The debut of WandaVision on Disney Plus in 2021 marked a brand new period for Marvel-branded TV sequence: one the place Marvel Studios extra expressly began controlling and integrating these reveals into the overarching story of its motion pictures. It additionally marked an period the place Marvel Cinematic Universe reveals began taking part in precisely like MCU motion pictures, with the identical mix of humor, drama, and motion.
That’s a really completely different strategy from the pre-Disney Plus days, when Marvel Studios was nonetheless licensing its characters to different studios and networks, which all tried to crack the Marvel system in numerous methods. And it’s additionally a unique strategy from the 2022 experiments in MCU “specials,” one-off tales that bend the Marvel system in way more director-driven, idiosyncratic methods. How do all these approaches evaluate? We put each installment of MCU-integrated TV on the identical scale to rank them and discover out.
[Ed. note: Shows are included on this list if they were MCU-compliant in their day, regardless of whether they’ve since been or will later be retconned out of existence. Not included on this list are pre-MCU Marvel shows like Blade, or never-MCU-canon Marvel shows like the excellent mind game Legion, the X-Men spinoff The Gifted, or the animated series Guardians of the Galaxy. Latest update: November 2022, to include The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Werewolf by Night, and She-Hulk.]
22. Helstrom (2020)
2020’s Helstrom was the final of the live-action MCU reveals launched on Hulu earlier than the launch of Disney Plus, and it was canceled after one almost universally panned season. The present is borderline unwatchable, a dour procession of exorcist and paranormal tropes with solely the loosest connection to the comedian e book characters it’s primarily based on. Following a pair of siblings with demonic blood that offers them superpowers, it lacks likable characters, significant stakes, nuanced performances, and even spectacular particular results. In case you’re in search of a spooky supernatural story about preventing demons, take a look at Evil on Paramount Plus. If you need superheroics, you’re higher off watching anything on this checklist. —Samantha Nelson
21. Inhumans (2017)
Initially deliberate as an MCU film and its personal MCU sub-franchise, Inhumans suffered partially from the identical factor that gave it a lot potential: It’s constructed round a complete society hidden from the remainder of the world, the place separatist superpowered folks dwell in line with their very own legal guidelines. However a sequence about supers who aren’t connected to human society has not one of the relatable facets that make MCU characters attention-grabbing. And the story, a few coup that may flip the Inhumans’ terrible, oppressive oligarchy into a unique type of terrible, oppressive oligarchy, doesn’t have a number of stakes for the typical viewer.
When an alternate model of Inhumans’ Black Bolt (nonetheless performed by Anson Mount) ultimately turns up in Physician Unusual within the Multiverse of Insanity, that gave MCU followers much more rooting curiosity within the character. However it nonetheless doesn’t make Inhumans any extra attention-grabbing or watchable. The appearing is stiff, the writing is clunky, unhealthy man Maximus (Iwan Rheon, well-known for taking part in Sport of Thrones sadist Ramsay Bolton) is ridiculously apparent in his clumsy evil, and even as soon as the motion strikes from the moon to Earth, the story by no means feels prefer it’s about precise folks. Technically, it’s all there within the sequence title, so we will’t say we weren’t warned. —Tasha Robinson
20. The Guardians of the Galaxy Vacation Particular (2022)
James Gunn’s Christmas particular that includes his tackle Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy crew is consciously tacky, however the self-awareness doesn’t make it any much less grating. At characteristic size, Gunn has way more house to veer between motion, foolish character bits, and sentiment, however the roughly 40-minute run time right here makes all these twists really feel rushed and clumsy, and the humor is especially compelled.
