# Helstrom (TV series)
**Helstrom** (marketed as *Marvel's Helstrom* in early listings) is an American supernatural horror drama television series that premiered on Hulu on October 16, 2020, and ran for one season of ten episodes. Produced by [Marvel Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-television) and ABC Studios and created by Paul Zbyszewski, it follows Daimon and Ana Helstrom, the estranged son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer, as they track down the worst of humanity while confronting their own family's demonic legacy.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/marvels_helstrom) • [2](https://www.tvline.com/news/helstrom-cancelled-season-2-hulu-marvel-1234619451/) It was the last live-action series produced by Marvel Television, and Hulu canceled it on December 14, 2020, about two months after release.[3](https://www.thewrap.com/marvel-series-helstrom-canceled-by-hulu-after-1-season/) • [2](https://www.tvline.com/news/helstrom-cancelled-season-2-hulu-marvel-1234619451/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and premiere | Hulu; all 10 episodes dropped October 16, 2020[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/helstrom-cancelled-season-2-hulu-marvel-1234619451/) |
| Creator | Paul Zbyszewski, an *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.* veteran; produced by Marvel Television and ABC Studios[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/helstrom-cancelled-season-2-hulu-marvel-1234619451/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/news/ni63128213/) |
| Main cast | Tom Austen as Daimon, Sydney Lemmon as Ana, Elizabeth Marvel as their mother Victoria; also Ariana Guerra, Robert Wisdom, June Carryl, and Alain Uy[3](https://www.thewrap.com/marvel-series-helstrom-canceled-by-hulu-after-1-season/) |
| Comic basis | The Marvel Comics characters Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan, and his sister Satana (renamed Ana for the show)[3](https://www.thewrap.com/marvel-series-helstrom-canceled-by-hulu-after-1-season/) • [5](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/hulu-cancels-helstrom-ending-live-action-era-marvel-tv) |
| Format | TV-MA rated, roughly 50-minute episodes[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/helstrom) |
| Critical reception | 27% Tomatometer from 26 reviews; 71% Popcornmeter from 250+ audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/marvels_helstrom) |
| Cancellation | Canceled after one season on December 14, 2020[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/helstrom-cancelled-season-2-hulu-marvel-1234619451/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and characters
The series reinvents two established [Marvel Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-comics) characters as estranged adults. Daimon Helstrom (Tom Austen) is an ethics professor teaching undergraduates in [Portland, Oregon](https://www.edgepedia.org/portland-oregon), and Ana Helstrom (Sydney Lemmon) is an antiquities dealer in San Francisco who procures high-value items for wealthy clients.[7](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/the-sparse-world-building-of-hulus-helstrom-is-a-failure-of-imagination) Their father was a serial killer and a demon, and their human mother, Victoria ([Elizabeth Marvel](https://www.edgepedia.org/elizabeth-marvel)), has been institutionalized in the psychiatric ward of a Portland-area hospital for the last 20 years, possessed by a demon as punishment for discovering the truth about her husband.[3](https://www.thewrap.com/marvel-series-helstrom-canceled-by-hulu-after-1-season/) • [8](https://www.tvguide.com/news/helstrom-review-hulu-marvel/)
At its core the show is a story about nature versus nurture: Daimon and Ana grapple with the fear that their father's sins were passed down to them and with how much they can define their own paths.[8](https://www.tvguide.com/news/helstrom-review-hulu-marvel/) The siblings have a complicated dynamic; as Lemmon described the characters, they have led completely separate lives with different trauma, and finding common ground when they come together is difficult.[9](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-marvels-helstrom/)
## Comic origins and adaptation
In the comics, [Daimon Hellstrom](https://www.edgepedia.org/daimon-hellstrom) and his sister Satana are the children of a figure who is more or less Marvel's version of Lucifer, mainstays of the publisher's 1970s horror comics who later appear alongside magic characters such as [Doctor Strange](https://www.edgepedia.org/doctor-strange).[10](https://kotaku.com/best-marvel-tv-shows-disney-netflix-mcu-1851173236/2) The Hulu series took liberties with the source material, dropping the "Hell" spelling of the surname and renaming Satana as Ana.[5](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/hulu-cancels-helstrom-ending-live-action-era-marvel-tv) • [3](https://www.thewrap.com/marvel-series-helstrom-canceled-by-hulu-after-1-season/) The characters draw on paranormal Marvel figures created by [Roy Thomas](https://www.edgepedia.org/roy-thomas), John Romita, Gary Friedrich, and Herb Trimpe.[11](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/helstrom-marvel-horror-tv-hulu) Elizabeth Marvel, who plays Victoria, described the Helstrom stories as an "artisanal Marvel comic."
