Marvel has just released the trailer for Ms Marvel, the latest television adaptation connected to the MCU. Marvel's TV properties began with Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D back in 2013 and continue to this day on Disney+. There have been many ups and downs over the years with their more recent shows, such as The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and WandaVision, being resounding successes, while their earlier shows, such as Inhumans, were not.
Part of the trouble of having one shared universe is making sure that the stories fit in with the continuity of each other, for if something doesn't line up, there are certainly eagle eyes fans that would notice, which can detract from the show. As reflected in their Rotten Tomatoes scores, it's easy to see where the shows went wrong and what Marvel has done to try and improve things for the better. It might not be perfect just yet, but they do seem to have found a formula that works for them.
Inhumans - 11%
Inhumans originally started as a movie in Phase Three before being changed to a TV Show. Given the fact that it was canceled after one season, it's easy to tell that the show was not received well by audiences.
Black Bolt was arguably the main, if not only redeeming element of the show as the set pieces seemed cheap, action sequences were largely exaggerated, and dialogue was very cheesy even for a Marvel TV Show. It's safe to say Inhumans did not live up to the standard that fans were hoping for.
Iron Fist - 37%
Iron Fist first aired in 2017 and after the success of Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage many fans were excited to see what was in store. The first season, however, was slightly lacklustre compared to its predecessors and didn't feature as much 'Iron Fist' as fans were hoping as the show focuses more on the large corporation at the centre of the show.
Danny was a great part of the Defenders series and season 2 of the show does delve more into the emotional sides of the characters. That being said, even though it was still enjoyable, Iron Fist came up slightly short compared to the other Netflix shows.
The Punisher - 64%
Jon Bernthal blew fans away in season 2 of Daredevil as Frank Castle who ended up getting his own Netflix show that follows Frank Castle trying to track down the people responsible for killing his family. The Punisher was certainly one of the best Netflix shows alongside season 2 of Daredevil with fans hoping for Punisher to join the MCU.
Each episode builds tension while staying true to the violence that fans loved from his first appearance without going too hard on the gore. The show also perfectly displays the broken, grieving father side to Frank Castle at the perfect moments.
The Defenders - 78%
The 'Avengers of the small screen," The Defenders was the coming together of Marvel's Netflix heroes, including Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones. The show successfully gave each character a reason to fight that makes sense within their own arcs and delivered great action sequences.
Sigourney Weaver was also an intriguing villain that even caused some tensions within The Hand instead of the classic bad guy vs. good guy story. However, the stakes that the show built up to throughout the Daredevil and Defenders shows were let down by the final act.
Jessica Jones - 83%
Jessica Jones was the second Marvel Netflix character to make their debut after Daredevil season 1 and followed private investigator Jessica Jones as she attempted to stop a villain from her past.
However, one of the main gripes of the show was that there was very little character development in Jessica herself as she started the show the same way that she ended it. Although the show wasn't perfect, the overall story was incredibly compelling.
Marvel's Runaways - 85%
Runaways first aired in 2017 and stars multiple characters who, as the title suggests, run away from their evil parents after the death of one of their friends. The show creates an interesting tone by switching the audience's view back and forth from the parents to the kids, all while helping fans to be on the kid's side.
Although some shows have filler episodes that fans would prefer to skip through, this certainly slows down in the second and third seasons providing the audience with a fully engaging story from start to finish.
Agent Carter - 86%
Hayley Atwell returned as Peggy Carter in Agent Carter in 2015, which focused on her time in the SSR after Steve Rogers was presumed dead. The show did a great job of placing the viewers in the time period of Captain America: The First Avenger, and giving fans the first on-screen look at the original Jarvis.
As the first female-led project in the MCU, Marvel did a great job with the comedy, the dynamic between the characters, and highlighting the struggles that Peggy was going through as a woman in the SSR.
Luke Cage - 87%
The first season of Luke Cage aired at the end of September 2016 and starred Mike Colter as the titular hero. Given that his skin was impenetrable and he has super strength, the show delves more into the emotional side of the characters.