Marvel rounded up a lot of the GOTG regulars (aside from Zoe Saldaña as Gamora, for story-continuity causes) for this outing, however the story facilities on Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) making an attempt to present their buddy Peter “Star-Lord” Quill (Chris Pratt) a standard Earth Christmas by giving him a human current: his favourite film star, Kevin Bacon (Kevin Bacon). So the story immediately facilities the type of shallow “non-humans making an attempt to grasp human stuff” that’s normally extra of a welcome facet notice in GOTG tales, and the outcomes are fairly dire. All of the broad, flat conversations about The Which means of Christmas, meant as retro callbacks to an earlier period of vacation specials, are most likely meant to really feel playful and nostalgic, however they aren’t intelligent sufficient to really feel like commentary as an alternative of copycatting. —TR
19. Runaways (2017-2019)
Frankly, Runaways would most likely be a number of notches greater on this checklist if the titular runaways had run away earlier. Brian Ok. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona’s authentic comics sequence, which launched in 2003, let the younger protagonists discover out early that their dad and mom had been highly effective supervillains, and run off collectively out of concern and frustration, resulting in loads of plots in regards to the difficulties dealing with homeless children coming to phrases with their powers and preventing villains with out grownup help. However the 2017 TV adaptation spends its total first season with the children wheel-spinning about what to do after they see proof their dad and mom are murderers. As they dither in uninteresting methods, the sequence dilutes the concentrate on their characters additional by giving equal display screen time to their dad and mom’ soap-operatic energy struggles and relationship dramas.
Subsequent seasons lastly put a little bit extra concentrate on the younger heroes, however the present actually by no means overcomes the issue of its overcrowded solid, or its baffling try and make the dad and mom personable and sympathetic, at the same time as they’re systematically exploiting and murdering younger folks. And its concentrate on short-term, rapidly resolved subplots, like a trying-to-be-current plot about thoughts management unfold by cell telephones, prevented the present from increase sequence stakes or significant vitality. —TR
18. Cloak & Dagger (2018-2019)
The Freeform present Cloak & Dagger began off robust, pushed by the highly effective chemistry between Tandy Bowen, aka Dagger (Olivia Holt) and Tyrone Johnson, aka Cloak (Aubrey Joseph), youngsters making an attempt to grasp their new powers and the character of the accident that sparked them. As a result of the writers had been specializing in extraordinarily minor Marvel characters, they didn’t want to stick to comics canon — they had been free to ship a mixture of heady marvel and romance, mixed with sharp examinations of police brutality, habit, and company malfeasance.
That early allure wore away because the present’s stakes elevated and the comics tropes piled up. A twist on fridging meant to be edgy nonetheless got here off as unnecessarily brutal, the writers tried to make the present’s least attention-grabbing character work by giving her an evil character, and each seasons led to near-apocalyptic conflicts. It isn’t a horrible YA journey, however it’s a textbook case of diminishing returns. —SN
17. Iron Fist (2017-2018)
The primary season of Iron Fist was rightly maligned for its wealthy, white man-child hero Danny Rand (Finn Jones) utilizing his Chosen One powers to point out up the folks of colour who are supposed to be his loyal mates. However when Raven Metzner took over as showrunner for season 2, he oversaw a exceptional course-correction by shifting the main target away from Danny and increase the supporting solid.
Sacha Dhawan does a exceptional job as Danny’s brother-in-arms-turned-bitter-rival Davos, and Luke Cage cop Misty Knight (Simone Missick) is simply as dismissive of Danny’s skills as a vigilante as she works to provide you with higher options to Chinatown’s issues. The writers nonetheless didn’t appear to know what to do with a number of the supporting solid, and the present continued to undergo from having too many subplots and villains, however it led to a wierd and stunning place in comparison with the place it started. It’s virtually unhappy that there wasn’t a 3rd season or spinoff that would have actually embraced the potential to discover the MCU’s deep nicely of mystic kung-fu weirdness. —SN
16. Brokers of SHIELD (2013-2020)
ABC’s Brokers of SHIELD was the present most intently tied to the MCU earlier than Disney Plus got here alongside. It stars recurring MCU movie character Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), who’s mysteriously resurrected after being killed by Loki in The Avengers, then tasked with main a bunch of brokers investigating the whole lot from rogue Asgardians to cyborgs. The present’s first season was written to enrich the Captain America: The Winter Soldier revelation that SHIELD had been infiltrated by Hydra, which supplies the story a superb twist as a number of major characters present their true loyalties.
