Summary
Mistakes in Marvel Television’s previous TV shows, released adjacent to theMarvel Cinematic Universe, can teach the new Marvel Television some valuable lessons. Long before Marvel Studios began producing its own TV shows for Disney+, Marvel Entertainment entrusted Marvel Television with developing series for various networks that expanded the world of the MCU significantly. In recent years, doubt has been cast on whether Marvel Television’s previous projects are considered canon to the MCU’s main continuity, and this dispute has been exacerbated by the recentrevival of the Marvel Television banner, which will now develop shows specifically set in the MCU.
The Marvel Television banner was confirmed to be back in business by Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige at Disney’s Upfronts presentation in May 2024.This new banner has no relation to the previous Marvel Television, instead being used to stress the changes in the MCU’s TV show production, and allowing for some separation between the MCU’s feature films and TV series. Despite having no connection to the previous Marvel Television, the new banner can learn valuable lessons from some of Marvel TV’s biggest past mistakes, ensuring thatupcoming Marvel Television projectsare as strong and enjoyable as they can be.
7
2013-2020
2
2015-2016
3
2015-2018
2015-2019
2016-2018
2017-2018
1
2017
2017-2019
2018-2019
2020
10 Iconic MCU TV Shows We Want To See Get Another Season
The future of several popular MCU and Marvel Television shows is still uncertain, but many of them deserve to be continued in new seasons.
10Marvel Television’s Heroes Should Have Comic-Accurate Costumes
Marvel Television Mostly Avoided Comic-Accurate Costumes
One of the biggest things that Marvel Television regularly failed to do was bring comic-accurate depictions of its characters into live-action, and this was evident in its constant avoidance of giving its heroes and villains comic-accurate costumes. This wasn’t exclusive, of course, as the likes of Daredevil and severalmembers of the Runawayshad comic-accurate outfits, though even these were tweaked to seem less comic-like. In fact,Marvel Television often poked fun at how silly-looking the costumes from Marvel Comics were, which belittled these characters' roots.
Marvel Studios has always done a good job of giving theMCU’s characters comic-accurate costumes, with small edits to modernize their garments. This should continue in the new Marvel Television’s projects, with the likes of Daredevil, Ironheart, and Wonder Man getting comic-accurate suits. This is a brilliant way to honor Marvel Comics' history, while bringing these fantastical and sometimes-ridiculous outfits into the modern era.
WandaVisionpresented the perfect example of how this can be done effectively, as the Scarlet Witch’s silly, comic-accurate costume was turned into a Halloween costume, but then modernized and renovated for Wanda Maximoff’s final transformation into the Scarlet Witch.
9MCU’s Most Pivotal Moments Shouldn’t Be Undone, Like In Agents Of SHIELD
Agents Of SHIELD Reversed Phil Coulson’s Emotional Death
Straight out of the gate,Agents of SHIELDreversed one of the MCU’s most emotional moments by resurrectingPhil Coulson following his death inThe Avengers. While this was explained in the series, and it was great to see Clark Gregg continue to portray the popular Phase 1 character,this completely undermined one of the MCU’s most important moments, as the Avengers would never have formed had Coulson not lost his life. The new Marvel Television needs to stay more faithful to the MCU’s ever-expanding storylines.
Now that Marvel Television is just a banner of Marvel Studios, its upcoming projects won’t reverse major MCU events meaninglessly, but instead be informed by them.WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki,andHawkeyewouldn’t have unfolded without the events ofAvengers: Infinity WarandEndgame, and these projects affected subsequent movies and series, proving that these steps are already being taken.
Every MCU TV Show Ranked Worst To Best
From WandaVision to Agatha All Along, Loki to Ms. Marvel, the MCU’s Disney+ TV shows have been hits - but how do they all compare to one another?
8Iron Fist Was A Weak Link In The Defenders Saga
Iron Fist Should Be Completely Reinvented In The MCU
For the most part, Netflix’s Defenders Saga was the most popular and successful franchise developed by Marvel Television.The Defenders Saga introduced Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, the Punisher, and Iron Fist as grounded heroes protecting the streets of New York City, but Finn Jones' depiction of Danny Rand’sIron Fist was a major weak linkin the chain. Many criticizedIron Fist’sfight scenes, Jones' subdued performance, and the series' overall pacing, makingIron Fista disappointing addition to the otherwise-brilliant franchise.
