Amazon Prime Video’s entry into the superhero series genre, The Boys, returned on Friday for its third season — and despite the series not having a new season since 2020, demand for it has remained high.
It’s the ninth most in-demand superhero series in the United States in the period between Jan. 1 and May 30, 2022, according to the audience demand data. The Boys boasts 19.2 times the average demand of all other series in the U.S., putting it into the outstanding category, and beating at least two of Disney+’s Marvel offerings: What If…? and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
The Boys, which is based on a comic-book series of the same name that originated at DC before moving to Dynamite Entertainment, is one of Prime Video’s most in-demand series, and is the first major comic-book adaptation that has resonated with the streamer’s audiences.
The show’s subversive take on the superhero complex and the current superhero machine that dominates Hollywood (both on the big and small screen) was a refreshing view on the genre that has helped it find a sizable fan base. Add in the more adult-oriented storytelling and graphic imagery, and The Boys became one of the more ostensibly adult superhero shows on a major, global streaming service.
There’s no question that superhero series are some of the most in-demand on streaming services, and they’ll only continue to grow in demand over the next few years. With The Boys, Prime Video has found its place amongst some of the biggest names in the comic book space.
Meanwhile, it may shock some to see that HBO Max’s Titans is the most in-demand superhero series streaming in the U.S. That’s a pretty amazing feat as every one of Disney+’s Marvel series — except What If…? — made the top 10 and one might assume one of them would have taken the No. 1 spot.
Titans, a series based on the Teen Titans comic book series, started as an original on the DC Universe platform before those series were folded into HBO Max when WarnerMedia launched its flagship over-the-top product. The show has a dedicated, sizable fan base. New seasons often put Titans in the exceptional category in terms of demand, where it sits alongside giants like HBO’s Game of Thrones and Netflix’s Stranger Things.
We see the same thing happening for HBO Max with new seasons of DC’s Peacemaker, which follows John Cena’s character from 2021 movie Suicide Squad, and Young Justice, an animated superhero series based on DC’s ongoing comic-book line of the same name. They rank at No. 4 and No. 8, respectively.
Every Marvel Cinematic Universe series to date on Disney+ made the top 10 cut except What If…?, the animated series that explores the multiverse possibilities for the MCU’s biggest characters and events. Combined, the Marvel series make up more than 108 times the average demand of all other series in the U.S. during the same time period.
As Marvel Studios uses the small screen (and Disney+ specifically) to broaden its universe and reach new audiences while deepening its lore, it’s no surprise that audiences are finding some of their new favorite stories in these shows. That’s why WandaVision is still the most in-demand Disney+ Marvel series despite being the first Marvel show to air on the platform, back in January 2021.
The connection between WandaVision and last month’s big-screen feature Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may have led Marvel fans back to rewatch the series ahead of the movie, signaling a strength in Disney and Marvel Studio’s interloping strategy to bridge storytelling on the Disney+ platform and theatrical movies.
