Screen Rant's fan poll of the best Marvel Cinematic Universe moments of 2022 has yielded a surprising result that may indicate a shift in the franchise. This year saw the conclusion of Phase 4 of the MCU, the broad sweep of post-Endgame titles which began with WandaVision in early 2021 and are building up to the Multiverse Saga that will take precedence in Phases 5 and 6. This year saw the release of eight different MCU titles, including three theatrical films (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), three Disney+ series (Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law), and two Disney+ specials (Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special).

Screen Rant polled fans to see what the best MCU moment of the year was, and the results overwhelmingly pointed toward the Oscar Isaac vehicle Moon Knight and the atmospheric Halloween special Werewolf by Night as the best two entries overall. However, as far as individual moments go, the sequence where Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) kidnap Kevin Bacon as a Christmas present for Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was easily the most popular suggestion. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had decent showings as well, but the responses overwhelmingly focused on Marvel TV shows.

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Marc Spector being held back by an orderly in Moon Knight

The fact that this poll skewed so far toward the television entries is surprising, considering how much the MCU has been driven by theatrical films since it premiered with Iron Man in 2008. The Rotten Tomatoes scores for the MCU this year also reflect a strong television presence, with every single 2022 Disney+ title ranking higher in the overall franchise than all three theatrical films on the Tomatometer. The audience score shifts this, placing Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at the top and She-Hulk at the bottom, but the overall trend remains consistent.

The strongest performers seem to be the holiday specials, so it seems likely that the MCU will continue to develop those kinds of one-off romps in the near future. However, the fact that the Disney+ titles dominated (with the exception of the frequently derided She-Hulk) doesn't necessarily mean that fans are shifting their allegiance solely to television properties. In the second half of Phase 4, fans typically found the overall franchise to be somewhat rudderless, so this may simply reflect a prioritization of titles that stand alone have less to do with the overarching storyline of the franchise.

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicking the Multiverse Saga - which will follow the rise of the villain Kang (Jonathan Majors) - into high gear with 2023's Phase 5 kickoff film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the focus may quickly shift back to the theatrical films. The franchise has some big moments coming soon, including the official MCU introduction of Deadpool and a new Avengers duology, so this TV skew may be a slight blip on the radar. However, if that trend is born out over the next few years, it could substantially alter the MCU as fans know it.

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