All 11 Marvel TV shows, definitively ranked
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is also a fixture on TV.
The behemoth movie studio, which includes the Avengers series and connected films, has been making its mark on the small screen ever since “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” premièred on ABC in 2013.
With the recent debut of “Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger,” the count of (recent or current) Marvel TV shows has reached 11, excluding animated series and shows like FX’s “Legion” and Fox’s “The Gifted,” which are based on Marvel characters but unconnected to the MCU. We rank them, from the cancelled-too-soon “Agent Carter” to the disastrous “Inhumans.”
1. Agent Carter (ABC)
Cancelled after just two seasons, this gem of a series followed Hayley Atwell’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” character, Peggy Carter. Zippy, fun and grounded by Atwell’s overwhelming charisma, the spy series was the most natural way to connect the popular movies to the TV shows, and the strongest Marvel series by far. It perhaps would have fared better with its cousins on a cable or streaming network, but at least Atwell still pops up in flashbacks in the Marvel movies every so often.
2. Jessica Jones (Netflix)
The first season of Jessica Jones was near-ideal, a boldly feminist and realistic approach to the genre, and it’s a huge shame Season 2 didn’t quite hold on to the magic. But Krysten Ritter’s performance as the hero, a woman with super strength reeling from personal trauma, is electric enough to overcome occasionally weak storylines. That the series has the genuinely most terrifying villain in the entire Marvel universe in Kilgrave (David Tennant) is just a bonus.
3. Luke Cage (Netflix)
Mike Colter is a force to behold as Luke Cage, the bulletproof hero of Harlem. First introduced on ‘Jessica Jones,” Luke comes into his own in his own series, which examined the superhero experience for a black man two years before “Black Panther” hit theatres. It’s only a dud villain (Diamondback) and a weak second half of Season 1 that keeps the show from topping this list.
4. Cloak and Dagger (ABC Spark)
The latest Marvel series is a welcome surprise. The series, based on some lesser (and problematic) comic-book characters, manages to be one of the best superhero shows around, after just four episodes. Its characterfocused approach and New Orleans setting make it stand out from the rest on this list.
5. Runaways (Hulu)
The slightly disappointing adaptation of one of Marvel’s best comics starts out strong but lags later in its first season. The drama follows six teens who discover their parents are part of an evil supernatural organization, and who realize their own powers and skills along the way. Runaways is best when it focuses on the kids and leaves the adults behind.
6. Daredevil (Netflix)
The first Marvel and Netflix collaboration had a strong first season, but went into freefall during the messy second. It was the first series to demonstrate the problem that none of the others has figured out: 13 episodes is too many for these heroes.
7. The Defenders (Netflix)
The team-up film is a staple of Marvel’s movies, but it’s less successful in TV form. “The Defenders” united Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Daredevil (Charlie Cox) and Iron Fist (Finn Jones) to save New York, but the combination didn’t do any of the heroes a favour. Except for Iron Fist, the heroes were all better off on their own shows.
8. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC)
The first Marvel series is also one of the most uneven. In its early seasons the show was little more than a weekly advertisement for the Marvel films, a cheap knock-off of “CSI” with casual references to “Thor.” But later seasons course-corrected slightly by focusing on the core characters, and it developed a cult following.
9. The Punisher (Netflix)
Arriving after mass shootings didn’t help, but the gun-happy anti-hero was just too dark, too bloody and too slow as a series, despite the solid work Jon Bernthal did playing the character on the second season of “Daredevil.”
10. Iron Fist (Netflix)
This series couldn’t rise above the controversy that surrounded it. Fans cried foul that the dated character of Danny Rand was played by a white actor, when many thought he should be played by an Asian-American to undo the comic’s culturally appropriative roots. In addition to being racially insensitive, “Iron Fist” was just super boring, with bad acting and writing all around.
11. Inhumans (ABC)
The less said about this train wreck of a series, the better. The adaptation of one of the weirder Marvel brands did everything wrong, from its garish costumes to its hammy dialogue to its terrible special effects.