Recent speculation suggestsIron Fist may be returning in the MCU, perhaps inShang-Chi 2, but Marvel Studios must learn from Marvel Television’s previous depiction of the hero for his upcoming adventures. In Marvel Comics,Iron Fist is a skilled martial artist with a great deal of control over his abilities, so this should translate into seamless fight sequences and a more confident portrayal in the MCU.
Actor For Marvel’s Most Divisive TV Hero Sparks MCU Return Debate 6 Years After His Last Appearance
More of Marvel’s Netflix heroes are making their way into the MCU, and a recent post suggests the franchise’s most divisive hero will be next.
7Marvel Television’s MCU Connections Were Few & Far Between
Marvel Television’s New Shows Need To Link Directly To The MCU
Previously, Marvel Studios and Marvel Television were two separate production companies working under the Marvel Entertainment umbrella. This means that, while Marvel Television’s shows were seemingly taking place in the MCU, theconnections between the TV shows and the MCU’s feature filmswere weak at best.Communication between the two studios may have been lackluster, meaning the only shows that addressed the MCU wereAgents of SHIELDandAgent Carter, and even these connections waned over time.
Now that Marvel Television is a subsect of Marvel Studios itself, the MCU-set TV shows have direct connections to the franchise’s theatrical stories.WandaVisionled toDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,Ms. Marvelintroduced Kamala Khan ahead ofThe Marvels, and Bruce Banner had a key role inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law.These strong bonds need to continue in the MCU’s future, establishing a clear shared universe across film and TV.
The disconnection between Marvel Television’s shows and the MCU’s theatrical releases has prompted a debate regarding whether the series are actually canon to the MCU, with only Netflix’s Defenders Saga being integrated into the MCU’s official timeline currently.
6Marvel’s Upcoming TV Shows Shouldn’t Have Too Many Or Too Few Episodes
Marvel Television’s Shows Never Found The Right Number Of Episodes
The episode counts of Marvel Television’s previous shows were wildly inconsistent, and this is unfortunately an issue that has persisted in Marvel Studios' recent TV releases.Agents of SHIELD’searly seasons delivered 22 episodes each, but this dragged the seasons on for longer than necessary, and this problem could also be felt with the Defenders Saga’s 13 episodes per season, contributing to some major pacing issues. Conversely,Agent Carter, Inhumans,andThe Defenderssuffered from too few episodes, so the perfect balance was never struck.
Marvel Studios' MCU-set TV shows have also been plagued by this, with the majority, except forWandaVision, What If…?, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, andEchodelivering only six episodes. This isn’t enough to tell a detailed enough storyline, so certain elements of their narratives felt altogether rushed.Upcoming MCU TV showsare set to change this, so hopefully the right episode count will be found.
9
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
6
LokiSeason 1
LokiSeason 2
5
10
5Many Brilliant Characters Were Wasted In Marvel Television’s Shows
Minor Characters Were Often Neglected In Marvel Television’s Shows
Marvel Television’s previous shows expanded the world of the MCU significantly, introducing many minor characters from Marvel Comics to flesh out the universe. However,all too often, these supporting characters were neglected, ignored, or wasted in Marvel Television’s series, given miniscule roles compared to their larger impact in the comics. This was most evident followingAgents of SHIELD’sintroduction of Inhumans, as well as with characters in the Defenders Saga, such as Diamondback and Will Simpson.
So far, Marvel Studios has done a good job of setting up supporting characters in its TV shows for bigger roles in the MCU’s future. Characters such asThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier’sJoaquín Torres and John Walker,Moon Knight’sLayla El-Faouly, and evenSecret Invasion’sSonya Falsworth have been teased for bright futures in the MCU, though some of these haven’t been confirmed, so Marvel Television should still develop these characters further.
Danny Ramirez’s Joaquín Torres and Wyatt Russell’s John Walker will both be making the move to the big-screen in Phase 5, with Torres appearing as the new Falcon inCaptain America: Brave New World, and Walker returning as US Agent inThunderbolts*.
4Marvel Television Shouldn’t Shy Away From Producing Exciting Spinoffs
Several Planned Spinoffs Were Never Produced By Marvel Television
Despite several exciting spinoffs being in discussion and even planned for Marvel Television’s previous franchises, only one ever came to fruition.Jon Bernthal’s debut as Frank CastleinDaredevilseason 2 led to him leadingThe Punisherfor two seasons, butspinoffs such asHeroes for Hire,Marvel’s Most Wanted,Ghost Rider, andDaughters of the Dragonwere never produced, despite them having a great deal of potential. While Marvel Studios' recent output slowdown may make producing spinoffs difficult, this shouldn’t be discounted completely.
