Marvel Television is no more, and Kevin Feige is now in charge of Marvel Studios Television. Under that banner, TV shows for Disney+ will be produced, and they'll all be set firmly in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Most of these shows were too, but whether that's going to count for anything moving forward remains to be seen (especially as Feige wasn't involved from a creative standpoint).
So, how do each of the Marvel Television - and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier! - TV shows compare? Well, we're now ranking them according to their Rotten Tomatoes score. As some had multiple seasons, the overall score has been used to figure out their place in this list, and there are some big surprises with where many of these land...you'll definitely be surprised by #1, anyway!
We've also included those short-lived X-Men spinoffs as they were produced by Marvel Television too.
There were some hits here, and quite a few misses, and we're sure you'll have some thoughts on where your favourites land. So, to take a look through this feature, simply click the "Next" button!
14. Inhumans
Score: 11%
Rotten or Fresh? Rotten
Critics Consensus: Marvel's Inhumans sets a new low standard for the MCU with an unimaginative narrative, dull design work, weak characters, and disengaging soapy melodrama.
What a f***ing disaster. Despite teaming with IMAX for what was supposed to be a big budget, high concept sci-fi series, Marvel Television delivered a basic, boring TV show which would have felt right at home on SYFY. The casting decisions were all wrong, and tasking Scott Buck with overseeing
Inhumans after he'd already messed up
Iron Fist was another baffling Jeph Loeb decision.
13. Helstrom
Score: 27%
Rotten or Fresh? Rotten
Critics Consensus: Helstrom's strong visual effects can't save it from the fact that its characters simply aren't interesting enough to overcome their familiar setting.
By the time this was released, it was billed as a "Hulu Original," and you'd have struggled to figure out it was even remotely tied to Marvel. The likely reason for that is because Marvel Studios wanted to move on from the past, and were wary fans would associate this disappointing take on Daimon Hellstrom with their Disney+ shows. Anyway, it flopped, and has already been forgotten about.
12. Iron Fist
Score: 37%
Rotten or Fresh? Rotten
Critics Consensus: (Season 1) Despite some promising moments, Iron Fist is weighed down by an absence of momentum and originality. (Season 2) Better action scenes and tighter pacing elevate Iron Fist's second season, but it remains a lesser light among MCU shows.
There were a lot of things to love about
Iron Fist, but the story was dragged out for far too long. That sadly killed the show's momentum before it could even really get started, and when Danny Rand finally embraced being Iron Fist...he lost his powers almost as soon as season two began. The creative decisions made here were beyond baffling, and this was another Marvel Television dud.
11. The Punisher
Score: 63%
Rotten or Fresh? Fresh
Critics Consensus: (Season 1) A rocky start can't keep The Punisher from pushing the boundaries of Marvel's TV universe with a fresh take on the comics-derived action thriller. (Season 2) The Punisher's second season leaves fans torn between the undeniably action-packed fun and the underwhelming portrayal of the charismatic Frank Castle.
There was no faulting Jon Bernthal's performance, but who thought it was a good idea to give Frank Castle an overly convoluted origin story? The death of his family never needed to be a conspiracy, and while the action was firing on all cylinders, the story was not. We certainly hope there's a future for this iteration of the vigilante, but it will need to leave behind
The Punisher's tedious baggage.
10. The Defenders
Score: 78%
Rotten or Fresh? Fresh
Critics Consensus: Marvel's The Defenders further develops well-known characters in an action-packed arc whose payoff packs more than enough of a punch to offset its flaws.
It wasn't quite the epic crossover event we hoped for, and there were perhaps more characters than we needed to see. However, it was hard not to enjoy watching these heroes cross paths, even if The Hand had been so poorly handled (heh) that they never really came across as a convincing threat. While the reaction was mostly positive, it wasn't good enough to justify another team-up, it seems.
9. The Gifted
Score: 79%
Rotten or Fresh? Fresh
Critics Consensus: (Season 1) The Gifted's first season lays a solid foundation for an involving superhero drama that powers past the origin-story doldrums by focusing on grounded, topical stories over mindless action and special effects. (Season 2) The Gifted continues to explore shades of grey, but with a more streamlined story that sets the show up for a stronger -- if slightly more simplistic -- sophomore season.