However that connective tissue wore skinny over time, and later seasons noticed the characters despatched to house or completely completely different timelines so they may keep away from intersecting with the MCU movies. When the present is firing on all cylinders, Brokers of SHIELD is among the many high Marvel sequence, embracing the genre-bending sensibilities of comedian e book tales and a heavy dose of meta humor. Sadly, it spends a number of time foundering, taking a number of seasons to change into a real ensemble present, and even then, scuffling with separated characters and a rotating solid of various high quality. —SN
15. The Punisher (2017-2019)
Jon Bernthal’s gruff, fierce portrayal of Marine-turned-vigilante Frank Fort is the true spotlight of Daredevil season 2, and the primary season of The Punisher is among the many finest tales within the Netflix MCU. Whereas the character’s legacy is very problematic, showrunner Steve Lightfoot manages to maintain the present from being only a brutal revenge fantasy by delivering plots that look at PTSD, the army industrial complicated, and moral hacking. The present can also be buoyed by a improbable supporting solid, with Ben Barnes taking part in an all-too-charming villain, and Fort’s sidekick, Micro (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), giving the sequence some desperately wanted levity.
The second season fails to recapture that magic, although, with Micro’s absence keenly felt and DHS agent Dinah Madani (Amber Rose Revah) going from fierce foil to sufferer. That season’s plot additionally looks like a retread of the identical conflicts introduced in season 1, with little new to say. A lot of the Netflix MCU reveals skilled a top quality dip after their first season, however The Punisher’s second and remaining outing was the worst offender. —SN
14. The Defenders (2017)
Netflix’s single-season crossover sequence tried to be a type of miniature TV model of The Avengers, one-upping Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist by bringing all of the heroes collectively in a single large plot line. It lacks Avengers’ influence or scope, however it does share a few of its strengths: Bringing these 4 heroes collectively in numerous mixtures lets the writers discover their personalities and talents in new contexts. As they banter and snark at one another, they spotlight a number of the particular person faults that bugged followers of their solo reveals. And as they be taught to work collectively, the methods their skills and personalities synergize injects some recent vitality into their particular person tales. The overplot right here is disappointing, however the characters themselves are usually each funnier and extra thrilling than they had been on their very own. —TR
13. Werewolf by Night time (2022)
Cheeky in the identical manner as The Guardians of the Galaxy Vacation Particular however much more nuanced in its sense of play, the one-off (up to now) Halloween particular Werewolf by Night time leans closely on basic Hollywood horror and Hammer Movie Productions motion pictures for its specific model of self-aware cheese. However it additionally tells a stable (although abbreviated) story about misfits dealing with off and teaming as much as tackle an influence shift in a household of monster-hunters. It doesn’t really feel like part of MCU continuity — the tone and look are radically completely different from any earlier MCU story, which is a breath of recent air — however longtime Disney composer turned director Michael Giacchino confirms that it’s a part of the MCU narrative, which raises a ton of enjoyable questions in regards to the implication of this bizarre, gleefully ghoulish little facet story. —TR
12. Luke Cage (2016-2018)
The primary half of the primary season of Luke Cage is sort of good, with Mike Colter’s titular hero with unbreakable pores and skin nonetheless struggling to make an actual distinction when preventing towards the formidable mixture of prison and political energy wielded by Mahershala Ali’s Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes. But the sequence takes a tough flip when Stokes is changed by the generic psychopath Diamondback (Erik LaRay Harvey), and it turns into borderline unwatchable. Season 2 is extra constant, although it by no means actually reaches the highs of season 1.