Luke, as many Marvel heroes do, has a lot of close connections, whom he cannot afford to lose. The show certainly balances the fight sequences and the emotional stakes well, while using flashbacks to show the origin story of the hero. However, many fans are not necessarily eager to see more of Luke Cage as much as they are for more Wanda and Vision.
Cloak and Dagger - 87%
Cloak & Dagger was released on FreeForm in 2018 and, much like the Netflix shows, it was set in the MCU but with very few, if any, references to the Marvel movies. Although many fans enjoyed the show, it was sadly not renewed for a third season after the second season ended in 2019.
The show's first season does a great job of making the audience relate and sympathize with the two main characters, who share very little screen time as the show kicked off. However, the character-building that was done at this time certainly sets the stage for what occurred in the rest of the story.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier - 89%
Immediately following Avengers: Endgame, fans were excited to see how Sam Wilson was going to take on the mantle of 'Captain America' after Steve Rogers gave him the shield. However, the series started very differently with Sam giving up the Shield as he didn't believe it was right for anyone but Steve to hold it.
The series successfully developed the characters of both Sam and Bucky, with Sam learning to fight for what was right, and Bucky overcoming his past and leaving his Hydra days behind him. The show had fantastic action sequences, an intriguing story, and a great ending that left fans wanting to see more Sam and Bucky in the future.
WandaVision - 91%
Across the board, WandaVision was a resounding success from Marvel Studios. It gave younger viewers an intriguing and heartbreaking storyline with Wanda, Vision and the mystery of WestView. It also gave older fans the perfect callbacks to their favorite shows, spanning across the '60s, '70s, and more.
Some fans were not too keen on how the series played out in the finale, however, it provided an emotional ending to the story and set Wanda up for a great story arc in Doctor Strange 2.
Daredevil - 92%
Daredevil kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Netflix with Charlie Cox arguably being the best Daredevil over three seasons. The show was darker and grittier than previous MCU projects, which was exactly what fans were looking for.
Fans grew to love the show even more in the second season, with Jon Bernthal bringing the Punisher to life. Audiences have been waiting for a fourth season for years and were incredibly happy to see the character return in Spider-Man: No Way Home. With great character building, story arcs, and gorgeous cinematography, Daredevil was certainly a hit.
Hawkeye - 92%
After being notably absent in Avengers: Infinity War, Clint Barton returned as Ronin in Avengers: Endgame which led into the story of Hawkeye. Overall, fans did enjoy the series with Hailee Steinfeld giving a great performance as Kate Bishop.
The show also saw the return of Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin, although it is yet to be confirmed whether this was the same Kingpin from the Daredevil series as this version was more physically powerful. While the tracksuit mafia did serve as typical cannon-fodder, the show was overall enjoyable with only a few issues amongst the majority of fans.
Loki - 92%
After 2012 Loki escaped with the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame, fans wondered what this meant for his fate. After his demise in Avengers: Infinity War, audiences were crying out for more Loki as he has become a fan favorite over the years.
The main gripe that fans had with the show was with Sylvie and the emerging love story, with some fans being uncomfortable at the idea of Loki falling in love with himself, despite his narcissism. However, the story was intriguing, especially in the final moments where Kang the Conquerer emerged and the multiverse was introduced.
What If...? - 94%
What If...? was one of the many Marvel shows that launched on Disney+ in 2021. The first two episodes with Captain Carter and T'Challa as Star-Lord were not universally loved by fans, however, the Hank Pym, Zombies and evil Doctor Strange episodes were incredibly intriguing.
Part of the fun of the show was that exploring multiple universes didn't take anything away or add anything to the MCU if the fans didn't want it to. However, the first trailer for Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness showed that some elements from the show might seep through into the MCU.
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D - 95%
After Phil Coulson's death in The Avengers, many fans were incredibly excited to hear that Clark Gregg was returning in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Many wondered how this was going to be possible after being stabbed by Loki, however, the show had this be the main focus of the first part of season one.
The show had a shaky start by overstuffing each episode with references to the movies as if to ease fans into the new show by mentioning an Avenger every 5 minutes. However, it did increase popularity amongst audiences and, despite some questionable villains, finished off on a successful final season back in 2020.