10 Marvel TV Mistakes The MCU Needs To Learn From

Mistakes in Marvel Television’s previous TV shows, released adjacent to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, can teach the new Marvel Television some valuable lessons. Long before Marvel Studios began producing its own TV shows for Disney+, Marvel Entertainment entrusted Marvel Television with developing series for various networks that expanded the world of the MCU significantly. In recent years, doubt has been cast on whether Marvel Television’s previous projects are considered canon to the MCU’s main continuity, and this dispute has been exacerbated by the recent revival of the Marvel Television banner, which will now develop shows specifically set in the MCU.

The Marvel Television banner was confirmed to be back in business by Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige at Disney’s Upfronts presentation in May 2024. This new banner has no relation to the previous Marvel Television, instead being used to stress the changes in the MCU’s TV show production, and allowing for some separation between the MCU’s feature films and TV series. Despite having no connection to the previous Marvel Television, the new banner can learn valuable lessons from some of Marvel TV’s biggest past mistakes, ensuring that upcoming Marvel Television projects are as strong and enjoyable as they can be.

10 Marvel Television’s Heroes Should Have Comic-Accurate Costumes

Marvel Television Mostly Avoided Comic-Accurate Costumes

One of the biggest things that Marvel Television regularly failed to do was bring comic-accurate depictions of its characters into live-action, and this was evident in its constant avoidance of giving its heroes and villains comic-accurate costumes. This wasn’t exclusive, of course, as the likes of Daredevil and several members of the Runaways had comic-accurate outfits, though even these were tweaked to seem less comic-like. In fact, Marvel Television often poked fun at how silly-looking the costumes from Marvel Comics were, which belittled these characters’ roots.

Marvel Studios has always done a good job of giving the MCU’s characters comic-accurate costumes, with small edits to modernize their garments. This should continue in the new Marvel Television’s projects, with the likes of Daredevil, Ironheart, and Wonder Man getting comic-accurate suits. This is a brilliant way to honor Marvel Comics’ history, while bringing these fantastical and sometimes-ridiculous outfits into the modern era.

9 MCU’s Most Pivotal Moments Shouldn’t Be Undone, Like In Agents Of SHIELD

Agents Of SHIELD Reversed Phil Coulson’s Emotional Death

Straight out of the gate, Agents of SHIELD reversed one of the MCU’s most emotional moments by resurrecting Phil Coulson following his death in The Avengers. While this was explained in the series, and it was great to see Clark Gregg continue to portray the popular Phase 1 character, this completely undermined one of the MCU’s most important moments, as the Avengers would never have formed had Coulson not lost his life. The new Marvel Television needs to stay more faithful to the MCU’s ever-expanding storylines.

Now that Marvel Television is just a banner of Marvel Studios, its upcoming projects won’t reverse major MCU events meaninglessly, but instead be informed by them. WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, and Hawkeye wouldn’t have unfolded without the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, and these projects affected subsequent movies and series, proving that these steps are already being taken.

Iron Fist Should Be Completely Reinvented In The MCU

For the most part, Netflix’s Defenders Saga was the most popular and successful franchise developed by Marvel Television. The Defenders Saga introduced Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, the Punisher, and Iron Fist as grounded heroes protecting the streets of New York City, but Finn Jones’ depiction of Danny Rand’s Iron Fist was a major weak link in the chain. Many criticized Iron Fist’s fight scenes, Jones’ subdued performance, and the series’ overall pacing, making Iron Fist a disappointing addition to the otherwise-brilliant franchise.

Recent speculation suggests Iron Fist may be returning in the MCU, perhaps in Shang-Chi 2, but Marvel Studios must learn from Marvel Television’s previous depiction of the hero for his upcoming adventures. In Marvel Comics, Iron Fist is a skilled martial artist with a great deal of control over his abilities, so this should translate into seamless fight sequences and a more confident portrayal in the MCU.

7 Marvel Television’s MCU Connections Were Few & Far Between

Marvel Television’s New Shows Need To Link Directly To The MCU

Previously, Marvel Studios and Marvel Television were two separate production companies working under the Marvel Entertainment umbrella. This means that, while Marvel Television’s shows were seemingly taking place in the MCU, the connections between the TV shows and the MCU’s feature films were weak at best. Communication between the two studios may have been lackluster, meaning the only shows that addressed the MCU were Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter, and even these connections waned over time.

Now that Marvel Television is a subsect of Marvel Studios itself, the MCU-set TV shows have direct connections to the franchise’s theatrical stories. WandaVision led to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Ms. Marvel introduced Kamala Khan ahead of The Marvels, and Bruce Banner had a key role in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. These strong bonds need to continue in the MCU’s future, establishing a clear shared universe across film and TV.

6 Marvel’s Upcoming TV Shows Shouldn’t Have Too Many Or Too Few Episodes

Marvel Television’s Shows Never Found The Right Number Of Episodes

The episode counts of Marvel Television’s previous shows were wildly inconsistent, and this is unfortunately an issue that has persisted in Marvel Studios’ recent TV releases. Agents of SHIELD’s early seasons delivered 22 episodes each, but this dragged the seasons on for longer than necessary, and this problem could also be felt with the Defenders Saga’s 13 episodes per season, contributing to some major pacing issues. Conversely, Agent Carter, Inhumans, and The Defenders suffered from too few episodes, so the perfect balance was never struck.