An
X-Men TV show? What a great idea...on paper. Unfortunately, when that becomes a generic family sci-fi drama with a few C-List mutants, it fails to do the franchise justice.
The Gifted had its fair share of fans, though, and it certainly managed to hit a lot of the right notes. It's just a shame Fox didn't make a greater effort to have this series tie into what was going on in their mutant-led movies.
8. Jessica Jones
Score: 83%
Rotten or Fresh? Fresh
Critics Consensus: (Season 1) Jessica Jones builds a multifaceted drama around its engaging antihero, delivering what might be Marvel's strongest TV franchise to date. (Season 2) While Jessica Jones is a slower burn with less focus than its inaugural season, its enticing new character arc more fully details the most charismatic Defender. (Season 3) Even if it's not the most satisfying finale for an entire era of Marvel television, Jessica Jones' final chapter finishes strong by giving its complicated heroine the space to change -- and Krysten Ritter one last chance to work her sarcastic magic.
Given how weak the second and third seasons were, it's honestly surprising that
Jessica Jones scores this well. It was hard to fault the first batch of episodes, and Marvel Television struck gold by casting Krysten Ritter and David Tennant (literally the perfect Purple Man). The former remained superb throughout, but moving away from the comic books led to a lot of weird, forgettable story arcs.
7. Agent Carter
Score: 86%
Rotten or Fresh? Fresh
Critics Consensus: (Season 1) Focusing on Peggy Carter as a person first and an action hero second makes Marvel's Agent Carter a winning, stylish drama with bursts of excitement and an undercurrent of cheeky fun. (Season 2) A move from New York to Hollywood gives Agent Carter new territory to explore, as the series continues to search for a storyline as dynamic as its heroine.
Agent Carter's first season likely had more creative input from Marvel Studios than any other series mentioned here (well, aside from WandaVision), but it still failed to strike a chord with viewers. While it was positively received, ratings were low, and that could be down to take Peggy from badass soldier to the subject of office sexism. Hayley Atwell was superb, though, and there was fun to be had.
6. Runaways
Score: 87%
Rotten or Fresh? Fresh
Critics Consensus: (Season 1) Earnest, fun, and more balanced than its source material, Runaways finds strong footing in an over-saturated genre. (Season 2) Runaways hits the ground running in its sophomore season, but though it deepens the connections between its expansive cast, formulaic stories and an over-dependence on plot devices holds it back from fully maturing into a compelling character study. (Season 3) By focusing on its strong ensemble and the character moments fans have come to love, Runaways ends its three season run on an exciting -- and surprisingly introspective -- high note.
A
Runaways movie had been rumoured for years, but somewhere along the line, Kevin Feige lost interest. As a result, the characters ended up in the hands of Jeph Loeb. There was a hard to ignore low-budget feel to the series, but that young cast was excellent, and often overcame the standard teen drama with ease. It didn't leave much of a lasting impact, but is worth hunting down on Hulu/Disney+.
6. Cloak & Dagger
Score: 87%
Rotten or Fresh? Fresh
Critics Consensus: Cloak & Dagger blends soapy drama with superhero grit to create an exciting, surprisingly thoughtful addition to the genre -- even if it falls prey to a certain amount of narrative bloat.
Like many of the Marvel Television shows,
Cloak & Dagger failed to embrace the source material. Despite missing that Marvel Studios feel, it still proved to be a thought-provoking, exciting series which (mostly) did the characters justice. If the duo does return, then we'd probably hope for a reboot, but Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph definitely deserve another shot at these mutant superheroes.
6. Luke Cage
Score: 87%
Rotten or Fresh? Fresh
Critics Consensus: (Season 1) An immersive, socially conscious narrative and a confident, charismatic lead performance make Marvel's Luke Cage a stellar sampling of the new Marvel/Netflix universe. (Season 2) In its second season, Marvel's Luke Cage delivers a satisfyingly complex narrative and a solid ensemble cast led by Alfre Woodard's standout performance as the archvillainess Black Mariah.
Those first six episodes of
Luke Cage were Emmy-worthy. Unfortunately, when Cottonmouth was killed, it was all downhill from there. Cartoonish villains took his place, and we got yet another overly complicated origin story, this time for Power Man. A cliffhanger which saw Luke become a villain was beyond daft, and a disappointing, depressing note to end a series full of great performances on.
