Several months after The Avengers was released in 2012, we learned that a small-screen spin-off, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., would follow. The news generated a huge amount of excitement among fans, but the series wasn't quite what we expected.
As time passed, the series developed a loyal fan base but became increasingly far removed from what was happening in theaters. The same could be said for Marvel Television's Netflix and Hulu shows, and we'd later learn that "Marvel Television" was Ike Perlmutter's way of controlling at least one Marvel Universe after Kevin Feige wrestled Marvel Studios and the MCU away from him.
The budgets were low, connectivity to the MCU was minimal, and the quality of storytelling was incredibly hit-or-miss. Marvel Television did deliver some good moments and characters, but also made more than a few terrible decisions that hurt the brand as a whole.
With Marvel Studios finally getting a handle on small-screen storytelling, we're taking a look back at the original Marvel Television's biggest blunders. Check them out by clicking on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below...
8. Being Scared Of Costumes*
There was a time when superhero movies largely shied away from costumes, likely because studio execs didn't believe people would pay to see a film with spandex-clad leads. For some reason, that's a mentality that Jeph Loeb decided to bring to the Marvel TV shows he took charge of across platforms like ABC, Hulu, and Netflix.
It took Daredevil twelve episodes to get a suit, and even then, it didn't include his iconic "DD" logo (in fairness, Daredevil: Born Again made the same mistake; fortunately, that's going to change in season 2). Iron Fist never suited up in anything more than a hoodie, while Black Bolt never got anything resembling his familiar mask in Inhumans.
Marvel Television had no excuse for this. Seeing as Marvel Entertainment's now-ousted Chairman Ike Perlmutter had a thing about selling toys, the absence of costumes was incredibly frustrating; plus, when we did get them, they were underwhelming (see: Deathlok).
*Yes, that's a real poster they used to promote a show about Iron Fist.
7. Inhumans. That Is All.
Where do we even begin? When it was revealed that Marvel Television was partnering with IMAX for an Inhumans series (giving this a significantly higher budget than other "MCU" TV shows), it sounded like we were in store for a truly great take on these characters.
Unfortunately, it was a disaster from the very start. Inhumans looked horribly cheap, the cast wasn't remotely impressive outside of a few names, and to save money, Lockjaw made only sporadic appearances, and Medusa's hair was cut off so she couldn't use her powers.
It was baffling and such a disaster that IMAX scrapped plans for any future collaborations and moved away from promoting TV shows on their screens. Inhumans didn't work, and Loeb played a huge role in that, especially after deciding to appoint Scott Buck as showrunner.
6. A Disappointing Take On Iron Fist
Ah, Scott Buck...what a decision it was by Loeb to put him in charge of not only Inhumans, but Iron Fist as well. While the hero's series started strong, it took pretty much no time at all to fall apart, leaving us to spend almost an entire season watching Danny Rand struggle with performance issues as he failed to get that pesky Iron Fist working.
Honestly, it was about as effective as him putting on some brass knuckles to fight people, and there was no real reason why he couldn't have suited up or had full use of his newfound abilities.
Finn Jones did his best with what he had to work with, but nothing much about the series worked, and while fans hoped for an improvement in season two, the decision was instead made to take Danny's powers away from him altogether, even though he was finally getting a handle on them. Of all the Defenders, Iron Fist shouldn't have been this difficult to get right.
5. Too Many Episodes
This was an issue that plagued the Marvel TV shows on Netflix from day one, as the seasons frequently started out strong before falling apart in the second half.
Exploring Daredevil's past with Elektra was great until season two sprinted to the finish line and killed her off in an underwhelming fashion. Remember how good Luke Cage was before Power Man went to war with the silly-looking Diamondback? Simply put, these shows were all too long, and Marvel Television struggles to tell stories in such a long format.
By the time they attempted to learn from past mistakes, it was too late, and even Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s final two seasons benefited from being 13 chapters long instead of 22. Of course, it would be unfair not to point out that Marvel Studios has struggled with only six episodes...
4. Agent Coulson's Resurrection
Marvel Studios killed Agent Coulson in one of The Avengers' most shocking moments, but just one year later, he was back among the living. It's possible that Kevin Feige played some role in this, but it's hard to believe that he was happy with the character's resurrection when he was the one who suggested killing him off in the first place.
Heck, if you're still not convinced, why do you think Captain Marvel ignored the ABC series? Still don't buy Feige's lack of interest in this show? Well, he destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2014, and none of these characters are expected to return, even with The Defenders made canon.
The explanation for Coulson's return was confusing and silly, to say the least, and the fact that he never hunted down Earth's Mightiest Heroes is just plain dumb. Fortunately, Clark Gregg made the best out of the whole thing and, alongside his co-stars, delivered some fun adventures, even if they felt positively uninspired compared to what we were seeing in theaters.
3. Getting Even The Most Minor Characters Wrong
Seriously, how do you get The Hand wrong? Designed as the big bad of the world the Defenders lived in, this clandestine group of ninjas became a convoluted creation made up of old ladies and businessmen.
We have to speak in Marvel Television's defence here, too, as The Kingpin, for example, was a truly great character. However, for every good adaptation in these shows, there are ten bad ones. Foggy Nelson, Trish Walker, Deathlok, and even the entire Kree race serve as proof of that, with all of them failing to hit the mark in various ways.
Whereas Marvel Studios has often taken relatively obscure supporting characters (to non-fans, at least) and made them great, Marvel Television somehow took beloved fan favourites, reinvented them, and delivered results which ultimately struck a chord with pretty much no one.
2. A Truly Bizarre Slate
Marvel Television's slate consisted of the following:
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Agent Carter
- Daredevil
- Jessica Jones
- Luke Cage
- Legion
- Iron Fist
- The Defenders
- Inhumans
- The Gifted
- The Punisher
- Runaways
- Cloak & Dagger
- Helstrom
- M.O.D.O.K.
- Hit-Monkey
A few of those overcame their flaws to be pretty darn good TV shows. However, as we look at that list, the lack of connectivity between each of them stands out like a sore thumb.
Then, there are the failures. The Defenders was a one-and-done crossover; Helstrom flopped but was supposed to launch a horror-themed slate; even M.O.D.O.K. was supposed to be the first chapter of an animated team-up. What a mess.
Marvel Television did have one hand tied behind its back as Kevin Feige only gave up the C and D-Listers he wasn't too excited about putting in a movie. It's just a shame that, beyond a few of these characters, Jeph Loeb and company couldn't make the best of a tricky situation.
1. The Damage Is Still Being Felt
Whereas Feige was able to tell Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter where to go when he tried to push his racist and sexist agendas on the Marvel movies, it seems Loeb either wasn't so lucky...or he just didn't care who signed his cheques.
Whatever the case may be, being Perlmutter's lackey meant launching that terrible Inhumans series and telling stories that just didn't fit into Marvel Studios' wider plans. As time passed, it became clear that these shows had no bearing on what happened on the big screen, though we've since heard Feige was a big part of that (and understandably so).
Whether it was the low-budget take on the Kree, the death of characters like Elektra and Ben Urich, or the fact Iron Fist went from badass to dope, the impact of many of these decisions is still being felt. Marvel Studios is slowly undoing the damage, but many characters who would have soared with Feige's input are still shelved thanks to Marvel Television.