Marvel Studios has already given weight to how impactful and exciting spinoffs can be.Echoperformed successfully after Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez first appeared inHawkeye, andWandaVisionspawned bothAgatha All Alongand a newVisionspinoff. The MCU’s TV shows were originally planned to develop secondary characters from Marvel Studios' feature films, and this should continue in even morespinoffs in the MCU’s future.
Every Possible MCU Spin-Off Set Up In Marvel’s Phase 4
MCU Phase 4 planted seeds for future spin-off movies and TV shows, including some yet to be announced. Here are all of the teased possibilities.
3Marvel Studios Needs A Solid Foundation For Its Supernatural Stories
Helstrom Was A Disappointing Start To Marvel Television’s Adventure Into Fear
In recent years, Marvel Studios has been putting more focus on the MCU’s supernatural and mystical characters, including the likes of Moon Knight, Werewolf by Night, and Man-Thing, and theMCU’s upcomingBladerebootwill continue this. This gradual build up proves that Marvel Studios has already learned this valuable lesson from Marvel Television’sHelstrom:that supernatural stories need an incredibly strong foundation to be able to work effectively.Helstromcertainly wasn’t this strong foundation.
Marvel Television’s final TV series,Helstrom, was originally planned to kick-start a new franchise known as “Adventure into Fear”.Helstromwas planned to be joined byGhost Rider, featuringGabriel Luna’s Robbie Reyes fromAgents of SHIELD, and two further series, culminating in aDefenders-style series pitting them against Lilith, Mother of All Demons.Helstrom’sdisappointing performance folded these plans, but Marvel Studios has done a better job at setting up its own supernatural storylines.
Marvel had registered trademarks for Marvel Comics characters Glyph and other Spirits of Vengeance ahead of Adventure into Fear’s expansion, but these plans fell through afterHelstrom. Marvel Studios is now speculated to be setting up the MCU’s Midnight Sons team instead.
10 Ways Marvel Studios Has Already Set Up A Long-Wanted MCU Team-Up Movie
Marvel Comics' iconic supernatural superhero team has been long-rumored to be forming in the MCU, and many seeds have already been planted.
2Inhumans Need To Be Handled Better In The MCU
Marvel Television’s Inhumans Was A Massive Blunder
Released between September and November 2017, Marvel Television’sInhumansseries initially promised to be a game-changer for Marvel’s live-action stories, but was entirely the opposite.Inhumansis widely regarded as one of the weakest projects Marvel has ever produced, with the series not doing its vibrant and exciting titular characters justice at all.Inhumans’epic failure has impacted the MCU, too, as no Inhuman characters have appeared in the franchise’s main continuity due to the series' disappointing performance.
Inhumans would be brilliant to see in the MCU, but, so far, onlyBlack Bolt has appeared in the alternate universe of Earth-838inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. After Anson Mount’s more comic-accurate and positively-received return inMultiverse of Madness,there’s no doubt that the Inhumans could be handled better in the MCU proper. With mutant heroes set to debut in the MCU soon, Inhumans shouldn’t be far behind.
The MCU Already Introduced The X-Men’s Best Phase 7 Enemies
The MCU’s X-Men will likely face villainous mutants and the Avengers themselves, but there’s another group that could become their fiercest rivals.
1Marvel Television Shouldn’t Let Past Mistakes Hinder The MCU
Marvel Television’s Missteps Impacted The MCU
One of the biggest takeaways that the new Marvel Television should learn from the previous company’s projects is that its mistakes don’t define it, and shouldn’t impact its future storytelling. Marvel Television’s past projects faltered under thecontroversial leadership of Ike Perlmutter, so not all of its mistakes were actually the fault of series creators. However,major mistakes have impacted the MCU, most notablyInhumans, as Marvel Studios has shied away from reintroducing these characters in the MCU proper.
Marvel Studios' recent TV shows have come under some scrutiny, primarily focused on poor visual effects, pacing issues, and some narrative decisions. This has prompted major changes in theMarvel Cinematic Universe, but these changes will hopefully be for the better.Marvel Television shouldn’t be afraid to develop new projects just because of a few missteps, and should instead be inspired to continue to produce interesting, entertaining, and boundary-pushing superhero adventures.
10 Biggest Mistakes The MCU’s TV Shows Have Made
The MCU’s TV shows have been uneven, and there are plenty of big mistakes they keep making that could be the reason for their problems.