It’s too unhealthy that the Netflix MCU ended earlier than showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker might actually develop the examination of ethical compromises he was clearly organising with Luke strolling dangerously near Stokes’ path by the top of season 2. However regardless of these flaws, Luke Cage is a vibrant portrait of Harlem, with an impeccable soundtrack and improbable performances that decision on the numerous charisma of Colter, Ali, and Theo Rossi, who performs Stokes’ opportunistic underling Shades. Whereas the opposite Netflix MCU reveals largely concentrate on withdrawn, brooding heroes, Luke Cage revels in his powers and fame, which supplies the present a uniquely bombastic high quality. —SN
11. Hawkeye (2021)
It’s affordable that so lots of the Marvel reveals following Avengers: Endgame cope with that film’s world-changing aftermath and the characters who’re mourning, coming to phrases with loss, and reflecting on their identities. However coming after a number of extra dynamic reveals coping with the identical points, Hawkeye feels unusually small and low-key, with minimal ambitions and a notable lack of authentic distinctive components. It will get a little bit borrowed vitality by bringing in a dangling plot thread from Black Widow and a villain from Netflix’s Daredevil, however principally it looks like an try and introduce a brand new hero (Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop) and to MCU-ify another relative Marvel Comics obscurities. The present isn’t unhealthy, it simply isn’t a lot. —TR
10. Jessica Jones (2015-2019)
Jessica Jones had the combined blessing of a stellar first season with a near-unbeatable villain in Kilgrave (former Physician Who star David Tennant), whose voice is inescapably mesmeric, to the purpose the place folks kill one another or themselves at his informal verbal command. Krysten Ritter offers a constantly layered efficiency because the superhumanly highly effective title character, a detective making an attempt to disregard the deep traumas Kilgrave inflicted on her prior to now, whereas coping with his return. If the following two seasons had been as focused and intense as the primary one, this sequence would most likely high this checklist. As a substitute, Jessica Jones suffers from the best way its second and third seasons lose focus, stress, and private stakes by comparability. Nonetheless, it’s nicely value sitting all the way down to that first season, a street-level superhero sequence, crime procedural, and private story about abuse and restoration all rolled into one. —TR
9. Moon Knight (2022)
Is Moon Knight a canon a part of the MCU? Government producer Grant Curtis says it’s, however aside from the tiniest references — a point out of Black Panther’s Ancestral Aircraft, one other of Madripoor — the hyperlinks are minimal, tenuous, and simply defined away, given Marvel Studios’ new concentrate on multiverses. Nonetheless, Disney Plus contains the present on its “MCU in timeline order” checklist, inserting it proper after Hawkeye.
However Moon Knight’s lack of seen MCU tie-ins additionally leaves it gentle on the standard burdens of forwarding an enormous franchise’s narrative agenda. That provides creator Jeremy Slater and his crew loads of room to inform their very own thrilling weird-adventure story, constructed closely across the thriller of what’s happening with Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac), whose visions of a supernatural world generally coincide with blackouts that depart him with blood on his fingers and a contemptuous voice in his ears. The ending is rushed per normal in an MCU sequence, however most of what occurs on the best way there may be partaking, thrilling, and truly fairly bizarre and daring for an MCU present. It’s all boosted by Isaac’s clear enjoyment of his wild twin position, a relentless sequence of unusual reveals, and motion that takes place each on a worldwide scale and a really private one. It’s one of many stronger MCU sequence, marred principally by an inclination to zip previous essential plot factors with out letting them breathe and to spend an excessive amount of time on largely irrelevant purple herrings. —TR
8. She-Hulk (2022)
Jessica Gao’s sequence She-Hulk has an entire lot happening in its first season — an excessive amount of to totally cohere by the top, although its week-to-week makes an attempt to stability a authorized drama, a fourth-wall-breaking comedy, and a wry operating commentary on societal sexism are nonetheless a number of enjoyable to observe. Because the title character, Jen Walters/She-Hulk, Tatiana Maslany carries a number of weight on her shoulders as she tries to maintain the present’s feelings relatable and lifelike, even when she’s turning on to the digital camera and mocking her present’s construction or the most recent plot improvement. The primary season fizzles out a bit by the ending, leaving Jen in a bizarre state of “Is something right here actual, and does any of it matter?”, however the journey to get there may be gentle, ethereal, and infrequently sharp as hell in its observations in regards to the day-to-day flak skilled ladies should navigate over their gender. —TR