5. The Falcon And The Winter Soldier
Score: 89%
Rotten or Fresh? Fresh
Critics Consensus: Packed with blockbuster action and deft character beats, Falcon and the Winter Soldier proves itself worthy of Captain America's legacy with its globetrotting intrigue, mature social commentary, and the sparky rapport between stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier generated mostly positive reviews, but was often criticised for its lack of direction with certain characters (the Flag Smashers) and some on the nose dialogue. Despite that, this six-hour series effectively explored Sam Wilson's transformation into Captain America, all while establishing him as the new face of the MCU. Despite too much filler, we're psyched for Captain America 4!
4. Legion
Score: 91%
Rotten or Fresh? Fresh
Critics Consensus: (Season 1) Bold, intelligent, and visually arresting, Legion is a masterfully surreal and brilliantly daring departure from traditional superhero conceits. (Season 2) Legion returns with a smart, strange second season that settles into a straighter narrative without sacrificing its unique sensibilities. (Season 3) In its final season, Legion remains a singular piece of visually arresting, mind-bending television that never fails to surprise.
Legion was as distanced from the
X-Men movies as
The Gifted, but some big Professor X mentions went some way in changing that as time passed. Of course, it didn't really need a tonne of Easter Eggs, because the storytelling was so strong here. The same can be said of the show's cast, and if you decided to give this one a miss, now might be a good time to give it a shot because it's something special.
3. Daredevil
Score: 92%
Rotten or Fresh? Fresh
Critics Consensus: (Season 1) With tight adherence to its source material's history, high production quality, and a no-nonsense dramatic flair, Daredevil excels as an effective superhero origin story, a gritty procedural, and an exciting action adventure. (Season 2) Bolstered by some impressive action, Daredevil keeps its footing in season two, even if its new adversaries can't quite fill the void left by Wilson Fisk. (Season 3) The Man with No Fear returns to top form with a third season that begins tediously slow but gradually generates comic book thrills, immeasurably helped by the welcome return of Vincent D'Onofrio's menacing Kingpin.
Daredevil made quite a few mistakes over the course of its three seasons, with the death of Elektra and Karen Page's bizarre story arc among the biggest. That aside, and it's impossible to say anything bad about Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio's work. As Wilson Fisk, the latter was perfect, while Cox's rumoured
Spider-Man 3 return might just be the smartest decision Marvel Studios has ever made.
2. WandaVision
Score: 92%
Rotten or Fresh? Fresh
Critics Consensus: Part loving homage to TV history, part off-kilter mystery, WandaVision is a wonderfully weird and strikingly bold step into the small screen for the MCU - and a perfect showcase for Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany.
The first Marvel Studios TV show doesn't top this list...yet. That could change when reviews for the final four episodes are counted, but for now, this isn't a bad spot by any means.
WandaVision has hooked fans with a compelling mystery, while Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany are doing some of the best work of their careers. We just can't wait to find out what's really happening in Westview.
1. Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Score: 95%
Rotten or Fresh? Fresh
Critics Consensus: (Season 1) Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is sure to please comic book fans, but the strong ensemble and brisk pacing help to make this better-than-average superhero show accessible to non-fanboys as well. (Season 2) Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. relaxes into itself during its sophomore season, mitigating the show's growing pains by focusing on characters while amping up narrative thrills. (Season 3) Still evolving in its third season, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. further hits its stride with a blend of thrills, humor, and heart. (Season 4) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. explores darker territory in its fourth season with the thrilling introduction of Ghost Rider, setting up an action-packed new chapter of Marvel's edgier mythologies. (Season 5) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. swings for the fences with large-scale storytelling and wild twists that elevate season 5 from the saturated MCU and into its own space. (Season 6) Six seasons in and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continues to deepen its exploration of space and the relationships between its heroes. (Season 7) Heartfelt and held together by the strength of its super cast's chemistry, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s final season is a fitting farewell to a beloved team.
Yes, the first Marvel Television TV show is also considered the best according to critics! Despite moving away from MCU tie-ins as time passed,
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. remained a lot of fun, and portrayed its characters in a cosistent, satisfying manner. It's budget sometimes held it back (Deathlok), but for every flaw, it satisfied in other ways, and delivered the best live-action take on Ghost Rider to date.