In case you haven't noticed, I have a thing for superheroes.
Okay, you've noticed.
Anyway, I decided that since not everyone probably has time to watch seven superhero shows at once (like me), it might be helpful to make a flowchart of what superhero show you should watch, according to personal preference. It includes all the shows I have personal knowledge of, so shows I haven't really watched aren't included (i.e., Ultimate Spider-Man, even though I'm sure it's great).
Read on, and if you're not sure about your result, underneath I've included a list of show summaries, in alphabetical order.
"Agent Carter" (2015-2016). The adventures of Agent Peggy Carter of the Strategic Scientific Reserve and Edwin Jarvis, the butler of Howard Stark, in the aftermath of Steve Rogers' apparent death.
"Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (2013-present). Agent Phil Coulson (who claims to have only faked his death at Loki's hands) assembles a team of highly skilled agents to deal with special threats, enhanced individuals, and objects of unknown origin. But when Hydra is revealed to have been hiding in their midst the entire time, who can they trust?
"American Dragon: Jake Long" (2005-2007). A teenage boy with the ability to turn into a dragon is tasked with protecting all of the magical creatures in New York and keeping them hidden from the regular world.
"Arrow" (2012-present). After being stranded on an island for five years, playboy Oliver Queen returns to his city with only one goal: to save it by killing corrupt and dangerous criminals.
"Ben 10". A series that's been rebooted too many times to count, "Ben 10" is the story of Ben Tennyson, who finds an alien device called the Omnitrix, which attaches to his wrist. It holds the power to turn into different aliens. Although Ben can be a bit selfish and immature, he ultimately uses the Omnitrix to fight evil aliens and save people. If you want to know which version of the show to watch, I'd suggest consulting Wikipedia, as there are four series so far, and a fifth one on the way (not to mention four movies).
"Constantine" (2014-2015). The adventures of John Constantine, a chain-smoking con man, magician, exorcist, and demonologist.
"Danny Phantom" (2004-2007). Danny's just a normal kid with ghost-hunting parents. When they build a portal to the Ghost Zone (the dimension spooks and spirits come from), it doesn't work. A curious Danny steps inside the portal, accidentally turns it on, and gets blasted with ectoplasmic energy. He gets the abilities of a ghost and is able to switch between ghost and human at will (he's known as a half-ghost). Danny decides to use his newfound powers to fight the ghosts that have been coming through the portal and terrorizing the town. But when you're a ghost living under the roof of two ghost hunters, things can get pretty complicated.
"Daredevil" (2015-present). Matt Murdock is blind lawyer in Hell's Kitchen, with enhanced senses and expert fighting skills. He uses these to fight crime as a brutal vigilante in an attempt to cleanse the city of its corruption.
"DC's Legends of Tomorrow" (2016-present). A time traveler from the future assembles a team of heroes and villains from "The Flash" and "Arrow" in order to stop an immortal madman from taking over the world.
"The Flash" (2014-present). As a kid, Barry Allen saw his mother killed by a man in yellow who was there one second and gone the next. No one believed his story and his father was convicted of the murder. Fifteen years later, Barry's a CSI, still looking into strange cases to find proof that can clear his dad's name. One night, he's struck by lightning during a particle accelerator explosion. After being stuck in a coma for nine months, Barry wakes up with the ability to run at superspeed. He quickly learns that the explosion created other people with powers (metahumans), and resolves to find them, along with the man that murdered his mother, while also fighting crime.
"Generator Rex" (2010-2013). When a science experiment goes wrong, the world becomes infected with nanites, micro-machines that alter human biology. These can cause normal people to mutate into monsters, or EVOs at any time. Only one person fight them, an EVO name Rex with the ability to control his nanites, turn parts of his body into different weapons, and cure the mutations caused by nanites. Rex works for Providence to cure and contain EVOs, but also searches for information about his own life. See, he's got amnesia and can only remember the past year or two.
"Gotham" (2014-present). The origin story of Batman's friends, criminals, and allies. It all starts with the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne, and follows Jim Gordon's attempts to clean up the corruption of Gotham City while trying to solve the murder.
"Jessica Jones" (2015-present). A woman with incredible strength works as a low-profile investigator in New York City. She is forced to combat her personal demons in order to help save other women from the same experiences she's had.
"Kim Possible" (2002-2007). Kim is a cheerleader who also fights villains and saves the world in her spare time, with the help of her friends, Ron and Wade.
"Luke Cage" (2016-present). A man with unbreakable skin takes on a role as a defender of the innocent in Harlem, New York, in the midst of gang wars and racial tension.
"Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja" (2012-2015). A fifteen year-old boy is handed down the identity of the Ninja and has to fight and cure all the kids in his school that keep getting turned into monsters by an evil sorcerer that feeds off misery.
"Smallville" (2001-2011). The adventures of Clark Kent before he became Superman, along with the origin stories of other heroes and villains.
"Supergirl" (2015-present). The adventures of Kara Zor-El, Superman's cousin, as she embraces her powers and uses them to protect National City against aliens, metahumans, and other threats.
"Teen Titans" (2003-2006). Not to be confused with that trash heap, "Teen Titans Go!", this TV show follows the adventures of the Titans, a crime-fighting team in Jump City. While some episodes are more humorous, others focus on more serious issues, such as PTSD, racism, the thin line between good and evil, and a demon apocalypse.
"Young Justice" (2011-2013). When the Justice League's sidekicks get tired of being sidelined, Batman decides to let them form their own team, a black ops squad. The League will still handle the large, public threats, but the team will fight the villains that lurk in the shadows. As the main characters do so, they come to realize there's a bigger conspiracy going on.
