Every Marvel Disney+ series, ranked from worst to best

11. “Secret Invasion”

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“Secret Invasion” opened with fascinating scenes reminiscent of one of the best Marvel movies, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” However, within weeks, it quickly became one of the biggest embarrassments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

The series follows Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) as he tries to stop an invasion by the Skrulls, the shape-shifting aliens introduced in “Captain Marvel.”

Unfortunately, for every good scene with nuanced discussions about race and activism, performed brilliantly by the likes of Jackson, Don Cheadle, Ben Mendelsohn, Charlayne Woodard, and Emilia Clarke, there were 10 more moments that either ruined the good, or were boring.

Kingsley Ben-Adir’s attempts to make Gravik an interesting villain feel wasted when the character is written so similarly to other one-note revolutionaries we’ve seen in the MCU before — he is technically right, but goes about everything the wrong way.

The worst sin is the series finale, which features a cartoonish Skrull battle in which Clarke and Ben-Adir’s characters are given every superpower of every enhanced being in the MCU.

Even the revelation that Rhodey (Cheadle) and Ross (Martin Freeman) are secretly replaced by Skrulls at some point in time ultimately falls flat when this fact only undermines events in the previous movies.

In addition, the series’ core message about tolerance and acceptance is completely trampled on with humans going on the attack against the Skrulls.

10. “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law”

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“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” follows the life of Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) after she’s exposed to her cousin the Hulk’s (Mark Ruffalo) blood and forced to adapt to her new superpowers all while juggling work, life, and dating.

The show set some high expectations which fell through almost immediately. 

It was promoted as a meta-lawyer comedy, yet the series is rarely funny and criminally underutilizes its lawyer concept. It also mocked cameos in Marvel movies, despite the most interesting parts of the show being its cameos.

The show’s side characters Nikki (Ginger Gonzaga) and Pug (Josh Segarra) are both hilarious and barely utilized to their full potential.

Ultimately, “She-Hulk” had numerous promising moments but failed in its execution. If there is a second season, it should break away from the Marvel formula and be so much better for it.

9. “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”

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“The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” is a great story conceptually but fails to stick the landing.

After Captain America steps down from his role, it’s up to Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) to find a way to carry on the legacy of their closest friend.

The series feels like a spiritual successor to “Captain America: Winter Soldier” with some great action sequences. There are also powerful moments when exploring the lives of the two main characters and addressing racism in America.

Plus, Mackie and Stan have always had crackling chemistry together and John Walker (Wyatt Russell) is a great antagonist, encapsulating white privilege, American nationalism, and a superiority complex.

Unfortunately, the series doesn’t provide any earned endings for its characters. Sharon Carter’s revelation as a villain is both predictable and underdeveloped, Karli’s (Erin Kellyman) descent into terrorism feels forced, and John switches from unhinged and power-hungry to a hero within minutes.

Falcon then becomes Captain America without addressing the numerous systematic problems set up in the show. Falcon deserves the mantle, but why introduce how being a superhero is linked to elitism, racism, and oppression and then not provide a solution other than telling the government to “do better”?

8. “The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special”

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“The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special” was a lot tamer than other Disney+ series or even the other special presentation “Werewolf By Night.”

In the 40-minute special, Mantis and Drax (Dave Bautista) go on a journey to find the perfect present for their leader, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt). Instead of picking a conventional gift, they kidnap “Footloose” star Kevin Bacon, an ’80s idol of Peter’s. 

One of its great positives is developing the character Mantis (Pom Klementieff), who had been used for comedic relief since her introduction in “The Guardian of the Galaxy 2.” The film is a jolly, funny, and heart-warming display about chosen family and the animated flashback scenes were also a fun addition.

However, at the end of the day, the film is just not as memorable as others on the list.

7. “What If…?”

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There’s been plenty of Marvel animated shows to arrive on our screens over the years, but none of them have bounced around the multiverse as much as “What If…?” has.

The series, narrated by Uatu the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright), looks at how the MCU is different in each timeline thanks to one small decision.

Unfortunately “What If…?” isn’t essential viewing for the MCU. The anthology series is definitely intriguing for longtime fans, but some episodes feel like filler.

The standout episode is “What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?” because it looks at how grief would cause Doctor Strange to sacrifice his humanity, and the universe, to avoid losing Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams). Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a heartbreaking vocal performance.

Another fascinating episode is “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?” which is Chadwick Boseman’s final performance as the Wakandan hero. It’s an original, captivating concept because T’Challa’s role in the cosmos would’ve vastly changed the MCU for the better.

Sure, there are some fun adventures in there — even a zombie episode — but they don’t have the same emotional punch.

The culmination of the series against an Infinity Gauntlet-powered Ultron (Ross Marquand) is just an excuse to gather all these characters into one story, but it doesn’t have anything meaningful to say or do.

6. “Moon Knight”

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“Moon Knight” sees Oscar Isaac play Steven Grant, a hapless gift shop worker, who discovers that he has dissociative identity disorder (DID) and his other personality is a violent ex-mercenary who works for the Egyptian lunar god: Khonshu (F. Murray Abraham).

At first, the audience questions whether or not Steven is imagining all of this as a result of his sleeping issues and DID, but the show quickly confirms that yes, he is actually a vigilante working for an Egyptian deity.

The series is an entertaining romp that riffs on “Indiana Jones” and “Tomb Raider,” but not the strongest Marvel series of the last few years.

Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke), the villain, takes far too long to really manifest his master plan. The dynamic between Steven and Marc is fun to watch, and it’s great to see Isaac play around in the context of the MCU, but the whole story feels too stretched out.