The show leaned into horror rather than superhero convention: it has monsters, gore, and jump scares, and reviewers compared it to *The Exorcist* and long-running series like *[Supernatural](https://www.edgepedia.org/supernatural-american-tv-series)* rather than other Marvel television.[12](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/helstrom-review-marvels-horror-series-is-a-decent-halloween-binge/1900-6417581/) • [9](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-marvels-helstrom/) Showrunner Paul Zbyszewski said the crew studied horror films during production, and Hulu presented the first ten minutes at a New York Comic-Con Metaverse panel in October 2020.[13](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/helstrom-panel-hulu-nycc-metaverse)
## Place in Marvel Television's end
Helstrom was ordered to series in 2019 alongside *Ghost Rider*, which was to see [Gabriel Luna](https://www.edgepedia.org/gabriel-luna) reprise his *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.* role. Marvel TV chief [Jeph Loeb](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeph-loeb) described the two shows as the start of a horror-tinged shared live-action universe at Hulu called "Adventure into Fear," named for the Marvel comic series that ran from 1970 to 1975.[3](https://www.thewrap.com/marvel-series-helstrom-canceled-by-hulu-after-1-season/) • [14](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/marvel-ghost-rider-to-lead-connected-terror-universe-at-hulu) The *Ghost Rider* series was shelved after creative differences and a larger corporate shift: in October 2019, Marvel Television was moved under [Marvel Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-studios) with Kevin Feige named chief creative officer across Marvel, Jeph Loeb stepped down, and further development was shuttered.[3](https://www.thewrap.com/marvel-series-helstrom-canceled-by-hulu-after-1-season/)
Because it was already in production when Marvel Television was phased out, Helstrom was released, but under changed conditions. It carried no Marvel branding in its marketing, was billed as a "Hulu Original," and was not technically affiliated with the [Marvel Cinematic Universe](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-cinematic-universe).[15](https://comicbookmovie.com/tv/marvel/falcon-and-the-winter-soldier/marvel-cinematic-universe-every-tv-show-ranked-according-to-their-rotten-tomatoes-score-a184329) • [10](https://kotaku.com/best-marvel-tv-shows-disney-netflix-mcu-1851173236/2) Zbyszewski's overall deal with Marvel was terminated in April 2020 amid the shift in direction and pandemic-related financial pressures.[4](https://www.imdb.com/news/ni63128213/) With its cancellation in December 2020, Hulu was left with only the animated *M.O.D.O.K.* as its remaining Marvel series, and the live-action scripted era of Marvel Television, which began with *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.* in 2013, formally closed.[3](https://www.thewrap.com/marvel-series-helstrom-canceled-by-hulu-after-1-season/) • [5](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/hulu-cancels-helstrom-ending-live-action-era-marvel-tv)
## Reception
Critics did not warm to the series. On Rotten Tomatoes, season 1 holds a 27% Tomatometer from 26 reviews against a 71% Popcornmeter score from more than 250 audience ratings; the critics consensus states that the show's strong visual effects cannot save characters not interesting enough to overcome their familiar setting.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/marvels_helstrom) NPR's Glen Weldon found a general lack of focus in the first five episodes, with plot threads piling up without intersecting.[16](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/marvels_helstrom/s01) Roxana Hadadi, writing at RogerEbert.com, criticized the under-sketched world building and absence of tension.[7](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/the-sparse-world-building-of-hulus-helstrom-is-a-failure-of-imagination) GameSpot's review called it a middle-of-the-road entry into horror for Marvel, scoring it 6/10, while noting that its horror elements made it unlike any prior live-action Marvel TV series.[12](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/helstrom-review-marvels-horror-series-is-a-decent-halloween-binge/1900-6417581/) TVLine readers gave the series premiere an average grade of "B+."[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/helstrom-cancelled-season-2-hulu-marvel-1234619451/)
## Availability
In the United States, the series can be streamed on Hulu or purchased digitally on Amazon Video, the Apple TV Store, and Fandango At Home.[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/helstrom)
## References
1. [Marvel's Helstrom, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/marvels_helstrom)
2. [Helstrom Cancelled At Hulu, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/news/helstrom-cancelled-season-2-hulu-marvel-1234619451/)
3. [Marvel Series 'Helstrom' Canceled by Hulu After 1 Season, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/marvel-series-helstrom-canceled-by-hulu-after-1-season/)
4. ['Helstrom' Canceled at Hulu, IMDb (The Hollywood Reporter)](https://www.imdb.com/news/ni63128213/)
5. [Hulu cancels Helstrom, ending the original live-action TV era of Marvel, SYFY WIRE](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/hulu-cancels-helstrom-ending-live-action-era-marvel-tv)
6. [Helstrom, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/helstrom)
7. [The Sparse World-Building of Hulu's Helstrom is a Failure of Imagination, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/the-sparse-world-building-of-hulus-helstrom-is-a-failure-of-imagination)
8. [Helstrom Review: Hulu's Horror Series Brings Marvel Back to TV, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/news/helstrom-review-hulu-marvel/)
9. [Five Things You Need To Know About Horror Series Helstrom, Rotten Tomatoes](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-marvels-helstrom/)
10. [Every Marvel TV Show, Ranked, Kotaku](https://kotaku.com/best-marvel-tv-shows-disney-netflix-mcu-1851173236/2)
11. [Marvel's Helstrom crew on subverting horror tropes and a final era of Marvel TV, SYFY WIRE](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/helstrom-marvel-horror-tv-hulu)
12. [Helstrom Review: Marvel's Horror Series Is A Decent Halloween Binge, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/helstrom-review-marvels-horror-series-is-a-decent-halloween-binge/1900-6417581/)
13. [Hulu's Helstrom NYCC panel reveals how the Marvel show pays homage to classic horror, SYFY WIRE](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/helstrom-panel-hulu-nycc-metaverse)
14. [Marvel's Jeph Loeb: Ghost Rider, Helstrom lead connected 'terror' Hulu universe, SYFY WIRE](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/marvel-ghost-rider-to-lead-connected-terror-universe-at-hulu)
15. [Every MCU TV Show Ranked According To Their Rotten Tomatoes Score, ComicBookMovie](https://comicbookmovie.com/tv/marvel/falcon-and-the-winter-soldier/marvel-cinematic-universe-every-tv-show-ranked-according-to-their-rotten-tomatoes-score-a184329)
16. [Marvel's Helstrom: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/marvels_helstrom/s01)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Adapted and franchise screen series › Comic-book and superhero television series › Marvel television series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license