Every MARVEL TV Show Released So Far Ranked From Worst To Best

Following the release of that awesome trailer for Iron Fist, we've decided to look back over the current crop of Marvel TV shows on ABC and Netflix in order to rank them all from worst to best...

By JoshWilding - Oct 11, 2016 08:10 AM EST

Filed Under: Marvel

Just over a week after Luke Cage arrived on Netflix, the first trailer for Iron Fist found its way online after debuting at this year's New York Comic-Con. With Legion also on the way and both The Punisher and The Defenders in various stages of production, the future is definitely looking bright for the future of Marvel superheroes on the small screen regardless of which universe they end up calling home.

However, it was looking forward that got me thinking about the shows we've already seen and how they compare. From the agents who call ABC home to the street level superheroes making an impact on Netflix twice a year, Marvel has so far provided us with an interesting mixture of characters away from their movies, and the results have ended up being both varied and very interesting indeed.

What you'll find here is a ranking of all the Marvel shows which have aired (so far) from worst to best.

6. Agent Carter

There's no two ways about it; Agent Carter was a failure. While the show had its fair share of fans, the fact it was cancelled after just two seasons due to low ratings is an embarrassment to Marvel, especially as it's often been said that key figures from the movie division were heavily involved here. The problem was that rather than telling the story of how Peggy recovered from the death of Captain America and went on to become a founding member of S.H.I.E.L.D., far too much time was devoted to her battling office politics and having to prove herself all over again.

Sure, Agent Carter had its moments and did some fun things with a handful of great characters, but the show simply didn't live up to its initial promise and most definitely landed with a thud after the much more stylish and exciting One-Shot which led to the series becoming a reality in the first place. It's now unlikely that we'll ever get to see Peggy's story properly play out, and this show ultimately stands out as being little more than a disappointment.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For reasons which will become clear a little later in this feature, I've counted the first two seasons of Daredevil separately.

You know, I don't feel good about this, but Daredevil's second season was actually lucky to avoid landing in last place. There's no denying that the first two thirds of the story was great, especially when you think back to Jon Bernthal's Emmy worthy performance as Frank Castle. Elektra's debut was also excellent (especially as it borrowed so much from Frank Miller and added some interesting new wrinkles to her relationship with Matt Murdock), but everything just fell apart in the final few episodes and left a bad taste in the mouth.

So much effort was put into setting up a third season, The Defenders, and The Punisher that the showrunners seemingly forgot how to tell a satisfying story; as a result, Frank's arc wrapped up in a dreadful fashion, while the big twists with Elektra and The Hand fell flat very quickly. There were just too many "WTF?" moments and even the final battle wasn't as great as it probably should have been. Throw in the fact that the series failed to even find a way to give the titular hero the "DD" logo on his chest - an admittedly minor grievance - and season two just failed to live up to what came before despite still being pretty good.

While the premiere may have been helmed by Joss Whedon, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. got off to a very rocky start. Sure, it had the odd enjoyable episode here and there, but the show took a long time to find its feet, and it wasn't actually until the spy organisation the series is named after crumbled in Captain America: The Winter Soldier that it really became must-see viewing. When you take into account the fact that a show called Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't become great until S.H.I.E.L.D. was gone, you have to wonder just how much thought Marvel put into it, but it has since done a lot of great things and introduced us to some awesome characters.

After tackling HYDRA and The Inhumans, the series is now moving closer to introducing the superhero team known as the Secret Warriors. That alone is very exciting, and with it even managing to redeem Ghost Rider after two awful movies, it's clear that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a show which still has a lot of potential even four years in. It's stumbled here and there, but it's done a lot right too, hence why it places higher here than you probably expected.

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3. Luke Cage

I loved Luke Cage and think the titular character may be the most likeable Marvel character to grace the big or small screen to date, but some issues during the second half of the Hero for Hire's first season stop the show from placing higher here. I'm obviously referring to Diamondback, a villain built up throughout several episodes as a terrifying gangster, but who in reality was just a long list of cliches (religious nut, daddy issues, etc.). The shock departure of Cottonmouth really hurt Luke Cage, and while it definitely still ended on a strong note, I can't be the only one not thrilled at the prospect of Luke's half-brother returning somewhere down the line for round two!

That and the overlong trip to Georgia aside, there was an awful lot the show did right, including the soundtrack and the way Harlem was portrayed. It also delivered a strong message in a time when #BlackLivesMatter needs to be more than just a catchy hashtag, and delivered a great new role model. Throw in the awesome action scenes, and Luke Cage definitely made an impact in all the right ways.

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2. Jessica Jones

Like many of you, I really didn't expect much from Jessica Jones. Sure, the cast was great and it looked pretty good in the trailers, but how could a story about an alcoholic P.I. ever top Daredevil's adventure in Hell's Kitchen? Well, it came pretty damn close that's for sure and stands out as one of Marvel's best comic book adaptations to date. Jessica's season long battle with the villainous Kilgrave proved to be extremely compelling, while the surprise addition of Nuke (or at least an early version of him) added an interesting new wrinkle to Jessica's origin story which it should be very interesting to see picked up on somewhere down the line as we learn more about the sinister IGH.

It's also important to note that the series did a superb job of introducing us to Luke Cage, but make no mistake about it, Krysten Ritter was the real star here. We're obviously still waiting on the already confirmed second season, and seeing as an argument could be made that Jessica is this corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most intriguing hero, that can't get here soon enough.

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1. Daredevil Season 1

To lump the first two seasons of Daredevil together would have been unfair, especially as they feel like two very separate entities. For starters, they had different showrunners, and based on the erratic schedule of these Netflix shows, treating them more like individual thirteen hour movies which come out every couple of years rather than a regular TV series feels appropriate. The Man Without Fear's reimagining on the online streaming service isn't just Marvel's best small screen adaptation, but possibly one of the best things they've ever produced.

Perfectly retelling the titular hero's origin story, seeing him fight crime in that homemade black costume became so cool that it was almost a shame when he suited up in the finale. That last episode didn't gel with the rest quite as well in some ways, but it was still a strong ending, especially when you think back to that awesome battle between Daredevil and Wilson Fisk. Following this was always going to be tough, but regardless of what came next for 'ol Hornhead, this really was a near perfect thirteen episodes which finally did one of Marvel's greatest characters justice.

Do you agree with this ranking of Marvel's TV shows or do you have your own take? As always, be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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269 Comments

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GhostDog - 10/11/2016, 8:41 AM The Daredevil vs Fisk fight in the S1 final was bad....very bad. I attribute this to Steven S. DeKnight directing that episode. He's a far better writer than director. Season 2 is a little bit stronger imo mainly because it balances a handful of storylines better than most tv shows do. Sure it got a little clunk at times, but overall it was ambitious of them to tackle so much and do a solid job in doing so. Season 2 gave us the DEFINITIVE Punisher and Elektra too. It deserves major points for that. And it gave us this iconic scene I think its an iconic scene for the DD mythos. Its two sides of the same coin going head to head without throwing a punch. Login to report abuse










blackandyellow - 10/11/2016, 8:44 AM DD Season 1 is still the best for me, followed by DD Season 2. I don't watch Agent Carter or Agents of SHIELD and didn't care for JJ. Haven't started LC yet. Login to report abuse
Luigi - 10/11/2016, 8:46 AM I think the Netflix Marvel shows could really benefit from 10 episode seasons like GoT. They're all great shows that suffer from a little unnecessary fat. Login to report abuse





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