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With the critical and commercial success of WandaVision, there seems to be a bright future ahead for Marvel shows on Disney+. Using WandaVision, the Marvel Cinematic Universe appears to be making a definitive move towards incorporating its shows into the same canon as the films. Previous TV releases have mostly had ambiguous relations to the MCU. While some fit into or acknowledge film canon, the movies typically ignore older Marvel shows, giving movies-only fans the option to skip them entirely without compromising their experience. As highly anticipated releases like The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, Loki, and Ms. Marvel come closer to dropping on Disney+, it seems like a good time to remember that many of these older Marvel shows are still excellent installments on their own.
While some older Marvel shows have been popular and even well-reviewed, it’s arguable that most haven’t found as much widespread public enjoyment as some other superhero series have, and they certainly haven’t reached the same heights as the films. The pre-existing catalog of Marvel shows may not have the same level of fame as its cinematic universe and its new line-up of Disney+ TV shows, but that doesn’t mean that Marvel hasn’t already produced some classics. So, as you enjoy WandaVision and the slew of new Marvel shows that will be dropping in the near future, here are five other Marvel shows that may have slipped past your radar but deserve a chance, especially if you’re a big Marvel fan.
The Gifted
While the X-Men were long kept apart from the MCU due to rights issues, mutants entering the same universe as the rest of the characters has been a possibility since the Disney buyout of 20th Century Fox. So, for the purposes of this article, we’ll be classifying X-Men-based series as Marvel shows — which brings me to the first show on our list. The Gifted was a show based on Marvel’s X-Men that aired on Fox, following a family (the Struckers) that goes on the run after the children manifest mutant abilities.
The Gifted admittedly lacks most of the creative hooks possessed by the other Marvel shows on this list. However, what The Gifted does, and does quite well, is make the viewer see what life might be like in a world where a certain percentage of the population are super-powered mutants. By virtue of its episodic nature and focus on a common mutant family, The Gifted has a much more grounded feel to it than your traditional superhero film. Its forcible separation from the lofty, slight power-fantasy of normal superhero films means that The Gifted comes off as a story about people trying to navigate a world larger and scarier than themselves, to varying degrees of success.
The Gifted, nonetheless, benefits from the fact that it brings in characters who — while perhaps not as popular with movies-only fans — definitely excite most comic fans and probably spark at least some recognition in fans of the films. For instance, the show features Clarice Fong (also known as Blink), a mutant with teleportation abilities that some may recognize from Days Of Future Past. It also includes Lorna Dane (also known as Polaris), comic book sister to Wanda and Pietro Maximoff through their shared father, Magneto.
With her father’s powers and connection to three iconic figures from the X-Men and the Avengers, Lorna is a recognizable figure and a compelling character in her own right. The Gifted lasted a mere two seasons before falling to the cancellation ax. While it may lack some of the luster of the other Marvel shows on this list, it is still deserving of a watch, especially for fans of the X-Men looking to get more of the mutants.
Agent Carter
While well-loved, Agent Carter — like The Gifted and other Marvel shows on this list — unfortunately suffered from a far-too-short run. Airing primarily during the mid-season breaks of its more popular and longer-lived companion, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter follows Peggy Carter (played by Hayley Atwell, reprising her role from the films) as she works for the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) in the aftermath of WWII and losing Steve Rogers.
Agent Carter is cleverly written. It has the flavor and flair of a spy thriller set in a world with super-soldier serums and the surreal, futuristic inventions of Stark Industries. It’s a sharp reminder that Steve Rogers may have been the protagonist and hero of Captain America: The First Avenger, but Peggy was still a competent, effective agent who fought against the social norms of her time to accomplish incredible things.
The show also features a strong supporting cast of characters and some fascinating tie-ins to the rest of the Marvel universe, including a key role for Edwin Jarvis, the Stark family butler who played a part in raising Tony Stark. This carries on through the films, as Edwin Jarvis served as the inspiration for Tony’s A.I. JARVIS, whose code would, in turn, go on to serve as the basis for Vision. Of all the Marvel shows on this list, Agent Carter has the strongest ties to the MCU, yet it manages to feel strong on its own, adding depth to Peggy as a character and giving her an arc to parallel Steve’s from the films.
Marvel’s Runaways
Marvel’s Runaways is one of the few Marvel shows to be produced by and released on Hulu. Three seasons long, Runaways was short-lived but still managed to get through an entire story arc for its team of characters. Based on the comics of the same name, Runaways follows a group of young teenagers who discover that their parents are a part of a supervillain organization known as “the Pride.” As they work to subvert their parents’ crimes and uncover the secrets that have been hidden from them, the Runaways eventually end up (as the name might suggest) on the run.
In many ways, Runaways is a joy to watch because it so well replicates the experience of reading the comics. It does not follow the comic’s storyline beat for beat. Yet, from its color schemes to its character designs to its excellent replication of the comic’s eclectic vibe (such as its pitch-perfect inclusion of one character’s pet velociraptor), Runaways feels like it was made by someone who loves the comics.