7. Loki (2021)
Loki appears prone to climb the rating charts as soon as the sequence finds its manner nearer to an precise conclusion. Ranking it after the closing of season 1 looks like ranking it in the midst of its story, given the cliffhanger ending that’s much more about organising the following wave of Marvel motion pictures than about truly respecting the characters or themes on deck all through the present. Season 1 is a mind-bending whirl by a game-changing sequence of reveals for the MCU, and particularly for Loki, who’s been by so many adjustments over the course of a decade within the motion pictures, even accounting for what number of of these adjustments have been retracted or reversed. Tom Hiddleston stays a standout within the MCU, an expressive, electrical presence who’d make this sequence stand out it doesn’t matter what. However whereas Loki is artistic, colourful, and infrequently a number of enjoyable, season 1 perpetually feels prefer it’s been edited all the way down to the bone, with no time for the stronger character improvement or emotional exploration of a number of the different reveals on this checklist. It’s Disney Plus’ most purely enjoyable MCU present up to now, however in the intervening time, it’s nonetheless a narrative half-told. —TR
6. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
As a narrative about how former Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes offers along with his many MCU traumas and the way Sam Wilson decides to take up the Captain America mantle, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is fairly rushed, and in the long run, clumsy. As a narrative a few community of secret super-soldiers who could possibly be labeled terrorists or freedom fighters, relying in your perspective, it’s well-meaning, however typically simply graceless. However as a narrative about two males making an attempt to individually cope with shedding their mentor and inspiration, every resenting the opposite for doing it incorrect till they lastly bond over what they realized from him, it’s resonant and considerate in a manner MCU tales not often could be.
Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, because the titular major characters, deliver an important mixture of heat and prickliness to their roles, which helps make their generally broadly drawn characters really feel weak, human, and interesting. At its very best, this motion bromance is so good that it’s actively irritating when it blows a few of its narrative potential by zipping previous essential plot factors with a hand-wave or a stuffy speech. —TR
5. WandaVision (2021)
WandaVision takes fairly some time to disclose its agenda as one more post-Avengers: Endgame story about navigating grief and loss. It begins with its central character, Wanda Maximoff, in full denial, having created her personal cheery sitcom actuality with a re-creation of her lifeless love, Imaginative and prescient. The sequence creators mess around with that fake actuality, leaping by a long time of sitcom types and customarily having extra enjoyable with design, course, and general fashion than any MCU present up to now.
That freedom to creatively discover her character whereas being outright bizarre is without doubt one of the two largest issues that makes WandaVision a standout. The opposite is the depth of the sequence’ feelings, as Wanda navigates her personal rage, guilt, and selfishness on high of the whole lot else. The sequence wraps up messily, with loads of unfastened ends that it means to arrange future motion pictures, so it by no means looks like a completely self-contained story, however it actually is a wild experience whereas it lasts. —TR
4. What If…? (2021)
Nonetheless a lock for Most Underrated MCU Present, the What If…? sequence could have been a sufferer of MCU fatigue, of prejudice towards animation, or of followers’ feeling {that a} sequence of speculative multiverse tales don’t actually matter to the general MCU continuity. A method or one other, followers of the franchise don’t appear to have engaged with the present almost as a lot as they did with a number of the sequence on this checklist. They’re lacking out. The nine-episode opening season begins out easy, in a universe the place Peggy Carter bought the super-soldier therapy as an alternative of Steve Rogers, however occasions in any other case principally performed out in a well-recognized sample. However as soon as the AU coaching wheels are off, subsequent episodes escalate the stakes and the gap from acquainted canon, both heading in a lot darker and extra brutal instructions than the mainstream motion pictures ever might, or having way more enjoyable with the characters, as Black Panther’s T’Challa heads to house (and proves the universe is best off with out Peter Quill) or Thor throws a worldwide social gathering.
