The Marvel content available on Disney+ is better in the U.K. than in the US. Disney's new streaming service launched in the United States last November, and - in spite of the Coronavirus pandemic - it's recently released in a number of European countries as well, including the U.K..
There are subtle differences between the content in different territories. Original series like The Mandalorian and Star Wars: The Clone Wars are being released in an episodic format, meaning it will be some time before the U.K. catches up. Meanwhile, previous distribution deals - made by both Disney and Fox prior to their acquisition by the House of Mouse - further complicate the issue. It will be fascinating to see how future roll-out takes shape in other territories.
But there's a surprising - and, frankly, quite striking - difference between the Marvel library in the US and the U.K.. In this case it really does look as though the U.K. has a slightly better catalog - albeit with one exception.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Is (Almost) Complete In The U.K.
In the U.K., the Marvel Cinematic Universe is almost complete. There are only three films missing:
While these absences are galling, they are far more inevitable than Thanos himself. The distribution rights for those three films are owned by different studios; Universal for The Incredible Hulk, and Sony for the Spider-Man movies. In both cases, the distribution rights are quite valuable for the studios, and they're clearly reluctant to sell them to Disney for the streaming services. As a result, these gaps are unlikely to ever be filled.
This is far better than the range offered by Disney+ when it launched in the United States, however. Back in November, there were actually seven movies missing from the MCU; The Incredible Hulk, the two Spider-Man films, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Ant-Man & the Wasp. Disney has gradually been filling those gaps as the distribution rights revert, but Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man & the Wasp are still absent.
The U.K. Have (Some Of) The X-Men Movies Too
The next difference relates to the Fox properties. The U.K. has a rather quixotic range of X-Men films available for viewing:
- X-Men
- X2
- X-Men: The Last Stand
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine
- The Wolverine
- X-Men: Days of Future Past
Disney+ is aimed at families, so Logan and the two Deadpool movies would no doubt be off-brand for the streaming service; presumably prior distribution deals explain the absence of X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Apocalypse, and X-Men: Dark Phoenix. But, interestingly, in the United States Disney+ subscribers don't have any of the X-Men films at all. In addition, U.K. viewers randomly have one of Fox's other Marvel movies; 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. In America, none of Fox's three Fantastic Four films are on Disney+.
Marvel Television Is Better Represented In The U.K.
Even Marvel Television content is better represented in the U.K.. This is particularly noticeable with Agents of SHIELD, where U.K. viewers can enjoy seasons 1 through 5; in the US, the show is still on Netflix. No doubt this will arrive in the United States as soon as the distribution rights revert, because in beta testing Agents of SHIELD was the most popular show on Disney+. In addition, in the U.K. Marvel viewers can watch seasons 1 and 2 of Runaways. In the United States, this series is on Hulu, and it's unlikely to move; it was previously distributed in the U.K. by Amazon Prime.
There Is One Marvel Area Where US Viewers Have It Better
There is, however, one notable area where the US offering is better than the U.K. version in terms of Marvel content. In both territories, viewers can check out the classic X-Men: The Animated Series. In the United States, however, there are also two other X-Men animated shows; Wolverine & the X-Men and X-Men: Evolution. These are sadly absent on Disney+ in the U.K..