By and large, superhero movies are stories about omnipotent people fighting universal evil. They always succeed, and it’s hard to empathize with them. Another thing is superheroes who are losers, who mow down just like ordinary people. We’re going to talk about TV series with such characters.
Doom Patrol (2019 – 2023)
Imagine Hogwarts, but mutilated. Instead of Dumbledore, a mad scientist is in charge, and instead of students in robes, there are adults who have been well-traveled by life. For example, a race car driver whose brain ended up in the body of a robot after an accident. A former actress who needs to control her emotions so as not to turn into a gaffe. An airplane pilot forced to cosplay as a mummy after a collision with a blob of cosmic energy. And a girl with 64 faces, each of which has its own superpower.
This is a ready-made cast for a team to save the world. In reality, the heroes themselves need help. Some of them are still tormented by the problem of parents and children, while others are tormented by the fame that has gone forever. One character is trying to get his past life back, while another is struggling with self-identification. And all these self-explorations are shown so naturally that even layers of makeup and special effects do not prevent us from believing the characters.
Along with the psychological excursion, Doom Patrol does not forget to entertain the audience. They like to show off, break the fourth wall, and scatter references to both classic fairy tales and myths and current events in the DC universe.
The Umbrella Academy (2019 – 2024)
On October 1, 1989, 43 children were born on Earth-even though their mothers were not pregnant a few minutes before the birth. All of the babies had superpowers, and billionaire Reginald Hargreaves took up their adoption. The man was able to get seven newborns: for them, he created the Umbrella Academy, where he began to train children to become superheroes.
Again, it sounds like a classic story about a superhero team that has everything going for it. In fact, all of the superchildren Hargreaves finds grow up to be unhappy adults for whom the fight against evil fades into the background. In fact, they don’t even want to maintain a relationship with each other, and they meet only at their adoptive father’s funeral.
From this point on, time jumps, flirting with special abilities and protecting the universe begin, but without superhero capes and speech. Instead, it’s a step-by-step guide on how to build relationships with your family and yourself.
Ragnarok (2020 – 2023)
In 2020, a cool alternative to Marvel’s Thor was rolled out to Norway – without capes and Chris Hemsworth, but with a reconstruction of Scandinavian mythology. And with a superpower that the show’s protagonist never ordered.
In this re-imagining, the god of thunder is a timid high school student, Magne, who returns to the Norwegian city of Edda. Instead of thunder giants, there is now a villainous industrial corporation, and instead of the end of the world, there is an approaching environmental disaster. Lightning, a hammer, and the endless struggle between good and evil are neatly woven in.
It is an interesting combination of the environmental agenda and Viking legends. But even better than that, the series has great visuals, not least because of the gorgeous views of Norway.
The Boys (2019 – …)
Peter Parker was taught that great power is great responsibility. And in the world of The Boys, great power is the ability to do whatever you want. And you won’t be punished for it.
In the series, people with superpowers are called “super”. And these “superheroes” often don’t behave like superheroes at all: they kill, rape, vandalize, and don’t care about other people’s lives. The government is okay with this, and ordinary people just love local superheroes.
A team of charismatic volunteers, led by William Butcher, has gathered to fight superpowered but immoral people. Each of them has been harmed by the Supers, and now Butcher and his boys want to get back at them. And this revenge is shown very boldly and vividly – with the brutality switch turned to the maximum, evil irony and mockery of modern movie comics.
I Am Not Okay with This (2020)
1-year-old Sydney Novak is a perpetually tired teenager living a boring life in an equally boring town. He’s not doing well with his classmates, not doing well in his love life, not doing well with his mother – a classic crisis that most high school students go through.
And it would be a classic Netflix teen drama, if not for one thing: Sydney has superpowers. The girl has telekinesis – she can move objects without touching them. It would seem that this is a direct path to becoming a superheroine, but Sydney doesn’t need this happiness for free – telekinesis only complicates her life.
In the series, the heroine’s superpower rhymes nicely with the storm that rages in the teenager’s soul. And the power itself – the ability to scatter everything around with the power of thought – is a cool echo of what every high school student would like to do, angry with parents, pimples, or teasing on social media. So it’s not so much a superhero show as it is a series about digging into yourself and finding your place in the world – but with a pinch of paranormal.
Extraordinary (2023 – …)
While I Don’t Like It is a story about teenagers being uncomfortable in this world, Extraordinary is about millions suffering in it. The main character, Jen, is exactly that: a leisurely 25-year-old girl who doesn’t really understand what she wants from this life.
To make matters worse, Jen is normal in an abnormal world. In this universe, all people over the age of 18 get superpowers – but not Jen. As a result, the people around her control time, lift cars with one hand, communicate with the dead, and fly over buildings, and Jen is left wondering what’s wrong with her.
The most interesting thing is that all this superhero absurdity takes place in modern London. Here, powers are used for more of a purely utilitarian purpose – flying to save money on taxis and using pyrokinesis to light a cigarette. And all this surrealism takes place among narrow streets, pubs, and with classic English humor built on inconvenience and pessimism.
The Imperfects (2022)
A trio of young people – Abby, Juan and Tilda – take part in a murky genetic experiment. And they suddenly realize that the side effects are worse than headaches and nausea. Tilda gained banshee powers and now has a devastating scream. Abby became a succubus and learned to control people’s emotions. And Juan can turn into a chupacabra, a coyote-like monster. The children don’t need such skills, so they go in search of a scientist who can bring them back to normal.
The series doesn’t claim to be a serious work – it’s just good weekend entertainment. The naivety of the script and plot holes in The Imperfects are patched up by the acting and unusual creatures – even by fantasy standards. You have to admit, you rarely see a chupacabra anywhere, let alone a clumsily drawn one.