However what actually locks What If…?’s place on this checklist is the ultimate two episodes of the season, which combine all these earlier episodes in stunning methods, paying off some plot traces that didn’t look like they had been designed to be resolved. The present will get large and cosmic in thrilling methods, however it’s additionally meticulous in regards to the particulars, from in-jokes like a number of Howard the Duck cameos to the best way all of the seemingly stand-alone tales line up in the long run. The person episodes are uneven, however this season is extra in regards to the built-in package deal and the place all of it leads in the long run. —TR
3. Ms. Marvel (2022)
In a world inundated with superhero properties (the 19 on this checklist are only a drop within the bucket of the broader slate), Ms. Marvel truly managed to make an origin story really feel like a deal with. Credit score any variety of artistic decisions, together with the present’s vibrant, Into the Spider-Verse-esque visible id, or the best way it offers protagonist Kamala Khan an precise life past the bounds of superherodom. However some acclaim ought to actually be reserved for Iman Vellani, absolutely the star on the heart of all of it. She makes Kamala really feel alive whether or not she’s staring down a giant unhealthy or a giant crush.
In her fingers, Ms. Marvel is the all-too-rare MCU property that feels prefer it has the engine to run for some time, even when it’s nonetheless checking out methods to deal with Ms. Marvel’s villains or cultural id. At six episodes, its weakest hyperlink (hopefully) is that it’s solely simply getting began. —Zosha Millman
2. Agent Carter (2015-2016)
The place WandaVision explores what occurs when an immensely highly effective superhero loses the love of her life, Agent Carter flips the system by exploring the identical type of grief, however steeping it in powerlessness. After the occasions of Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America’s “finest lady” Peggy Carter is mourning his supposed dying, but in addition making an attempt to hold on as a hero in an atmosphere that more and more doesn’t need feminine heroes.
Mimicking the real-life societal shift that moved ladies into conventional males’s work throughout World Battle II then sidelined them once more when the troopers got here house, Agent Carter offers intently with the sexism and condescension Peggy (performed fiercely by Hayley Atwell) faces on the job on the FBI-like Strategic Scientific Reserve. When her sexist fellow brokers contemptuously deal with her like a side-piece Captain America foolishly allowed a little bit equality, she’s compelled to chase down America’s enemies on the sly alongside Howard Stark’s butler Jarvis (James D’Arcy). The sequence is sharp, with significant battle, a satisfying Marvel-movie overplot, and a noir-movie idea of each the gender wars and the job of a non-public investigator. Atwell and D’Arcy make a terrific crew. And the present even seems spectacular, with a Technicolor-style sense for fashion. It’s unquestionably MCU-modern relatively than a interval piece, however it takes all probably the most beloved concepts about costuming, cinematography, humor, and storytelling from the interval it’s evoking. —TR
1. Daredevil (2015-2018)
The primary of the Netflix MCU reveals, Daredevil established the darker, street-level tone of the enterprise whereas nonetheless feeling very very similar to a superhero story, full with costumes, secret identities, and spectacular fights. The one-shot hallway battle scene proved that Marvel didn’t want a movie-sized finances to create epic set items, whereas the battle between Daredevil (Charlie Cox) and Bullseye (Wilson Bethel), which weaponizes each stray object present in a newsroom gives a wierd mixture of excessive stakes and whimsy.
However much more astounding than the combats are the performances. Cox is completely plausible in his portrayal of a hero pushed by a mixture of rage and Catholic guilt as he tries to make the world higher, each as a lawyer and as a vigilante. Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin is a examine in methods to make a compelling villain. The present can also be a launchpad for The Punisher, with Frank Fort serving as an ideal cautionary story of what Matt Murdock might change into if his mates don’t preserve him in verify. Daredevil isn’t good: The again half of the second season descends into an infinite onslaught of ninja to arrange The Defenders, and the writers by no means appeared to know what to do with a number of the supporting solid. However the present by no means did not be artistic and bold, and its finale supplied a satisfying and hopeful conclusion to a significant chapter in superhero tv. —SN