Marvel’s Helstrom Deserves an MCU Comeback

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe has gradually been exploring darker, more frightening themes, drawing inspiration from its comic book origins. While this might seem recent to some, Marvel actually started venturing into truly scary territory back in 2020 with .

Hulu has canceled its original series about two supernatural heroes battling cursed objects and dangerous demons after only one season of ten episodes. Despite this, there’s hope for the show’s continuation, given the success of Marvel’s Doctor Strange films and Disney+’s Werewolf by Night special, which demonstrate an audience for darker, supernatural content.

Helstrom Is One Of Marvel’s Scariest TV Shows

Created by Paul Zbyszewski, known for his work on Lost, Helstrom is a reimagining of Marvel comic characters. The show focuses on Daimon Hellstrom—also known as Hellstorm or “The Son of Satan”—who battles dark forces using his own supernatural powers, aided by his sister, Satana. Daimon first appeared in a 1973 Ghost Rider comic book.

The TV versions of these supernatural siblings are a departure from their demonic origins, even changing their family name slightly. Daimon (Tom Austen) works as an ethics professor and occasionally performs exorcisms. His sister, Ana (Sydney Lemmon), is an art collector with powers like absorbing life force, which she uses to punish those who deserve it. When clues suggest their father is returning, the long-separated siblings come together to protect their mother, Victoria (played by Elizabeth Marvel), who has been battling demonic possession for years.

Following the success of The Exorcist in 1973, horror films largely stuck to a familiar formula, leaving little room for originality. Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead films were a rare standout. Helstrom bravely tried to shake things up, offering a brutal, well-acted, and character-focused horror story. It created a uniquely unsettling but emotionally resonant atmosphere, with Elizabeth Marvel delivering a particularly strong performance.

Despite its interesting origins in Marvel comics and perhaps a desire for more positive content during the pandemic, Helstrom didn’t find a large audience and was quickly canceled. But now that the MCU is bringing back other previously canceled shows, could this horror series get a second chance?

The Helstrom Siblings Deserve an Official MCU Induction

Despite no clear connections to the Avengers – no shared characters, events, or even passing references – there’s nothing that definitively rules out the possibility of Helstrom existing within the same universe. The show could potentially be reinterpreted as connected in the future.

There’s no reason Daimon and Ana couldn’t reappear in a future Marvel Studios project. That could be another season of Helstrom, a special on Disney+, or even as supporting characters alongside more well-known heroes – it’s really up to Marvel.

It would be really exciting to see the Helstrom siblings team up with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) or Ghost Rider (Gabriel Luna from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D). An especially cool storyline would involve them somehow becoming the Daywalker.

While Helstrom didn’t receive rave reviews – it has a 71% audience score but only a 27% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes – many first seasons take time to find their audience. The show had a lot of potential, with a strong cast and a genuinely creepy atmosphere, and deserved a chance to really explore the darker, supernatural side of the Marvel universe. Now might be the ideal moment for it to shine.

Helstom is largely forgotten, but for some fans, it represents a missed opportunity for a more horror-focused Marvel Cinematic Universe.

If you haven’t seen it yet, Helstrom on Hulu or Disney+ is worth checking out – it’s genuinely scary and features a fantastic performance by Elizabeth Marvel. It could be exactly what fans have been waiting for.

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2026-02-14 04:06