That being said, the show is still entertaining and the Moon Knight costume is ripped from the comics.

5. “Hawkeye”

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The good bits of “Hawkeye” are balanced out by its weaker moments.

In the series, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) tries to save a girl who is on the run from a criminal empire while settling grievances from his dark past all in time for the holidays.

Hailee Steinfeld’s Marvel debut as Kate Bishop is incredible. She has charisma and great chemistry with Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) and Yelena (Florence Pugh). The series balances its darker, more emotional moments with the light and joy of Christmas.

But there are numerous flaws, including unnecessary plot points that never get resolved and trying to provide closure for too many characters in its finale.

The biggest sin of “Hawkeye” is the series feels more like an origin for Kate and the assassin Echo (Alaqua Cox) than a Hawkeye vehicle. A leaked deleted scene exploring Hawkeye’s childhood proves the creators clearly weren’t interested in his backstory.

Since “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the MCU has kept Hawkeye permanently trapped in this “one last mission” mentality while never giving the character a satisfying ending. I was hoping for “Hawkeye” to finally change that or at least provide a reprieve for the hero, but it does neither.  

4. “Ms. Marvel”

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Iman Vellani’s performance as Ms. Marvel really makes the series ten times better.

After discovering her bangles have given her superpowers, Kamala Khan (Vellani) decides to become a superhero. While some fans complained about how childish the series is, I think it was one of the show’s many strengths.

Kamala’s youth is coded into the entire show, taking inspiration from “Into The Spiderverse” to create cool graphic background visuals and using tropes from teen comedies. 

All in all, the show is fun. Out of all the new diverse characters in phase four, Ms. Marvel is one of the most inspirational since she is so relatable. While the middle part of the story drags a tiny bit, Vellani keeps you hooked throughout.

The main flaw of the series is the way it attempts to distance itself from the hero’s comic origins. It’s clear that the show wanted to treat its villains, the Djinn, not as mythical evil spirits from pre-Islamic folklore but as alternate-dimensional beings.

Yet that choice pushed away the very people it hoped to represent. Some Muslim fans shared their discomfort about watching a show incorporating these evil spirits and the choice to turn the first and only Muslim South Asian hero into a Djinn.

3. “Loki”

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Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief has had a fascinating journey through the MCU over the years, but the “Loki” series takes him to even weirder heights.

The show plucks the version of Loki who escapes with the Tesseract in “Avengers: Endgame” out of the timeline. He’s recruited into the Time Variance Authority to hunt down a rogue, alternate version of himself called Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino).

While the show does an excellent job of teeing up a brand new big bad in the MCU (Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror) this is also an excuse to analyze Loki in a much deeper way.

It digs into why Loki wants to rule Earth, Asgard, and the universe, as he’s forced to realize that he’s trying to fill a void in his life. It’s also fascinating to see Loki in a romantic relationship with Sylvie, even if he does technically fall in love with himself (he is a narcissist, after all).

Season two dives further into the potential collapse of the multiverse, with Loki and the TVA scrambling to keep the timeline stable with the help of a Kang variant, Victor Timely (Majors).

But season two’s biggest accomplishment is that it still manages to deepen Loki’s journey of self-discovery. The Asgardian is forced to drop his “glorious purpose” act and look at what he truly wants in life, while also trying to save the multiverse.

As a whole, “Loki” masterfully balances huge stakes and genuine character development — which is no easy feat. It’s undeniably one of the best Marvel shows of the last few years.

2. “Werewolf by Night”

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“Werewolf by Night” is a television special that introduces a handful of new characters to the MCU with an old-school B-movie flair, directed by Michael Giacchino. 

It follows a group of monster hunters who convene to find a successor to the mystical Bloodstone after its previous owner, Ulysses Bloodstone, has died. Gael García Bernal stars as Jack Russell, who harbors his own bloodthirsty secret since he can transform into (you guessed it) a werewolf. 

The special feels wholly unique compared to anything else in the MCU because of Giacchino’s direction. The horror, the violence, and the black-and-white style make the whole thing incredibly eerie.

“Werewolf by Night” is so much fun because it leans into the horror genre, rather than just being a generic comic book feature. It wastes no time in setting up a rich pocket of mythology in the MCU that stands on its own.

Hopefully, Marvel will let Giacchino come back for a sequel.

1. “WandaVision”

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“WandaVision” is Marvel Studios’ first original series on Disney+, and it’s a stunning examination of family, love, and grief through a delightfully odd sitcom lens, while also pushing the MCU closer to embracing the multiverse. 

Scarlet Witch had always been part of an ensemble in the MCU, so it was thrilling for fans to see what Elizabeth Olsen could really do with more time in the role.

What’s equally refreshing is the series breaks away from the expectations of what a Marvel show should look like. Wanda forces an entire town to cater to her sitcom fantasies with her reality-altering powers, proving just how powerful the Scarlet Witch really is as she keeps hundreds of Westview citizens under her spell.

It’s all in an effort to live out her ideal life with Vision, who died in “Avengers: Infinity War.” The heart of the story is perfectly encapsulated in a single line from Vision himself: “What is grief, if not love persevering?” 

This is all without mentioning the Kathryn Hahn of it all, who delivers a gleefully villainous performance as another Marvel witch: Agatha Harkness. Her manipulation of Wanda is what pushes her to realize the true extent of her powers, and the chemistry between Olsen and Hahn is a lot of fun. 

Basically, Marvel broke its own mold with “WandaVision” while managing to tell a genuinely heart-wrenching story at the same time. It absolutely deserves the top spot.