It also follows one of Marvel’s most diverse hero teams yet (with four out of six main characters being people of color and two of them being queer), and it has a surprising amount of heart. While Runaways is often humorous and the characters do get into typical teenage hijinks, it also retains some gravity, emphasizing the danger the characters are in and the sense of betrayal they feel from the families that raised them. As a result, the small, ragtag family formed by the group is an absolute delight to watch, with all their different personalities creating no shortage of fascinating character dynamics. While the show’s more-limited budget does sometimes shine through, the acting and writing help carry this show through and create a genuinely enjoyable and fun viewing experience.
Cloak & Dagger
Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger is, arguably, one of the best Marvel shows released yet, and it is undoubtedly one of the most commonly forgotten. Originally airing on Freeform, Cloak & Dagger was canceled, like many other Marvel shows on this list, after only two seasons, though it received positive reviews and was generally well-regarded during its time on the air.
Based on the comic duo of the same name, Cloak & Dagger’s main characters are two New Orleans teenagers: Tandy Bowen, a young woman with the ability to create daggers of light and access peoples’ deepest hopes, and Tyrone Johnson, a young man with the power to engulf people in darkness and teleport, as well as the ability to access their deepest fears. The show follows the two of them as they learn about their powers and develop a friendship, all stemming in part from their mutual involvement in a tragedy from their childhoods which imbued them with their abilities.
Though it might have seemed like an easy plotline to push, the show never makes the romantic development between its leads feel rushed. Instead, the show gives them a backstory connection and focuses first and foremost on developing a strong friendship between them. This sort of focus combined with the natural chemistry between the lead actors helps give the show’s romance weight while simultaneously avoiding the pitfall of making the rest of the series seem like a prop for their love story. Their connection is one of the show’s focal points — but it’s a connection that helps create their eventual romantic relationship rather than being dominated by it.
This is the sort of insightful character work that helps Cloak & Dagger shine. Similar thought seems to have been put into the fact that the writers chose to flip the roles of their two leads, making Tandy the street kid and giving Tyrone a home life that is, though marred by grief, comparatively stable. Also, in touching upon class, racism, and police violence, it’s clear that there was a concerted effort to side-step and to improve upon some of the more problematic elements of the comics. Perhaps this is in part due to the show’s diverse writer’s room. Among Marvel shows, Cloak & Dagger is a gem. With strong writing, compelling characterization, and relevance to real-world issues, Cloak & Dagger captures what makes so many comics great.
Legion
Like The Gifted, Legion is based on the X-Men comics, and it is undoubtedly the most unique and creative of the Marvel shows on this list. Arguably, it’s one of the most mind-bending, abstract, and fascinating superhero TV shows to be produced to this date. Legion follows the journey of David Haller, a young man who has spent several years in a psychiatric facility due to the fact that he struggles with distinguishing between what is and isn’t real.
Yet after he comes under investigation by a group known as Division 3, it becomes clear that David Haller is a mutant — and an extremely powerful one, at that. On the run, David takes shelter with a group of other mutants in a place called Summerland, where they investigate his powers. It should be noted here that Legion’s depiction of mental health issues may not be for everyone and is undoubtedly imperfect — being critiqued by some and praised by others. The show does attempt to explore the long and complex nature of recovery and healing.
It also, at the very least, steers clear of hand-waving away David’s mental health struggles as a mere result of his repressed superpowers, a choice for which the show is all the better. Legion is also particularly fascinating in the way that it twists the boundaries of the genre. It’s a superhero show, yes, and it, in some ways, has echoes of an abstract art film. On top of that, it frequently dips its toes into the realm of horror, giving it a spine-crawling chill. It is also one of the few shows that truly does not shy away from one of the most difficult tropes to write well: the idea that being the protagonist does not always mean being a hero, and that character development does not always have to be positive.
Legion is well-acted, stunningly written, beautifully shot and edited, and just generally fascinating to watch. All the Marvel shows on this list are here because they are worth trying, and Legion’s weirdness is undoubtedly not for everyone. But if there is one Marvel show here that I urge you to try for a handful of episodes before dismissing it as “not your thing,” it would be this one.
No Shortage Of Options For Marvel Shows
By nature, many TV shows are ultimately fated to reach a more limited audience than their cinematic counterparts, even though TV’s popularity as a medium does appear to be rising. WandaVision is the first of the Marvel shows that seems to have invoked the same amount of passion people feel for the films. But, as we move into a new era of popularity for Marvel shows and superhero shows in general, it’s worth remembering that there is still a wide breadth of pre-existing options to check out — and that this list is by no means exhaustive.
Several of the shows on this list may lack the budget and production quality of the newer Marvel shows, but there is no doubting that they still have plenty to offer audiences. There are bad superhero shows out there, and Marvel shows, in particular, have a spotty record. But, as delightful as it is to see familiar faces from the movies get their own TV series, the Marvel shows on this list are just a few of the many classic shows that we shouldn’t forget about as we move forward.
