The MCU had a bit of a rough patch recently, but if there's anything we know about superheroes, it's that they’re always triumphant in the end.
Which might be why we love watching Marvel TV shows so much. Because unlike the Marvel movies, where our heroes solve their problems in only a couple of hours, a TV show gives us more of an opportunity to see our favorite characters dealing with their issues for several weeks, and sometimes even months.
And, of these Marvel TV shows, here are the absolute best. As the late, great Stan Lee might say, excelsior!
This article contains some spoilers for the shows mentioned throughout.
10. Luke Cage
Poor Luke Cage, canceled before its prime. Luke Cage was a socially conscious show that also kind of slid into blaxploitation territory at times. But, like most of the Netflix Marvel shows, it was grossly uneven, with some parts of Season 1 feeling completely unnecessary. Even so, its cast was amazing, most notably the lead, Mike Colter, and Mahershala Ali.
The story centered around Luke Cage, a man with super tough skin, who starts off with people thinking he's bad, then people think he’s good, and then he becomes a little of both. Even though it fit snugly into the Defenders storyline that the Netflix Marvel universe was building at the time, it was still fine as a standalone, and it was unique in its setting and themes. If only it concluded better…
9. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Though the finale could have been stronger, the MCU's second series (though it was originally meant to be its first), The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, is definitely a series that soared high, but didn't quite stick the landing.
Taking place after the blip and dealing with real-life issues, like paying off debt, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's greatest strength was in its performances, as Anthony Mackie and Sebastisn Stan made for a good, though sometimes contentious, team.
The show probably reached its zenith once Baron Zemo arrived, but its Flag Smashers storyline kind of fell flat. In summation, it's about two thirds great, and sometimes, that's enough.
8. Ms. Marvel
In a lot of ways, Ms. Marvel succeeds because of its lead character, as it introduced the world to the magnificent Iman Vellani. But, outside of her outstanding performance, we got a fantastic family storyline that balanced culture with exciting combat scenes.
Ms. Marvel is also the first Marvel show that seemed to deliberately aim itself at a teenage audience, and by all counts, it was successful. If I have any complaint, it's that the ending wasn't as satisfying as the rest of the series. But, at least we got more of her story in the “effervescent” The Marvels movie.
7. Moon Knight
I'm not going to lie. Moon Knight was a bit of a disappointment for me. I mean, don't get me wrong, there were things that I absolutely loved about the show. But, there were also things that I really didn't like.
But enough of my moaning. Moon Knight is my favorite Marvel character, so of course I'm a little bit biased. As an overall show though, I think Moon Knight was super effective at introducing this bizarre character to the MCU.
Oscar Isaac made for an excellent Moon Knight, and the dissociative identity disorder storyline was done well. I also thought Khonshu was amazing. So, yeah, Moon Knight was definitely phenomenal… in parts. Because that’s the thing. The show overall just didn't feel cohesive. The tone went from dark to silly on many occasions, and the final episode was both too much and yet not enough at the same time. But, overall, it was a good show. I just thought it could have been a great one.
6. The Punisher
Jon Bernthal, who is the fourth live-action Punisher, is quite possibly the best version of the character. Debuting in Season 2 of Daredevil, this take on the vigilante has much more of a P.T.S.D vibe to him than any other previous iterations on screen. Like Luke Cage, the seasons are uneven (Some call it the “Netflix bloat”) but the show is salvaged by how badass the better episodes are.
Centered around Frank Castle, a man exacting revenge for the murder of his family, The Punisher is definitely the most violent of the Netflix Marvel shows, even delving into torture territory. This is fitting for the anti-hero, though, who has always been one of the darker Marvel characters. The second season isn’t as good as the first, but the series is distinctly different from the other Netflix Marvel shows, and even a little meditative, which was surprising.
5. She-Hulk
You might think I'm joking when I call She-Hulk the best show in the MCU, but honestly, if it was up to me, I would put She-Hulk even higher. But, since I'm well aware that She-Hulk's self-awareness didn't land for everybody, I feel comfortable with putting it at number 5 on this list.
And that’s because the reasons I loved it might be the very same reasons why people didn’t like it. For example, I thought the show was consistently funny, while I know many people thought the show was trying way too hard. I also loved that on-the-nose finale, but I’m well aware that many found it pointless. Oh, and then you have the bad special effects, and yeah… I can’t quite defend that one.
But, I think the show deserves a second chance if you didn’t like it the first time. And that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.
4. WandaVision
Being the first MCU show out the gate meant a great deal, and thankfully, WandaVision delivered. Personally, I loved the first four episodes, but I know that most people started to dig it when it actually began to feel more like an MCU product rather than some weird David Lynch fever dream.
And once it reached that point, it was quite easy for everybody to become deeply invested in this show about two extremely powerful Avengers who were made extremely vulnerable. The ending could have been better (And Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness might not have been the next best step for the story), but it intrigued us enough that we can’t wait for its spiritual successor, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries (which we know a bit about right now).
3. Daredevil
Many people will argue that Daredevil is Marvel’s best television series ever, and I don’t blame them. Starring Charlie Cox as the Man with no Fear, Daredevil did a great job of introducing the blind lawyer to the world. The action sequences are second to none. And of course no discussion of Daredevil can forget to mention Kingpin, played deftly by Vincent D’Onofrio.
So, what’s Daredevil’s problem? Well, the lawyer stuff actually. It just bogged down the series completely. It wasn’t a major issue, but it felt like it could have been much better handled. Still, everything around all that was phenomenal, and Daredevil is justly many people’s favorite Marvel show. We’ll just have to wait and see if Daredevil: Born Again is anywhere near as good.
2. Jessica Jones
Remember what I said earlier about the Netflix bloat? Yeah, well, Jessica Jones is probably the biggest offender of that. AND STILL, Jessica Jones is one of the best shows on this list. And it’s all because of Season 1's Kilgrave/Jessica Jones tense moments. Seriously, between Kingpin and The Purple Man, it’s hard to pick which one is the better villain.
Jessica Jones, played by Krysten Ritter, is a private detective who’s tough as nails and has a quick tongue. But she finds her match with The Purple Man, played by David Tennant, a bad guy who you hate but also find totally engrossing. While it's not a perfect series from start to finish, but the best moments of Season 1 are still better than many of the other Marvel shows. And for that reason, it’s the second best Marvel show on this list.
1. Loki
Jessica Jones probably would have remained my favorite Marvel series if not for Season 2 of Loki, which just hit all the right notes. That said, Season 1 was no slouch, either. With its quirky characters and the TVA, it was definitely the best MCU show at the time, but like I said, Season 2 of Loki just pushed it to another level.
Because unlike all of the other shows on this list, we actually have a true character arc here. Loki, who originally appeared in the first Thor movie (which I still argue is the best Thor movie) went from a sympathetic villain, to a non-sympathetic villain, to a reluctant hero, to the savior of the timeline, and its this arc that makes both seasons of the show seem NECESSARY, which is something I can’t quite say for any other show on this list. For that reason alone, I just have to award Loki as the best Marvel show of all time.
But, what do you think? For more news on all things Marvel, be sure to swing by here often!
