movies, but this genre on television can often be far more effective.

Getting to spend a decent amount of time with a character who’s growing so much into the person they’re going to be—like Virgil is, on a superpowered scale—allows the audience to really gravitate towards and fall in love with the protagonist. It also gives viewers time to really explore the hero’s world and dive into the characters that surround him, fleshing out his journey into a whole new depth.

2

Daredevil

Image via Jojo Whilden /©Disney+/Marvel Studios /Courtesy Everett Collection

One of the most famous and beloved Marvel television shows is the one and only Daredevil—no contest. The televised story of Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) has become so popular that people begged for the show and the actor to return, leading to the announcement of the sequel series, Daredevil: Born Again. The Netflix series is genuinely considered a true work of art.

This character is much like a lot of other television-preferred superheroes in the fact that he is a street-level hero, and far more grounded than others. This makes it far easier to depict him on television, and having the extra time for viewers to watch him makes the political thriller and mystery aspects of the show have so much more time to be more complex than they ever could have been in just a movie.

1

Spider-Man

Image via Sony Pictures Animation

Despite Spider-Man: Brand New Day being within the top three highest-grossing movies of all time, the character of Spider-Man is easily better suited for television. The best parts about the character are the coming-of-age aspects of his journey, his gigantic group of supporting characters, and even larger catalog of villains. Sure, these things are adapted very well to film—the large number of massively successful films being prooof—but his stories told on television can often be considered some of the best adaptations of the character, period.

A great example of this is the likes of The Spectacular Spider-Man—a series that has episodes that can genuinely be considered masterpieces—and Spider-Man: The Animated Series. These are noted by many to be some of the best iterations of the character ever put onto screen, and that’s not for no reason. The huge amount of time audiences have spent with these versions of the character makes for a connection unlike any other. Not to mention, the fact that they’re animated means they have no restrictions when it comes to bringing certain characters to life—limitless potential for comic accurate designs and unique powers—and allows for some amazing spectacle.

Spider-Man: The Animated Series

Release Date

1994 – 1998-00-00

Network

FOX, Fox Kids

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  Christopher Daniel Barnes

  Peter Parker / Spider-Man (voice)

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  Sara Ballantine

  Mary Jane Watson (voice)