Recent advances in instrumentation for transmission electron microscopy have pushed the resolution limit, leading to remarkable instruments capable of imaging at 0.5 Å. But, when imaging soft materials, the resolution is often limited by the amount of dose the material can handle rather than the instrumental resolution. Despite the strong constraints placed by radiation sensitivity, recent developments in electron microscopes have the potential to advance polymer electron microscopy. For example, the focused ion beam creates opportunities for site-specific imaging, recently developed sample holders enable liquid TEM, monochromated sources lead to spectroscopy and imaging based on the valence electronic structure, and direct electron detectors minimize the required dose for imaging. Transmission electron microscopy has transformed the field of polymer science, and it is poised to do so again in the near future.