7 Superhero Sci-Fi Shows That Aren't MCU (and Might Be Better)

Alphas (2011)

Number of Seasons: 2

Under the umbrella of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, psychiatrist Lee Rosen (David Strathairn) leads a special team of investigators. They are 'Alphas', people with special abilities that are kept secret from the rest of the world. The team is called into action whenever a crime is committed by someone suspected of having Alpha abilities.

Although Alpha is still loved by its fans, we feel honor-bound to tell you that the series was canceled after Season 2 and ended on a cliffhanger.

Legion (2017)

Number of Seasons: 3

From Fargo creator Noah Hawley comes this story that runs parallel to the X-Men movies.

Downton Abbey 's Dan Stevens stars as ​​David Haller, a man diagnosed with schizophrenia from a young age. After a lifetime of being shuffled from institution to institution, David meets a fellow patient who teaches him that his mental illness may in fact be a sign of hidden mutant abilities.

Although Legion belongs in the X-Men universe, it isn't connected to the larger MCU and can be enjoyed on its own. Bonus: the series ends as its creator intended, with no annoying plotlines left open.

Jupiter's Legacy (2021)

Number of Seasons: 1

At the beginning of the Great Depression, six ordinary men received extraordinary abilities. For the past ninety years, these superheroes kept the world safe. Now it's time to pass the torch to their children, but the dynamics of family, responsibility, power, and patriotism are complex and difficult to navigate for both generations.

Jupiter's Legacy only lasted one season and received mixed reviews. Still, if you're looking for something a little more thoughtful than the usual superhero fare (but still packed with high-octane fighting), this is a good place to start.

Misfits (2009)

Number of Seasons: 5

Five teens are stuck doing court-mandated community service for their juvenile offenses. When a freak lightning storm causes them to develop superpowers, they're stuck trying to figure out what exactly to do with them. It's a much more gritty, funny, and dark look at what might happen if ordinary delinquents developed strange abilities.

Misfits was a cultural phenomenon in Britain, with rave reviews from critics and die-hard fans to this day. If five seasons is too much of a commitment, don't worry: it was originally intended to run for three years, and the first trio of seasons stand entirely on their own.

Heroes Reborn (2015)

Number of Seasons: 1

Hey, remember NBC's hit show Heroes? Its first season still holds up as a masterpiece of superhero storytelling (if only they had ended it there). If you'd like to revisit Hiro and the Heroes universe, check out the short-lived reboot Heroes Reborn.

A year after a terrorist attack, humans with supernatural abilities are blamed and hunted down by vigilantes. Old and new cast members come together in this continuation of Tim Kring's Heroes world.

Reviews for this reboot were lukewarm, but if you have any nostalgia for the original series there's lots to enjoy here.

Black Scorpion (2001)

Number of Seasons: 1

Darcy Walker ( Michelle Lintel) is a police detective in Angel City. After her father is shot dead by a district attorney who gets off scot-free, Walker no longer believes that she can change things from within the system. While she remains working as a police detective, she also starts roaming the streets as masked vigilante Black Scorpion.

Like Batman, Black Scorpion has no special powers – she depends on her physical skill, her wits, and a variety of cool technologies.

Night Man (1997)

Number of Seasons: 2

Remember when we didn't have to take superheroes so seriously? If you're looking for some good old-fashioned cheese, check out Marvel's 1997 series Night Man.

San Francisco saxophonist Johnny Domino(!!!) is struck by lightning in a freak accident. He discovers that he has lost the ability to sleep, but gained the ability to find evil through telepathy. Instead of resting, Johnny roams the street in his bulletproof suit, fighting crime and playing a killer sax.