While Netflix is still considered, by many, the streaming service to beat, its super-powered offerings have been slowly drained over the years due to competing platforms. As all the Marvel movies slowly head to Disney+ and the DC films move over to Warner Bros.’ HBO Max, Netflix’s heroic content is dwindling.
That being said, there are still some really cool superhero movies and TV shows to check out on Netflix – from The CW’s entire Arrowverse to Marvel’s Defenders-verse to the last remaining MCU TV series, Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD.
So if you’re looking for awesome and epic tales of good vs. here are some key superhero movies and shows to stream on Netflix. The newest additions to this list will be added at the top and marked with an asterisk.
Oh, and when you’re done here, it’s also time to check out our ranking of the MCU’s entire Infinity Saga. Or find out what’s new to Netflix this month.
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Or follow these links for the best of other genres:
- The best sci fi movies on Netflix
- The best comedy movies on Netflix
- The best drama movies on Netflix
- The best action movies on Netflix
- The best horror TV shows on Netflix
- The best horror movies on Netflix
- The best anime series on Netflix
Note: This list pertains to U.S. Netflix subscribers. Some titles may not currently be available on international platforms. This page is periodically amended to remove movies and shows no longer available to watch on Netflix, and to include great titles that are now available for streaming on the service.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Though it just missed out on being the best Spidey film of all time in IGN’s ranking of the Spider-Man movies, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is wildly considered to be one of the greatest webhead outings ever. A gorgeous, emotional ride through an alternate universe featuring the rise of one Miles Morales, Spider-Verse blew up the entire concept of a superhero film while staying true to Spidey’s core principals and credo. A sequel is due April 2022.
Read our Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse review or watch Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse on Netflix.
The Incredibles 2
Pixar’s long-awaited blockbuster sequel to The Incredibles picked up right where the original story left off and saw the Parr family rearrange itself so that Helen, aka “Elastigirl,” could become the face of a new movement to legalize superheroes while battling a mysterious villain known as the Screenslaver. Catch it before it’s gone on July 30.
Read our The Incredibles 2 review or watch The Incredibles 2 on Netflix.
Arrow
While an argument can be made that DC’s found scattered success on the big screen following Man of Steel, one arena it’s solidly triumphed in is TV, where Arrow — which focused on a presumed dead billionaire heir named Oliver Queen returning to his city as a hooded vigilante — was able to kickstart an entire shared universe, and multiple sibling series, that eventually included The Flash, Supergirl, Black Lightning, and Batwoman. All of those shows are available to stream on Netflix.
Read our Arrow reviews or watch Arrow on Netflix.
Daredevil
Even though interest, in general, had waned by the time Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist all teamed up for The Defenders (due, in large part, to Iron Fist’s lackluster first season), the three seasons of Marvel’s Daredevil are about as solid and satisfying as you could hope for – with the third and final season being one of the best superhero seasons ever. The other shows, which also include two seasons of The Punisher, are also worth checking out, though they have more ups and downs in terms of quality.
Read our Daredevil reviews or watch Daredevil on Netflix.
Gotham
When Gotham began, fans and critics latched onto the grabby hook that it was a Batman show with no Batman. How could this be? This will never work! But after a few seasons, and some truly crazy storylines (including a massive heel turn for Barbara Kean), Gotham embraced its lunacy and gave us a world where, unlike Batman lore, all of Batman’s villains existed before him. And the more ridiculous the series got, the more it actually found its footing, allowing it to explore famous storylines from the comics and movies in new and inventive ways.
Read our Gotham reviews or watch Gotham on Netflix.
The Umbrella Academy
Based on the Dark Horse comic series from Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, relative newcomer to the super-series game The Umbrella Academy was a big hit right out of the gate as fans fell in love with a squabbling squad of super-powered surrogate siblings trying to avert an apocalypse that they themselves might be responsible for creating. Season 2 is scheduled to premiere July 31 on Netflix.
Read our The Umbrella Academy reviews or watch The Umbrella Academy on Netflix.
Agents of SHIELD
Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, featuring Clark Gregg’s Phil Coulson, started out as a direct tie-in to the MCU films, especially considering the Hydra reveal in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. But as the series went on, and the rift between Marvel TV and Marvel Studios became greater, SHIELD stopped fully concerning itself with the films and focused more on its own built-in dramas and sagas. After teaming with Ghost Rider, battling Hydra in a virtual world, and taking on the Kree in a dystopian timeline where Earth was destroyed by Graviton, the SHIELD heroes were able to create a legion of rabid fans without relying on Avengers scraps.
Read our Agents of SHIELD reviews or watch Agents of SHIELD on Netflix.
Lucifer
Recently renewed for a sixth and final season, after having been saved by Netflix when Fox canceled the show after three seasons, Lucifer, based on the character from Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comic series, is hellaciously good fun and features Tom Ellis as a restless and smug Lord of Hell who decides to give up his throne and live among mortals in Los Angeles.
Read our Lucifer reviews or watch Lucifer on Netflix.
Legends of Tomorrow
While the entire Arrowverse is worth watching, if not just to admire the ambition and scope of the shared universe, the most unexpectedly gleeful series in the giant machine is DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, which features Arrow and Flash castaways — like Atom, White Canary, Heat Wave, Constantine, and more — in a rambunctious and humor-laced ride through time and space.
Read our Legends of Tomorrow reviews or watch Legends of Tomorrow on Netflix.
I Am Not Okay With This
As a smaller, but notable, Netflix original, I Am Not Okay With This takes us into a dreary, dilapidated town for a look at a high school girl coming to terms with her sexuality and her dangerously new telekinetic powers. IT’s Sophia Lillis and Wyatt Oleff star in this humble superhero origin story that packs a big emotional punch.
Read our I Am Not Okay With This Season 1 review or watch I Am Not Okay With This on Netflix.
How We Choose the Best Superhero Movies and TV Shows on Netflix
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The superhero genre is wide-ranging, and one that can sometimes be difficult to pin down. We try to focus on superhero movies and shows that have a time-tested reputation like The Incredibles, as well as those movies that scored well on aggregate sites like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. In some cases, we may pick more critically divisive movies or shows like I Am Not Okay With This that we still feel are worth checking out. The one common thread is that all these movies and shows are true superhero stories, whether they’re based on comic books or are original creations themselves.
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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.
Source: IGN.com The Best Superhero Movies and TV Shows on Netflix Right Now