Superhero Series Triumph With The Sanctum and Captain Alpha Male

Every time I think superheroes are done as a genre, someone else comes up with a fresh, genuinely entertaining take. And that’s not exclusive to the worlds of film and television (though the British series No Heroics is delightful if you’re looking for recommendations). Recently, two indie web series have launched with dramatically different spins on the concept of humans with extraordinary powers.

The Sanctum, written and produced by Megan J. Wilson, is a gritty look at heroes who need some help themselves — specifically with substance abuse. Framed around a weekly Narcotics Anonymous meeting, each installment focuses on a specific character’s story. It’s a low-budget approach to the genre that plays well on an episodic level, and has the potential to allow for real character development and drama. (What happens to a superhero child that flies too far his first time in the skies? Nothing good, is The Sanctum’s answer.) While it’s too early to say whether the series will have much of a through line beyond the basic premise, the first episode’s sharp dialogue, solid cinematography and genuinely heartbreaking story is enough to warrant a look at the second.

But if watching that is a bit of a downer, then there’s also a comedy for the super middle manager in all of us. Captain Alpha Male, co-created by and starring Jay Lutsky, focuses on a hero who likes crisp khaki pants, paperwork that’s filed on time, and women who know their place. A supervisor of superheroes at The Agency, the Captain’s world becomes complicated when he’s passed up for promotion, and the show focuses on his attempts to overcome said emasculation.

Alpha Male is a lot more fun when it’s tweaking superhero stereotypes than when it’s playing up the protagonist’s misogyny. The show doesn’t endorse his outlook — Lutsky’s aim, according to email, is to “point out the futility of the patriarchal mindset that is often arrogant, hypocritical and damaging to the world at large.” But that doesn’t change the fact that I kept watching the episodes available for review primarily to see when Super Sugar, the only female superhero working at the Agency, would punch the Captain in the nuts. Spoiler alert: she doesn’t, but that’s because he has made a real effort to change. The production values are great, with some inventive visual gags and dynamic actors that really draw out their characters — some of whom, to the show’s credit, have pretty original powers.

The Greeks had their gods; we have dudes in tights, so long as we can keep finding new stories to tell about them. Neither of these series are just one studio option away from being the next Iron Man, but it’s nice to know that one of the few truly American mythologies still has some life left in it.