Powers is getting adapted again. Netflix is developing an adult animated series based on Brian Michael Bendis's comic about cops investigating superhero crimes in a world where capes are commonplace. It's the property's third attempt at live-action or animation, which raises the question: why does this keep happening?
The comic ran from 2000 to 2020, winning Eisner Awards and earning a cult following. PlayStation Network adapted it as a live-action series in 2015—remember when PlayStation tried to make original programming? It lasted two seasons and vanished. FX developed a version before that. Now Netflix is trying animation.
The appeal is obvious: Powers is The Boys before The Boys existed. It deconstructed superhero mythology, explored what happens when gods walk among mortals, and asked whether you can police people who can level cities. Bendis built a world where celebrity culture, corruption, and superpowers collided messily.
But The Boys already exists now, and it's massive. Invincible proved adult superhero animation works. The question is whether Powers still has something unique to say in 2026, or if it's just chasing a trend it helped create.
Animation is probably the right medium. The comic's scope—cities destroyed, cosmic threats, body horror—would bankrupt a live-action show. And Netflix has proven it can handle adult animation with Arcane and Blue Eye Samurai.
Whether audiences want another superhero deconstruction is the gamble. In Hollywood, nobody knows anything—except that Bendis's name still carries weight. Maybe the third time's the charm.