Marvel Studios’ MCU-set TV shows have also been plagued by this, with the majority, except for WandaVision, What If…?, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Echo delivering only six episodes. This isn’t enough to tell a detailed enough storyline, so certain elements of their narratives felt altogether rushed. Upcoming MCU TV shows are set to change this, so hopefully the right episode count will be found.

5 Many Brilliant Characters Were Wasted In Marvel Television’s Shows

Minor Characters Were Often Neglected In Marvel Television’s Shows

Marvel Television’s previous shows expanded the world of the MCU significantly, introducing many minor characters from Marvel Comics to flesh out the universe. However, all too often, these supporting characters were neglected, ignored, or wasted in Marvel Television’s series, given miniscule roles compared to their larger impact in the comics. This was most evident following Agents of SHIELD’s introduction of Inhumans, as well as with characters in the Defenders Saga, such as Diamondback and Will Simpson.

So far, Marvel Studios has done a good job of setting up supporting characters in its TV shows for bigger roles in the MCU’s future. Characters such as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Joaquín Torres and John Walker, Moon Knight’s Layla El-Faouly, and even Secret Invasion’s Sonya Falsworth have been teased for bright futures in the MCU, though some of these haven’t been confirmed, so Marvel Television should still develop these characters further.

4 Marvel Television Shouldn’t Shy Away From Producing Exciting Spinoffs

Several Planned Spinoffs Were Never Produced By Marvel Television

Despite several exciting spinoffs being in discussion and even planned for Marvel Television’s previous franchises, only one ever came to fruition. Jon Bernthal’s debut as Frank Castle in Daredevil season 2 led to him leading The Punisher for two seasons, but spinoffs such as Heroes for Hire, Marvel’s Most Wanted, Ghost Rider, and Daughters of the Dragon were never produced, despite them having a great deal of potential. While Marvel Studios’ recent output slowdown may make producing spinoffs difficult, this shouldn’t be discounted completely.

Marvel Studios has already given weight to how impactful and exciting spinoffs can be. Echo performed successfully after Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez first appeared in Hawkeye, and WandaVision spawned both Agatha All Along and a new Vision spinoff. The MCU’s TV shows were originally planned to develop secondary characters from Marvel Studios’ feature films, and this should continue in even more spinoffs in the MCU’s future.

3 Marvel Studios Needs A Solid Foundation For Its Supernatural Stories

Helstrom Was A Disappointing Start To Marvel Television’s Adventure Into Fear

In recent years, Marvel Studios has been putting more focus on the MCU’s supernatural and mystical characters, including the likes of Moon Knight, Werewolf by Night, and Man-Thing, and the MCU’s upcoming Blade reboot will continue this. This gradual build up proves that Marvel Studios has already learned this valuable lesson from Marvel Television’s Helstrom: that supernatural stories need an incredibly strong foundation to be able to work effectively. Helstrom certainly wasn’t this strong foundation.

Marvel Television’s final TV series, Helstrom, was originally planned to kick-start a new franchise known as “Adventure into Fear”. Helstrom was planned to be joined by Ghost Rider, featuring Gabriel Luna’s Robbie Reyes from Agents of SHIELD, and two further series, culminating in a Defenders-style series pitting them against Lilith, Mother of All Demons. Helstrom’s disappointing performance folded these plans, but Marvel Studios has done a better job at setting up its own supernatural storylines.

2 Inhumans Need To Be Handled Better In The MCU

Marvel Television’s Inhumans Was A Massive Blunder

Released between September and November 2017, Marvel Television’s Inhumans series initially promised to be a game-changer for Marvel’s live-action stories, but was entirely the opposite. Inhumans is widely regarded as one of the weakest projects Marvel has ever produced, with the series not doing its vibrant and exciting titular characters justice at all. Inhumans’ epic failure has impacted the MCU, too, as no Inhuman characters have appeared in the franchise’s main continuity due to the series’ disappointing performance.

Inhumans would be brilliant to see in the MCU, but, so far, only Black Bolt has appeared in the alternate universe of Earth-838 in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. After Anson Mount’s more comic-accurate and positively-received return in Multiverse of Madness, there’s no doubt that the Inhumans could be handled better in the MCU proper. With mutant heroes set to debut in the MCU soon, Inhumans shouldn’t be far behind.

1 Marvel Television Shouldn’t Let Past Mistakes Hinder The MCU

Marvel Television’s Missteps Impacted The MCU

One of the biggest takeaways that the new Marvel Television should learn from the previous company’s projects is that its mistakes don’t define it, and shouldn’t impact its future storytelling. Marvel Television’s past projects faltered under the controversial leadership of Ike Perlmutter, so not all of its mistakes were actually the fault of series creators. However, major mistakes have impacted the MCU, most notably Inhumans, as Marvel Studios has shied away from reintroducing these characters in the MCU proper.

Marvel Studios’ recent TV shows have come under some scrutiny, primarily focused on poor visual effects, pacing issues, and some narrative decisions. This has prompted major changes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but these changes will hopefully be for the better. Marvel Television shouldn’t be afraid to develop new projects just because of a few missteps, and should instead be inspired to continue to produce interesting, entertaining, and boundary-pushing superhero adventures.